Getting the #AHIQColorPalette Prompt Figured Out

 The first picture is where I left off with the #AHIQColorPalette at the end of December. It was at this point that I sort of fell out of love with the look of the tulips. The colors seemed to be a bit brash for my tastes. The first painting below is the original inspiration for my answer to this #AHIQColorPalette challenge. There was just something about those colors that felt really, really challenging to try and duplicate in a positive manner. I very briefly even considered trying to copy the entire painting in fabric form, but no. Been there, done that. What sounded better was to use the colors, feel and vibe in a whole new set-up.

A bit too much

Much earlier than I expected, this week I started actually wanting to revisit this project. Maybe look at it with 'new eyes'? Was it really yelling at me? Or had I just not been feeling well enough to deal with the reality that when the tulips were finished being stitched down, then design decisions would HAVE to be made. You know how it goes. All the while you're working on something, there is always the 'next step' after. Very relaxing to hand stitch, but the after doesn't ever totally leave your mind!

Trying to make everything look like it belongs together

When I started doodling with different ideas to try and start the project, I remembered a picture that my sister took at a restaurant one time--the trio of odd looking tulip paintings. Hmm... Those rigid, formal tulips looked like a fun twist on what I've been gravitating towards lately anyway. And you know how I like series work!

It was all good until I went to cut out the fabric tulips according to scale {from the loose design that I had doodled onto paper}. That's where things really started falling apart. Just from a quick audition of the prepped applique laying over the top of the background blocks, it was obvious that what looked good on paper wasn't translating well at all in reality! The color palette that I had intended to use for this quilt didn't love the silhouette form and/or the plain Jane style from those restaurant paintings. Maybe if I had made the tulips out of the dark blue? And so I was a bit stuck until one day seeing the clunky looking flowers on one of my BlueQ reusable bags. Okay.... maybe my tulips needed to be fussied up a bit after all. Don't you just love when the lightning bolt of inspiration strikes at the perfect moment?

Original inspiration

I'm still working out the details of the applique, but at present, all the blocks are {mostly}stitched down with the exception of the little one at the very far, top, right corner. None of the leaves are stitched down on any of the blocks as that was another one of my creative blocks. While actively stitching on these blocks, I just could NOT 'see' that sour green from the original inspo. painting working well with my tulips or these particular colors. When doing the auditioning, I finally just started grabbing leftover leaves from the orphan applique pieces totes and arranging them here and there. My thinking was if I somehow got the look and vibe to 'work', then I would cut the real ones out in better colors. Ha! After doing one more re-arrange to move the leaves up tighter to the flower bloom, I pinned these in place and I'm calling it good. These orphaned leaves have found their new home!

The restaurant paintings

Since the creative flow was going so well, I also took the opportunity to try and decide what to do about fabric, color and various applique motifs in the long, narrow in-between sections. Way back at the beginning I intended to sew some appliqued scallops into those areas, but I'm liking the look of these circles just fine. Am still playing with the three blocky blue spots in the quilt and also the red/white fabric fill-ins at the sides and bottom of the quilt. Will probably try and keep those areas fairly simple, though I'm loving the look of the blue and white stripe fabric. Might have to add a little strip of that here and there for good energy in the quilt.

BlueQ inspiration

Overall, the #AHIQColorPalette quilt is coming together nicely and I'm starting to enjoy the puzzle piece of getting it 'just right'. As to what I'm wanting to work on later in the year? Something unexpected, impulsive, and maybe even a touch gaudy looking? I feel the need to push the boundaries of my color palette comfort zone a tad bit more. Get really uncomfortable with what I'm seeing right in front of me and make it all come together anyway! That might mean that I will have to make some sweetly boring quilts at the same time just to survive the ups and downs of this particular creative roller coaster!