Thursday, May 6, 2010

Tonight I got on a wild hare...


Hello!
Tonight instead of playing another game or two
of Freecell, Spider Solitaire,
Bridge Baron 19 or Internet Scrabble
while avoiding going to bed,
I decided to create a quilt on Electric Quilt 6.

I view Electric Quilt as a "computer game"
without the violence and with a useful and often lovely outcome.

Tonight I chose this antique quilt
which was made in 1896
and is currently hanging in the Quilt Room
of the Nodaway Valley Histoical Museum
 in Clarinda, Iowa where I am a Board member.


When I looked at my photo, I thought,
 "What a pitiful photo of this quilt!" 

While I worked on it, 
I decided the most appealing aspect of it
 in this photo is the aged antique look. 
It certainly is not the slightly unique, 
but not particularly interesting, blocks. 
But I was not to be deterred, so here it is.


How boring!
So that got me searching for 
and coloring a more interesting block 
and then choosing another nine patch alternate block to complement it. 

After I colored them a couple blues and white, 
I used the "Swap All Colors" tool 
and came up with this color scheme.
I have named this 100" x 100" quilt which has 81 - 9" blocks,
"Clearly you have made your point".



I think it is much more interesting. 
Don't you?

Never one to give up the fight easily and retire to bed,
I decided to reduce the number of blocks
 from 81 to 49 by removing the outside row of blocks, 
revising some of the coloring
 in the alternate blocks along the sides, 
inserting a middle border, 
and enlarging the outer border to 15" 
to keep the quilt at 100" square 
and allow the center 
to fit on the top of my queen-sized mattress 
and only the borders to drop over.

Hmmm, which do you prefer?


I'm glad I skipped my other computer games 
and went for "Electric Quilt."
I always feel more productive. 

If I do decide to make this quilt, 
I can use EQ6 to print off my rotary cutting directions,
 yardages and a printed drawing to select fabrics to match...
or not...as I desire.

I hope you dream of quilts tonight, too.
Carlene

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