The trouble with prints...

I'm pretty into solids. I like working with them. I like thinking about how to make them interesting.

I'm generally not that into using printed fabrics. I like them, and I like seeing quilts made with prints, but I'm usually not inspired to create with them.

It's for a variety of reasons, and one of which is that I think it's more complicated to use printed fabrics. You don't just have to worry about matching a few colors to each other, it can turn into matching several colors in various intensities, as well as worrying about the interaction of the scale of the prints.

For me, it's like moving from 2-D to 3-D. It's a whole new level of stuff to worry about. I'm generally happy just to stick to the relative simplicity of solids!

The quilt I'm working on now was originally intended to be a solid color quilt.

I may still make the pattern out of solids, as I really like that look, but for now I am enjoying stretching myself by using prints.

It hasn't been smooth sailing though.

I find myself pretty dissatisfied with the block on the bottom. I really like both the prints that went into it, but they don't work together the way I want them to. The shapes are to similar in size, and the colors aren't different enough to really define the shapes in the block. The pattern is very clear in other combos, and it become almost unrecognizable in the bottom block.

I like the block on top though, quite a bit, even though I'm not a huge fan of the printed fabric on an individual level.

I think if I worked with prints more, it would get easier, or more natural to pick things that went well together. I'm not saying that I'll never work with prints again, but it will probably be awhile. I'm anxious to get back to solid fabric.

The block itself, came from a sketch I made, and then discarded for my sampler quilt, Hey Cherri.

This was the sketch.

It's the right-most sketch second from the bottom. Here it is in computer form.

A lot of the blocks for the sampler were explorations of repeating patterns, like taking 4-patch to a 16-patch, and others were explorations of what it was to combine various shapes. I'd had a snowball block, and a 4 patch snowball, and I wanted to see what else I could do with the snowball idea. Connecting two of them seemed like a good move.

(I also like the look of just half of the block, I think it looks like a skeleton key)

The connected snowball idea was to small for a 4 inch block, or rather it was to frustrating at the time. I tried it once, messed up my measurements and moved on. I didn't forget that block though, because I thought it had potential. Fooling around with it for awhile led to the quilt I'm working on now.

Disclaimer: While I did not reference any particular block that I had seen to create this block, it's a small world out there, and it is likely that someone, somewhere has made this too. I am in no way claiming that I invented this block, but gosh, wouldn't that be fun.

I'd rather be Hurking...

Good news, the house is done! (For now anyway, all the boxes I packed up are a problem for my future self). I couldn't have done it without the help of my dad, grandma and friends Jennifer and Leslie.

Here is Jennifer looking at a pile of garbage. This was pile the 4th. Piles 1, 2 and 3 had already made their way to the dump. Sorry mother earth!

No sooner than the house was done, work hit, and hit hard.

Folks, I have been swamped. I mean, really swamped. I've been working crazy hours, which is good in that I get paid by the hour, but is bad in the sense that I'm spending most of my awake hours working.

I think of the Shel Silverstein poem about working quite a lot. Do you remember it? Goes like this:

I'd rather play tennis than go to the dentist.
I'd rather play soccer than go to the doctor.
I'd rather play Hurk than go to work.
Hurk? Hurk? What's Hurk?
I don't know, but it MUST be better than work.

I can't wait until I have time to hurk!

Luckily, Fritz has been keeping me company by settling down beside my desk.

He gets really confused when I start printing stuff out. The motion of the machine startles him a bit.

I have carved out some social time though, which I think is important when I'm working a lot.

I went to the fair, and could not stop laughing at these ridiculous rasta bananas.

I've also been trying to spend some time each day outside of the house (also important when working from home) and I saw a free pile of stuff on a street near and got a great dutch oven.

Perfect fit!

I also nabbed a nice looking sheet to use for the back of a future quilt.

And finally, on Saturday, I had three whole hours to quilt. It's really been awhile, and it was so soothing to fire up the machine and sew. The whole ritual was so nice, with the pure physical nature of cutting, sewing and ironing. I'm hoping to fit more of that in and soon.

I made this block, from a design I've been hanging onto for awhile.

The finished block is 22 x 22

The proportions are off a bit, I messed up sizing of the pieces, but the general idea is there.

You know how some quilters work with prints and then decided to do a solid quilt as sort of an experiment? I feel like I'm going the other way! I'm experimenting with prints. I have all feedsack style fabrics for this quilt, because I think the small patterns will lend themselves to this type of block.

I was really inspired by the two antique quilts that I inherited. They are both done with feedsacks, and I think those patterns have aged so well.

Now that I've sewn roughly two hexagons together, I appreciate this quilt a lot more!

These quilts are from my mother's side of the family, and when I asked my grandmother (who passed away in April) about them, she just said "Oh, I guess my mom or aunt made those", and that was it! She was not a sentimental lady in any capacity.

I really appreciate having them though. I'm glad that they are still around for me to love! I wonder if my great-grandmother could have ever anticipated that I'd see them 80 years later and be inspired by her work. It makes me wonder about the future of my quilts. These quilts make me very happy to be a quilter, and be connected to such history!