It's Not Perfect, But I Like It Anyway

I was looking around for a quick machine quilting project and remembered the green Floating Squares quilt. It took almost no time to sandwich and pin the top and then of course, why not dive into the quilting? So funny that I finished up the hand quilting on Learning Curves over the weekend too as it has some of the same dark green fabrics used as in the other.

Floating Squares #2 and Learning Curves--ready for binding

Sometimes it happens that way when you make quilts with lots of different fabrics. It's not unusual to see the same piece of fabric in five or more different quilts around here!  The green Floating Squares quilt was a crazy, dive-deep-into-the-stash-tote sort of effort and also, my second time to attempt this sort of process {another of Sherri Lynn Wood's improv. scores}. Honestly, I'm not sure it's any better than the first, but for some reason I like it anyway.  Some of the things I like about it is the fact that it looks truly looks make-do and carefree to me. Kind of 'Gee's Bend-ish'? It's not square, just has roughly trimmed sides and the piecing is absurdly unapologetic in its lack of pretentiousness. If this quilt had been made in a fabulous color palette, I would probably be hand quilting the tar out of it with Perle Cotton and getting ready to hang it on a wall!

The Green Floating Squares is a finish!

I also really like that it has at least two fabrics that have been lurking in the totes for over 20 years and many, many more that are not the least bit new or exciting. That makes me sooo... happy! And brings back lots of memories too, as at least one fabric was used in my very first full sized quilt. I'm always intrigued by the blending of old fabrics with newer, and how even a cactus print fabric can nestle up against a Christmassy fabric in this sort of quilt without looking completely bizarre.

Love the addition of raspberry pink

In fact, in a one or two color quilt, the print often becomes secondary to the value changes in the dominant color. One thing I've discovered for sure, green quilts are tough to make. Wowsers, is it ever hard to make a pretty green quilt unless you stick to the lighter, brighter, clearer greens! It's one of my irresistible colors though. I buy it in every tone and shade, whenever there's opportunity. Greens are so serene and calm, but they can be surprisingly drab and murky too. I'm sure some of you are thinking 'Audrey, it's time to step away from the green fabric tote!'*sigh

Finally found the perfect place to use that strange
butterfly, backing fabric that was given to me!

I will, I will....  But there's no harm in challenging ourselves to step outside of our comfort zones, experimenting with new color palettes or new methods of putting a quilt together. It's often an excellent way to reinforce the hard earned lessons of value and intuitive piecing or play. And more importantly, using the oldy, moldy fabrics makes us feel less constrained to cut and hack into fabric and perhaps make a quilt we regret making. What's to regret about this one? Absolutely nothing!

#isitoouglytobeagift

I snuck away from the bookwork piling up on my desk to write this post. Guess it's probably time to get back to work! Linking up with Linda and Julie Lou at Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share #6. After all this dabbling in darker, more intense colors the past couple months, I'm about ready to start a brand new low volume quilt just to get myself back on an even keel!