Sometimes we find out we are not who we think we areI thought I could easily break rules and not do "what everyone else is doing." Then Jane Stickle came along. First I rebelled against making a quilt that had already been made -- not only by Jane but by thousands of quilters around the globe. Once I committed to making a Baby Jane quilt, I began ruminating over many decisions; you can read about them here (ad nauseum).
Bottom line. It seems I'm caught up in feeling bad about straying too far from Jane Stickle's original quilt. What is that all about? I'd like to hear from others who have struggled with this issue. Usually, I like to be inventive. I just don't understand what this is all about. I think if it was not so much work I'd just start over but there are days when I feel I'd rather spend my time doing contemporary quilts or painting...so why should I start over just because I did not have my head screwed on straight when I started this quilt?! I started by just making a few blocks -- I did not have a color plan in mind as I drifted into becoming a Janiac. I was not going to make the whole quilt when I first started.
My current dilemma: should I move the blocks around?
I'm thinking of rearranging my DJ blocks. It's still Trip Round the World (TRTW) but using a double trip of each color so that the color pattern is more evident; see photo #1. Single rings (as in photos #2 and #3), make the quilt
look more random -- especially with all my pale pastels. Sometimes DJ quilts look too busy to me. The double TRTW seems to calm it down a bit and make it more cohesive and peaceful. Pastels are my attempt to add some calm to this busy sampler quilt.Moving blocks is smarter than remaking them since I can't remember when I last made a DJ block. Over time, I'm leaning toward the arrangement in photo #1. Photos #2 and #3 show the blocks where they are "supposed" to be. Photos #1 and #2 use pastel blocks only.
I welcome your comments on these photos.
- Should I use Jane's blocks placement? I've seen other DJ quilts that don't but have not heard much about why. Do you have anything to share about that?
- Which do you like the better the single or double TRTW?
- Which photo do you prefer and why?
- Should I save the dark/bold blocks for another project? That means re-doing the dark blocks or moving them to the corners. For now, I'm still commited to my quilt containing all the square blocks. I'm not planning to do the "snowcones" but then, I once said I would never make this quilt!
Now a word from our spelling sponsor
I use Blogger's spellchecker and was surprised to discover that we had a difference of opinion. That sent me on an information quest. As a result, I found this interesting blog posting about dilemna and dilemma. I like to be able to say I learned something each day; this was one of today's lesson. Of course, given my memory, no telling if this is the second time I'm learning it!
3 comments:
Decisions like this can be tough! I can definitely understand your quandary and I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you. But, just looking at the pictures you've offered here, I'm loving the look of #1. The only rules there are to follow here are your own. So why not mix it up? :)
I say move them around if you want to. It is your quilt. Even though it is in a sense a reproduction, The fun of this quilt for me has been making it "my own". I seriously doubt that Jane had the entire quilt mapped out before she started. She used scraps, and her blocks were not all uniform in size. Maybe she Started in the middle and worked out. Maybe she had a stack of blocks finished before she started to lay them out, and decided to do TRTW when she was nearly half finished. Whatever you want to do, do it. As far as I know there are no quilt Police to come say you did it wrong. ( If there are quilt police I am in big trouble!)
I like the pastel layouts and I like the brighter darker blocks too. So I am not going to be any help with that question.
If you Look at my layout I have a few blocks that look very light compared to the others. I don't think I will redo them. I have already changed the placement of a few blocks due to making them the wrong color, Changes I made to the layout a couple months after I started and I moved G-12 to the middle just because I wanted the world in the middle of my TRTW. I think my Jane is very Un-Jane like. It is bright, and it has tons of fussy cuts. But It is Very Me!
Look at the book as more of a set of guidelines, not rules. After all J-12 in the original Jane is a Basket and it is either sewn in Sideways or what we think of as the top is really the side.
I have the most godawful figure-ground control so I'll be no help to you, I'm afraid. I CAN, however, cheerfully comment on the fact I've never in my life seen the word "dilemma" spelled with an "n". It seems like a totally dopey idea.
Back to the quilt. I like the top picture best. But I'll bet that's because it doesn't have any blank spots so it seems more cohesive to me.
I vote with the "it's your quilt and do it your way" crowd. I, too, sincerely doubt Jane Stickler amassed so much used fabric, had the time, etc. to map her quilt out in advance. The creativity and workmanship that went into her squares makes me think she would highly approve of you using her ideas to create a quilt that expresses your inner spirit. I believe Jane would tell you to ignore any quilting Greek chorus in your head telling you otherwise. Doesn't she seem more the sort of person who'd suggest using her work as a guide rather than a rigid set of architectural plans?
It's hard for me to comment on the dark squares mixed with the pastels. Maybe if you added more darker squares it would all balance off. But then...I have no idea what I'm talking about. Your inner quilter does, though. She'll tell you.
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