Sunday, April 19, 2015

The Lowly Nine Patch Goes Mod


I have a few favorite blogs I frequent,
and one is Sew Can She. I've learned so much
by reading the different tutorials, and am
excited every month when a new
Classic Quilt Block comes out. Many I've done
before, but more than a few times I've learned 
technique that really was quite helpful.This 
month's block was the 9 Patch, and I wanted to 
link up with one I'd done to her Facebook page so 
I was entered in the contest for the month. There's 
always a free giveaway, and that's free fun.

I was brave, and cut into my Allison
Glass stash of fat quarters I'd gotten a few
months ago. One 9 patch easily turned into many 
more, and soon I had a small pile I thought would 
make a wonderful throw quilt. What I thought
would work was this, and before you look, it
 Did Not.


You know how much I like print with print, 
but this even made me a little nauseous.
So then I tried this.


It was still pretty awful. I threw in some
slate colored sheeting, and it was getting 
better. It gave the eye somewhere to rest,
but also allowed the brilliant colors to shine.
I still wasn't happy with the layout, though.


Next try here, and I thought it was cleaner,
and simplified. I could now walk away for the 
day, and look tomorrow with fresh eyes.


Coming back this morning, it still made me 
smile, so I plugged on making more 9 patches.
Some were dark/light/dark, others opposite,
and some just had a funky-cool look so I 
went with the combination.


Did I say that I'd already cut out 50 blocks
6.5" square the night before? Yes, I did! So as to 
not waste the fabric or my energy, I tried this.


Again, very simple, but wouldn't it look a
little more glamourous with a stacked coin
border around the whole perimeter?

That's two days of sewing work for me. I also
did a little gardening, and mowed everything 
from north to south. Each morning brings
something else into bloom, and it's
really pretty exciting if you're into it like
I am.


Bleeding hearts


Magnolias, and to the right a clump of
a double narcissus 'Erlicheer' that you 
can smell 20 feet away at times!


My 2 pink dogwoods will be out by
morning I'll bet, but look like fairy
trees today.

Pansies greet us at the front door now.


And look what surprised me! I had no
idea it was going to bloom after all
these years.


I hope you're enjoying spring as much as I am.

Thank you to everyone who linked up to the
Pet Project Show #16 this weekend. It runs
through midnight Monday, April 20th.
When you link up, you are automatically
entered in the drawing May 2 for the
quilted pillow. Follow the directions in the
link below for other ways to enter.



Come on, Doxie Girls.
I have another idea to try.

15 comments:

Linda Swanekamp said...

You know, my two cents worth. The blocks in the picture next to each other by the iron are just gorgeous. The grey doen't do them justice. What if you made thin sashing of the grey around the blocks and staggered the nine patches to create some movement but leaving the luscious colors shine? I am thinking of something like Bonnie Hunter's Dancing Nine patch on her site. I love the bigger print squares, but I think they could shine with a lighter color background. I ended up recently pairing prints with squares of denim recycled from jeans and light grey (http://artinsearch.blogspot.com/2015/03/moda-figures-mini-charm-quilt-and-denim.html) and I think it let the prints shine (not a nine patch though)
Anyways, LOVE the nine patches and have fun with it!

myrtovl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
myrtovl said...

Linda is right the grey color doesn't do justice to them, I like the one next to the iron! I had the same issues with a grey I tried to use once, maybe it's too dark.
Myrto

Lara B. said...

It will be interesting to see what direction you take with your Allison Glass nine patches Julie. I find it a real challenge to work with many different bold prints, but the results are so worth it!
Your garden and yard as so lovely! We are a bit behind you in the season - Right now our Serviceberries are getting ready to bloom and soon the redbud will too.

Unknown said...

I agree with the other comments. The gray provides some calm to the prints but maybe too much. I do like how they look beside your iron.

Renee said...

Oh this quilt is coming together beautifully! Definitely like the grey patches you added, it really lets the prints and saturated colors shine!

Kat said...

I love your nine patches on the slate. It looks great!

VeggieMummy said...

Those beautiful, colourful nine patches really sing out against the grey - stunning. Your garden is looking fabulous too - looks like you're having a wonderful week. xx PS. I think my email is now attached!

Vicki in MN said...

I really like the 9 patches on the gray, it will be sew sweet!!

Terri Ann @ ChildlikeFascination.com said...

I like how you shared your thoughts in experimenting with this layout. I agree the grey is the way to go and I really love how those colors pop against that shade of grey. It just grounds the design so beautifully.

Melissa said...

I have that same fat quarter bundle & I've only gotten so far as un-bundling it. Haven't cut into her quite yet. Love the look with the 9 patch's just all together, now you're making me re-think my pattern....

Rebecca Grace said...

I agree with Linda. I see how you feel like all the prints mixed up together are just "too much," but the gray squares seem like too much gray -- they cancel out too much happy energy. I like Linda's idea of thin sashing in a solid (gray or another color) to separate the print blocks a little bit without losing the fun, bohemian spirit of your 9-patch blocks. Of course, it could just be the photos not doing the gray fabric justice. If it looks good to you "in person," then of course that's what you should go with! Thanks for sharing your lovely Spring flowering photos. Especially love your orchid surprise!

Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore said...

I can see that you're having fun trialling different options for this quilt. I can also see that your garden is about to explode into life and look beautiful. Thank you so much for linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday.

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

Drives me crazy when the idea in my head doesn't translate to the design wall! I like seeing how you tried different layouts and sharing your thought process. The gray calms all those bold prints, but I agree that there might be too much of it, maybe thinner sashing? It will be fun to see what you end up doing. Thanks for linking up to MCM!

Unknown said...
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