BLOG 183

 

This week I have been steaming ahead with the ‘In the red’ challenge quilt, if only to prove to myself that I can make the idea work! Drafting a workable pattern onto paper is the first manifestation of what I saw in my mind’s eye. But, it’s all very well having it on paper; there is still a lot of work to go before it will materialise (excuse the pun!) in fabric. I re-did the head of the horse using the same freezer paper method and you can see that it has been sewn as a raw edge applique. When I quilt the piece, I will use thread to help prevent the fragile raw edges from fraying any further.

 

                           Detail of applique

 Here is the completed head on my design wall; it’s on top of another piece of work that needs to make progress also. Oh the pressures … !!!!

ASIDE: I have been looking at my original drawing since getting it out again and something was niggling about it. It was only when I was working with fabric, and positioning the ears on the head, that I realised what was wrong. I had drawn the ears too far back; they look better in their present position!

 

                                  Completed head

 

Stupidly, I left the background pastel blocks on the design wall and started to pin 2” red squares over the top. I wanted to make it look as though the head was emerging from the patchwork squares.

                               Patchwork squares

After some time and effort, I began to realise that the pastel colours of the background blocks were distracting. And then I had to ask myself why on earth I was making pins holes in the batik fabric underneath? All I can say in answer was that I was in the narrow furrow of creativity and just concentrating on the head and the red. I probably didn’t even see the pastels until I stepped away from the design wall! So I took out all the pins, removed all the red squares, removed the pastel blocks and started again.

    

                            Re-positioned head

 

                                 More squares

 I continued in this vein, cutting 2” squares from left-over red fabrics and placing them randomly around the head. I started to sew the squares into lines and then join the lines. Because I didn’t want to make a full quilt of squares to cover the area underneath the head, I drew a 3” grid onto iron-on Vylene and placed it, glue side upwards, onto my work surface. The lines gave me a good vertical and horizontal grid for placing the seams, and the Vylene has given stability and structure to the wall hanging once the fabrics were ironed on. Here is the completed quilt top. So far, so good!

                                           Pattern

 

                                      Completed top

 ASIDE: The one think that is annoying me is the horizontal line of light squares in the lower left quarter. Once I spotted it, it is all I see!