I have a problem-I have Quilt it to Death Disorder-QITDD. I really don’t know how to keep it simple. I knew my Maine Girl quilt needed to have a simple quilted background that did not take away from the main image-one that just let the girl shine. Well, you know where this one is going…
I tried sketching it with parallel lines in the background-ironically that seemed to distract from her. I also tried a simple stipple-ugh-so trite. I tried bubbles-that definitely overworked it. I thought it might need a grid, but plain grids are actually very difficult to pull off free hand and they can be a bit boring.
Sketch-Maine Girl
I had a hunch that a repetitive, grid-like background was what she needed. I had recently seen Diane Gaudynski’s tutorial on the “log cabin” motif-I wanted to try that.
I originally was going to do the whole piece in the log cabin but I decided to try sketching Celtic bubbles in one corner. Hmm, I actually liked the two together. Then I added a bit of grid peeking from between the bubbles and I loved it!
But, what works on paper does not necessarily mean it will work on my quilt. I knew the thread choice was key. It had to be dark enough to show a bit but not so dark that it would take away from her image. Light grey silk thread was the perfect choice.
Maine Girl
I surprised myself. I thought it might look overworked, but I think it provides an interesting pattern that enhances the image.
Detail 1-Maine Girl
The log cabin motif looks great against the curves of her face and I love the way the bubbles are reminiscent of the turbulence of Casco Bay.
Detail 2-Maine Girl
One thing that I’ve been working on is combining motifs in a pleasant way-I really like the bubbles against the lines of the log cabin.
The log cabin is actually a fairly demanding motif. It really looks best done perfectly. I just don’t go for perfect and most motifs do not demand it. But this one really does look beautiful in perfect repetition-check out Diane’s log cabins-divine!
Well it was a fun romp and I’m pleased that I was able to do the human form with some skill. I think in this case QITDD worked in my favor. This tiny little 12″ x 12″ piece took me about 30 hrs to complete. I really don’t know how to keep it simple, sigh.
