The Black and Tan Quilt, Finished

Last spring I was inspired to try to come up with an alternative to Scrappy Celebration that would include pieced triangles. My "Hive" has made several versions of SC and I wanted to try something different. So, I played around in EQ8 for a while. 

As I mentioned earlier, I've long wanted to make a black and tan quilt and I've been collecting fabrics for it for many years. This would be a good project to try in my black and tan combo. 

After playing around in EQ and making some test blocks, I realized that my concept would not work well as a group project. It was challenging enough to get the values and colors right making it myself; it would have been unlikely to come out well with multiple makers choosing their own fabrics. 

It took many revisions in EQ, many test blocks and rejected blocks and block parts, and some additional fabric shopping, but I finally ended up with a layout I liked. Then recently I learned that a friend in Missouri needs a quilty hug, and this quilt would be perfect for him. Since the layout was determined, I sewed the rows together at social sewing a couple weeks ago and got the top pieced. I had time on PCQ's long arm last week so I switched priorities, made the backing, and quilted this one. Now it's a finished quilt and it's in transit to Missouri as I write this. 

The backing is a rust paisley from my stash, but there was not quite enough so I added a strip of the rejected blocks in the back. These were rejected because the red was too blue and too dark, not enough value contrast against the black; they looked like solid dark blobs amongst the other blocks. The stripe called too much attention to itself. The stripe is one of the very first fabrics I collected years ago for my black and tan quilt, but it didn't make the cut after all. 

There are nine different blocks, four built on a 9-patch grid and 5 built on a 4-patch grid. No matching of seams except at the block corners. The black corners of the 9-patch blocks make stars, which continue into the border. The 9-patch blocks read darker and create strong diagonals. Some of the lighter 4-patch blocks also lead the eye on the diagonal. 

               

This was a challenging quilt to create. I really like how it turned out, and I'm thinking of trying the concept again in a totally different colorway, yet to be determined. 

Those of you with eagle eyes may notice that one of the 4-patch blocks is turned differently than the others. Design decision or mistake???? 

Link ups: My Quilt Infatuation, Alycia Quilts