The Use Your Words Improv. Quilt

I had grand plans to have this particular quilt top all sewn up, or at very least, the basic outline. Oh no, These letters take much, much longer than you would think. They aren't difficult, but wowsers do they burn up the time!

A rough layout

But maybe that's just me. I do seem to have a love/hate relationship with them. They are so simple and logical to figure out. Really, it's like a puzzle! Which is all very interesting. Until it just isn't fun any more. And that's when the tedium sets in.*ughh.....

Using a quote by Saul Bass

I was very disciplined this afternoon {knowing this was my window to make real forward progress}, not even leaving the upstairs quilting area for another cold drink when the first disappeared. Our air conditioner has been switched off and the afternoon heat was making me positively drip! There was a pre-determined stopping point in mind and finally.... finally... we got there.

Trying to make them all 5" tall

All along, I was trying to incorporate this part of a quote by Saul Bass 'I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares'. If I was going to make a quilt about 'using your words' as the base inspiration for making a quilt, well then, it had to be relevant to my world at the moment. Honestly, I'm not the least bit interested in making anything political, sappy or even too terribly introspective right at the moment. Quilting is my happy place and there it shall stay.*wink  {And please don't comment about anything political because I promise you, I will not respond!}

Although I've had a rough idea of where and how these words were going to play in the entire scheme of things, I wasn't sure just how many words would be needed to fill the front of the quilt--if this part of the quote would be enough? So I made a few extra words of my own, which will probably end up on the back of the quilt. There might even be more words, because I just can't resist. See? There is a strong push/pull in sewing more of these words that makes me laugh. Love 'em, hate 'em!

Joining the letters to make blocks of the words

I can tell there needs to be other colors added into the border, perhaps in a piecing effort. Things have gotten a bit stagnant with all this gold and brown, but those two fabrics were what seemed to work best making the words clearly stand out. Plus, I had lots of that gold fabric leftover from an older quilt top and yeah... those wheels. They sort of limited my color choices. Oh well! I can't imagine this quilt without them and it's always a thrill to use up orphan blocks!

Auditioning border colors

Overall, this quilt feels like a 'squirrel' sort of quilt. Definitely taking me off in a direction that I didn't see coming. Regardless, it has been a great challenge, making me think, instigating a decided push to get into the 'Word Play' book and start figuring it out! {Loving my applique style, I may be the very last quilter on earth who has.} 

I had forgotten how much I enjoy these style of quilts--the ones where you start with a specific element, add in a ringer {how bout using up those orphan blocks?} and then see what in the world you end up with. Still lots left to do with getting those word rows filled in with more of that gold fabric, sewing rows together and then working toward a set border plan. In the meantime, I have been hand quilting up a storm in the evenings! Never a dull minute.

Linking up with Anne and Kaja for AHIQ25, and also with Linda and Julie for sew, stitch, snap, SHARE!  Thanks ladies, for taking the time to host the linkups. As always, it's some of the best motivation to keep projects rolling forward!