Next in the Series

I LOVE pulling out stuff from my stash -- I keep various colors in those zippered plastic bags that linens come in -- and choosing what I think is going to work for a new star quartet. This is what I decided on. Nice strong reds and purples against lighter colors, in this case, close to what Carol Doak used in her example.



This is the first full square I finished -- pinned to my "design wall" i.e., the black slip covered sofa across the from from my easy chair where I can contemplate it.-- Hey, in a two room apartment you do what you can, right? -- That background fabric is little dots or circles with minature flowers in the middle of them. It's not actually ugly but it is something I wanted to use up. HOWEVER, in this context it becomes downright ugly. And why should I do ugly? This series of quilts is not about ugly, it's about learning to use colors that work together. I blush to admit it took a couple of days to say "Out, out damned dots" ,.. [sorry about that, I DO love puns].

Anyway I chose a new background fabric, a light raspberry calico print that I'm very happy to use up and that works here even if it's a little on the sweetzie-poo-pretty side.

So this quartet is coming along apace. It's a pleasure to do one that feels cheery and nice after the dark one that I agonzied over and that is still hanging, accusingly, on the living room wall, simply because I haven't felt like putting it away with its predecessors and rehanging one of the other quilts that work better there. This is number 16 and there are still several stars that attract me and offer interesting challenges.

I was thinking earlier today about the many, many books about various technique that are published, written by individual quilters who show 15, 20 or so quilts in a certain style using their special technique. I used to think, goodness, don't those women get tired of making one after another quilt of the same sort? But I realized, thinking about my severals series, that when you find something that delights you, it's wonderful to go with it and see what variations you come up with. After all, we quilters are making something that is, if we're quite honest, really not needed ['tho it may be useful and used] and could be replaced more inexpensively with a blanket or mass market comforter -- if this is how we choose to spend our precious creative hours, it MUST give us delight ... otherwise we should be eating chocolates while we take a rose scented bubble bath.