Friday 17 May 2013

swoon...

 being the world's best starter and the world's worst finisher it will come as no surprise that i have started yet another quilt.


to be fair i am on a mission to make a quilt for our bed. i keep thinking i have found the perfect quilt design but then as i get going on it it doesn't seem quite as perfect as i thought so i give up.



i really thought this low volume scrappy trip along above was going to be just right...

...wrong! even though it is low volume there is just too much going on.

the same happened with the + and x quilt below.


way too busy!
it was back to the drawing board but not before i made myself sew up these scrappy and plus blocks into squares big enough to make cosy floor cushions.

now i can relatively guiltlessly get on with the job in hand of making the right quilt and i actually think i am there this time.

i had bought camille's lovely swoon pattern a while ago and had a lightbulb moment of thinking this would be just the right quilt, particularly if i kept it simple.
the first block i made at the top went pretty straight forwardly. i used my 2 favourite fabrics of the moment - architextures' crosshatch in grey and pb&j's raspberry jam in picnic. the background is the crosshatch in white...plain but with a little added interest.


i was really pleased with the result of this first block and started pulling fabrics for the rest of the quilt.  whilst our room has a strong Orla Kiely wallpaper with a shot of chartreusy yellow i initially wanted to keep the quilt neutral.
not according to my sub conscience as before i knew it i'd dragged out some yellows. looks like it was going to have yellow in it after all.



just to make sure yellow was going to work i made up another block. 
nice...
i was liking...

but now i have a dilemma...a big dilemma...
i laid the blocks out on the bed just to see if it was working for me and boom how good do the blocks look as pillow covers??

aaaghhh!
do i stop at these 2 blocks and do something else for the quilt?
but what else would work in this room?
what would you do??


16 comments:

Cari said...

Ooh, I like them as pillow covers too. I can see how it would be hard to get a full quilt to work with that wallpaper, lovely though it is. But I like the fresh look of white with the pillows quite a bit.

lindsey said...

I love the colours of the patchwork and the Orlando Keily paper

Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts said...

Keep going! I think this would look amazing on your bed (well, amazing full stop!) Love the idea of a lower volume swoon.

lamina@do a bit said...

Yes they do look awesome as pillows but they would look AWESOMER as a quilt... Keep going... in my humble opinion :)

Nicky said...

If in doubt I make a photo mosaic of my blocks to see what a quilt might look like. Then stand around with it in situ squinting at it to see if it works!

Why haven't you got your own little flower repeat in this quilt? It would bring the two competing patterns together?

My immediate thought on seeing the wallpaper was retro flower to go with it but that might be too much. Sprout blocks would be fun with maybe a flower at the top - but only if you want to start yet another quilt!

But I do love the swoon blocks they look fab - now get some of your own fabric in there!

Charlotte said...

I would make the quilt - swoon works brilliantly on a bed (we have one and I love it so much, I just wish I had made it big enough to hang over the edges of the super king sized bed!). Make it!!!!!!!

kbzelazny said...

How about the yellow block in the middle, and all neutral like the first one all around it?

atelier077 said...

I think the swoon looks lovely with your wallpaper!

Leanne said...

I so hope you make the quilt, I think it will look excellent with your room.

Two Wednesdays said...

They look amazing as pillows - I think you need to leave the yellow out of the quilt though, as otherwise it won't go with the wallpaper

Di said...

What about mirroring the wallpaper and see what te blocks look like on point with sashing? Just an idea. Di x

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Make the quilt, make the quilt!!!

Lady Jane said...

Someone else has thought similar to me - use the central yellow 'star' with neutrals around it for some of the blocks. Then neutrals only for the other blocks. That would echo the wallpaper but not be too loud.
Must say I really like the calm, simple grey/neutral block. Absolutely beautiful - brings patchwork back to absolute basics - shapes connected. No patterns, prints or colours to distract from that. Nice
Jane

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

I'm late commenting so I'm fairly sure you stuck with the and all I can say is 'Hurray!' xx

Kay said...

I love the look as pillow covers, they would look great as a quilt too. As you have already started just keep going!! I am a terrible finisher too, not so bad with fabric but my cross stitch work piles up half finished. The longest it ever took me to end a project was 17 years!!

Bailey said...

A quilt using only the gray blocks with 2 pillow covers like the yellow block.