I had seen this book before and dismissed it because I only looked at the pictures. The quilts are not the sort of thing that speak to me, however the book was loaned to me and I was encouraged to read it. (What a concept. Don't just look at the pictures. Read the words.) To my surprise the words gave me a greater appreciation for what Freddy and Gwen were doing, but more important, the book affirmed some things I've come to know. Affirmation is important to me because it tells me I'm on the right track as I muddle through quilt making. Some of the points are design-related and some are tips. The list follows in no particular order:
- With scrap quilting, the eye needs places to rest. Freddy accomplishes this with black and white. I think it is also accomplished when you use concentrations of color in some areas, low contrast areas in conjunction with higher contrast areas, the addition of sashing to separate areas of the quilt, and more.
- Black and white make bright, clear colors work. I have been making what I think of as formula baby quilts. The blocks are assorted black and white print floating sawtooth stars with bright sashing, cornerstones, and borders. Quite often the border is a black background with bright colors on it. Freddy and Gwen use large areas of bright, clear colors and smaller areas of black and white. Since I am a murky person, I need for the black and white to be a larger percentage of the quilt top.
- Find your own neutral. Freddy's is red. One time I wanted to use up some scraps from a perky project without going shopping for background fabric which I initially thought had to be white. I scavenged in my stash and found bright yellows to use as the background for floating sawtooth stars. The borders and the center of the stars were a predominantly black Laurel Burch jungle print. The star points and sashing were bright, clear colors. I really liked the quilt and vowed to try other colors as backgrounds. That hasn't happened yet. I can't say yellow is my neutral until I try this with more colors. I would need a neutral for use with brights. I think the off-white/tan shades would remain my neutral with murky fabrics.
- Pressing blocks well is "absolutely crucial" before assembling the top. They use steam or a light mist. They press on the right side first. Then they press on the back. They do not argue with seams, but let them go the way they naturally want to go. Hooray! I am always dismayed when we have a speaker who says to finger press as you go along and just press at the end. I also don't like the rule of always pressing the seam towards the darker fabric. I press the same way they do, except I don't usually press from the back as the final step. Must try that.
- They recommend careful measuring and then pinning borders on a flat surface prior to sewing them to the quilt - first at midpoint, then quarter point, etc. - so there is not fullness in one area. This helps avoid the ruffled border.
- They don't stress over points that do not meet at the seam because they are liberated ladies. I try to piece carefully, but I don't stress over points - especially if making the points meet the seam would distort the block/quilt. I am not particularly liberated. I just feel it is more important for the blocks and the quilt to be square and hang well.
- I don't thoroughly understand the parts department. It initially reminded me a little bit about advice like cut your stash into nickels or 2 1/2" strips so it will be ready for you to use. But what if I need a 6" square? Or a 3" strip? What then? Anyway...Freddy and Gwen build conventional and liberated parts. (Of course, I find the conventional parts to be more acceptable.) It does help to understand that most of the block sizes are divisible by 2" or are blocks they consider easy to cut smaller if needed. I could not envision how it would all work out perfectly so I was glad to hear that some things did not work out right, which led to a rule. If something is too small, add more, and if something is too large, cut some off. Perhaps I need to engage in some collaborative quilting with someone.
- Quite often the comments about a quilt in the book say that the quilt works for some reason or other. Many of the quilts do not work for me. They are too out there for my organized, murky mind. I find that Gwen's quilts appeal to me the most because they tend to be more organized. Some of Freddy's more organized quilts appealed to me - Sister's Dots (pg 90), Whirly Birds (pg 97), and Black and White Tiles (pg 100) are a few examples. Beaver Island (pg 191), African Trails (pg 197), and Liberated Baskets (pg 223) are examples of collaborative quilts with more appeal.
- Gwenny's Little Bitsy Nine Patch (pg 35) is a quilt with very interesting borders - one on the left and another on the bottom. Nothing on the top and right. The tiny nine-patch blocks were trimmed to size if they were too large. I've made a copy of this page.
- God's Dogs (pg 52) by Gwen is another quilt with interesting border treatment. It solves the problem of getting the applique design to go around the corner. I've made a copy of this page too.
- Pierson (pg 53) by Gwen shows a good technique for adding interest and length to a quilt.
- Gwen offers these design guidelines. "1) Be adventuresome and open to taking chances. 2) Think of design as play. Yes, play! Trust your intuition. 3) Many well-sewn quilts that don't quite succeed in the design department stumble because they are over-coordinated and over-designed. Very often, over-thinking produces stagnant, hollow work. When work appears too studied, it often resembles 'color-by-number' paintings." Perhaps, just perhaps, I need to be a little more adventurous at least part of the time. Go on a traditional quilting adventure.
- Gwen gets inspiration from traditional quilting techniques and old quilts. I will pay more attention to old quilts. Maybe visit a museum that has some and take notes.
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