I had a good sleep in this morning, got up, showered and had a healthy breakfast with some really good coffee, then took the dogs for a 5.5 mile walk. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, and almost 50 degrees. With more rain coming later this week, I wanted to take advantage of the glorious sun!
When I got home I pulled the improv batik quilt off the design wall and folded it up with the backing I plan to use with it. Then I moved my KFC 16-patch blocks to the larger design wall.
I’ve tried fixing some spots that are bothering me and I can’t seem to fix them. I’m thinking it’s because I have a number of problematic blocks — blocks that are muddy because the two fabrics don’t have any contrast. It’s amazing how they stand out in the quilt. I’m probably going to pull them out and make some additional blocks. If I don’t, I won’t be able to stop thinking about them.
Here’s a black and white version of the photo above. Turning the photo to black and white helps me see the value and contrast in the blocks and not be distracted by the color.
I also pulled some blue fabrics for the 16-patch I’m probably going to make. I solicited some advice from Wanda at the Exuberant Color blog and she was nice enough to tell me how she selects fabrics for a 16-patch. So this is my initial pull based on the difference I’d like to have in values of the blue fabrics. It’s not quite right yet. There are a few pieces in there that aren’t quite right, and I haven’t decided yet how many fabrics I want to use. But this is a good start. I’m also waiting for one final delivery of a few lighter and medium pieces that may work as well.
Here’s a black and white version of the same fabrics. This really highlights a couple changes I’ll need to make.
I took the boys out for a short walk with a nice view of downtown Portland yesterday. They were only happy to pose because I had some tasty salmon cookies in my hand!
Back to work tomorrow for another short work week. I’m also hoping to take a couple days off the following week. This is a really busy time of year for a fundraiser!
agilejack 
I’m interested to see WHICH of the 16- patch blocks bother you. They all look beautiful to me. And what a gorgeous collection of blues!
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The ones that bother me are the ones where you can’t really see the squares. Fabric tones and designs are so similar. So instead of seeing all 16 pieces of each block, it’s all sort of a blob. Look and see if you can spot some.
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Your squares look good to me! Love the picture of the boys waiting for their salmon treats! So handsome 🙂
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I’m probably obsessing a little. Sometimes we see things that others will never see. And yes… my boys are so handsome!!! I’m glad you think so too!
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Sometimes I stick the problem blocks in the corners and they are fine there. Sometimes they come out.
Your blues are beautiful!!
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I was thinking about hiding the bad blocks on the edges. I’ll look at it some more before I decide to discard the ones that are bothering me and make more.
And I agree… that’s a nice selection of blues. it will be fun to see them all come together into a 16 patch. I’m happy I was able to find some older prints in the lighter tones. There just aren’t as many of them these days as there used to be.
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I’m going to start taking photos in black and white also. It really helps to show problems in contrast! The blocks up on your design wall are just luscious, but seeing the color photo and the black/white photo really shows where the contrast doesn’t work. Value really does matter. Nice work!
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Value is very important. There’s a saying that color gets all the credit, but value does all the work. It’s always interesting to turn a photo to black and white and see what a quilt top looks like. You can also get glasses with red lenses or a piece of red glass that will give you the same effect.
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Could you rearrange the squares the “Wanda Way,” with a concentration of the squares that read lighter in one place? Occurred to me when I examined your black and white shot. BTW Green-eyed jealousy at all those blues with more to arrive!
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I could try that, but I’m not convinced I actually have enough light blocks in this collection. Most of the lighter blocks have a lot of contrast. I don’t think I’d get the same effect. But it’s an interesting thought.
And yes.. I’m pretty excited about those blues. but it’s good that there are still a few to arrive because it’s forcing me to slow down and think a little before I dive in.
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