TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE

Once upon a time 

there was a young, innocent, country girl who loved to play along the fence rows and road sides where wildflowers grew in abundance  Having no playmates, she made friends with all the lovelies that nature had to offer. Acorns were her best buddies, always tucked away in the pockets of her clothes. Daisies were woven into delicate crowns to top her head.   

 

Queen Anne's lace made wonderful chains to circle her waist.  

Gathering many other beauties along the fields and dusty roadsides, the young girl scattered the seeds of all of her lovelies in her ma's well manicured yard, 

much to ma's dismay.      

Ma explained that these were weeds, and would just take over her lovely flower bed, turning it into ruins. The young girl was so dismayed to hear that all of her lovelies were considered to be undesirables.  Even though she could not understand why they were thought to be inferior to ma's iris, roses, lilies and jonquils, she obeyed her ma and learned to appreciate the right and proper ways of life.  She grew in to a woman and always tried to remembered  the rules as her ma had taught her.

Many, many years later, the woman remembered her love for the simple, road side lovelies where she spent many happy days in her daydreams.   So she decided there and then, it was time to find that openness and idyllic playfulness of her youth.  Disregarding all of the rules of prim and proper ways,  she once again let her imagination guide her. Playing with fabrics, she made a not so prim and proper quilt.  It began with free form log cabin blocks in mostly solid colors.  That still didn't make her happy. 

Where upon she decided to grab her scissors and cut lots of  
free form flowers which she randomly stitched onto the top of the quilt with wild free motion zig zag stitches.  If the fabric frayed a bit, all the better, she decided.  And continuing along with the idea, she created many more free pieced flowers stitched in colors to rival Joseph's multi-colored robe.    

Multiple leaves of all shapes and sizes were added to the mix.   

 Lots of freely pieced blocks bordered the quilt in fence row style. 

And all along the border the quilting will be sticks and blocks of all shapes and sizes. 

 Finally after days of play, the ole girl, deciding that the plain ole log cabin blocks were covered with enough colorful posies, it was time to quilt it.    She decided to cover the quilt with hundreds of quilted seeds with sprinklings of posey shadows.  







  The old girl was, at long last, free to be what she wants to be.  

The moral of this story is ?

Time to play some more

So many ideas, so little time

Who's to say

Maybe I should entitle this post 

Venus and Mars

or

 man and woman

or

night and day
or

positive and negitive
or
back and front

or
to and fro
or
right and wrong
or
left and right
or

opposites attract
or
 need I continue?

I like the last one best.  Occasionally opposites do attract.

Well to my mind, it worked this time.

so here it is:
Selveges inspired front

Mandingo inspired backing

In any case, I have finished a king sized bed quilt as you go.  And my wrestling days are over, let me tell you. Marianne's QAYG method is fabulous, but I won't be doing another king bed size quilt in my life time.   Call me lazy, call me a slacker, just don't call me to do another king size quilt.  Whatever was I thinking?

Oh, and just for reference here, the Mandingo inspiration

Oh, and just to show the masculine feline approval (or at least I think he approves)

Both Sides Now
Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds * that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev'ry fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all


Thank you Joni

I've committed to be neutral

I am off and running with the neutrals.  With bits '0 color.  

 

 Using the quilt as you go method, but doing it my way, I've been playing around.  Trying to prevent myself from over thinking the thing.  Y'all do know how difficult that can be.  The first block is pretty cool, so I went ahead and quilted it. Just to see how that process works, but the real reason is because I have no patience at all.  I couldn't wait to jump into the thing.  The second block is a bit better, so I quilted it too. Yippeee this is fun, so I play with number three block.  Number 3 is cool, but doesn't work for me  with number 1 and 2 when I put everything on the design wall.  Let's make block four and five and see how that goes.   In between each one I am placing them on the design wall and scratching my head, looking for a way for them to fit together.  Changing and rearranging.  And yes, over thinking them.  Here is where they stand at this point. 

Now I have fully realized that I must get on with just making the blocks, throw them up on the design wall (unquilted) and see where it takes me. No more worrying that I have too many lights, too many * darks*, not enough white.  The more blocks that I make, the more I learn and the more Gee's Bend-ish the seem to feel.  Well, Gee's Bend without color.  Ya think?  At this juncture I am open for any and all opinions. 

* the tones on my computer screen show more contrast between the fabrics than they actually appear in person.  The darkest strip is actually a light shade of oatmeal.