Panic
Some really good friends have asked me to be Godmother to their son Felix, this means a lot to me and Felix is absolutely scrumptious. I set myself the task of making a quilt. Fine, except, I have never made a quilt.
I started browsing books and confusing myself ages ago, I saw some lovely Kaffe Fassett designs but decided I didn't want to go to babyish. I really like these Swedish style designs from Asa Wettre's Old Swedish Quilts and feel fairly confident that my friends would like this sort of style too
.
So, I gathered my fabrics ages ago, at the Festival of Quilts, and after much indecision eventually began cutting and piecing. I'm not happy, I love the faded red stripe, and the little sprig of red but the stripe just looks pink and the flower seems too girly now that I have pieced more than half of the quilt.
Late last night I decided to go back through my stash and came up with this.
Still doesn't seem right though, I don't like it nearly as much as the original and the red stripe still looks too pink, the spotty brown fabric just doesn't seem to be working either. Back to the drawing board I think. I suppose I had better start browsing some on-line fabrics, there is nothing available locally and as the christening takes place on 15th October, I am rather running short on time. Feeling fed up, perhaps quilting is not for me after all.
Some really good friends have asked me to be Godmother to their son Felix, this means a lot to me and Felix is absolutely scrumptious. I set myself the task of making a quilt. Fine, except, I have never made a quilt. I started browsing books and confusing myself ages ago, I saw some lovely Kaffe Fassett designs but decided I didn't want to go to babyish. I really like these Swedish style designs from Asa Wettre's Old Swedish Quilts and feel fairly confident that my friends would like this sort of style too
. 
So, I gathered my fabrics ages ago, at the Festival of Quilts, and after much indecision eventually began cutting and piecing. I'm not happy, I love the faded red stripe, and the little sprig of red but the stripe just looks pink and the flower seems too girly now that I have pieced more than half of the quilt. Late last night I decided to go back through my stash and came up with this.
Still doesn't seem right though, I don't like it nearly as much as the original and the red stripe still looks too pink, the spotty brown fabric just doesn't seem to be working either. Back to the drawing board I think. I suppose I had better start browsing some on-line fabrics, there is nothing available locally and as the christening takes place on 15th October, I am rather running short on time. Feeling fed up, perhaps quilting is not for me after all.
Comments
I can understand your worry that it's too girly, but perhaps one of your roles as godmother is to cultivate Felix's feminine side! And his future wife is bound to cherish it as an heirloom.
You're a good godmother already to take such care.
I wonder if getting all the stripes going the same way would help. I know it would a lot more painstaking but it may help it to flow. ie: the red stripe fabric to go in one direction and then the blue stripe to run at an angle to it and the blue/yellow/red to go at an angle to that. Rather than all stripes going all the same way. Boy that's complicated - I hope you understand what I mean. Of course that may be too prescriptive.
Sorry I'm not helping much am I?
I am no quilter and you have a wonderful feeling for matching fabrics, so, I am sure it will be wonderful in the end.
If I look at the first photo from the book, then the whitish fabrics work as main color who keeps the rest of it together. The other fabrics are not allowed a domineering role, i.e. they do not form stripes of their own, they appear to be placed "at random" and there are much more than 4 fabrics altogether.
In your samples you have kind of 3 domineering colors and the eye doesn't exactly know which line to follow, but this can be intriguing. I love the first sample best, the second one is too muted, too still, too liveless for my liking.
Do you live any where near Cardiff? if yes, will you be going to the knitting and stitching show - they are still on the look out for volunteers for the relax and knit stand - you teach people to knit and entice them to play with yarns - look here for details www.ukhandkntting.com. Johanne