Adding One Layer at a Time

I'm working on Blog Quilt #2 (really needs a title doesn't it?) and having a blast adding one layer at a time.

 Layer One Complete

Here's how I align the pieces on my background fabric.  The paper pattern is traced over with a fine line black Sharpie so the lines are easy to see and not too thick.

Layer Two Complete

Layer Three Complete

I have definitely used knowledge I've gained from doing this blog on this project.  I used Bottom Line by Superior Threads on the outside orange diamonds and the dark blue with large dots in the center.  I did this on purpose for two reasons.  First, I wanted something matte that wouldn't stick out.  Second,  I wanted something thin and fine that wouldn't show up too much.  I also set my stitch length and width to 1.6 so that the double-blanket stitches would be finer, but still there upon looking closely.

On the outer turquoise and orange frame, the inner orange points, and more I used my favorite Glide thread by Fil-Tec with a stitch length and width of 2.0.  It shows up a lot more which is what I wanted for those areas.

Now I have to finish the last few pieces and quilt it!

Suzy

Analogous Color Scheme

For this block I inadvertently ended up with an analogous color scheme.  Analogous color schemes are when you use colors right next to each other on the color wheel.  I started this block with the amazing orange and pink batik that is in the outermost petals.  It varies in the size of pink squares from big to small.  It was fun to play with that effect in the petals.  I then choose the inner central petal, an orange batik with bits of pink and purple.  It is a really versatile choice because it brings in many colors subtly.  I then added the purple and pinks to finish up the block.  I had a really hard time choosing the central dot.  I finally ended up with a dark blue because I couldn't get anything orange, pink, or purple to work.

I used the following threads:

• Orange and pink outer petals - Bottom Line by Superior Threads - I chose Bottom Line on purpose for these petals.  First, it is 60 weight polyester with little sheen.  I didn't want the thread choice on these petals to overwhelm the fabric.  If I had used a shiny pink thread it would've taken away from the print.
• Purple inner petals - Glide by FilTec - I used this thread here because it is one of the few threads that is a true blue-purple.  The color name is Raven.  It is my go to thread for anythign "blurple."
• Inner orange petal - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads - a great choice for ease of use and sheen. 
• Inner pink petal - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads
• Blue Dot - Fufu thread - I love the sheen and texture of this thread.  It comes off the spool and feels a little bumpy, but still smooth.  This adds to the sheen and texture of the thread.
• Pink dot - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads

I want to use the orange and pink batik with the squares in petals again.  I have it in turquoise squares on lime and purple squares on yellow too.  Oh, the possibilities!

Suzy

Pink and Purple Possibilities

When I was a girl I loved pink and purple as most girls do.  Now my four-year-old son loves pink and purple.  I personally find the light shades of these two colors challenging to work with, so when I found the inner petal fabric below, I knew I had to try it.

I had a lot of fun playing with values for this block.  I kept trying to put a light blue in it and my husband finally said, "It really doesn't have enough light blue for it to work."  Trust the engineer to get right to the point!  And he's right, there isn't enough of the light blue for it to work.  So I picked out the different shades of pink instead.

As I've been working on this project I have realized that the large dot has to be a dark fabric.  It certainly helps to make sure that other colors beneath it don't bleed through and the dark value seems to tie the block together.

I had a lot of fun playing with threads on this block too.  The outer petals are blanket-stitched in Sulky Rayon 40 weight thread.  The inner petals are stitched in Bottom Line thread by Superior Threads. It's a 60 weight thread and I love how thin the line is.  Bottom line also has a low-sheen to it and so the fabric can stand out.  The darkest pink fabrics are both blanket-stitched with Deco-Bob by Wonderfil Threads.  It definitely has a lot of sheen, which I like for emphasizing the dot.

The inner petal fabric that has pink lines on the purple background gave me a lot of trouble.  I couldn't figure out what color thread to use on it.  I tried the three below.  I ended up ripping out the first two because they just didn't work.  I think the lighter pink worked well because it blended with the darker pink fabric behind it.  The white lines in the photo below are bits of stabilizer that I forgot to brush off.

The little dot at the very bottom gave me trouble too.  The background of it is a very warm lavender, but the dots on it are a cool lavender.  I had to go with one or the other and my thread choices were very limited in light lavender.  I ended up using Coats and Clark Dual Duty Plus which is 37% cotton and 63% poly because it seemed to be the right color.  You can see from the picture below the thread is kind of a combination between the two.  A pinker thread would've brought out the background of the dot more, whereas a bluer thread would'be brought out the dots more.  I didn't want to go too blue because the rest of this block uses very warm threads.  So I ended up with the final color as a compromise between the two: a little blue, but not too much.

Overall, I am very happy with my pink and purple possibilities and my four-year-old loves the block.

Suzy

Lime and Orange. Really!

One of the things I am enjoying most about this project is that I get to pick out lots of fun fabrics to applique with.  My current method is to pick a busy/funky/fun fabric and use that as a starting point.  Then I pick colors that look good with it.  I have noticed that it is important to be careful with value.  If all the fabrics are medium tones (no lights, no darks), the block doesn't shine as much.  The same is true with picking thread for the double blanket stitch.

I'm digging into all those really busy fabrics that are hard to use, but not too bad when cutting out a little piece.  The lime green fabric in this block came from this batik below.  I fussy cut the part I wanted.  I think I'll use a different section of it in a later block too. There are so many fun spots to choose from!

Here is Block 3 all finished up.  I really like the orange fabric with yellow dots as I think it adds to the "dottiness" of the block.

I dug into my thread collection for this block and used some new threads that I had to unwrap!  The outer lime green petals are blanket-stitched in DMC 100% cotton machine embroidery thread.  The cotton is very soft and has no sheen to it.  I like that on the lime green because it lets it be subtle.  The orange petals are sew in Bottom Line by Superior Threads.  It is 60 weight filament polyester.  I like it because it's very thin with not as much sheen as a usual polyester thread.  It added a finer, more delicate detail to the orange petals.  I thought about stitching them in yellow, but I didn't want them to stand out too much.  The focus green fabric and light orange fabric are blanket-stitched in my favorite Glide by Fil-Tec.  The big orange dot, which really stands out for sheen, is done in Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads from Canada.  I will definitely be using this thread when I want something to stand out.

The biggest "ah-ha!" moment I have had so far came with looking at this block when it was finished.  I realized that I can control what your eye sees first with the sheen and contrast of the thread to the original fabric.  Something to think about as I move forward!

Suzy