Sunday 13 March 2016

Is this what "creativity" feels like?

In my last post I lamented on what to do with my neutral blocks.

They are part of an exchange with friends and my theme, obviously, was neutrals.

All of the blocks were beautiful and expertly sewn.

......but.....on the design wall they just didn't seem to "go"....
Also in my last post, I said how if I left the blocks up they may soon speak to me. 

Well, on Wednesday morning they not only spoke to me.....they actually raised their voice and shouted a little!

The idea they were presenting terrified me and thrilled me at the same time! Could I do as they asked? What would my friends think of what I would do with these lovely blocks they had made for me?

 It didn't take me long to realise that I wanted to love this quilt, so I had to be ruthless and go for it!

So I took all those blocks and sliced them up into 3.5" squares!

As I did this, I stacked them into 5 piles...light, light/medium, medium, medium/dark and dark. 
I hesitated before cutting the last block, the feathered star that I had painstakingly paper-pieced.....
...but, yes, it got chopped up also!

I had an idea to start at the centre of the quilt with the lightest 3.5" blocks and work out toward the edge with the darker ones...
As soon as I had them all up on the wall I could see it was a "picture" of the moon...
Here is the finished piece. I am calling it "Moonlight through the trees".

The very centre of the quilt is an appliqued circle from what had originated as an dresden plate block...


To take time to look at all the little individual blocks is fascinating. I took the original blocks and made them into 182 beautiful little abstract blocks! Here are a few...


Even my feathered star is included...

It's so strange to me how this idea caught hold and had me slicing and sewing like a whirling dervish. I know that at the beginning of the year, my hope was to try to explore creativity. Well, I certainly felt creative this week!

I do hope when my friends see the finished quilt they will understand that their hard work is still there, just in a different configuration....and in a quilt that I love!

While trying to think of ways I may quilt this, I thought it might be a nice piece to try "big stitch" quilting. I've got a few balls of perle cotton that would be just right to try this out.

For all the creative sewing I was able to do this week, it feels like my applique is moving at the speed of molasses. Oh well, even a little a day gets the projects moving along!

I'm getting so close to finishing the bottom border of FlowerGarden. I'm so glad because I'm afraid I'm getting a little tired of working on this one. Thankfully, the side borders will go a lot quicker.

I've appliqued a couple of little birds just to give myself a little break from the neverending circles that are on this border.
...and managed to put a few stitches into last week's block of The Splendid Sampler...



I'm linking up with SoScrappy for her ScrapHappySaturday so I can show that I've started my RSC16 in purple for March. I am doing the blocks she is sharing in her Column-along, a butterfly block...
A nice easy block....only eight more to go, no problem!

I hope today is as nice as yesterday as we plan to plant some peas today. We emptied our compost into the vegetable garden in the Fall and the soil looks wonderful. I love this time of year when you can feel the nice weather just coming around the corner!

I'm linking up with Kathy over at Kathy's Quilts to see what others are working on today. 

I am also linking with Cynthia for OhScrap over at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

Have a wonderful Spring-forward day!


34 comments:

  1. OMG!!! You were SEW brave... and, of course, SO creative. Your comment "their hard work is still there, just in a different configuration..." is very true. I'm not quite sure how I would feel if this happened to a block that I took care to make. I think the MOST important thing is that you have now created... "... a quilt that I love!" Kudos to you!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment...lol, this was a very scary thing for me to do!

      Delete
  2. Wow, you are braver than I would ever be. The end result is beautiful and still includes all the work done by you and your friends. Brava!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks, Joan! I'm looking forward to quilting it now!

      Delete
  3. Oh wow I tried a feather star once, and I can't believe you had the nerve to slice it up. I would have been shaking like a leaf, but it really adds a lot of interest. I can see the moon and love the name!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've made a couple of feathered stars and I always say "never again" since I don't like paper-piecing!

      Delete
  4. Awesome! Thank you for sharing your process with us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my!!! When the muse spoke - you listened! The results are amazing - brava!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Angie....ooh, I like that it may have been a muse speaking to me, it makes me feel like an artist!

      Delete
  6. Wow! Brave is the word! But such an amazing finish. I would love to look at your Moonlight quilt up close and in person!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Totally amazing quilt! Love your idea and look forward to seeing it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks,, Sherill...I was nervous of what you would think!

      Delete
  8. That's amazing...glad that you went ahead with your idea! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Deb...I'm glad I went for it, also!

      Delete
  9. That was an amazing result. Funny my blog post is about listening to the scraps. I believe they will direct you if you let them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's always good to listen to our scraps, quilts, etc!

      Delete
  10. I love what this quilt is becoming, but I never would have had the guts to chop up those blocks! Good for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kat....I love what it is becoming also...can't wait to get to the quilting of it!

      Delete
  11. wow! what an amazing little quilt. I'm pretty free form and loosey-goosey myself, but I would never have thought of that! i'll have to have another look at my stack of orphan blocks!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love what you did, but you were so courageous to do all that cutting up of blocks. It really is pretty going from light to dark. Your little birds are bright and cheerful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great job acting on your vision. It really is an interesting piece. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love your moon quilt! I don't think I could have cut up that feathered star but the end result is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow! I'm not sure I could have done that, but you honored that vision and came up with an entirely new piece. You've given me an entirely new perspective (and ideas) about a 'kitchen sink' quilt. Hope your friends love it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow. That is quite a change and the quilt looks so happy now. Glad you followed their lead and now love it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thinking about cutting up those blocks gives me heart palpitations! You ended up with a very cool quilt though--can't wait to see it after your big stitch quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  18. WOW! It spoke to you and you did it. It is amazing! Can't wait to see it in person.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi! Sandra: you never fail to amaze me, I look forward to seeing the finale, it's going to be amazing. Diane xo

    ReplyDelete
  20. My thought was to use the feathered star as the center of the quilt, because I couldn't see you cutting it up! Boy, was, I wrong! You are a very brave woman!
    What an awesome quilt you have just made! I love the final cut!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. You definitely ARE an artist. You created with bravery and the result is amazing. Don't doubt yourself, just keep going for it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. A very brave move indeed! I love how it has turned out, it really caught my eye over @ "oh scrap'

    ReplyDelete
  23. I too gasped when you said you were cutting up the feathered star. YIKES. but what a gorgeous piece

    ReplyDelete
  24. The transformation of the blocks into a cohesive quilt top is spectacular. I loved reading about this process, and about the shoe box exchange idea. I wonder if you will take this idea, and put it into practice in other quilts?

    ReplyDelete