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A DP decision...I think!

I've been playing with fabrics (and searching online/through my stash!) for what feels like weeks but is only a couple of days and I think I've made a decision  - thanks for all your opinions and suggestions on arrangements of the blocks, I've considered them all (and exchanged many emails on the subject with some unfortunate souls) and have been playing with Paint...more of that in a bit...

My initial thoughts were to use a narrow dark grey (when I looked at the grey available I soon realised I'd meant a medium grey as I think the darks are too dark for this) border around each 'square in a circle' block and then use various bright colours as a wider border on each.  I was struggling to decide between solids and tone on tones for the wider borders but decided on TOTs as I felt two solid borders would be too stark against the pattern of the blocks.  So I was left with the decision about what colours to look for and what sort of TOT I wanted - nothing too obviously patterned but nothing too mottled, nothing too 'paint factory explosion' and then my fabric orders arrived...

I'd ordered a few spots and stripes (for my hexies) from a couple of shops and while I was looking a TOT stripe in aqua caught my eye so I ordered a bit in the hope it would be suitable for my DP blocks - I love it!!  I'll show you the 'hexie only' squishy first...


These came from Fabric Inspirations (which I've never used before but will happily use again) and are (from top to bottom) Sevenberry yarn dyed tiny pink stripes, Sevenberry light pink stripes and Sevenberry medium dots in light blue - I hadn't realised they were all by Sevenberry until they arrived - they're lovely! The shop sells mainly in half metre cuts but they do have some lovely fat quarter packs of Sevenberry dots or stripes which are really good value.

My next squishy was from The Eternal maker.  It was also my first visit there and I will happily use them again too!  (And they sell fat quarters - always a bonus!)


These are (from top to bottom) MoMo Just Wing It aqua stripe, Lecien colour stripe basic collection in pink and pink egg dot stripe by Simply Baby (no longer on the website).  Aren't they all pretty?!  They're on the clothes horse as I type so I'll be able to use them when I next prep some hexies, maybe this evening!

As soon as I saw the stripe I loved it and it looks great with the City Weekend DP blocks.  I pulled some pale grey Moda Bella from my stash (left over from wonky) which I'd dismissed as too pale until Rebecca suggested using a paler grey and played around. I've had a go at mocking up a block in Paint (oh, to have EQ!  I spend enough time on the computer as it is!).  To make the comparison fair I've made two mock ups - one using the Bella grey and one using Kona medium grey, both images taken from images in online shops (as was the stripe), I do hope it's ok to do that and then show it here, if not will someone please let me know!  The stripe won't be going the way it is in the image (and the scale is off) but I think it gives enough of an idea for the moment...
Kona medium grey on the left, Bella grey on the right
I feel like the paler grey border is too dull - somehow it pulls down the vibrancy of the stripe and makes the centre look a bit, well...sickly looking!  It does the same with the more vibrant blocks but I'm not sure it's as obvious on the screen as it is in real life...

Kona medium grey on the left, Bella grey on the right - sorry, this one's a bit rough!
So, after all that (!) my decision is Kona medium grey and the stripe around all the blocks and then possibly some sashing in the same grey.  The binding will probably be the stripe if I add sashing or the grey if I don't!  All I need to do now is decide how much to order and resist the other nice things they sell - it's a good job I don't live nearer!  At some point I need to decide how to use the stripes but that can wait for a while!

Edited to add: please can someone with a Kona colour chart tell me how much darker coal is than medium grey and offer their opinion as to which one would be best?  Thanks!  I've decided on medium grey - thanks for all the help!

I hope you like/don't hate my decision but if you're reading this after about 6pm this evening it's too late, I'll have bought the fabric by now so please keep quiet!  If you're reading this afternoon and you think I'm making a huge mistake then please shout really loudly!  I really could be making a mistake - this is the first time I've shopped online for fabric to work with an existing project and I've found it much harder than shopping at my LQS.  I'm not counting the hexies fabric as I'm deliberately aiming for really scrappy on that!

My Mum bought me some flowers yesterday and I thought I'd share them...please excuse the arrangement, my skills don't extend to flowers!

Can't resist a gerbera, especially a pink one!
And Alfie and Archie had another sleep over last night (and Alfie woke me at 6am licking my arm - he obviously decided it was time for some attention - my mind was whirring with DP thoughts so I got up...which is why reading this post is possibly like following a grasshopper - all over the place!  Sorry about that!).  I took this just after I'd told them off barking at leaves blowing past the window, for about the sixth time...

"I didn't start it..."

Comments

  1. Kona medium grey is my all time favourite neutral solid. I'd use it in every project if I could!

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  2. Love that blue stripe. It is so vibrant. I think the medium grey brings much more to the blocks than the pale. It is going to look brilliant when all done. You have some major piecing to do now!

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  3. Think you have made right choice. Love the polka dots, and love the doggy pic, butter wouldn't melt........

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  4. I agree, you've made the right choice. I don't like the pale and I think the darker one looks nice against the colours. I always shop online (mainly because I have no time and there's not too many shops nearby) but because I'm new I just pick what I like and hope it works!!
    Gerberas are my favourite flower and were the only flowers at my wedding :)
    they look lovely :)
    xxx

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  5. Aren't dogs almost human in their expressions? I really like what you've decided for your DP quilt. Much prefer the medium grey to the light, and love the aqua borders. Well done. Jxo

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  6. that pic of archie just made me laugh out loud... brilliant. 18.18pm damn I'm too late to comment! Oh well... Actually I love the turquoise, and all I was going to do was to offer to take a photy of my city weekend with some coal I have for you to compare. But you dont need that now do you! I'm sure you'll have made the perfect choice anyway :-)

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  7. Lol. Archie looks as if he is a little peeved off and Alfie lookes oblivious. Kona coal is much darker than Kona medium grey. I would go with the Kona coal.

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  8. Yes Coal is much darker. I LOVE the Medium Grey...and no not just because I mentioned it earlier. :P Your mock ups are so great!!! This is going to be stunning, of course. And those squishies are delectable...I think you need to pick some fabric for me and then swap...I would never pick these fabrics and then see them on your blog and love them. I dig your eye for color!

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  9. Am catching up on blogs this evening and this quilt just seems to be really coming together. Medium grey is my current favourite neutral (I bought metres of it at FofQ). Can't wait to see the progress on this one.

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  10. I haven't used Kona medium gray or coal in any of my projects yet, but the mock-ups look great!

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  11. Helen Brilliant choice! Love it! Don't know medium grey - just used Ash and Coal so far - Coal is the grey in my plaid string quilt!

    Those dogs - love their double act - Johnny Morris would have had a field day (showing my age now!)

    Nicky

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  12. yes, i think the medium grey works best. really makes the blocks pop out!

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  13. I'm late commenting, somehow I've missed your last few blog posts. Your blocks are looking great and I think the medium grey is beautiful with them.
    Love the picture of Archie and Alfie :)

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  14. Ooooh that Momo aqua is just perfect Archie. Clever colour skills, Puppy.
    Glad you chose Kona medium Grey as well.
    Cant wait to see it all together!

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  15. Medium gray is definitely the way to go! Coal would have been very dark, and while I like the light gray as well, it made for a softer looking quilt. The medium gray keeps it vibrant. I can't wait to see the finished product!

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  16. I really like the medium grey too. Pretty pile of fabrics! And those pink daisies in the white vase are gorgeous!

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  17. Hello! Your works are beautiful and I love your dogs! They look great company with humour!
    Sunny wishes from Greece!
    Teje & Nero

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  18. Your work is lovely and I love the fabric you've chosen. I agree about the medium grey - I'm changing to this from the dark charcoal. I'm about to embark on my first quilt with Lily's Quilts & work like yours is very inspiring. I'm very excited :)Cute dogs BTW

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  19. I love Kona Cotton too - the grays are wonderful! Love those blocks.
    Karen
    http://karensquilting.com/blog/

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  20. I'm about 5 months behind this post, LOL, but I too like the deeper grey. Good choice.... says she who's never used a solid grey ever!! But I plan to give it a shot sometime. I love all the pictures of modern quilts that use it as a background. Love the picture of Alfie and Archie... soo cute! Ellyx

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