The Process: From Chaos into Order

We were home just long enough to unpack our few things Sunday afternoon, and I hit the ground running. The end of the week was gearing up to be a busy one, and I saw my window of opportunity to sew. Oh,... it felt good to be back in my space! I had my assortment of what my friend called 'my bits', and still no perfectly clear plan of what I was doing with them. That's where the design wall did its job. 


I have the world's simplest here. I am hanging a sheet of batting over a bookcase. It 'floats' a little, so you can't press hard onto it, but everything sticks just the same. Ultra-heavy blocks can be pinned. 

When I first viewed my few 'bits' hanging there, I decided I needed to control block sizes. 6 1/2" and 12 1/2" were close to what I had already made. Also, that was a 1:2 ratio, or 1 large blocks equal 2 small, making it super easy for spacing. 

Yesterday I just sewed small blocks in whatever quirky pattern I dreamed up, and either framed out or cut down the large and small to equal sizes. I added a frame to the green and pink that looked like a present, then also layered one of my hexies on top of that. I like the added dimension. Some blocks were torn apart and repurposed, others discarded.

I had decided chaos required order. I tried several arrangements up here before coming up with this simple arrangement of 4 blocks in the middle surrounded by a border. Next was background color. I hung several different pieces of fabric in either a muted print or solid. I was stuck on a pale pink until I spotted this green from Moda's Wrens and Friends. The chocolate Moda solid is perfect for the binding, and will anchor and frame the composition.

Visually, as a quilt, it's growing fast on me. It met all the requirements I put on it: color, random block design, quirky look, etc. But more important than the actual quilt top, I'm learning so much about the creative process as I do this! It's not comfortable, but I think it's necessary if I want to grow, and I want to get better at this. Compare it to learning to ride a bike. You don't just jump on and know how. You have to expect the falling off part, too, and that is hard whether it's physical or mental. I'm just glad I have friends along for the wild ride.

See you tomorrow or the next day.

Come on, Doxie girls.

Busy day ahead. 

Let's go sew--If I can find the table!