Can't see the trees

That's because they are sideways. ;^(

I wanted to make a quilt that kinda looked like you were looking through a clump of trees. No sky or ground, just trunks. I had changed the colours in the veranda so that quilt wasn't needed so I made a runner to ' get it out of my system'.

I took my runner to sewing class and brought home a couple of giveaway fabrics. On checking them out when I got home I see that I wasn't even close to what I'd envisioned.

But in the interest of 'doing my own thing' I plugged away on my new colour palette for the veranda. A tree in each block.

The more 'trees', the more I felt like I needed an axe. LOL

Here is what I learned:

I needed many more prints. This was a stash quilt and I think the print fabrics were a give away to which I added mostly tone on tones or solids.

I think I need to work with either all solids and TOT's or all prints and 1 solid. I don't seem to appreciate the old rule of 1 large scale print, a couple of medium prints (geometric), a solid and an accent.

I also need to remember that the quilt shrinks, particularly up when I am sewing it all together. I wanted this quilt square or at least long looking. It is 5 feet by 5 feet 6 inches. awk!

It is good to push the colour palette, but not too far. I left the few trees in the light brown but quickly saw the backgrounds didn't work so I only had to rip out the first one I'd sewn into a row.

And I need to stay home but I have NOTHING for a backing. I persevered to stay on top of this project and not have another ufo but a whole cloth coordinating print is gonna be preferable to spending days on piecing some kind of backing and nothing is looking at all promising.

Now I need to add that bit on the bottom corner, square it up, find a backing and get it quilted. I'm leaning to straight lines, more trees. Not a real crowd pleaser but I learned a thing or three! AND- it is kind of an outdoors quilt, a lawn blanket!


But I think I like it best- SIDEWAYS!

Saturday's Song

This week didn't turn out as expected. I'm starting to think summer and it is anything but.
It reminds me of- "same song, second verse; a little bit louder and a little bit worse!".

The grass had its first haircut. That is a train heading east in the background.

This week went sideways, kinda like the train.

Grass IS cut.

Veranda is stalled partly because of cold, rainy and windy.

The veranda quilt is seeing some progress.

I like improvising but I think I need to have a general plan so I cut the background squares to get an overall placement balance. I need to think about the golds.

Too many trips away from home and one was a doctor's visit with very good friends that knocked us all for a serious loop. I'm thinking I need to make a quilt- green and blue. A bit blurry, but that may be my eyes.

I'll be having a serious talk with myself come Monday morning!