No Clue

The Cliff's Notes version of this post:  

• I don't exactly know what I'm doing.
• Not that it matters.
• Whatever I am doing is interestingly uncomfortable.
• That is probably a good thing.

Ever get an idea (maybe even a bad one) that you just can't leave alone?  It starts out a seemingly simple thing, but when that doesn't pan out, before you know it, it has morphed into something unrecognizable.  And yet you still feel compelled to keep at it.

Kind of like a bad poem.  (Been there, done that.)

Let me explain.

Last summer, I bought a bagful of fabric at the thrift store.  There was a little bit of everything in that bag, some modern, some vintage.  There were a few true "dogs" as well, which went back to the pound during my decluttering phase.

This piece I kept, however.  A vintage, I'm going to say early '70s, navy and yellow-gold, paisley-tulip thingamabob.  Yards of it.  Some would call it ugly, and they may have a point, but to me it was...interesting...and I was determined to use it somehow, some way, some day.

The other day, I saw it in the stash and pulled it out and started thinking about what might work.  How about a Lemoyne Star, something simple, maybe use up some other odds and ends while I'm at it.  Here was my little stack.  

Here is how it looked cut and laid out on the table.  Yuck.

I tried this and that, but no matter what, I didn't like that fabric in the mix.

Same fabric, different day.  I played with the HSTs of the navy print and the yellow brick road type fabric.  Maybe I'll just make a simple block.

Bo-ring.  

How about I cut it up and sew parts of it back together again?  

I made three strips.  That was fun.  Now what?

Let's put some other colors around the strips and then cut those strips in half.

Rearrange them on the cutting table a bunch of times, and finally sew them together again.

It looks like butterflies chasing each other.  Can you see them?  Kind of cool how that happened.

But wait, there's more.  Cut a 12-inch square on a wonky angle.  

Lay it on a dark background to see how it might look framed.

Put some other triangles, trimmed and saved from a recent project, around the square just for kicks.

That's where it is so far.  

It continues to pester me like a sliver.  I have no idea where it will end up (possibly the trashcan), but I do know that feeling my way along like this without a map is well outside my comfort zone.  

And maybe that's the whole point?

Cornerstone Conundrum

Here is the Breathe quilt laid out on the floor.  The pattern calls for cornerstones between the sashing strips.  I am holding auditions. 

You'll note the outer border will most likely be the black/gray print, probably not quite so wide as it is folded here.

First up is the yellow-gold.  The camera flash gives this combo a ketchup-and-mustard quality, though I do like it in natural light as it seems to pick up some of the yellow-golds in the apple and black floral prints. 

(#1)

Second (below) is my old standby, black with white dots.  I have used this many times before.  I hate to be redundant but it seems to add a little spark without making me want a hotdog.

(#2)

Third (below) is a gray on black print which doesn't seem to compete for much attention at all against the blocks.  There is a subtle difference between noncompetitive and dull, however, and I can't quite decide which category this falls into.  Alternatively, I could use the same print as the outer border, a similar gray on black whose effect, I imagine, would be much the same.

(#3)

Any thoughts?  Preferences?  Other suggestions?

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

Again, love has blinded me to reality.

The instructions for this wall hanging say to "freehand draw the branch as shown on the piece of fabric."

Um, okay. Sure.

*record scratching noise*

Wait, what? Branch?

Yes, the pattern shows a branch -- a tree branch! One that looks very much like a gnarly apple tree, if you ask me, except that instead of apples hanging from it, there are Chinese lanterns!



One of these things is not like the other.

Chinese lanterns, or Physalis alkekengi, grow along the stems of an 18-24 inch plant.

You can cut them for a vase or container and the stems will dry out, but they don't usually turn dark brown, and they do not resemble an apple tree branch. The pattern even has you using a marbled fabric that resembles wood.

Alas, the lovely "Climbing Lanterns" has presented me with a dilemma. Do I suspend reality and make it as pictured, or go out on a limb and come up with a (possibly horrendous) alternative?

I need a couple of aspirin and some time to sort this out. Comments and suggestions appreciated.