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Saturday, December 29, 2007

Love Hate Relationship

I fell in love with one of the quilts in one of Sharyn Craig's books and then she came out with another book just about the block that made the quilt I liked. I decided to make my version of a Northwind Quilt out of all batiks. I liked it when I was working on it, I was lukewarm about it when I started to lay out the blocks. I really didn't like it all when I got the blocks sewn together. Why not? My expectations were not met. First of all I didn't plan the values (light to dark) to fall in the right places to get the effect of the one in the book. Second of all, I didn't choose the fabrics for the quilt, I just grabbed the pile of 1/4 yards pieces and made it out of them. I had set myself up for failure. This one is 72" x 90". I pulled the quilt top out several times to show to others, and the last time I opened it up, I loved it. I no longer had the vision of the other one in my head; I was just seeing what I had created.Here are close up pics of a couple of my favorite areas.
Lesson learned: enjoy what you are making for what it is, do not agonize over what it could have been.

In my next post I want to address the question "How much of each fabric should I buy?".

10 comments:

  1. I love it! It's hard to fail with batiks. I agree that what we envision sometimes falls short of what we achieve but we shouldn't let that affect us too much.

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  2. I love it, love it.
    It shimmers like the Aegean sea.
    It might look nothing like the quilt in your head but forget that one, this one might even be better.
    Sally

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  3. Love the quilt - and love the advice too !

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  4. Me too... this quilt moves and shimmers. Your advice is like that often given to writers... work on the mss. then let it "get cold" by putting it away for a week, or longer. Reread it after you've forgotten what you wrote and you can more clearly see both flaws and good parts. I'd never thought to apply this to my quilts, but now, thanks to you, I'm going to get out some of those UFOs (or PHDs which sounds better!) and see what happens.

    Thank you.... again!

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  5. I know what you mean. Expectations are often killers. And another thing that I find happens is that one works out a quilt or piece of work in one's head in such detail that it is almost as if it is finished and so it never gets made! This quilt is lovely. I'd have been delighted to have made it!

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  6. This one has me mesmerized with its "kaleidoscope" beauty. I too love it and I have used the Kaleidoscope discription several times with your quilts. Which made me thing about...We all view art work personally and it is fun to read how each one of us sees it's beauty in our own way. J~MT

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  7. "Which made me THINK" not thing about..... (*._,*)

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  8. I love it too. It is beautiful with wonderful colour combinations, & movement.

    I have a quilt top I really disliked after I made it, but when I looked at it in a photograph, I was surprised to find I like it after all.

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  9. Too fabu for words. Using those lights in there makes the brights even brighter. Wonderful Wanda.

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  10. Very nice quilt. Definitely does not have the "planned" look, but it certainly works. And thanks for the advice!

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