A Frame to Make You Smile

Sometimes I run across some crazy quilting that's so delightful that it leaves me smiling all day...  This block is so delightful and creative it has had me grinning all week whenever I think of it.  It's the work of Cathy LaBath and she confided to me that she was sipping a little homemade wine while she was working on it...

I did several posts on "framing" an image but this will be my all-time favorite.. Look at everything she has used to create her rainbow frame... embroidery, beads, buttons, ribbon work and all in such a delightful and varied ways...  I urge you to take a minute to really look at it closely..

I can certainly see how I could adapt this to other CQ....everybody needs a rainbow now and then...

At one time I was paralysed by having to work on such strong color but was cured by Laurie B... Even still it's a challenge to work with...  I bought DMC's neon colors for just such blocks because most of the threads and ribbons in my stash are just washed out next to it.  The blocks were done by Misty.  Now I find strong intense colors joyful and applaud people who use them....

Anyway I love Cathy's solution and where can I get some of that wine?

What's so risky about bold prints!!!!!

(I was in error when I posted this not to mention it was constructed by Lorrie Ramsey) This is a gorgeous block...  The colors are all coordinated and the prints are all seem to fit a theme...  It is bold, brash, and bright... It is a block that says "I can stand alone" and "I can speak for myself." and therein lies the problem..  It would be stunning on a traditional quilt but  in my opinion it will be overpowering for CQ...

Remember the lovely sunflower work by Rita a couple posts ago?  The sunflowers and all her seams are swallowed up by this block.

 

The same happened with  Colleen's work on this same block.

Well I was rooming with Cathy K. in CT when she was working on her block in this series.  Cathy is a "master block modifier" and here is how she handled this block...  First she laid a piece of green lace over the print in the lower left corner which made it disappear...  Then she had to find something bolder than the block and found this crocheted red flower and with some leaves made the plaid area disappear....added the large sun to balance out the flower..both with button centers.  Now the block is a field of greens..

Her next area was the print where she used silk ribbons and beads to make it into a motif rather than a fabric print... Remember this technique as it can really be useful.... Here is a close up of it...

Cathy's work is not swallowed by the prints on the original but she had to do a lot of modifying to make it work....  Wouldn't it be easier (and kinder to the stitchers) to save those bold brash prints for traditional  quilts? 

There is just one thing on Cathy's work I would change.  I know she meant the buttons below the big bold red flower to be little flowers...  But I thought they looked liked buttons who ran away and got lost...  so I moved them back up with the other buttons and added a few beads.... 

So in closing I am going to repeat what I said about blocks you send out to stitchers in RRs

What you send is actually the canvas for their art, the stage for their creativity and the backdrop for all their time and effort...

You are certainly welcome to agree or disagree with me on this issue as I'm only voicing my opinion... If you are someone who likes working on bold bright prints now's your chance to speak up!

Blocks leaving home...

When you join a round robin you will be sending blocks to your other RR members...  These are like invitations to them to do their best work for you... What you send is actually the canvas for their art, the stage for their creativity and the backdrop for all their time and effort...

I spent some time in the archives and chose of variety of blocks and types of construction.This block by Aida would be perfect for any crazy quilting.. It is typical construction with a 5 sided center. 

This block was done by Jody and a good example of how the color and mood can be set by the block itself..  There plenty of contrast in texture, fabric, color on this block.

Beryl's block is almost all prints but they are subtle and tone on tone so every patch would make a good backdrop for stitching.

This set of blocks by Misty is intensely colorful and almost all prints again...but prints that can show off any stitching done.  DMC has a set of "neon" threads that I bought to use on a block of Laurie Bs and they would work well with this block..  Strong color blocks needs strong colors of thread.















I believe this block was by Alice and shows a different approach to patching... Later I will show this block finished.

This was pieced to the Fans RR several years ago by Leslie E. Again it has prints that are soft and workable.. It also has a wide variety of fabrics.. including silks, satins, velvets and brocades.

Laurie B made this block for the Spider RR and it is all fancies that are either patterned or textured.  She wanted a fanciful garden and set the stage herself with the swing. Often the block creator puts lace, silkies or other elements on the blocks before they leave.

Finally here is a block by Gerry H whose blocks are masterpieces when they leave home.  She provides the very best blocks to work on.  Again I will later show this one already finished....

Do you see a point I'm making.. Blocks can be all colors, all kinds of fabrics, all kinds of patches, all kinds of textures, and all kinds of patterns but they all have to still provide the stage, the canvas, the backdrop for the efforts of the stitchers who will be doing their best for you... When you make your fabric choices this should be foremost in your mind...