Last Friday a friend of my cousin called and said Hancock had a dollar table. WOOHOO!! Elvis fabric for a dollar a yard. Notice I didn't tell anyone until I had gotten all I wanted!
I have discovered this last week that being liberated at times is confusing and definitely not easy. I put together this black and white quilt top last winter but never finished. I was imagining a sort of piano key border. My cousin's friend has a long arm machine and offered to do a quilt for me. I started thinking, how about spiky sawtooth. What do you think?
I thought spiky sawtooth at the bottom and top and then make a border of stripes. I cut some strips and put them together. This DID NOT speak to me at all.
At this point I am very frustrated and feel like I have wasted time putting together a border that I am not going to use. I decided to go to the master of liberated quilting (Gwen Marston). I had been using her Liberated Quilting 2 as a guide for the spiky sawtooth. I randomly turned to a page and saw this sampler!
Talk about a AHA moment! This is it. I will make more spiky sawtooth and put a star at the corners. This is just a random block at the corner. Really another idea I tried.
What do you think?
I love liberated quilting but honestly following a pattern and knowing what you are going to do is easier at times. I also feel like I wasted a couple of afternoons of precious sewing time looking at options that didn't work. I also don't have quite enough of the black and white print so
10 comments:
It's a great quilt! I love the spiky sawtooth border all around.
Sometimes I find liberated quilting to be more difficult, too, but when I'm done, I really feel like the quilt is MINE -- I made it, design and all!
You didn't waste time, you were learning! I struggled all afternoon yesterday with that one little devilish Dear Jane block, but in the end I conquered it and learned something new. BTW, I know where you can get some more of that black and white print.
Love your green quilt and well..your whole post....
Forget the star!!! I really like the corner block you made from the striped border. Plus using that might make you feel like you haven't wasted your time?
Good luck with the rest of the quilt. Patterns may be easier but you're creating something unique in every quilt.
Right on--liberated--just go for it. Love all that black and white. Also, these things never go to waste--if I've any blocks left over they eventually get used in some other creation.
Any time spent with fabric is NOT wasted time!
Why not incorporate the leftover orphan bits into the back of the quilt? Scrappy backs go SO well with liberated flimsies.
p.s. I agree that liberated work can take more thought than blindly following a pattern. But in the end, the results are SO worth the extra effort (at least for me).
Hang in there!
The baby quilt is darling! Mom and baby are sure to love it.
Yes, liberated quiltmaking is definitely tougher than following a pattern. Although I can't seem to follow a pattern anymore LOL. But, like everyone else here is saying, it's making a unique-to-you quilt and SO worth it! I like the spiky triangles and corner stars idea. Futzing like that is not wasting time, it's trying and learning and allowing yourself to play, which every artist needs. You can always use the "extra parts" on the back or in something else. You have a Parts Department now!
ditto what everyone else said. love the quilt. what about just a solid corner out of a black and white fabric? I love the quilt - you're doing great, just keep at it.
I actually like all the options you showed, including the piano keys. But I like the spiky sawtooth, also. It's nice to make a decision, at least then youknow what direction you're going. I know just what you mean about the extra time and sometimes "wasted" time spent on liberated quilting. But like Lori says, it's really learning time.
I'm working on an old liberated UFO myself, and it's kind of frustrating, but soon will be done.
I was in a black and white phase for a while. Your liberation is coming along wonderfully!
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