This is where chasing that squirrel has taken me.
No, it's nothing like the inspiration photo, which was selvage strips in concentric squares separated by a dark charcoal background. I wish I knew where the image came from so I could give credit.
According to EQ, I'll need 2-1/2 yards of background fabric to fill in between and around those striped blocks. I have very few large cuts of fabric in my stash, but let's look at what I have that might work:
Grey Polka Dot:
Beige Texture:
The grey polka dot is too busy. The beige texture is boring; also, some of the warm colors were never prewashed and may bleed onto such a light background later.
I want a dark background like the inspiration photo, to really make those warm bright colors pop. But not black, which would be too harsh. I went shopping on line and took screen shots of the likely candidates, and plugged them into EQ. Here's the one I selected, which is sort of a grunge-like crosshatch texture:
I like the darkness of it to set off the bright colors, and the texture. I ordered 3 yards, but it may not get here until mid May. No problem, this is a squirrel project with no purpose and no deadline, so it can wait on my design wall until the background fabric gets here.
From the inspiration to the EQ design to the layout on the wall, this project morphed from concentric squares to a square spiral to an oblong spiral with a finished size of 64 x 80".
I kind of like the square spiral better, so I may revise the layout on the wall. It would finish at 64" square. We'll see. I have plenty of time to play with it. What do you think - square or oblong? Why?
Link ups:
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Love Laugh Quilt
Which everway you go with the final design...it'll be wonderful! I like the dark background with the colors in the stripes. Now I can't wait to see if you go square or rectangle!
ReplyDeleteWhat a small world - I "found" a similar spiral project over the weekend and am trying to finish it up today. Yours is much prettier than mine. I was using 2.5" squares, but I like your color choices much better than totally scrappy like mine.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the dark background really makes the colors pop and shine. I like the square spiral, but for me it would come down to how the quilt would be used and what size would be best for that use.
ReplyDeleteWhen I (finally) make a Spiral quilt, it's going to be the elongated version. I would be more inclined to use what was on hand as the background. With that in mind, I will need to use up the bolt of muslin that I bought years ago. Too bad this year's Dye Frenzy has been canceled! I could have made it a bit more interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun quilt! The dark background really does make the spiral pop. I look forward to seeing this one finished.
ReplyDeleteI like the oblong since I don't care for square quilts. But really either way is going to be fabulous! I agree the dark background is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteThe background fabric is terrific - it looks wonderful with the colors of the strips. Love the square version - what a great project!
ReplyDeleteI love the dark background fabric with the bright colors! Can’t wait to see it finished!
ReplyDeleteDepends on how you want to use it. My kitchen table quilts are all close to 64" square but for a lap quilt I prefer a rectangular shape over a square. Love the dark background - this is one fun squirrel.
ReplyDeleteI'm partial to the square design. Maybe because I just finished two similarly spirally quilts, with flying geese instead of the piano keys. They were rectangles and I'm kind of sick of them, ha ha! But your project is much more interesting colors, since my geese were orphans from at least the year 2000. Give me the bright, modern colors any day! :)
ReplyDeleteMy vote is also for the oblong/rectangle over the circle. It just seems more useful in anything except for decorating. Just please, for us detail obsessed people, lay out those corners all the same way. Those first two turns are different than their neighbors in the big version on your design wall.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see two concentric squares stacked one on top of the other. That way the quilt is a more useable (in my opinion) rectangle shape but still has the pleasure aesthetic of the square spiral.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if it would work out in the end, but an option to explore before final decision.