Color Consult

What to do about about these colors? I like them, but I don't want to make a Halloween-ish quilt. I wanted to make it more general and more modern in feeling. This was a matter of color more than anything else. Rachel is better with color than I am -- after all she has had some art training and I have none. Plus, she can actually paint! I absolutely cannot. I laid my squares out on a variety of fabrics. She didn't like any of them very much, but did like the batik I have for a border -- it's pattern will echo the pattern in the blocks while being quite different. Finally I pulled out my yellow stash [each color is in it's own zip bag]. This one worked, it's actually a favorite that I've been saving for the right project. The right project has arrived.

Then I showed her the new book I just purchased, Claudia Clark Myers, A Passion for Piecing which has many complexly pieced quilts in it -- challenges all!

I had immediately fallen in love with one Claudia calls "Macintosh" a red wall hanging inspired by the designs of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Macintosh. Rachel loved it too. "Let's pick out the reds for it," I suggested as I put away my yellows and pulled out the red bag. Playing with my stash makes me as happy as piling up his gold coins made King Midas. We picked out more than I really need. I said, well instead of being 48"x25", it may become 60"x25" -- I have a place it could hang and look quite dramatic, fitting in happily with other red items in the room.

Now for some self-discipline. I really SHOULD finish the paper pieced quilt that started the consult -- no, I WILL finish it first. And then I will do the Macintosh, I can hardly wait. The page with the illustration is at the top of the photo. We'll have another consult when I've pieced the fans and then need to make the central pieced panel which, we realized needs 5 or 6 different fabrics also. No worry -- they're in my stash. And the black for the background is too.