Friday, February 11, 2022

Off the Trail and into the Weeds

 I've never been very good at sticking to the path, but I've really gone way off into the wild this time.  Bonnie Hunter released the final reveal for Rhododendron trail and I basically tripped and face-planted.

I'd always planned to substitute another color for the aqua in her vision (I am so over the whole pink/red/aqua/teal thing), so I tried a few other ideas for the narrow sashing she called for. 

A couple of browns...


That was a couple of nopes.

This soft green?  

Maybe...

And then I didn't go up to my sewing room for days. And days.

Now, I am a World Class Procrastinator, but when I'm ignoring something this hard it's a sure sign of it being something I just flat don't want to do.  I love the basic block, I love the hourglasses, but the two together just weren't doing it for me.

Time to drop back and have a think.

So I thunk and I thunk and decided that I'd just go off the Trail and into the woods in a completely new direction.

Grab your canteen and a couple of sandwiches and I'll lead you along to where my fizzy brain took me.  Mind you don't step in whatever that is.  And watch for bears.

My first thought was to try putting the blocks together with sashing.  I had a (not-so) brilliant thought to repurpose some of the bits I'd already sewn.  The pink flying geese blocks were my first victims.


Oh no.  Way too much pink.
Try again.
The yellow triangles making friendship stars at the crossroads looked interesting, so I left them in.


Maybe if I made some flying geese like the pink ones, but used green instead?


And throw in some of those vast stacks of red hourglasses?

A slight adjustment to the hourglasses in the middle of the sashing unit.

And some red squares for the cornerstones instead of hourglasses?

Busy busy busy...  Hmm...

I pulled out the two hourglass blocks I'd made and tried them as alternate blocks with this sashing,


but it wasn't any better.

At this point I pulled everything off the design wall and put it all in a plastic bin and sent it to time out.

And I stewed.  And I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the internet looking at quilt blocks, hoping an idea would spark.

Maybe a different alternate block?  I made a couple of test blocks,



and pulled stuff out of the bin again.


Nope.  Not even if I set it straight rather than on point.


Back into the bin.

I kept looking at the Rhododendron Trail logo on Bonnie's website -



and trying to figure out why I really liked this image but didn't like my version of it.

And then a lightbulb went off in my head.

What if I just recreated the framed corner effect, but using HSTs instead of hourglasses?
I did a quick mockup of corner units,


and decided I was onto something.
(So of course I had to try out a sashing idea too because my brain wasn't overloaded enough)


But I wasn't totally happy with that green.

Maybe try a blue?


Oh my.  Blue is better.



I quickly tried out some of the closest blues and I'm all in.

And there goes that test sashing again.


Now I just need to decide whether to use one constant blue or if each block should have a different one.  (More test blocks?)

I think I'm done procrastinating for awhile.

Oh and those test dummy alternate blocks I made way up there?  Before I knew what I was doing, I'd made a few more in this month's RSC color since they're ridiculously easy to make.



Dammit.  Did I just start another quilt?


Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come see what goodies everyone's building!




22 comments:

Sharon Kwilter said...

Haha, I know how you feel. I keep changing my mind too. I have like 30 different versions of the Rhododendron Trail Quilt in electric quilt. I've changed my mind so many times.

Libby in TN said...

All I can say is I'm SO glad I didn't start this one! I think you're finally heading in the right direction.

Donnie said...

This year’s mystery was a bear to put together (for me), but I do love it. I’ve seldom used pink or aqua in my quilts. However, I love your version and really enjoyed reading your trail and error process. Thanks for sharing.

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Lol. You crack me up!

Chantal said...

I love this post, Gayle. I can relate and it's nice to know I'm not the only one with trials and errors or second-guessing myself. I love where you are going now. I think different blue fabrics would be best since all the pink blocks have different pinks. Enjoy the sewing now that the dithering is all done. ;^)

The Joyful Quilter said...

Oh, goodness, Gayle! I have SEW missed your posts!!! Thanks for any number of laughs as I read through your wilderness adventure. :o))

Kathy S. said...

Oh Gayle! You are so, so silly. Of course I totally get where you are going. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the easy test blocks you made more of that will now be a new project. Thanks for the laugh today!

Angie said...

That was fun - I like your "solution"! And I have been eyeing a block eerily similar to the ones for your new quilt. Great minds and all that!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love following along with your thinking as you create your quilt, Gayle! Whatever you end up with, it will be beautiful. And another quilt project thrown into the mix? Why not?

Vireya said...

I love where your rhododendron trail has ended up taking you!

lindaschiffer said...

I got a chuckle out of your quandry with this mystery. My friend Barbara (https://stashoverflow.wordpress.com) had the same problem with this one. She has made a number of Bonnie's mysteries but this one ... she balked at making it the way Bonnie had done. We played with the blocks she had completed (all of which I loved, though - like her - not together) and came up with three alternate ideas. You can contact Barbara if you are interested in the details.

I am just a spectator in Bonnie's mystery efforts, myself. Winter is NOT a good time for me to tackle so much fussy piecing. I did try one year and have never done it again - I just run out of steam way, way before I make all the bits.

:) Linda

Mystic Quilter said...

Good advertisement for the old saying “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” I’m sure you’ll hit on a setting you love. Behind with reading your posts due to accident.

Pam Dempsey said...

I enjoyed your post, so funny. I agree on the half squares, so much prettier! I have not done a mystery yet, I just don't want to use fabric not knowing if I will even like the pattern. :)

Gretchen Weaver said...

I like the HST's so much better than the QST's. I don't make mystery quilts so I didn't make this quilt, but I did download the instructions. If I do ever make it, I'm sewing the alternate block in HST's! I'd use different blues in the corners also, happy stitching!

MissPat said...

Thanks for the chuckles today. Good to see what you're up to these days. I skipped the BH mystery again and finally admitted I would never finish Frolic and put all the fabrics away (well not exactly away, but repurposed.)
Pat

Quiltdivajulie said...

Your description of the process is fantastic! Love the addition of blue and if I get a vote, I would go for multiple blues to keep the scrappy vibe going (unless in real life it needs something to calm the chaos and then I'd go with one single blue). Congratulations for being able to verbalize what you did NOT like so that you could find a way to turn things around. That's a big step lots of quilt makers miss.

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

You kept with it far longer than I would have Gayle. I love the direction you are headed. I know you will come up with something amazing. And leave a trail of new projects in your wake

Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

Cathy said...

You are too funny. I love more of your block/sashing iterations than you do, apparently. But I know that means whatever you decide on will be fantastic!

julieQ said...

The weeds are where you find the best things!! Love your thoughts and progress on this quilt.

Janis said...

Wow, you are on quite a journey with that project. I love that you shared your experiments as you went along trying to find a way to use the blocks that worked for you, and that you didn’t feel compelled to stick with Bonnie’s pattern.

QuiltGranma said...

I was very careful to step around the bear scat, and cautiously look around before proceeding! I like the blue triangles that have the pattern in them.

Linda Swanekamp said...

Whoops, I meant I got your link from The Objects of Design- confusion in the brain cells.