recent rosettes

35 completed out of 90+.

I'm getting anxious to join some rosettes together, in part so I can liberate some of the paper pieces instead of cutting more, in part to see how it looks, in part to begin figuring out how much path fabric I need. Because this is a scrap quilt, my original plan was to make all the rosettes first, then lay them out in a pleasingly random way, and then join them all together. If I lay out only a portion of them, will it still be possible to keep balance in the overall quilt? If, for instance, I worked with one quarter at a time, and made a pleasing arrangment, would it still look good when the four quarters are joined? I'm worried that it won't; that there is something about being able to see the whole picture that is critical when arranging scrap pieces. But I don't know. Anyone else have thoughts on this problem? How do you do it?

Meanwhile, progress is slow on the State of the Studio quilt, but I'm starting to understand what quilting adds. There is enough area quilted now that I can begin to tell what the final result will be. I tried to capture it in the picture, but it is subtle so I don't know if it comes through. Maybe you can see the texture in the lighter parts, such as the parallel (kind of) lines in the sashing.

The only things I am marking are the circles in the sashing joins and the occasional diagonal. The rest is done by eye and so far it seems to be working. I've been looking at a lot of quilts recently, on blogs, in magazines, on line, and there is some absolutely mind-boggling work out there. Often when I learn something new I get over-ambitious, and imagine myself becoming an expert in the field. (hah!) Modern quilts are truly inspiring, but I don't think I want to be an expert quilter. I don't mean that I wouldn't take the skills if they came with the wave of a wand--I mean that I don't want to make quilting the focus of my artistic expression. I want to make quilts, and I like using scraps of fabric I have around. I am getting more comfortable with the irregularity of my stitches. They may get better or they may not. I want to make quilts as well as I can, but they don't have to be perfect. This sounds too simple, but it actually takes a great load off my mind. There are too many other things in my life that need to be perfect, or close to. I want to make some quilts but I'd rather spend my perfecting energy on weaving or lace knitting.

Oh, the freedom of aiming for mediocrity. I enjoy the quilting stitch much more now.

Comments

[alotta.knittin]

Your quilts are beautiful! I adore scrap quilts, and my favorite fabrics are Civil War era reproductions, followed closely by 30s repros. I'm relatively new to quilting and find that my stitches vary a good deal from session to session. Hey, I'm not looking for perfection. It's about the process, and for me, the companionship of the friends with whom I quilt. Thanks for sharing.

[Dove]

Hey, I see the quilt lines! They really add to the prettiness of the fabrics.

There's nothing wrong in aiming for the best you can do. You'll probably surprise yourself with how good you can get if you just enjoy the process.