This week, I have a quilty problem that I need your help with. But first, a pretty picture for the top of the post:
Let's hear it for flowers! And spring!
Okay, my problem involves these:
At one point, several years ago, I started to make Bonnie Hunter's Pfeffernusse pattern, which is very good-looking, but oh baby--the strings. It involved both brown string triangles and neutral string triangles, along with red hourglass blocks. It was a LOT of piecing, piecing that is easy but very repetitive. I am sorry to say that I got bored and put it in a project box and there it stayed. I have 54 of those brown triangles, which I think was a heroic effort. They're all brown, after all.
This weekend I decided that it's taking up too much room in the closet and is never going to become the original pattern, so I pulled it out, sorted all the uncut fabric (not that much), and tried to decide what to do with it. I think I have a layout that I like, and it uses the triangles as essentially giant half-square triangles. My problem: what color do I put with the brown to make the other side of the HST?
I auditioned a few colors, starting with the red which was in the original pattern:
The red is okay, but kind of dark. The beige triangles there are also an audition, but gosh would that be one dull quilt, so they are out. I could use a few of them, but I'd rather not. And I'm not making beige string blocks.
I also tried a green:
I like the green a lot better, especially since I have a bunch of the lighter green scraps, which would be interesting with the brown.
Finally, I tried a blue, which I also like:
Yes, I got a little lazy moving them around and just left the other colors up. I like the blue, but I think I like the green better.
So, what say you, oh wise quilters of the interwebs? What would you do with the brown string triangles? Which color would you put with them? Should I even attempt to use them or just throw them in the trash? (Yikes!) I need to use that box for another project, so this needs to be decided soon!
Thanks for the help! Hope everyone gets in some stitching time this week. I am also still working on the log cabin blocks for the Kaleidoscope quilt. It's slow, but at least I'm working on it!
Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social and WIP Wednesday.
On a completely serious note, my heart and my prayers go out to the people of Nepal and surrounding areas after the massive earthquake this past week. If you are moved to help, try HERE, HERE, or HERE.
11 comments:
I would use a cream tone on tone for the background and maybe a rust to finish off the stars. The Stars will really stand out against the background
I love brown with both blue and green. I think I'd do the green center, like you have in photo 2, but do the background in blue...maybe a slightly darker blue. I love brown because it goes with any color. Have a good day!! Whatever you choose is going to make the Browns sing. Lane
first of all, congrats on the running..... That is wonderful so keep going! I used to run quite a bit. My neck makes that a challenge now so I am walking instead.
For the quilt.... To me those browns are a warm color. The green and blues that you auditioned are 'cooler'. I bet turquoise would look wonderful. Probably with a soft creamy background? It will be very pretty and will feel great to use up the string blocks.
I was thinking like Bernadine - in terms of warm and cool colors. If you want to keep it all warm, maybe the cream background with a rust or coral center? But if you want to introduce some cool, then the green looked wonderful with those browns.
When I was first reading I thought aqua but then I saw your green and I really like it too! Will be fun to see your finished quilt.
I'd try hot pink, and if that's too much contrast, what about baby pink or salmon?
What about purple...like the picture at the top of your post?
How about orange or yellow? They are warm colors, just like browns. I think there are tons of possibilities with these string blocks. Have fun auditioning designs and fabric. Sometimes that's what gets me, I get stressed about it and then I have to take a step back and say, it's about playing with designs and fabric, it's about having Fun!
If you don't want them, send them to me ... We all know how I love strings!
I've always been partial to turquoise and aqua with brown, but what if you used both the green and the blue--or maybe a variety of colors. I have a feeling that by the time you read all these comments, you will have a rainbow of suggestions! The thing is, brown is a neutral, so almost anything will work. Have fun!
I like the green, but full disclosure - green is my favorite color. Indigo or dark blue scraps to go with the brown strings would make a winning combination.
Can you share your new running app? Great job stepping it up to a run!
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