Thursday, January 16, 2014

Decisions

A truly new quilter welcomes suggestions from those in the know, and as she grows her talent she will be ready to make her own decisions.

The quilt that I am showcasing today is a case where intended helpful suggestions were not welcome.  I now know that there are ways of telling a person kindly that you prefer to decide on your own.  In my case, I wanted this quilt to be pink…all pink.  I knew that I needed some dark fabric, but wanted to stay in the red-pink spectrum.  The helpful lady in the quilt shop told me I needed something really dark and different so she brought out a bolt of blue.  It wasn't what I wanted, but I acceded to her opinion.  I went home and made the quilt.  It is an "Irish Chain" and is quilted by hand with intricate hearts in the white areas.  I am sorry the quilting doesn't show in the photo as I was pleased with it.  However,  I still do not like the blue in the quilt only because I wanted it to be all pink.


I made a mistake, but I learned from it.  Be sure you have chosen colors and fabrics that make you happy…that give you that "Ahhhh" feeling that this is right.  Don't let others make these kinds of decisions for you.  Even a newbie knows what colors she likes.

My cousin took a class in which she was required to choose a fabric she didn't like and incorporate it into her quilt.  She did as she was told in good faith.  She hated that quilt and had a very hard time finishing it.  She still hates it.  Colors are feelings and are different for everyone.  Listen to your feelings.

As an aside, you may look at this quilt of mine and say, "Goodness, that looks crumply and crooked."  Yes, it probably is.  I didn't know anything about blocking quilts when I made it.  You are looking at my history so you can take advantage of some of the lessons I have learned along the way.

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