I finished Barbara Brackman’s Threads of Memory 2014 BOM yesterday.
Okay, a day late…whatever.
It is 12 star blocks and for the most part, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the anticipation of the block each month and I enjoyed putting them together. I enjoyed not knowing what the finished quilt was going to look like. But, because I couldn’t print Barbara’s patterns (probably really simple, but I can’t figure it out) I had to draft most of the blocks on paper before I could piece them.
And, like most mysteries, I ended up with a set of blocks that aren’t as similar as I would have liked them to be. I think there must be a trick to being able to do that. My color choices are affected by mood and season, so getting blocks, made across a year, to look similar is a real challenge for me.
Now, I’ll need to find a sashing that will both pull all the colors together, and stand out against dark, medium and light outer edges. I wish I’d been more consistent with that. These are the classic problems of any sampler, especially a BOM.
And, I’m not finished moving blocks around. I know I moved them at least twice after I took this picture.
And, this block needs a more exciting center. See it in the picture above, top row center? It needs a little bit of sparkle to stand with the other blocks.
Anyway, these were the last two blocks, eleven on the right, twelve on the left.
Eleven is not as Barbara designed it. I had to improvise because I couldn’t print the pattern. And, twelve was a joy to draft by hand. She gave just enough dimensions for me to be able to figure out those diamond shaped corners. No one could be more surprised that it went together with a combination of my drafting and her cutting dimensions, but it did.
Today, Sydney and I are taking down the last of Christmas. Rob has been taking down the villages slowly, but I’ve procrastinated. Mine will involve about three hours on a ladder and my thighs just haven’t felt up to it. But, I’m committed to knocking it out today.
So, here I go…
Or, maybe I’ll hand quilt for a few more minutes…you know, just until the show I’m watching is over.
Be well. Enjoy the second day of the year.
Lane
4 comments:
I think they look like they go together in perfect harmony! Gorgeous!
Happy New Year, I love the blocks and good luck with getting them in the order you prefer.
Nice job with the mystery BOM. The first time I did one I had the same issues with fabrics playing together. Now when I do any kind of mystery I pull out a whole selection of fabrics that I know work well together and strictly use those. As for taking down Christmas...I don't do that until Epiphany so I've got a few days left to enjoy the tree and lights. Happy New Year, Lane!
I think that the moods and seasonal changes in the blocks allowed you to come up with a refreshing take on something that might have been more flat with a perfectly matched set of blocks. I like it, though I disagree about the center of the white star block. Even music has rests.
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