Kaye's Courtyard

The story of Dear Jane block, I2 - Kaye's Courtyard,  is a tale of woe, analysis, and obsession. If you enjoy reading about process, get comfortable and have a read. Or, you can look at the pictures and make up your own story. Remember, photos can be enlarged with a click of your mouse.

First Attempt
My story begins so long ago, I don't know when. Those are all very subtle fussy cuts to get the subtle stripes to line up . It was made before I decided to make this a pastel quilt. With that commitment, blocks like this with murky colors just had to go. The colors have become my obsession.

Second Attempt

Several weeks ago, I decided I was ready to remake this block. I thought it would be fun to add a tiny fussy cut to the central piece. Those tiny birds were cut from the fabric shown below. The birds were a decoration on a fan in the upper left corner of this fat quarter.

Alas, the block was not working, and I did not want to believe it. I just wanted to be done with this block, so I spent days analyzing why it did not work, hoping I could talk myself out of a third attempt. Take a look at other versions of this block and you will see that it often "reads" as a clover -- not an X -- especially if you use a relatively solid dark fabric. Yellow is not a dark color, so it's important not to muddy the image with a fussy cut or a lively print.

Third Attempt

I took out the central piece and used a running stitch to complete one of the seams. Working from the front, I slip stitched the other three seams as if it was an applique. At first I thought it was too wonky but my trusty iron fixed most of the problems.

Fourth Attempt -- Not

Before my third attempt, I bought this fabric just because I liked it. When I got home, I wondered if it would work for this block. I almost tried but then I made myself recognize the murkiness of the yellows and the liveliness of the print. This block works best when the fabric reads as a solid. This lively print would have competed with any chance of the white pieces reading as a clover.

The Real Issue

I think what was bothering me is the plainness of this fabric and the block. I need to remember that the simpler blocks will provide nice opportunities to do something special with the quilting. They also add quiet to a busy quilt. I'm still not sure the ivory pieces read as a clover, but this block is done.

Dear Jane Progress = 140 Blocks
To date, I have replaced 11 blocks; one of them twice. As of July 25, 2010, I have 29 blocks to go.