Designs Under Duress

Have you ever heard that you are supposed to plan your quilting before you even begin piecing?  When I first began quilting this concept was way beyond my imagination.  I think it takes practice doing actual quilting before you are ready to think ahead very much.  Now I find myself at least thinking about how I will quilt the top while I am busy putting it all together.  Then I sit down and draw out my ideas on tracing paper.  BUT...

Sometimes those designs don't do justice to the quilt.  Grrrrrrr!  This results in ripping and re-designing.  My current quilt is the item under siege at the moment.   It truly has a mind of it own.  Gradually I have made my way out from the center with a fair amount of doing and re-doing.  I have stitched ideas on my scraps, but sometimes even those don't work out.  I have stitched new designs onto the quilt itself when I was sure they were perfect.  But they weren't.  Rrrrriipppppp!  Design looks dorky.  Thread color is wrong. Orientation is wrong.  I was off my feed and the stitching is wonky.

If... I mean when...this happens to you, pull out the bulldog in yourself and let it off the leash.  Rest a bit, but please don't give up.  Designs under duress are often the best ones yet and that is happening to me at this point.  I am now happy and eager to carry through around the other three sides of the quilt.  It is so much easier to quilt when you love how the design looks.  Sometimes you just have to listen to what the quilt is saying.  Sometimes it really has a mind of its own.

The quilt chose this design  It didn't like the orignal plan.

I hate to admit to all the ripping I did before this plan evolved.  This has been a very chatty quilt!  BTW the lighter color filler lines in the feathers is metallic gold.  It makes the quilt sparkle and glow.  The little square at the top is also stitched in gold.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you perfect designs even if under duress.

Inspiration Needed!

Oh my.  Here is Monday again and I have no post and no inspiration except that my walk this morning was so lovely:  clouds, fog, blue sky and sunshine intermingling and frisking around the mountains.

I finished my SID (stitch in ditch).  I thought it would take forever, but it didn't and now it is done.

I tried something new this time by designing my quilting on a 15 x 15 inch version of my quilt from the computer.  I drew what I thought was a really nice design.  However, when I compared the drawing to the full sized quilt it was clear that my designs were no good on the larger format.  Back to the drawing board, literally.

The drawing table.  Designs still subject to lots of changes.

I printed out one quarter of the quilt full sized.  This took quite a few pieces of paper and the time to tape them together.  I stapled tracing paper over the top and sat down with audiobook, pencil, eraser and a few ideas.  When you get one idea going, others begin to flow.  I find it relaxing to draw.  Another day or two and I will be ready to actually stitch.  I have tried out a few ideas with needle and scraps and so far they are satisfying.  I don't think the quilting will get tedious because I will be doing lots of different things.

This is all part of sewing a quilt.  I drag it out.  I don't do deadlines so what is the hurry?

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you time to play, reflect and create.

PS.  A photo from this week's lower elevation hike.