Twelve of Sixteen

I’ve been sharing photos of my recently completed art pieces. On Tuesday we took a look at number eleven.  Today’s post features the twelfth of sixteen.

Ugly Quilt Blocks

I have a tub filled with orphaned quilt blocks. Some of them are leftover from other projects and some I thought were too ugly to use. All of the mini quilts I’ve shown so far were created from ugly quilt blocks.

Running Out of Steam

Turning ugly ducklings into something more appealing takes a lot of concentration. By the time I reached number twelve I felt overwhelmed and exhausted. Have you ever reached that point with your projects?

Finding the energy to continue left me with two options:

• take a break or
• simplify my process.

With a strong determination to forge ahead stopping was not an option.

Typically my first step is to slice the ugly block into strips or sections. After slicing this one I had a, “What If”, moment. What if I simply change the orientation of the strips; what impact would that have on the block?

After varying the direction and order of the strips I found an arrangement that I liked. How easy was that! Don’t you just love it when things easily fall into place.

Thank goodness I didn’t have to go through a long, and drawn-out process.

Design Elements

The original block already had white borders. The stark white fabric accentuates the center by drawing the attention of your eye.

Wrapping all four sides is a carefully chosen multi-colored batik. The batik satisfies several design elements:

• color,
• repetition and
• interest.

The color was selected to compliment the already present pallet.

The leopard-like print adds an interesting flair and mimics the design of the small lilac strip in the center of the quilt.

The spots on the batik almost appear to dance around the perimeter. The dancing motion gives the border movement.

The Finishing Touch

This piece, with its already interesting features, didn’t need elaborate quilting. I simply echoed the already present lines with coordinating thread.

Quilt Details

• Materials: Fabric top and backing are 100% cotton
• Batting: Warm & Natural
• Dimensions: 8 1/8” L x 7 1/2” W
• Quilting Stitch: Straight lines using white thread in the body of my piece and a variegated thread in the outer border
• Quilted On: Conventional sewing machine

What Next?

Do you want to see the other quilts in this series? Links to the other ones are filed under the category Courthouse Steps, Block of the Month. Go ahead and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

Before you go please tell me what you think of art quilt number twelve.