I'm not sewing this week but had a busy time this month finishing several gifts. In between, I worked on this class project. Since there are actually photos of the process (whoo-hoo) let's walk through my final changes to this quilt.
At this point it seemed ready to sew the rows. You can see I'd sewn the first two rows but wandering through on my way to bed... {Remember the circuitous route our kids took on their way to bed? Mine is now similar as I check everything one last time.} it was simply too dark. The only color combination seemed to be pink and orange. All the others are "a color and a neutral." Not exactly pushing the color combination boundary. Where are the sample combinations I'd made in class?
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| Dark Bars quilt ready to sew |
First I covered seven bright or dark sections with lighter sets of two colors.
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| Exchanging some of the orange sets in this Bars quilt |
Next I moved two rows to the top so my favorite section is nearer the middle. A couple of the bright sections were uncovered.
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| Moving rows in the Bars quilt |
Finally added a chambray and white section back on the right and swapped some dark and light sections to balance the top.
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| Bars quilt top sewn |
For comparison, here's the final top with the starting layout.
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| Comparing finished Bars quilt with dark Bars quilt |
These photos almost seem like a filter was added to brighten the colors rather than all that work. I guess my strips have their own rhythm of size and spacing.
I want the lighter one today but the dark version intrigues me with it's foray into cheddar. When I looked at it in daylight, it was very attractive. Funny how different the colors appeared at night. Note to self: don't make changes after dark.
This has been a exciting year for me and AHIQ has been part of that excitement. I've learned so much from Kaja and all of you who have linked projects and shared opinions. I've grown so much over the year and look forward to future work in this community.
InLinkz removed because it was hacked.
24 comments:
So interesting. I truly like both of them!! I think it was a win-win!
This has indeed been a wonderful year for AHIQ and I'm looking forward to whatever 2018 brings.
I love this Bars quilt, and I find I really prefer it when the strips are different widths. So much extra movement! And I'm looking forward to more improv in 2018!
Color fun in both of your Bars quilts, Ann. Always great to see everyone's projects, thanks for hosting AHIQ.
Good contrast.
Great quilts, both of them! Just goes to show it sometimes takes a lot of thought to make something that looks "random."
Ann, your finished Bars quilt is a winner!! I love the brightness and all the colour you have in there. I am going to get my act together for AHIQ in 2018, must prioritise more I think!
Thanks, Pam. I like them both, too, but thought the first one was too dark originally. Now I have something I want to try to recreate. Many of the strips went into this finished top.
Thanks, Julie. Kaja and I wondered how the invitations would go. Would anyone find open-ended projects worthwhile?
Would new quilters feel comfortable enough to join in and would experienced quilters find enough to interest them?We've been so pleased with the results. I don't think we'll have as many this year but we do want to keep it up.
I took this class to force me to work with solids. I agree with you; different width strips add to the interest. Thanks for your encouragement for and participation in AHIQ.
I'm finding solid color quilts can be very colorful. It is fun to see what people do in workshops, isn't it? Thanks for participating in AHIQ.
You're right, LeeAnn. Random is difficult. Like "casually put together." Ha.
Thanks, Maureen. I am glad I added all the color. That was a big part of the workshop. I do want to try a dark one, too. Thanks for participating in AHIQ. Your voice adds a lot.
What a great bars quilt! Love that horizontal style. I did one years ago with my scrap fabrics and really enjoyed seeing it come together. Yours is so rich looking in these saturated solids. The difference between the two pictures is wonderful to see!
I'd love to see yours as I imagine it was made with print fabric. This was fun to make in solids - something I haven't done in years. There are several shot cottons included that add lots of depth. Usually I like the final quilt much more than previous versions but this time I like both of them equally. Good to see them together.
Interesting to see and read your process!
Love the comparison of the two tops - and your process. Thank you for coordinating the AHIQ - I love following the work of these quilters!
Thanks for writing, Pamela. That's what I most like to read on other blogs.
Thanks for writing, Kris. I most enjoy reading blogs when people explain their process. Kaja and I are both delighted that other quilters enjoy AHIQ. There are so many talented people here.
I too like both tops and this is a good example of how very similar things can convey quite different moods. Maybe this will be the start of another series! Did you enjoy working with just solids?
I did. Using solids focused more attention on the size (width) of each bar, the length of the strip sets, and their values. I'm getting a hint of how much prints add to (or mask) a design. Several of these fabrics are shirtings from DH. I'd like to make one with solid and plaid shirtings and also mix solids and prints.
I am amazed by the difference in the beginning photograph and the ending layout. The new layout has more movement and I end up with a smile on my face.
Thank you, Robin. It makes me smile, too. And it's interesting to see how it changed through the process.
I like all of those iterations! I might have to tey one of those myself. Happy New Year!
Love your bars quilt! I missed the link up because I was away from the computer for 11 days, but I did do a second post about my quilts for the AHIQ for 2017. I have a bunch of solids; looks like there could be a bars quilt in my future! Thanks for the inspiration!
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