I hate you so much right now.
I have been fighting with this quilt for the past two weeks. I really don’t think we’re speaking to each other right now. She could be pissed off at me because I wadded her up into a ball and shoved under the couch, but whatever. I’m mad at her because she’s just not as fabulous as I thought she was going to be. You should know, if you go on a blind date with me, you best be fabulous, or I will turn on my heel, and walk away like I’m on a mother-effin runway.
So what’s wrong with this quilt top? Why is it not love at first sight? My goal was to “toughen up” all those Kate Spain fabrics into something that wasn’t so … precious. I made a zillion and one HSTs (and used about a third of them), and then put them on point to enhance the geometric line they created. I added Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in blue to create a large amount of negative space, designed to balance out the fragmented business of the HSTs. I also thought the linen would masculinise all those pretty, pretty motifs in the Kate Spain fabrics.
Maybe it’s just all too much, too soon? We’re not in the same head space, and we need some time apart? Am I still thinking about my previous quilting love affairs? Will it never work out? Were we never meant to be? Are Kate Spain fabrics only destined for delicate debutantes? Am I a square peg, and this Kate Spain quilt is my round hole?
I’m not blaming this on Kate Spain, or her fabrics. I’m still quite enamoured with a lot of them. Girl can work a tone-on-tone print like none other. That giraffe kinda makes me want to stab myself in the neck, but all is forgiven with those seedpods. I’ll take full responsibility for our current separation, because Lourdes knows you can’t win ’em all. But what went wrong? It looked so good on paper.
I even thought I’d quilt this sucker myself, with some vertical, wavy lines. I’m sure she’ll slap me with some tension headaches, while I’ll take my frustration out on her. Maybe a screaming match is what we need to work through our issues. What do you think about the whole thing? Go on, Truth Tea me for heaven’s sake. Give it to me hard and rough, I can take it. Linking up to Ms. Midge’s Kate Spain Charm Along Linky Party!
Postscript: I fully realise my dreary, cement stairwell pictures are not helping.
Maybe separately the HSTs from the solid blue with a thin border of solid white (half the width of one HST) or maybe ONE row of HSTs in the middle of the larger solid piece of blue …or both ideas???
I don't see squares, I see elongated diamonds…
We've all had these problems when things dont turn out as expected. I think the contrast between the two very different sections is too acute. I would try to soften the intersection in some way. Jewell's idea above sounds good, or use some more of those HSTs and scatter some of them randomly in the blue section to soften the transition. Firstly though I'd put it back under the couch for another week while you think about options. Hope this helps in some way.
If you are unhappy_ unpick and refigure! No shame, more happiness!
I was curious what you do with those since it looked too much from the very beginning. I like your idea paring it with linen but I miss some color sorting. I can't help it. This is just circus to me. To take it apart would help though. How about column of 2, 4 and 6 just to separate this gypsy kind of feeling and add more geometry in there.
My humble opinion is that the pattern needs a border to make it "pop" I think. White or mad "Barbie" hot pink followed by a thicker aqua stripe followed by a think white? Then it will be a runway of colour explosion. Also, the washed denim look blue on the side looks plain because it has not been quilted yet. The slight texture (heather effect) detracts from the pattern. I think a solid would be best suited. But, should you add a patterned design to it, you will get lots of texture and huggability.
May I add the triangles are absolutely perfect and I could not make them in my dreams, never mind in real life. So congratulate yourself on all the things that are right with this quilt and you will be inspired to make it even more fabulous.
This has just completely cracked me up! YOu're hurting my farking head again!!! I really actually like it! Except for the giraffe……But I want to stab myself too with my giraffe 😉 You have to like it Joshua, not us….. I think that's what you have to take from it. You have to work out what is going to make YOU like it, not everyone else. I like it, but that's me 🙂
I'm not sure why you would go ahead with it if you don't like it? Pick/cut/rip it apart, make something you like! I'm sure you can come up with something. 🙂
It soooo sux when your vision doesn't come alive in reality……I have no solution cause I think the KS needs to pop more but that's as far as my brain got LOL hang it some where where you walk by it everyday and something will come to you, that's how I roll.
This is just my opinion, but I think there's too much design in the design area, and too much negative space in that area. I think if you broke the hst's into about three smaller strips separated by some gray, you'd like it better. Or even just take some of the hst's out. When I've seen this design work, it was always a pretty narrow strip of design against the large negative space.
That's exactly what I was thinkin!!
It's definitely a bit too frilly for your normal design esthetic. Take that huge rectangle and slash and reposition it into random and large HST sections like it's exploding. Now, that could be cool!
Crystoll at aol dot com
Well, I don't hate it but it's certainly not my favorite Molli Sparkles design. And while I don't think we need to love every quilt we make, it's important to figure out what you aren't in love with and how to fix it if you want to grown as a quilt designer. Otherwise this quilt will just end up as a ghost rattling around your brain and terrorizing you every time you think about it.
I definitely agree with the folks that say that quilting will definitely change the appearance of this quilt in a big way.
To be honest, I'm not a huge Kate Spain fan (yep, I said it!) and I wouldn't have even bothered with the giraffes. I only use animals on baby quilts, bibs and in teeny tiny squares of a postage stamp quilt 🙂
I love the juxtaposition of the Kate Spain with the denim looking linen. I'd quilt it to within an inch of its life with matchstick quilting.
I think you may have proven that it is impossible to "masculinize" Kate Spain. Love the ideas from Jewells and Wendy. Another option: take your frustration out on it and slash it up and add a bright color stripe or two through it on an angle.
Personally I like it fine. Putting the KS with the linen was perfect and I think quilted and washed up it'll be great. Do some quasi-matched binding (solid around the Essex, scrappy KS where she meets the edge) and call it good. Maybe quilt differently in the KS than the negative space. The basic design reminds me of a quilt I made a while back that I've been wanting to recreate: http://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/2012/06/stars-of-summer.html. Good luck coming to peace with OR forging a new vision, whatever works….
I think the thin borders between the HSTs and the background that other people have suggested are a good idea. I got a good piece of advice once which was "make it look intentional," and I think that may be why, in my imagination, that version looks better. Or you could just blame it on the Essex linen, which is not giving as much of a contrast as you might think. I made a pillow once with that as the background, and I ended up hand-stitching around the colored pieces because they just weren't showing up well otherwise.
I think the Kate Spain fabrics are cool and modern when taken alone, but when randomly grouped together as they are now they end up coming across more old-fashioned. I would rearrange them in some color or tonal order to give it more direction. Or maybe pair each print with a solid so the prints don't get all jumbled together and can breathe a bit more. Good luck!
The colors are fantastic!…I think it needs more balance between the prints and the solid…
I wonder what Grandma Sparkles would do…!?!?
I have a quilt top that I made and instantly hated – folded it up, put it on the shelf, and forgot about it. A friend pulled it out and loved it – I decided that it needs something so I have ordered a periwinkle blue solid and plan on slicing and dicing the heck out of it, adding strips of solids and see if I can't make it an improv quilt of sorts –
I really love looking at it from afar because of all the awesome scrappiness, BUT I think you need to create a place for the eyes to rest (like others have suggested – breaking them up – maybe a line of dark solid between rows of squares?).
The commentors above gave really great suggestions on the quilt. I have to say that I really thought that the background where you took the quilt (the stair well) was a really cool backdrop for a quilt. It made the colors on the quilt pop. I really need to mix it up more for quilt picture taking, 90% of mine are of the quilt on my fence.
Hi. Okay, truth tea: The linen is boring, and adds nothing. It does not offer enough contrast nor make it look "masculine". I would go deeper/darker with the side panels, maybe a navy? I'd also consider doing something crazy, like adding a thin slash of color starting in the top corner running across the quilt to the bottom right corner, like this . It just doesn't feel very you at this point, but I know you will make it work. Stepping away from it for a few days might help.
Or maybe a deep orange as your contrasting color?
I don't think its terrible, but I think a narrow strip of HSTs offset would have looked nice. Just my opinion though.
I think that the pieced section looks good as riot of colour and design. Linen is a good choice, but that colour is not it. Either white or ivory or charcoal grey, black, a deep expresso brown, would all work in my view, but not a fuzzy colour like that one – you need more contrast. The lights make a happier quilt, the darks more sophisticated I think. And if you are going to quilt it, do it with intention. A number of lines, maybe irregularly spaced but quite close together, say 1/2" to 1/4" would give the quilt a huge amount of character. Or take it apart and slice up the triangle part for pillows or to use again in another quilt. Don't spend more time on a quilt you don't like, there are so many others to make.
well everyone's got a different opinion. I love the diamonds. for me there's too much blue space but I wonder if a border in a similar bright poppy colour scheme to the triangles might pull it all together? good luck! made me laugh.
poppy as in colour popping – Not the flower!
I absolutely HATE to rip things apart. My solution is usually to get okay enough with a quilt to finish it, then gift it to someone who WILL love it. Fair warning, though: Sometimes that takes me YEARS.
That said, I think Wendy, Vera, EvaRose, Pieces of Cotton, and Am L are on the right track. I think a solid would contrast better than the linen with the scrappiness of the HSTs, and I think breaking up the HST section in some way would go a long way to making this more fabulous. I can't wait to see what you decide!
I can see your point. I love the colors, the color balance with the grey, and the prints. However, it is not a man's quilt. Too many pretty colors and pick/red prints.
I actually think it works as-is–bright orange or pink binding and one gazillion lines of matchstick quilting would make it awesome. But, I must admit, I am absolutely in the "hate to use the seam ripper" camp, so "finished is better than perfect" is usually my motto for this kind of wild, no-plan thingy. And then the promise to myself to actually plan things next time (which of course I instantly ignore as soon as I get another crazy idea). 🙂
The linen pulls the whole quilt into meh-land for me. Its just not the right color or maybe the busy part needs a tight border… I don't know. I'm feeling a burnt orange or deep red instead of wishy washy blue. Good luck!
Yeah I am not feeling the linen either. The pieces section is great, but the linen doesn't quite work. Kind of like it doesnt hold up to the riot of colour in the centre. If it were me I would probably do something bolder with the solid – navy or red or even orange. Or heck even super neutral with a black or white. Now I'm wondering if the Botanics cross hatch print in orange might work. It might be time to audition more fabrics.
I've given up trying to leave a comment on the tablet and gone to the pc -how come technology always works for James Bond? I'd like to see one movie where the wireless connection is gone or android eats your comments three times in a row! Anyway what I was attempting to say is I think the HST is too wide. How about taking the rotary and slicing it up a bit? A few really skinny strips of linen separating the HST could be good. At first I though it would be good square with more of the linen and less of the HST but then thought if you have HST left over maybe if the shading was right you could get a cube floating in that linen- kind of like a Kate Spain Borg cube? That would be fun!
Not all Kate Spain fabrics are created equal. Just take that annoying giraffe out and replace it! Then, fold it up (or wad it up) and put it in the back of a closet…a little separation from this quilt is definitely in order. There's no shame in putting it on the back burner indefinitely…life's to short to waste time on a quilt you hate! Now start acting like a real quilter and go buy fabric for 5 new projects! 😉
Lol – I also really like it, and would love to see it quilted up. You can send it to me if you hate it once you're finished ;D
I like it – minus the giraffe, so I would say get rid of that piece. I might put a thin white border & binding all the way around it because I think it would settle it down a little and provide some definition without being overpowering (I like the linen because it seems to flow from the prints instead of being a jarring contrast). All that said, I haven't made strong / manly quilts and I don't know a lot of the rules, so my thoughts may be useless!
I like this quilt, but it is girly. No amount of blue is going to masculinize this baby. Someone mentioned burnt orange (to replace the blue). I am also one who hates to rip things apart, but i would use a burnt orange binding to take this quilt to another place. But still girly. Good luck with this love-hate relationship.
I agree with a couple of previous comments…it's not the patchwork but the blue linen. What about RED!
In any event you make me smile!
I can see why your affair is on hold…for me, the HSTs are too wide – diet, maybe?? Then make the right side of the linen wider because the left side works for me! If this were my "affair", I would remove half of the HSTs and increase the right side linen by the width of the HSTs I removed. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do to re-ignite the flame!
Molli Molli Molli, where did we go wrong. It started out with such high hopes but we've grown apart and look where we are now. How about using some of those extra HST's and scatter them randomly on the right side. I think this would soften the transition between the two panels. Hope you get back together again. Love Judy
Straight out……..way too much blah blue. Sorry Mollie, but I must have drunk wayyyy tooooo much Truth Tea. Seriously, the blue does nothing for all the bright, happy colored HST's. If you are dead set on blue, how about a very dark blue, or black if you must. This denim colored blue just drags the whole quilt down and it doesn't look happy either. I'm sure with all the well intentioned ideas we've all thrown at you, someone will have provided you with just the perfect solution to bring this quilt up to Mollie Sparkles standards, even if you wind up taking out the blue entirely. Hugs and good luck. Will look forward to seeing how you accomplish this. lv2bquilting2@comcast.net
I'm a minimalist and so this really appeals to me. Honestly, I think once you quilt the solid fabric, it'll come together.
I have but one word for you Miss Molli and I know your head can figure it out…Fibonacci. 🙂 xxxx
For someone who doesn't like scrappy stuff, I'm not entirely sure why you thought you'd be drawn to this kind of design. 🙂 Pretty much everyone up there has mentioned this already, but I agree with what a lot of them are saying about the negative space fabric. It's not strong enough to stand up against the "holy crap that's a lot going on" center. Pick a strong color and go with that. A dark navy blue would be lovely (and read more masculine) but you could go with anything bold really. I made a quick photoshop of it with navy. I'll send it on to you via email. You could also have fun with doing two different tones (or even colors) with the negative space areas to draw a little attention away from your HSTs if you wanted to go that direction.
Okay, first I'd say if you don't love it right now put it aside for awhile and work on something that makes your heart sing. That will leave your subconscious free to work on it quietly in the background. Then when you least expect it you'll get that 'aha!' moment that tells you what to do next. That usually works for me. Not sure if you ever catch public transport but I find the aimless gazing out the window gives my brain the room it needs to ponder these type of issues uninhibited by me! Secondly (and this is not fully thought through) when I looked at it I felt it was a bit too ordered and rigid (leave it alone Molli) and my first thought was to slash it through on the diagonal and let the two (or more slices) slip sideways in a sort of fracture. Depending on who the quilt is for you might want to add a bit more colour (orange comes to mind but then I'm a bit orange biased!). Anyway that's my two cents worth, I haven't stopped to read everyone's comments further up and they may have already solved your problems but there you have it. Let it sit and have a cogitate I say!
I'm not loving the linen either, but I like the idea that others have suggested of slicing the hsts apart and adding more grey inbetween them. You could also split it may two columns in on the right and just flip the hsts and grey around, or slice it across ways a few/many times and turn every second piece around so that the colour alternates down the quilt… or leave it as is and quilt the bejesus out of it in riotous colours
My $.02. I love Sooli's suggestion of slicing the HST up and shifting it for a fractured look. I also think an orange binding would look amazing.
My first thoughts after I sat and pondered on the pictures was the proportions of the HST area and blank spaces seemed off. Not the smaller side to the left, but the slightly larger side to the right. It's almost as if you were going for "super busy"/"totally negative space" but were afraid to commit to the negative space side, which is all wrong, but because I know you are aren't afraid of anything! So I might add a bit more of whatever solid to the right side negative space, because right now the HST area seems sooooo heavy. I might also add that making the linen a navy solid would be killer, but I'm a little biased because I'm using navy in everything right now, so even if you wanted to keep the denim linen I think it would work better if you added more to that side.
Bria at komnumep@hotmail.com
Bright border around the HST area, and yes, shifting it for a fractured look would be amazing. All that linen is screaming for some bold quilting. I know that whatever you do will be sparktacular. 🙂
I feel you on this post. This doesn't scream "you" to me. Sure, it's a nice quilt, but that's the problem, right? I think we've all been there before!!
Have faith in yourself and your abilities! You know what needs to be done with this quilt. Be patient. Put it up for awhile and relax, enjoy! You have been on overdrive for awhile now. We love you for who you are not for how many quilts you finish! Laugh, surround yourself with loved ones and enjoy. Your ideas will come in quiet moments. No worries and no time frame! Let it go and it will flow!
Navy might look better than the linen, as someone already suggested. Having said that, I like it! Sometimes the projects I've been a bit "meh" about came alive for me after quilting & binding. I once almost threw out a big pile of blocks I hated, that once I actually sewed them together, turned into a quilt I loved! Putting it aside for a while is a good idea too.
I'm a huge fan of linen. I think that there are few things in life that a little linen can't add an air of earthy, high-class sophistication to. However, Kate Spain defies linen. They just don't play nice together. Also, linen is a minimalist's fabric. Molli, honey – you are many wonderful things but minimalist is not one of them. Linen does not sparkle; it doesn't look like YOU made it. However, the design is beautifully laid out, colour-balanced, just the right amount of asymmetry…. It's just the linen that's feng-ing up your shui. If it had been interspersed in the triangles a bit so the lines between cotton and linen were less clear, maybe? Hmmm, I think this is a job for some rich and shimmery shot cotton in a pink/orange or red/plum…. Shot cotton sparkles.
The linen looks too mat to me, though I'm no design expert. How about a shot cotton? What's wrong with being feminine, anyway? If you can't make it butch, make it pretty!
That happened to me recently too … go put some big, manly, black … zig-zag quilting through the pretty HST's (maybe the new "Jedi" Aurifll colour I named – just dropping that in casually *cough*)
I hate it when the image you have in your mind's eye doesn't translate in reality. Having said that, I like what you have so far. Perhaps encasing the HST section in the negative would make a difference. I really like the colors you've chosen fire this quilt top and am looking forward to seeing the finished product once you've quilted it. It will make such a difference. As for the backing fabric you've chosen, I love it….but….. And it's just my but. ….I see a bold, thick stripe on the back.so looking forward to seeing how you finish this. Please finish it. Don't let there be another UFO out there. Finish it and if you all don't like it donate it to a charity or men's home. Someone is sure to love it.
Maybe it's just the fact that you really are not in love enough with the Kate Spain fabric! I don't know? All I know is when I am trying to make something with fabric I'm not in love with I get rid of it and then I'm instantly happier. I do agree with a lot of the comments and think the solid linen is a bit wishy washy ( is that a term ) and maybe a border of something bright between the two could be good. Im sure you will figure it out 🙂
I am trying to make something with fabrics a friend chose that I am not in love with and Hating it! Good luck .
To me the Essex fabric in denim blue and the Kate Spain do not connect at all, mainly because of the shade and the amount of the blue.This Essex kills the KS palette. I'd probably have gone for black first in this case, even if black, for me, is not "masculine" at all. Next up would be a vivid red or some intense blue to bring some energy into the quilt, which seems to be lacking now in spite of all the colors in the collection.
I echo all those before me- the colour of the linen does not help anything. Lose it. Go dark or go really light for the background for more contrast; with the blue it feels like there are too many middle values. The backing fabric looks great!
"Masculinise?" Really? I know it isn't but that sounds like a made up word. lol
As far as the quilt is concerned, I don't hate it but it doesn't really resonate with me. Face it, Molli; it just isn't you. 😀
Honestly, I think she's just a wee bit girly floral for all that dark, brooding solid background. Plus her colourful glory might be just a wee bit too chopped up to shine through as those ickle HSTs. It's not a bad quilt, but it doesn't really sing, just mumbles in the corner.
I figured it out. Use white, ditch the blue. Send to me. Problem solved.
For me, that blue is too dull for the quilt. The essex blue needs to be replaced with something to give more sparkle! Isn't there an essex red? There is, I just found the piece I recently purchased. I also like the hot pink idea. I like the concept, just the colors of the HSTs and the negative space clash for me.
Maybe use the essex blue for the binding, but try the essex red, or the hot pink border with the essex red. I think the red would still do your masculine thing,
Let me know your thoughts.
Molli, relationships never work out when you try to change the other person, err, fabric. KS is just not a tom boy. She is a girly-girl and just ends up dull when you try to make her masculine with that denim. Best to let her be her and you be you and realize that it isn't true love. But maybe you two can still be friends.
I love the pieced part – the linen…not so much. You might want to audition some other fabrics – I'd go rich, dark – black would be my go-to, but I don't think that's what you want – how about the green in the giraffe – it could be your little joke … in the end, you've put a lot of work in the pieced area, now you just have to "make it work"!
i actually can't stop laughing right now!!! i don't really think it works to much negative space in relation to colour, maybe it should be a bit more improv-y?
(wow it is weird not just commenting love it! haha)
Haha! I was just thinking the giraffe is my favorite. 😉 😉
hmmm, I think your quilt top is ok, but it does lack the extra sparkle your work usually has. I don't have any suggestions for bringing back your love, though. I just wanted to say I love the cement stairwell picture. You should definitely take more quilt pics there in the future.
Maybe introduce a few lines of coloured fabrics in different thickness to break up the grey , two rows of triangles one of grey one of triangle one grey..just so that the grey doesnt look so heavy. Youre almost at fabulous – dont be so hard on yourself
Somehow I missed this post until you mentioned it today. My honest first thought is that if you don't like it, slice it up on the diagonal here and there and put it back together in a fractured sort of way. Then I skimmed the responses and found others suggesting the same or similar thing. You have SO MANY suggestions here! You can print them up and put them together in groups of similar themes and probably end up with about a half dozen good ideas to consider. I think you should name this quilt "Thesis" because you just conducted a survey to study the pros and cons of your quilt!
What if you break of the HST with some of the linen, maybe even mix up how many rows like 2 then linen, 5 then linen and then 3 and linen and then 2 again.
A little late to the party, I realize, but I don't think it's all that terrible. When looking at it I think the mass of triangles are just too in my face, but I have a few ideas how to make them sit down and behave. My personal preference would be for the linen piece on the right margin (you get what I mean?) to be wider as I think that would help put those HST's in their place. I also think the mass of unquilted negative space is too flimsy to hold that dynamic HST block BUT I think that will be easily remedied by quilting the heck out of it with a strong pattern (no foofy swirls or looks, okay?). Finally, it needs an edgy black or licorice-coloured binding to just put everything in it's place. That is my go-to fix on quilts; when they seem a little out of control I find a hard dark binding whips everything into place (oh, that sounds a little dirty, my bad).
Back from my holidays, catching up on some reading and very late to the party. Loving the HSTs, not liking the linen. Not at all. It's too dull, it doesn't make the colours sing. You need to go darker – lots, lots darker. Like dark navy or black darker. Maybe not a solid but a a tone on tone, a shott cotton, or something like a grunge basic. Something that has a little interest of it's own (or maybe use a solid and quilt the neurtal with a variegated thread to add the interest). That's what I might do, but then I do so love a good dark background and use one any excuse I get.
You've probably done whatever your going to do to this quilt by now, but I will give my two cents worth, anyway. My initial thought was to unpick the solid from the prints and try something else, but it only took me a second to change my mind on that idea. I love all of the plain to counteract the print, and I think this could totally be saved by quilting, alone. Either something fancy-smancy, or, if you want to keep it simple, straight lines intersecting and creating triangles on the blue linen, using all different coloured (and bright) threads… maybe??? I imagine that could be a big hit or a massive flop.
i like it!! however i would switch out the blue and use carbon (dark grey). and add some grey triangles into the mix. modern straight line quilting top to bottom. maybe an inch or so apart. use dark grey thread. hip and modern. if you don't want it i'll have it LOL!
Coming in way. way late here. What would appeal to me (perhaps because I'm reading your blog backwords and have been tracking your Sick Quilt) is to put together the other 2/3 of those triangles and make a big happy mess of them, without trying to be cute about it. Just let them be what they are. To me it would be my perfect "when I'm sick or not feeling well" quilt (which is most of the time) because I could wrap up in it and amuse myself picking out the images in the various triangles. I like the giraffe for that reason. I just realized this comment springs from memories of my childhood comforter (a pansy print), because when I was not feeling well, I'd study that quilt and pick out all of the various faces I saw. To this day, I see faces in all kinds of places. And I'm a poet and don't know it. Or is that a CW song?
Coming in way. way late here. What would appeal to me (perhaps because I'm reading your blog backwords and have been tracking your Sick Quilt) is to put together the other 2/3 of those triangles and make a big happy mess of them, without trying to be cute about it. Just let them be what they are. To me it would be my perfect "when I'm sick or not feeling well" quilt (which is most of the time) because I could wrap up in it and amuse myself picking out the images in the various triangles. I like the giraffe for that reason. I just realized this comment springs from memories of my childhood comforter (a pansy print), because when I was not feeling well, I'd study that quilt and pick out all of the various faces I saw. To this day, I see faces in all kinds of places. And I'm a poet and don't know it. Or is that a CW song?
P.S. I'd buy such a quilt but I couldn't afford it.