Fifty shades of not black

Well, maybe fifty is an exaggeration, but how many shades of 'not black' can a girl dye? None of which would matter too much, if I hadn't given the title of my next competition quilt as 'Black on white, White on black'

I heard an author interviewed on TV recently. He related that he never knew how his books would end before he started to write them. He knew the setting and the characters, but he would start with an event - the hero throwing a glass at a wall - and them write the book to find out why said hero had done that.

I can relate to this. When I start a quilt, I have a vague concept and maybe a colour scheme. This 'vague concept' is what I call my 'Mental Masterpiece'. 'Masterpiece' as in it is always going to be a showstopper - naturally!. 'Mental' as in so vague that I don't know what the technical difficulties are, yet alone how to solve them. But I find out as I go along - at least what they are, sadly not always how to overcome them. The more I do, the more ideas I get, the more I find out what does and does not work, the more the concept and results change.

Again, if it were not for competition entries, this would not matter too much. But the entry form always requires measurements and a description. "Don't know until I've finished"and "subject to alteration and variation, but invariably not quite as I imagined it" would be truthful if not exactly satisfactory answers!!

My first lot of 'black' is a nasty bottle green: the second plum - a very dark plum but still definitely plum: the third is midnight blue.... In the end I settle for a rather nice charcoal and hope that with a lot of black quilting it will pass.

I've already lost 3 weeks in failed dyeing and another 2 to flu. Now I'm pushed for time and my usually wonderful Bernina (160) chooses this moment to have a few hiccups. She stitches without problem for 20 minutes and then suddenly, for no apparent reason  surreptitiously alters the tension. I find a have a maze of spiderweb stitching on the back. And of course I have chosen to use a spiral motif which involves a lot of travelling - in rows that seem to go on forever. And it is a nightmare to take out.

The already completed 'black on white' bit is cut up into sensuous curvy shapes ready to shimmy down the centre of the quilt. My intention was to create a focal point by making one of these black with white stitching, but it just gets lost in the black (OK charcoal) background. A white border around it looks weird.  I quickly quilt up some shiny white satin with black and try that instead, but the difference is not striking enough and it just looks odd. This is one of those 'it doesn't work' moments.

I've run out of time to experiment more and go with what I have got. For the first time I don't use my usual quilt binding, but use a facing finish. I really like this. I let the appliqued shapes overlap the top and bottom and it feels like they drip on and off the quilt in a never ending flow.

After this quilt's troubled birth I was relieved to get this off in good time for the show which takes place this weekend. But the trouble continues. I know from the courier that the quilt has arrived but according to the show's paperwork it hasn't. Fortunately the show agrees they must have the quilt because they don't have a gap on their walls!! - and have promised to get it back to me.

For those of you asking if it wouldn't be better to compete a quilt before entering it into a show  - of course it would. But I always think I could do a better quilt in the 2 or 3 months before the show and I want to put my best in. Will I learn from this experience? Well, the next entry is in 2 weeks - and the quilt is not finished - but I have completed several trials, so I'm getting there.

I'm going to enter this post to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival  at Amy's Creative Side. I discovered this 2 days ago - just in time for this year's Festival! Open to all quilt bloggers (you can enter up to 2 quilts) it is both an opportunity to see some amazing quilts from the on line community and also a competition - and YOU are the judge. Go and vote for your favourite quilts! The are many different categories. Click here to go through to the 'Quilted on a Domestic Sewing Machine category, into which I have entered this quilt. Click here to go through to all the other categories. And have a look 'Forest Fire 2' in my next post, which I have entered into the mini quilt category. Have fun!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/