Thursday, July 17, 2014

Design Challenge Week #12 Results

It's the 12th and final week (for now) of my Design Challenge, as I'll be taking a break before my next challenge.  (I think the next will be something to do with architectural details.)  I have plenty of designs to make into quilts, and in the next week or so I'll be posting a poll that will let you choose which of the most recent 6 designs you would like me to work on first.  Or, next--I'm making progress on the previous hexdesign poll.  (The background is all finished, I've chosen the blue for the rivers and have actually created them, and now I have to work out the curve that I want.)

So, back to this week, which revolves around photos of moths that my sister, Rita, sent me.  There are many beautiful and intriguing patterns on the wings but one of my favorites, and the one I chose, has a pattern of straight, black lines on a beige wing.   It reminded me very  much of improvisational piecing, though the patterns on the two wings mirrored each other, which is less likely to happen on an improvisationally pieced quilt.

Because the moth's wings were triangular in shape, I first "pieced" some black bars into triangles. following the pattern on the moth's wings (to some extent).  Not quite what I wanted.
I made some more, and combined them, again following somewhat the shape of the moth with its wings extended.  Still didn't do much for me.



How about some color?   No, that's not it, either.
Then I tried circles.  You know me--and circles and bars!




I tried it with colors, and like that rather better.



I tried it with the circles having a different background from the main field.



I tried it with the main field a different color than the circles.


The circle design is my favorite thus far but, though I promised myself I wouldn't worry about construction while I'm designing, I'm worrying about how to get a good, crisp appliqued circle with those bars cutting across the edges at odd angles.  (Hmm.  Reverse applique might be a possibility.)


Then, going back to my fascination with weaving, I tried straight, woven bars in a square "window."  (Yes, at this point I abandoned the improvisational piecing aspect.  The wings were just an inspiration, as a jumping-off point.)  Just one window was too plain, and didn't really show off the weaving effect as much as it might, so I started combining windows, lining them up so the warp threads and one weft thread would tie them together.  Not bad; I like this one, also.  I'd want to play around with the number of windows, and how to place them.


I can't leave a design without trying some other effects. What if I stretched the windows, vertically and horizontally, and again match up warp and weft threads, as I can.


I'm not certain which I like better--one of the circle designs, or the first woven pattern.   I'll ponder that, as I need to make a decision before I post your 6 choices for the poll!

Which do YOU like best?

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