30 April 2019

Red is a Neutral

Since I'm not doing much actual sewing I thought I'd keep my blogging muscles working by doing a quick post reflecting on the Red is a Neutral challenge.

This is where I got to in the end.
Sadly it seems to be a difficult top to photograph and the bright sun here has washed out the colours too much.  I'll try again when it's cloudier.  In real life there are a pale green and a lovely lemon-y yellow which are virtually indistinguishable in this picture (though you can get a better idea here).

It's been an interesting exercise for me but I think on balance I'm happy that I met the brief.  There is a lot of red in this quilt but for me it works to enhance the blues, greens and yellows rather than demanding to be the centre of attention.  It's a useful notion to have up one's sleeve - that red can be used instead of, say, low volume options. 

I have also learned that if I stick with the same block for too long I get bored, then I kind of lose the will to sew at all, so if I want to work along these lines again I will need to build in variety, either by making more than one block or by changing scale or some other jiggery-pokery.

11 comments:

Robin said...

It's a good thing you were able to finish it up even though from the sound of your post, your enthusiasm was waning. It's a more tailored and organized pattern than you often do. Maybe you were thinking inside rather than outside the box - ha! I like it!

Janie said...

Nice finish Kaja. I like your take on using red as a neutral to compliment the other colors.
It's also lovely how you stay true to your own design sensibilities.
That what good improv is after all.

Ann said...

Yes, this is quite different from your normal color palette and design but I find it quite striking. The shirting is highlighted and elevated here. The intermittent sashing is intriguing.
Congratulations on finishing the invitation.

patty a. said...

I hadn't noticed before the slivers of sashing. I like those very much and that they are not throughout the entire piece. I am glad you stuck with this and completed the top. I like it a lot!

JanineMarie said...

I love how this quilt has kind of sort of sashes but not everywhere. They really keep my eye moving around and make the quilt uniquely yours. I’ve read a lot of blogs lately about people moving from one house to another and how it has affected their sewing. I can see where doing at least some sewing is needed in a situation like that to keep your sanity. I’m glad you gave your quilting. I hope all goes smoothly.

audrey said...

I had to come back and look at this quilt a little closer. I just love the subtleties in the blocks, especially where it looks like you had to piece strips of fabrics. It's so interesting to see the red brighter in some areas and very low key in others. Love it! It really has a great scrappy, utility quilt vibe.:)

Nifty Quilts said...

I love it! The bits of plaids steal my heart, along with the red strips. Bravo!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

It's a great quilt, love the plaids! And those little slivers of red are different, and so effective!

Mary Marcotte said...

Haha, you kill me with your need for variety! I get it. I really get it. But Kaja, I look at the blocks in your stunning quilt and see lots of variety. I especially love how every block looks symmetrical until you look closely. Those little subtle changes in color, where three "arms" are the same fabric and then one fabric in one arm is something different but coordinated. That kind of coordinated variety what I just love about your style. Every quilt you make is "definitely Kaja" quilt. I wish my quilting had some kind of personality, something that people would look at and say, "Hey, that's Mary's quilt. I recognize her style!" (You need to write a post on how you achieved that.)

Kaja said...

Thanks, everyone, for your lovely comments. I think this quilt is a good demonstration of why I like these AHIQ tasks; they focus the mind in a different way and push me in directions I might not otherwise think to try.

Marly said...

I like this a lot, but I couldn't believe it was yours! It's so unlike your usual style. The construction puzzled me when I enlarged the photo and saw the seam lines; before that I thought I was looking at half log cabin blocks!