Hearts for Fredi

Well, I'm done piecing the top. This is all the bigger it's going to get (about 23" x 20"). I'm going to have to put it aside for a while though in order to finish up some other projects. They are going to miss their respective deadlines no matter what, but I don't want to miss 'em by more than I have to!

The next step is to do the hand quilting/embellishing. I haven't entirely decided what I'll use or how I'm going to embellish this quilt. I may seed stitch with rayon floss in the purple areas around the hearts. That odd bit of purple at the top left may get a row of red sequin hearts, just to keep the theme going. We'll see. I'm learning that it's better to do just one step at a time and make the design decisions as I come to that point in the process, not before. It's a hard habit to establish!

Coming to Life

I set my hearts together. I had thought I would keep them in the vertical orientation I originally laid them out in...


but after I'd auditioned several potential sashing fabrics they ended up horizontal!

It was quite a struggle to find the right sashing color/print. I started with the purples I had used around the hearts, thinking I would simply float the hearts. It was flat and boring. I must have spent two days, off and on, pawing through my stash to find something that worked. This red batik is dark enough to sit well with the purples and some of the dots on it actually look purple now (they looked black before I put them next to the blocks). I like the introduction of orange in the red too. This puts me in mind of the clowns Fredi used to make.

Before I found the sashing fabric I made one more block, thinking that I might want/need more hearts. This one is smaller than most of the others because it was made from the offcuts of the other blocks. I tried to fit it into the top but it just wouldn't work. So I have a starter block for something else :- )

I've made yet another heart block, this time out of silk, for my monthly journal quilt project. I'll be posting that on my personal blog soon.

I've thought about adding letters to this one per suggestions y'all have made. Still undecided on that point though.

Hearts, Finally!

I went with the purple and gold color scheme after all. The multi-color idea just wasn't going anywhere. This two color scheme had me a little worried because of what I perceived as limited options. I was also uncertain about how to place the light and dark values. Light background with dark hearts or vice versa? I had a nice big piece of a lighter value of the gold that would have floated purple hearts nicely. As you can see, I chose the opposite: gold hearts on a purple ground. This way I can have some variety in the background as well as in the hearts without the background becoming too busy. So far I've only used two purples and three gold prints. Since I don't anticipate this being a large piece I may not expand beyond those 5 fabrics. Or maybe I will. That's the fun of working this way; you never know what will happen next!

So far I've made only these six hearts. I kind of like the vertical format that I have them in for this picture but there's no guarantee they'll stay this way. There's one heart I think looks more dorky than wonky but whatever. The question I'm facing now is whether to make more hearts using the same fabrics I've already used or whether to stretch the palette a bit. Or I could just stop here and set them together as is. Hmmm....

I Would Love to Get Started...

But I can't even decide on a palette at this point!

I want to make a wall hanging for a friend of mine who moved away a couple of years ago. I'm planning to do hearts, at least to begin with. When I think of her I think of the dolls she used to make (clowns were her particular favorite) and the house she used to live in. Now she's into altered books and I have no idea how she has decorated her current home. I thought of reds at first because of the heart theme and because I know she is a fan of strong colors. Or a polychromatic scheme using pure hues. I really enjoy very scrappy quilts. But I also have these luscious batiks in purples and... I don't even know what to call that other color! Suffice to say it's a sort of golden neutral. (I'm too lazy to go take a picture for you.) I guess I'm afraid I don't have enough variety of prints in the neutral. I'll get bored using the same thing over and over again. Shopping is a bit of an issue for me or I'd simply go out and buy more! My favorite LQS is having a sale this week so I will probably venture out eventually anyway. I'm just not sure what direction to pursue. I know it will be an effort to stay on task when I'm in the quilt shop. But having a purpose makes it easier.

It sounds like I want to go with the purple color scheme in my heart of hearts. Any suggestions or input would be appreciated however :- )

Stars

While y'all are waiting for me to get started on my hearts I thought I'd share with you some stars I've been making. Two of them went into a quilt that I was going to swap with another blogger. That quilt turned out so well that my husband wouldn't let me give it away! I haven't shown it yet on my blog because I want to keep the quilt a surprise for the recipient. Even though she's not getting the original one, the two quilts will be similar enough that I don't want to post it yet. In the meantime, here are four liberated/wonky/maverick stars:

Oh. I guess these two aren't sewn together yet!

Late Arrival to Class

Hello all, Sue in western Washington, USA here. I've already made some free style quilts but thought it would be fun to be part of one of Tonya's classes. And I have a friend facing some health issues; I want to make a small quilt for her. So I'm going to do some wonky hearts. At least, I hope they'll be wonky! The last time I tried free pieced hearts they didn't turn out the way I wanted. This will be an opportunity to practice making hearts until I get the look I'm after. I have found that having some form of accountability, like this class, helps to keep me on task.

It may be a little bit before I have anything to show on this new project. I recently made a small improvisational quilt to swap with a fellow blogger. It turned out so well my husband won't let me give it away! I have to quickly make a second quilt to send to her and then I can start on my hearts. In the meantime, if you want to see what else I've been up to my blog is From the Magpie's Nest.