Caribbean Solstice Progress

I am happy to report more progress on my Caribbean Solstice.

At first, I wasn't too sure about the cream inner border.  I looked at Bonnie’s quilt pictures, studying the impact and containment of her borders.  The cream balances out all the action of the blocks and gives the eye a place to rest. Okay – so cream it is and zip – it went on.  That was the easy part.

Now for the pieced blue/orange border made up of Tri Rec units.  Oh, I liked them but I wasn't 100 percent sold on the racing around the edge layout - nothing wrong with it but not quite right for me. Here I go again!  And then my color control freak gene kicked back in. I've been suppressing it as far a color gradations were concerned for this whole process but IT’S BACK!!  I couldn't do random color placement. I. Just. Couldn't.

First I needed to decide on the layout.  I laid out blocks along two edges that fit on the cutting table. I moved blocks. I moved blocks around some more. I moved them back. I called the Husband.

Sometimes I get into the weeds over thinking things and use him as a lifeline back to clear decisive reasoning.  I show him the different layouts, he tells me his favorite one and I promptly use part of his (set Tri Recs as diamonds) and part of what I was thinking about over in the deep end ( color progression from dark in center to light at corners) and voila! We have a layout! It’s a system that works well for me.

Once I had the layout decided, I start figuring out where I wanted which block, using the oranges as the guideline.  I told myself that I had to use what was made, no making up a few units with a certain color – what you have is what you use. Grumble, Grumble, Grumble. Pulled up my big girl panties and moved on with it.

I did know that I wanted different but related cornerstone units - something that was a corner but allowed the movement of the Tri Recs to continue.

Square in a square! And I could make them all the same because they were so far apart and I could have the colors relate to the outer border and …my color control freak gene got all giddy! It was getting late in the day, I was hungry and cold but instead of stopping I pressed on.

Big Mistake!

I can make square in a square of any size – using a graph paper foundation of course!  I did and promptly drafted them wrong because I had seam allowances in the brain.  I made 2 full ones and 2 partial ones before I realized my mistake.

Wow - cold toes do funny things to cognitive brain function. Double Drat Blast!!  I called up to the DH, asked him to feed the pets and pop a pizza into the oven and I would be up AFTER I remade the four cornerstone pieces properly.  He could tell by my tone that things in the studio were teetering on dangerous, cranky wife quilting ground. The cornerstones got done; I shut down the studio and put the quilt behind me for the night!

The next day, it was time for more design decisions on the outer teal border.  I did not have enough of any one teal fabric, though I wish I had. Some quick quilt math and I pieced the 4 borders strips. And I pieced them short.  Really?! I swear it’s the cold affecting my quilt brain! A few extra bits added, screwing up the color gradations I planned for the borders (see a reoccurring theme here).  It’s supposed to be a scrappy quilt.  Mine is a controlled color scrappy quilt in the center but the more I try to control the color placement on the borders, the more the quilt rebels.  Finally, finally, finally – the outer border in on!!

And this quilt top is finished! 

Caribbean Solstice Top

This is not the greatest picture  and you can't see the bottom borders (they are there) but it's very wet and windy outside so this will have to do for now. I am pleased with it so far.  I still need to find a backing.  I don’t think I have a big enough piece in the stash at the moment and since this quilt is entirely a ‘Shop the Stash’ quilt, I’ll be piecing the back.  Color is not a big concern, though I do have 4 blue/orange Tri Rec units and 4 teal/orange four patches leftover that I’d like to incorporate in the back.  I already pulled a very dark blue batik for the binding.

I know what you’re thinking – the color control freak gene will rebel with that attitude toward the back. No, No it won’t – it doesn't mind funky color quilt backs.  I can’t explain it. You don't want to go poking around my brain trying to figure it out - it's very, very scary in there. Just ask my friends.

Up next - need to put some of that brain power on figuring out just how to quilt this one.