Sunday, October 9, 2011

I Can't Add to My UFO Dilemna

I am the first one to admit that I DO NOT need to start any more new quilts.  But there is a great surge of excitement when I start a new quilt!  I think it's similar to a drug, consuming my every thought.  The search for the fabrics is spell bounding.  The tedious chore of cutting out the pieces is enjoyable.  Piecing them together is gratifying because you know the quilt is on it's way to being completed. 

But somewhere along this journey, I get disinterested.  I get tired of looking and working on the same project.  That when a new idea creeps into my head and I HAVE to start another quilt!

I think that where my UFO problem started.  I have no self control.  And now I am having to hold back on all new quilt ideas until I can get this pile down to a controllable level.

An idea that I'm having to hold back on is optical illusion quilts.  I would love to find out if the illusion will translate the same way on a larger scale. 

My quilt, False Impression, was started when I helped my son with a Cub Scout project. 


The illusion is that the center square is the largest square and the others gradually get smaller out toward the edge.


I am not quite satisfied with the result of the illusion.  I think if I hadn't placed the smaller squares so close to the seam, it may have worked out better.  But I'm not going to redo or make another one anytime soon.

And I have more ideas to try.

Another optical illusion I'd like to try is another black and white quilt. 

You may have to click the image above so
that illusion will work on a larger size

You need to stare at a white circle on the quilt and, in your peripheral vision, the surrounding circles will have a black dot in the center on them.

Another idea is more complicated illusion, from the book "Op-Art Quilts" by Marilyn Doheny.

 

I'm not quite finished designing this one.  I am trying to make it look like an undulating nine patch quilt.  I think that I may putting too much into it.  Less may be more in this example.  It 's not working the way I am wanting it to.

These are just a couple of ideas that I am stashing away in my idea file.  I hope to be able to experiment with these to see if they actually work one day!!

Jane  <3

3 comments:

  1. I think the illusion quilt you made is excellent and doesn't need a thing changed!

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  2. You are not alone in always wanting to start new quilts. Those are the same reasons I am usually working on at least 4 quilts at once, I get bored with the same thing over and over again. I am 50+ UFO's, and now they are starting to bother me. This is the year to finish me some UFO's. But now I am on to make me an illusion quilt, min size for a swap I signed up for. I am allowed to do this because I just put the last block together of a UFO I started I think in 2008. So I will piece those 30 blocks together while working on the mini. Wish me luck. I need some sleep. Can't sleep when all this is going through my head.

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  3. I have 16 UFO's
    This year I started "finish an old quilt before starting a new quilt", but am also trying simple pieced backings for the old quilt tops. I sketch possible backings and made one "after quilt" that I like so much it is becoming another top instead. I also redesigned one from 3 years ago and am finishing the blocks,it got me excited again. I am lap quilting one, plain back... slow but satisfying. I think it is because I design the quilts and nothing feeds creativity more than working on a quilt.

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