It was kind of a crappy day yesterday. This is what it looked like on the way home. As you can see some of the leaves are changing, but it's nothing to write home about. The colors still look a bit dingy. "Peak" color isn't for another 10-12 days away.
It's always interesting to hear what you all have to say about what I am working on. Everybody loves to give advice. The thing is already pretty disjointed, and adding birds and pinwheels and all kinds of other stuff will make it more so. That isn't going to happen.
One of the ways to make a quilt look consistent is to use the same kind of thing throughout. Like if I made my trees all from solid fabrics. (Not going to happen in my house. I don't use solids.) Or if I had a whole lot of nice new green fabric and lots of it. Not happening here either. These greens are from my stash, and yeah, my green stash is kinda depleted. Shopping will not be happening any time soon.
OR, I could use ALL GREEN fabrics. Since I wanted this quilt to look like autumn in New England, I want colored trees, but clearly what I had going was not working.
So I stuck my new green trees up on the design wall, and pulled down some of the brighter colored tree blocks and already this looks better. Clearly I should have stuck with the orange-y tree trunks. Not only did they add a pop of color, but they would have been a consistent element throughout and would have alleviated a bit of the drabness. Oh well. Live and learn. That's what seam rippers are for.
Adding green blocks improved the whole thing so much that I could then add back some of the noisier blocks I removed earlier. It's oh-kay, but really, this already practically fills up my design wall which means this is Way Too Big. Yes Wanda, you are right, I have to make smaller trees. I already have the fabric cut for them, but I had wanted to get through the bigger ones first.
And yes, everybody those orange trees are HISTORY! That great big one in the middle made me crazy.
And the yellow one. I don't like that either.
And I don't like the olive-y greens.
Actually I don't like a lot of them.
Man, do I need some green fabric.
OR THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE...
Turn the thing on it's head and make a totally psychedelic forest.
Okay, it's time for me to go to bed now.
8 comments:
All color all the time! I vote for psychedelic!
Save your $ for the next quilt. I have a forest that is busting out of its cabinet and needs to be trimmed. Let me send you some pieces. They could be there in no time.
Rondi
rondiquilts@yahoo.com
I like the forest with a few of the orange/red trees. It looks like your pix at the top with just a few of the fall color trees. I don't really like the couple of pastel trees...you might want to save them for a spring forest. I've enjoyed your trees posts as I've a batch now buried under other projects. I'll look at them differently now.
The original tutorial featured red/white/green Christmas fabrics. I don't think I've seen a completed autumn one anywhere - it is definitely NOT an easy thing to pull off, especially using stash and scraps. And although green is one of my go-to colors, it is a tricky beast to work with (as you already know). You are right about the olive-y shades. I ended up turning my favorite blocks into pillows and dumping the rest. I didn't want to continue the struggle to make it work (and the colors I ended up with were dark green, oranges, yellows, and almost-firey reds).
As I wrote last time, you'll do something quite different from what I'd choose but it is very interesting to see process photos. It allows each of us to ponder which direction we'd take and then see the maker's solution. I think that helps all of us grow in critical thinking. That mental comparison strengthens our own critical decision making abilities.
I admire working from stash completely. My greens are very depleted. That's the color I'll shop for... when I get around to it.
The first version looks like your real time photo - Not Quite Peak. The orange trunks add some needed pop.
Thanks again for sharing process and not just finished works. I know you'll have fun and make a great quilt in the end - even if it drives you to distraction in the meanwhile.
I too appreciate watching the process and it helps me learn about color. I do like the whimsy of an occasional birch tree trunk, but know I will like whatever you end up doing.
My green scraps are overflowing. I'd be happy to send some from Atlanta.
Hi Joan, that would be great. Email me at patcherymenagerie AT gmail DOT com. and I'll send you my mailing address.
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