We moved into this house on Halloween in 1969 so our address is the same for the past 52 years. Thank you for sending me your castoffs. I also did the Storm At Sea wall hanging and made a Double Wedding  Ring for my brothers 50th anniversary. I really want to make one for myself some time.

I have always had a Mac and DH gave me an Apple Watch for my birthday in June. I think I clicked on the paperclip when I tried to add a photo. I'll try again when I get the pictures off my phone.

Mary in Florida

I am so sorry that quilt just didn't make it for you.  That was a lot of work you went through to end up not liking it.  I made one on that order years ago and it was fun to see how each block would turn out, but then laying the blocks out pleasingly was a challenge so I understand. I'm glad you quickly found a new home for it!

This is the second time Mary has rescued me and I learned a lesson with this project.

The color scheme in the fabric just was not "dynamic" enough to ring my chimes. If the color contrasts had been brighter or bolder or "zippier" I might have hung in there and been willing to play around longer with the little blocks but they just annoyed the dickens out of me very quickly.

Pretty soon I was like a little kid having a temper tantrum with the blocks and I just couldn't find a layout idea that suited me.  

I've been searching online for another project and I think I've found it. I've ordered the pattern and I'll let you know once the pattern arrives and I've studied it carefully.

I'm also going to check out my tub of "Kits" on a shelf in the closet in my sewing room.

There's no rule to say that your One Block Wonder quilt has to ONLY be kaleidoscope blocks. 

Using the same colors for continuity, think about putting in some plain blocks, HST blocks, pinwheel blocks, etc to transition from one kaleidoscope area to another.   You have a *large* area to fill in!

Or sashing, cornerstones, etc. - or other settings.  I have seen some beautiful "OBW" and 4-patch posey quilts with sashing and cornerstones.  Gives the eye many places to rest, if the blocks all touching each other is too jarring.  I love to Google for images of those and marvel over the eye candy!

My favorite collage applique teacher, Susan Carlson,  says there is a 'messy, scary stage' to every project that you just have to work thru.

Think you might have given up too soon!

judyinohio said...

Do you remember seeing any photos of Elvis Presley where his upper lip is lifted in a sneer?

I walked into my sewing room this morning, turned around and looked at my design wall and I swear I sneered at the quilt blocks like I was young Elvis ...

Oh my. I'm so sorry.  I have a to do list longer than my leg  so I'd better not offer to take that project off your hands.  I hope someone does.  If only to turn it into a charity quilt.

Judy and other forum members,

I have been silent on the forum for a day or two because after I mailed the parts of the "Only One" quilt idea off to Mary in Florida I decided to go on an archaeological expedition in my stash closet in my sewing room. (Two closets in here ... one for notions, glue sticks, buttons and other "hard" supplies and the second closet is for soft goods.)

Perhaps you've heard of Empress Catherine the Great or Emperor Ivan the Terrible ... well, here sits Judy the Ruthless who has been on a sorting and purging binge, tidying and culling like there's no tomorrow.

Some former quilt projects are going in the trash bag.  Too boring to explain why.

Two Karen K. Stone foundation piecing patterns are being kept in reserve; I still  have hope for those beauties. I have had them for so long I had forgotten about them.

Some Zip-locs of random odds and ends of bright and brilliant scraps are going into a big pile on the sewing table for a potential future project. (More about that in a moment.)

The box of alphabet or lettered fabrics has been tidied up; DD makes her living as a writer and someday I will be inspired by an idea to create a special quilt for DD that involves fabrics with words all over them.

One kit for a 50" x 70" purple and pink foundation string pieced top that was "in the works" when Project Linus was pulled from me is going to Other Daughter who makes charity quilts for her church. 

Plus I found the very sweet 60" x 60" project I was making for my first great-grandchild that I was working on when my shoulders began to kill me. My twin granddaughters are only 18 and have entered college this year; I do not predict any great-grandchild any time soon. No. Not at all. But my mother had made a first great-grandchild quilt long before my son even started dating and so it behooves me to do the same thing.  LOL

That's not the entire story of my archaeology work over the last two days but you are getting the idea .....

The potential future project I am considering is a quilt named "Gypsy Wife" which has caught my eye. Think of it as something like a "Dear Jane" gone very, very wrong.   You can see a person's fingers at the upper corners of the quilt in this photo.

As far as I can tell, this project has no applique so I hope I can cope.

Oh, I have that book somewhere.  It would truly be a "forever" project for me, and would require a large design wall - but I know you have one of those.  I don't think I could do it if I had a deadline.  I would have to break it up into smaller sections and work on other projects in between the sections, lest I become overwhelmed.  Honestly, it's WAYYYYY down on my list of things to do, but maybe one of these days ............  

Just look at all the beautiful colors in this one!  What a cheerful project to work on!

Cris in MT