Progressing

The upper right corner is coming along. I'm pleased with the reverse applique on the discharged black linen block. Yarns are couched over the cut edges of the appliques, plus there are couched yarn spirals filling in the background. The variegated yarn outlining the circles looks like neon lights.
I've worked on the four 6" blocks for each of the corners. They began as blocks made for Caron's "and still counting" project. These are stitched with variegated floss (2 ply) and she really wants those spirals for her project to be stitched with black thread.
A variegated yarn is couched next to the rows of colonial knots. My free-motion echo quilting is a bit crude because there's no extra fabric to grasp for ease of control while stitching it. Oh well ... I think the wavering lines exudes extra energy.

PS: An album of photos for the documentation of this project is located in the side bar. Just click on the cover photo. Another window will open in Picassa to view the album of photos.

Refining & Expanding

This is how my design wall looks now. A bit less of a "mobbley gobbley mess". The center section has been refined. I'm pleased with the striped border print that helps frame it. Using a different set of stripes on each side has off-set the symmetry. The rest of the bordering is upholstery fabric with different colorations on the front and back. I've used both. I like how the those borders extend up and down the sides. These extensions define the width of the piece (about 48"). They've also given me a notion where the top and bottom will end which helps define the design areas above and below the center section.
The group of spirals in the center of the top section has grown. However, I've since moved that yellow square from the bottom left corner of the grouping. As you can see, there's been more cutting of Patty's yellow block with the deconstructed aqua spiral. I also trimmed and cut J.C.'s large block with the multiple circles. Being a whole 11" block commanded too much attention. Now, there can be a repeat of those shapes and colors in the bottom section. A path of distribution has also been decided on for the circle/spiral fabric.
Last evening I got out my gold metallic paint and Liquid Matte Medium. On the left is the original fabric. The center piece has been discharged and spirals quilted within the circles. On the right, paint mixed with the medium emphasizes the spirals AND adds more dimension. I'm thinking of these as lights. I'm thinking of shopping in a souk at night ... colored lights, colorful ware for sale, and dark mysterious corners/passages ... intriguing confusion.
I know the areas to be filled in will have dark value fabrics. I printed out a photo and used a black crayon to color in the white spaces. Then I scanned it back into the computer. Someday I'll figure out how to employ Photoshop to do that. Here's a black and white copy to see how the values are distributed and working together.Today I'll continue quilting fabric for those empty spaces. There's another piece of black linen with a different pattern of discharged spirals printed on it. I'm thinking of layering two pieces of fabric under it (a red and a blue) with the intention of cutting reverse applique-work red, or blue, spirals. I'll continue to think about that while I cut pieces of the striped border fabric I quilted up yesterday.

At this point I'm still working with design units. Arranging and rearranging ... finding and making the pieces to fill in the puzzle. All the while there are considerations for the composition of the whole piece. Next I'll explain the placement of these units in the context of visual flow and balance.

Woo Yoo! Jenclair of Bayou Guilts has listed me for the "You Make My Day" award. I very much appreciate it. But, again, there're way too many blogs that I read that make my day to select just ten. If you're reading this and leave a comment, please consider that I've tagged you for this making my day award.

Design Wall Work

Back when I began quilting I had taken a week long workshop with Nancy Halpern. One of the exercises was to design a block and then to construct multiple blocks using different fabrics for each. At that time I had figured out it was more fun just to play with each block ... choosing fabrics that worked together within that limited area. It was more difficult to choose fabrics to coordinate a new block to the ones already made. In spite of Nancy's advice against it, that is how I made the majority of blocks for this quilt ... playing with each block without consideration to those already constructed. All this was new to me and some of the N's got made backward ... just another variation on the block, right?

"N"Block Quilt - 40"x 52"
1994

Since that early experience, it's been my preference to design compositions for pieced projects from multiple units that are already made up. Block exchanges are definitely a challenge. Here's a wall hanging from a previous exchange with many of the same quilters who made the spiral blocks for me. The theme for this one was "flowers in a container". To read details about it go here.

"Psycho Deco Fleurs" - 32"x 41"(2005)

Thanks to all of you who are leaving comments about the posting of my design process. Some of them require/inspire a response from me.

1. J, I've very much enjoyed reading your accounts of constructing your wonky quilts. Making order out of chaos most definitely applies to this project. My husband's observation about what's on my design wall is that it's a "mobbly-gobbly mess". He's not shy about expressing his opinion. Many times he's "commanded" me to "stop right now" before I ruin it (whatever is on the design wall). I just shoo him out of MY studio and continue working.
2. Quilt Pixie and Kay, cutting up someone else's work can be touchy. The blocks in this exchange are some of the elements for an intended larger piece. The ones I've cut within this piece were done to make the scales of size and color more workable. As the artist, it's my responsibility to make the best use of these contributions. That may necessitate slicing, resizing, or even eliminating. A block for the "Fleur" quilt ended up on the backside.
   
3. Karoda has suggested a title(s) ... swinging zen OR my zen is swinging. Thanks, that's not bad. However, I'm seeing/feeling Africa in this piece, specifically North Africa.

The colors and richness of copper and brass, the depth of history, plus colored lights are reminding me of the time I spent in Morocco.

I can't say I'm not a bit nervous about this piece being successful ... especially since I've publicly committed myself. I'm crossing my fingers and relying on my past experience that this piece will eventually work.

Designing A Composition

Well, this piece is just beginning to exhibit some order and sense. I've cut apart some of the blocks to help distribute colors as well as particular lines and shapes. Also, some of my stash fabrics have been quilted and distributed.
There are as many different ways to come up with a design as there are artists. We each have our own quirks and there are no formulas. Every step in creating a design involves choices that solve problems, and the selections are determined by thinking and employing the principles of design:

• proportion
• balance
• emphasis
• rhythm

Those are the guides in choosing and arranging the elements within the design:

• lines
• shapes
• colors
• textures
• space

My procedure is to begin with the materials, to let them suggest to me patterns of organization. It's easiest for me if I can slap a number of blocks or pieces of fabric on the design board ... these being made as a result of my being intrigued or just playing with an idea or technique. I then move pieces around, studying it from many angles throughout the day.

Relationships become evident. Even though there are spirals everywhere in this piece, there are different moods in their lines and colors. How to group and to distribute them throughout is my biggest challenge. Right away I saw saw a connection between these two:

The top one is the most distinctive and complex of all the blocks ... in fact, it seems to be telling a story. The bottom one seems to be supporting/echoing that story ... much like a crowd or tribe. To help carry through that thought I sliced the right one on a diagonal and placed half on each side of the focus block. This also served to distribute those bright orange bead spirals. The blocks are completed with a black linen fabric that I had discharged with a fancy spiral stamp several years ago. Chance or accident is also an element in art.
These isolated spirals floating on background colors that are complementary to each other are paired in mind.

I sliced the top one to make two pieces to more evenly distribute that strong pattern and texture. They play nicely with the squared up orange and blue block. Plus the trimmings from that block shoot streaks of orange out into the whole piece. Down the road those black springy spirals from a notebook spine will get distributed across the quilt.
These three blocks feature strong pure hues and exude a feeling of playfulness. It won't be difficult to distribute them as they are throughout the composition.

However, they could use some help, so I quilted spirals in the brightly colored circles on a black background. But first, I played with a bleach pen on that fabric. I drew bleach spirals within each circle and made random dots on the black fabric between them to give a bit more complexity to that simple patterning. It's been cut into five pieces and distributed throughout.
This is just the beginning of the process to get all of these blocks into a unified composition. I've got a long way to go before it can be considered to be a piece of art. Right now, it's just fabric blocks on the design wall. I'll write more about my thoughts and decisions as it progresses.

Spirals on the Wall

All those wonderful spiral blocks from the exchange are on my design wall along with additional fabrics from my stash including the folded ones laying in front.
Also included is the spiral flower block that I had made last summer. It was not successful by itself, but will work nicely with this group. Now to begin quilting pieces of the stash fabric and slicing and arranging all of them into a composition. I'll explain and post photos of the construction process for pre-quilted blocks when I get there.

Another task I caught up on is this 8"x 4" block made for our guild's out-going president.
She designed the block with stipulations for a black and white fabric, a personal choice fabric, and a white one with our name and the year we joined the guild written on it ...plus a button sewn in the center.