Infrastructure

Creative time with Bramble Blooms:

One design factor that has been drifting around in the back of my mind has been the possibility of creating three quilts from this QAL.  I've settled on calling my series 'Morning, Noon and Night.'  I can make more focused color choices when I use those titles/descriptions as guidelines. 

I finally chose a block from a Blackbird book to use as my inspiration for this first project, Morning.

My own applique shapes will be suggested by -- but quite different from -- the shapes and placement in this block.  Specifically, my composition will also be asymmetrical, leaning from the left with more color toward the right of the layout.  My flower shapes will be vaguely similar to this one, and I'm also going to use a flower bud.  But I want my flower stems to end in a bowl instead of just curling away like these do. 

I've done plenty of applique through the years, and I know that my style is NOT precise and formal and sharp.  I tend toward unbalanced casual compositions with soft large curvy shapes.  With that in mind, the first thing I needed to establish here was the general size and placement of my pieces.

The paper shapes are just size guidelines for proportion, not actual patterns.  As a long-time applique-er I know that the 'bottom' elements need to be stitched down first.  In this case, that would be my stems.

Once I get them stitched into place, I will add the colorful flower and bud shapes, the highlights of my composition. And finally, I'll complete the picture with leaves, and if necessary, some of the filler circles that show up in that inspiration block.

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