BLOG 121

This week I have continued to wrestle with my design for the Chester Ps & Qs exhibition next year. What I feel at the moment is that what I conceived when drawing on a small scale hasn’t really translated well to a large scale design.

 

 

                                  Design doodle

I decided to make another visit to the Cathedral which is the inspiration behind my particular design, although I could have chosen The Mystery Plays or Chester and its history. The thing at the back of my mind is that until I start committing fabric to the project, I can still change direction. But time is creeping on and there is a need to make progress. Here is the start of the design as a large scale picture. I have just concentrated on the central tree at present but I want to give the feeling on the height and loftiness of the cathedral so I chose to make it longer and thinner.

 

                           Large scale design

Although not fully drafted, I needed to start playing with colour (my favourite aspect of quilt making) alongside the pattern so I went to try things out on the design wall in my play room. Thinking tree trunk, I pulled out obvious batik fabrics which in normal circumstances would be ideal.
 

 

                                            Bark fabrics

Then I unearthed a wonderful atmospheric fabric which I could use effectively for the background and this will now influence the colours I subsequently choose.

 

 

                                             Background

 A potential bark fabric now looks out of place against this background so this will be discarded.

 

                                         Bark/background

Here are other potential fabrics that sit nicely with the background fabric. I suppose that in the back of my mind I am thinking of the impact of the colours of stained glass against the stonework in the cathedral and perhaps I will adopt a stained glass method for construction. Perhaps? I’m still pondering.

 

                   Background/foliage

 

                       Another palette

And then I got totally distracted when I dragged out this fabric which I bought a couple of years ago at one of the shows. I can’t remember who dyed it but I certainly salivated when I saw it.

 

                                   Dyed fabric

When I put it alongside other fabrics on my design wall, it cancelled out anything else and said ‘look at me and forget the rest’. I love the colours but feel I need to design a special quilt around it before I cut into it so back in the drawer it goes. (How many fabric have I said that about I wonder? Sometimes it’s worth remembering that fabrics are bought to be used!)

More next time.