Monday, August 23, 2010

What now?



I put this together with blocks from my month of A Notion or Two and I really, really love it.  But what should I do now?  Originally I had planned on a scrappy outer border.  But that would require more of the gray solid.  I don't have more of the gray solid.



I love the stained glass like effect of the back.

So, help a girl out here.  What should I do now?

-dana

55 comments:

mommymae said...

it looks so good together! i love it! and i am no help in the what-to-do department. i'm sure you'll get some great ideas & make it work!

Luv 2 Kreate said...

I would get more gray and do what was originally planned! Great quilt :)

EG said...

Nooo, no more gray. That's all I've got, isn't that productive? No? Sorry. If you want to do a scrappy border I'd just do it of the colorful fabrics. Then maybe a solid back in a coordinating patterned fabric. You could do gray but not solid. Unless you're going to quilt the shapes, and then you'd have a pretty back highlighting the hand-quilting.

~Michelle~ said...

scrappy or maybe a solid border of 1 of the good folks prints??

{Leila}Where the Orchids Grow said...

Gorgeous quilt top! If you've got enough of the blue and green fabrics left I'd make a border with those and get some nice grey fabric for the binding.

Audrie said...

See I like grey so I'm unfortunately going to say, get more grey! A scrappy outer border sounds good. I'm not helping, am I?

Needled Mom said...

How about a border with one of the other colors and then perhaps a close grey won't show the difference.

Amy said...

I love it Dana! I think it would look fun with scraps of the good folks if you have more or maybe a solid color to match the blues in it, or maybe a combination of good folks, blue and green?

Pat / Silver Thimble Quilt Co. said...

I think if you took all the left over fabrics from the blocks and make a piano key border in radom widths it would be terrific!

Pat

The Army of Four said...

That is GORGEOUS! I would cut chunks of the leftover fabs in the blues and greens and go with them. It would look sooooooooo cool!
KZ

CitricSugar said...

Just spit-balling here but i would do a thin border of green and bind it in the blue.

That is one gorgeous quilt top. To quote Mia Michaels: Gorzh-wah!

ksrunt said...

I think using a blue and binding would be spectacular. Love the stained glass look too.

brown robin said...

Here's my thoughts for what it's worth. Contrast the grey with the chartreuse and a binding of turquiose... think like a landscape in your garden. Would a vignette of your garden ever be filled with all shade... no pop of color? That's just me, being all opinionated. I'm like that these days. I often dream of having the time to do a really scrappy border... it would be such a luxury. I absolutely love your work, as always. So beautiful!!!!

Anita in Florida said...

Gee...there are lots of great ideas. I think I would make a small border using the deeper turquoise and make a scrappy piano key outside border using the leftover pieces (if any) that are in the quilt...and bind with the turquoise. Just my thoughts!

dolores said...

Ok kiddo...here's my two cents worth....it's totally no biggie that you don't have any more grey...it is only a wee bit of an issue in two spots where those HST touch the edge....so go for it....scrappy that border and pop that puppy on there....get 'er done!;)

Oh....and of course I'm absolutley loving the grey!!:)

Unknown said...

That is terrific!!! How about totally another direction with black to "frame" it as a "window"? Maybe start with thin row of the blues then the greens and finally black.
There's my opinion:)
take care
Kim

Gene Black said...

I think a nice BLACK border with cornerstones of one of the blues or greens would really POP it.

Emily Cole said...

Ooh... I LOVE THE COLORS!!! So pretty together - it's so rare to see a dark background!!! I would make a sashing border with turquoise... my favorite color!

Amanda Fetters said...

Oooh hoo hoo hoo!!

(That's about all i've got to contribute at the mo'.)

Leila said...

Maybe a narrow boarder in either one of the lightest greens or darkest blues then a piano key boarder with the scraps.

It is BEAUTIFUL!

Elissa said...

well, my first thought is "i don't CARE, just send it to ME!!!!"

however, in the interest of just offering up my humble opinion.... i am totally digging on the fabric in the center square of the center square, top row. so if you've got some of that lying around.... or, i like the idea of picking up on some of the lesser colors in the piece, not because i know anything about anything but because i'm always drawn to those colors. there seems to be a rusty/orangey brown deal going on in some places that i love and some smatterings of a creamy, lineny sort of white that makes me think something dandelion this way comes. no matter, you'll figure it out and i'll love it.

the gray? ROCKS. if you threw in brown corduroy somewhere, the whole thing would totally say "hipster-men's-elbow-patched-dinner-jacket-with-funky-vintage-tie."

trish said...

Hi Dana.
Your quilt is absolutely stunning! I do look forward to seeing how you tie it all together. :o) Its beauty stands on it's own, so I am unsure what to add. :o)
Sincerely ~ Tricia

Shruti said...

The blocks look beautiful... I would have put a pieced sashing (say 2-3 inch squares) of all the prints between the blocks on the quilt... that would make them stand out even more...
Good luck with it...

Sara said...

Third row down, second block in---my fave:)

The colors are amazing!!! I want this color scheme--oh wait I kind of am doing that already;) You gave me an idea for my back now--tee he he!

OK now onto you! I think you should do a bright yellow scrappy outer border to add brightness.

scottylover said...

Oh how pretty! I LOVE star blocks, and there are quite a few in this quilt I haven't seen before! Thanks for sharing your picture. I'm with you, no more gray. How about a thin inner border of a solid of one of the green colors, then a scrappy border of the blues? If not enough scraps, then maybe another border in a blue print that will coordinate?

Rustic Barnyard said...

My first thought is a narrow lime green border and then the aqua for a wide border. They are beautiful blocks. I love them.

Heidi

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Beautiful. Small chartreuse and large turquoise/blue border.

Wendy said...

You could still do a scrappy border without the gray - use the gorgeous turquoise,green and yellows for your border...then buy a little dark gray for a binding to pull it all together. It is gorgeous!!!!

eva said...

If you have the fabric... a thin green border would look nice... and then the blue for the binding??

xo
eva

Ammieloris said...

Gee, I've no idea what you should do, but it's LOVELY! I adore the stained-glass look.
I really like the Cathedral fabric, but I'm liking some of the simpler suggestions for solid color borders.

Meghan said...

What if you did a scrappy border, but used a solid blue or green rather than gray? The blocks are gorgeous!

La Chili said...

I have no experience on making quilts, so I can't advise, but I love it, it's beautiful.

susan said...

yeah...the stained glass effect is kool but for the border......no clue there. sorry. how you gonna quilt it?

Unknown said...

Soooo love this quilt and the stained glass effect. I'd love to see it with the scrappy border of the patterned fabrics. Maybe just three of them?

Charlene said...

My opinion is to border it with green, and do a faux piping with the turquoise. (see: http://tlcstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/faux-piped-binding-tutorial.html)

Don't do more grey! It needs something a little more bright around the perimeter!!!

Rafael's Mum said...

I'd do a tiny grey border to start with. Maybe only an inch wide. Just so the blocks that touch the edge stand alone and do not get lost in any coloured border.

Then the world is your oyster. You could just bind it. you could do a border following the first grey (follow round with green or blue, or maybe green/gray/blue in various width), or do anything else you like... (pianokey, or how about a lighter grey border, flanked in darker grey and a row of smaller stars in the middle of the light grey going all around? or a row of diamonds in the colours you used..)

I am sure you will come up with something fabulous!

Trudi said...

I saw this over on Flikr and love it Dana! No more grey at all? not even enough for a very miniscule 1/2" border all round? OK, then I'd go for a scrappy border erring on those yummy limes and turquoise fabrics :) But you know me, do what you LOVE and makes your own heart sing :O)

Anne at Film and Thread said...

That quilt top is a stunner! The colors and design are just fantastic. Sorry, I'm no help when it comes to borders.

mjb said...

I think it would look great with teal & lime green squares in patchwork for a border.

Kim said...

Even before I read a few of the other comments what popped into my head was a scrappy with different widths piano key border. First I would put down about a 2 inch border in black, then the piano border then follow up with a black border...maybe with scrappy corner stones with the piano keys cut into a mitered block. I think it would frame it all beautifully........no more gray needed :0).

Whatever you do it will be a beauty.....love the colors and our stained glass look.

Happy Sewing

amylouwhosews said...

i always like the less is more approach. i like the idea of one fabric for the border, that big print (the one in the top middle). like Elissa said. do you have more of it?

Tracey Jacobsen said...

that is gorgeous.

------
skinny white frame

Patchwork squares (or maybe hourglass blocks).

If you can get more gray, then add that to the outside.

those are my thoughts. :)

Tacey Burnham said...

I am definitely seeing the green as the border. I think that would really make the blocks pop.

Susan said...

I just think its beautiful! whatever you do would be perfect

Corinnea said...

This is absolutely gorgeous.

My first thought was two small borders green (1 inch?) first then blue (3 inch?).

Can't wait to see what you've decided!

bingo~bonnie said...

when I look at your blocks I think - oh how awesome that would be if it had organgy-red thin sashing between all those blocks and then as a binding... but I'm guessing you don't want to rip your sewing...

sorry I'm no help.

Love from Texas! ~bonnie

Amy said...

i don't know, but the colors are gorgeous!

Amy said...

i don't know, but the colors are gorgeous!

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Piano keys would be beautiful on there.

Anonymous said...

what fabric line is this? and where'd you get the pattern? LOVE it! Sorry, i don't really have any fresh ideas. i like the idea of using just one of the fabrics as a border...so as not to detract from the pretty blocks. a scrappy border might detract.

sierra.keaster@gmail.com

Wanda said...

Bee-yoo-tiful quilt! I think I would make a series of scrappy, striped, narrow borders using the fabrics you have left. Random and narrow so that nothing dominates.
Just my two cents!

Jessica Christensen said...

Piano stripe border made with the print fabrics.

Dandelion Quilts said...

I would put a border of the gray solid followed by a scrappy border followed by more gray.

Cara @ Me? A Mom? said...

I agree, no more gray. Personally, I would find coordinating Kona solids and do a pieced border.

It's going to be lovely no matter what you do.

karen said...

thin black border 1 or 2 inches then an orangey red border 3 to 5 inches with neon lime binding - if only I was that brave - yours is wonderful