Okay I got a little out of control about two years ago, when I saw this quilt. I have old quilting magazines, and binders where I keep ideas, patterns, etc. And this always made me look twice. Sparrow and magpie is an antique store in New Mexico. They were featured in a magazine (don't know which one, I cut out the page) and I loved the quilt in the lower left.
So I got all my reds, yellows, creams, mint greens and all my very dark fabrics (black, deep burgundy, midnight blue, forest green, brown, etc) and I made over 270 10.5" squares. Totally manic. Took me over a month (December 2011). I love the movement of log cabins, but I always settle on a zig zag pattern and (I thought) this was artistically debilitating since there are so many other avenues to explore with the log cabin. Always, when I get like this, I tell myself, "This is my last log cabin". Always, I fall off the Log Cabin Wagon and begin a new one.
Also, I must admit, this project was to purge the stash-laggers. I had been quilting almost a decade, I had collected all kinds of fabrics that I didn't love, but were useful, or came with a medley, or seemed like a good idea at the time. Another inspiration for the quilt I eventually created is this painting, on a cover of a book about Charles Sheeler. I will talk more about Sheeler in another blog; I am influenced by him. He's a Philly boy and has quilts hidden in his still lifes - so fun.
Well, I just need rid of the mania created by these log cabins. There were so many of them, and they had their own personality. So I sold them, gave them to the Quilting universe, somewhere out in the Pacific Northwest (excellent quilting karma out there!). See how many there were! It's ludicrous! Who does that?! I think I just wanted to distance my self from the manic quilting behavior pattern. In my defense they were over a year old. I have made a little bit of progress or at least I'm moving in that direction. Or at least I am aware I have a problem. It's my drug.
When I was done I laid a few out to see if the contrast really was there. I mean there are SO many colors.... would they really have any PUNCH? I made a wall hanging sized quilt top, and put it away. It was going to be bigger but I prefer the snapshot of movement the zig zags create. The brain knows what the colors are going to do; why not just give it directions instead of laying it all out; "don't deny or rush the visual journey". So I created this wall hanging, and quilted it last week, to give myself closure.
I must conclude that the color scheme is effective. The contrast is lovely and striking. The blocks looked a little wonky but now that they are quilted-in whatever visible wonk they have adds character and drama, and I don't think it detracts from the quilt - I love it.
That is where I'm going with my quilting, I think. I want to love it. I learned everything I need to know, and now I want to love it. If it turns out I love scrappy manic piecework, I will follow that road. If it turns out I want to create something more polished and predictable as far as visual impact is concerned, I will go there. The sure thing, is that we (in quilting, life, etc) are rooted in tradition. Tradition is the place to start.
Incidentally, I have fallen off the wagon again. This time it's red and white. Stay tuned.
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