Making Progress- Connecting Quilt Blocks (3 of 4)

Making Progress (3 of 4)

The project I introduced last week is moving along now. The top is pretty much together and then it will be sandwiched with the batting and a backing fabric for quilting.

Each block unit was created by mixing and matching two of my fabric choices in a random way.  I enjoy playing with the different combinations of patterns and colors. But the downside to this approach is that there is no predictable placement for each block within the whole when it is time for them to come together.

So, I cleared a space on the floor and began placing the blocks to see which setting “speaks to me” as the final version of the quilt top. This stage can cause a lot of head scratching and I seldom settle on the first option without considering multiple arrangements. I lay out the blocks, take a quick cell pic to document it, and then rearrange them for a new setting.

Here are two choices considered:

In the example on the left, I grouped the blocks by dominant fabrics; a pile of reddish brown, or off-white, for instance. Then they were placed in blocks of color. It transitioned from one section of color to the next by matching the second color within a block at the edge of a section with the group of blocks that had that fabric as the predominant color. This gave a plaid look to the top.

On the right, I thought I would work out from the blocks that were dominated by the lightest fabrics to the darkest ones at the edges. There are 64 blocks,- 8x8, which means that the exact middle of this quilt will be the center seam, four blocks on either side. If there were an odd number of rows, an entire block would be at the center. So, the focal point I was going for is not centered. 

In the end, I went with a different placement all together.