I had a little disaster with a plan I had for a quilt for my oldest son. My son and I were thinking of something along the lines of Natalia Bonner's fabulous authentic quilt (tutorial here):
But he wanted it all black fabrics and we ended up with this. And it is blah. Very blah. Worse than blah. The question is, how do I remedy the situation? Fat Quarterly are asking their readers today what I can do.
Needs (imho) an injection of some lime green stripes (would also bring out the colour in the numbers fabric) but I wouldn't do much more than that if you are thinking along the same lines as the inspiration quilt.
ReplyDeleteI would also make the limes green stripes random lengths so that they do not go right across each line eg, third of a line of lime green, then black, half a line, then grey etc etc
I agree that an injection of colour would really lift it Lynne.
ReplyDeleteHow about putting the football teams flag or emblem in the center panel and then work the color strips as borders with the occasional red strip and Man United second strip colors in too - check there on-line shop to see if anything can be used!
ReplyDeleteUmmm I find that yellow always gives it a zing....red is also an option maybe do the initial in that
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about a zing of colour as well, whatever his footie team colours are maybe.
ReplyDeletei agree with your first comment...the lime strips would help bring it to life
ReplyDeleteI would just do really thin white stripes either side of the pure black ones ( kind of like a negative strip). Ashley did a great quilt recently on film in the fridge that had really thin white lines inside a square and it stuck in my head as a 'must do' and I think it would work great here ( lime sounds fab too, but is green ok for 12 year olds? Mine is only 5 and he's already very clear about boy v's girl colours, I'm not sure lime would cut it in his extreme boy world!!!)
ReplyDeleteApplique a very stylized letter on the top. Either his first initial, or do a modern twist on a traditional monogram.
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment that lime green stripes would be great and now I see that a bunch of us think so! But if he's into red, then red would look really, really good too. I'd just add a few stripes of color. I really think it would wake up the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteIf you are open to new changes, what about slicing it down the middle with one vertical stripe? Or, my default position is always to applique circles on top!
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of great ideas on here. I like invusing some strips of color, but appliqueing a monogram letter was a great idea too. And, you wouldn't have to unpick anything!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog banner and your raw-edge leaves in the post below. Very beautiful with the pearl cotton quilting around it.
My most unfavorite quilt was one I made for my daughter that wanted black, gray, white and Eagles Green!! She has an all Philly Eagles room. I hated it. She loves it. It is ok to make something you don't love.
ReplyDeleteI wondered about some almost white linen (oysterish colour?) to give some additional texture and then some applique or embroidery on the linen - in green or red of footballers, football, whatever he's into?!
ReplyDeleteHow about an injection of colour and guitars - as in some of the 'Guitars' fabric from michael Miller? I like Cheryl's idea of a line down the middle, or even off centre too!
ReplyDeleteWhat if you sliced the quilt vertically and added color columns that way (various shades of the same hue?)? You could even flip every other black and white stripe column upside down (so the stripes don't line up when you sew it back together). Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteI love this top. I wish at the time, I had bought enough yardage to make one of my own. I have a bunch of authentic, but not in yardage. AHHH, oh well. I'll just admire yours from afar!
ReplyDeleteHow about some applique circles in different colours and then you can add a cushion/pillowcase or two in the same shades to bring it all together.
ReplyDeleteShirley.
Just read my email from Fat Quarterly, Wow just as others have posted would add a lime green in different sized circles placed randomly. Could also do the initial since that is what he liked in the first quilt; would also break up some of the black by inserting lime green. Or since he like's guitars could do a really funky appliqued one.
ReplyDeleteI don't know; I think this quilt is just fine, actually. Maybe add a bit of applique, or some really creative quilting with just the right color thread.
ReplyDeleteI see your comments everywhere! You are a busy beaver!
I like the idea of adding lime green. I did a mini quilt in just those colors recently and really liked it.
ReplyDeleteAlso the inspiration quilt had quite a bit or cream/white stripes and I think it would really help to add some to your quilt. I what you mean about trying to please a 12 year old boy...I have one as well but, I have not made a quilt for him yet-he is soooo picky!
Here is a link to a picture of my black white and lime mini quilt. I could not find much inspiration out there for black & white quilts when I decided that is what I wanted to do, so, I hope this will help. :0)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/kendrassewing/4746072396/in/set-72157624062736804/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kendrassewing/4745432137/in/set-72157624062736804/