How Ugly Are They?
Tuesday January 27, 2009
I asked for pictures of ugly quilts, and they've started to arrive in my in-box. Now remember, the quiltmakers labeled these guys ugly -- not me. You might disagree with the quilters, because there's something pretty cozy and comfy about the quilts (not my quilt, but the others). Please excuse the quickie-post -- I know some of you are looking for the link and I'm off to bed (I should have more quilts to add to the gallery on Wednesday).
Comments
Thanks to the quilter who submitted the leftover fabrics into a quilt. I have just finished tossing all my leftover fabrics.
I sure wouldn’t throw my extra fabrics away. They are essential for future projects. They key is how they are used.
I think it is a great scrap quilt. The repeat print helps the business.
….I`ve seen worse
I think its “business” has its own charm, though I can see your point reg. the black fabric.
I like the colors of the fabric, but the sizes of the fabric could have been given more artistic value. Anyway the time spent in making this quilt for your sister shows your love and therefore this can be called a “labor of love”.
One of my all time favorite “scrappy” patterns is so simple to make that it’s hard to believe. Small six inch (finished) blocks are made from a 3 1/2 inch print square sewn to a same-size black square. The rectangular unit that results is then sewn to a 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch rectangle of the same print. The resulting quilt appears to be colored chevrons floating on a black background, but you really use relatively little black. However it is the unifying element. And you can mix some pretty “busy” prints to grand effect.
A couple more comments:
Inge’s Snowball quilt is lovely! She could try putting a solid color border or two around the pieced center to give the viewer a place to “rest the eyes” and to help tie the various colors together. But she’s definitely headed in the right direction IMHO.
It looks to me as though a common problem in many of the so-called “ugly” quilts wasn’t so much the choice of colors as that of value: not enough contrast!!! And maybe not enough variety in the size of the prints used. The eye definitely needs a place to rest, so mixing in small-scale prints, tone-on-tone, “mottled” or solid fabrics would be of great help, as is alternating pieced and solid blocks, or separating really busy blocks with some sashing.
I adore scrappy quilts, and somehow even really strange color and print combinations seem to work in scrappy quilts. They just seem to have more “character” than quilts made from the “designed-to-be-used-together” fabric lines.
I lovE IT!
Your quilt not ugly;just very busy for your eyes. I would made a nine pieces of fabric into a nine patch then a strip of fabric between each nine patch or put a number of piece of fabric in a circle and then put a different color by the sides of the circle. Don’t throw your fabric or threads away, you can use them with other projects you make. thanks.
I think it is simply smashing and vibrant. I’m not one to like a lot of colors, but I really do like this quilt.
I like it!
As a stack and wack maybe having more size differences in the 9 pieces would help and I think a nice black 1 inch 1st inside border would work. I do like it. I would make it reversible to a softer look if you got tired of the bold look just turn it over.
The fabrics are beautiful. I don’t believe there are too many ugly fabrics. The old saying is any fabric cut small enough can look great. i.e., the pieces are too big. I just made a 75″X75″ quilt with all nine patches (1-1/2″ – 3″ finished blocks) and it has all kinds of fabrics. It’s beautiful. It actually moves…………….
I love the kokopelli quilt. It is very busy but I think kokopelli brings luck, and he is all about fertility. This could be the “babymaker” quilt from that new movie The Proposal!
Kokopelli Stack and Slash Quilt
by Liz Dyer
I like this quilt as it is, it looks comforting. For a slightly less chaotic look I allow patches of the same fabric to touch rather that keeping them seperate. Where possible creating ‘paths’ of one colour both adds interest and gives your eye direction when looking at the quilt.