Plan B Part 2

When Heart Builders sent me fabrics to make a top for them, they sent a western print and some light blue coordinates.

Plan A was to use the light blue for background and feature the print. Unfortunately there wasn't enough of the light blue to feature the western print the way I wanted to. So, Plan B: I substituted a different light blue so I'd have enough, and made top #1. Also part of Plan B, I would use the light blues from Heart Builders with some other prints and make a second top for them.  Here's top #1.

These are the fabrics I pulled to go with the light blues for top #2: 

My plan was to cut very large triangles - easy cutting and piecing - lay them out on the design wall, and whip up the second top. 

Unfortunately that didn't work. The darks were just too dark, the contrast was much too stark, and nothing looked good. Sigh. I didn't have enough light blue to simply alternate blue triangles with the low volumes, which would have been boring but passable. So I searched in my stash for a light-ish medium that would do, then I struggled to find a layout. Here's the result. Not the most beautiful creation ever, but for the purpose it will do. 

It measures about 48 x 60".  For an older boy it will be fine, especially after quilting gives it some texture and dimension. Here's a close-up of the fabrics. The grey print has been in my stash awhile, hard to use because it's not a low volume but it reads light-ish against bolder darks. 

Sorry for the too-sunny photos; it was cloudy until the moment I was all set up and ready to take them. Sheesh, this top, which I'm calling Plan B Part 2, has been fraught with issues. 

Now I'm left with extra low volume triangles and triangles cut from the indigo crosshatch and the dark ombre stripe. There will be a Plan C, a third top for Heart Builders. Stay tuned. 

While not my worst ever design fail, this Plan B Part 2 top is certainly not my best ever design. My worst design fails have all had to do with value contrast, usually too much contrast. You'd think I'd learn...

Have you ever had a design you've been disappointed in, but you had to make it work anyway? Did you learn from it?

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict