Auditioning for a New Project

March begins and since I finished that huge quilt last week, I feel comfortable starting a new project which has been on my "bucket" list since the first moment I saw it on Instagram -- Marge Sampson-George's Mrs. Peach.  I've had the paper templates for this EPP project since August -- such self-control to wait for six months!?!
(HERE'S a link to my Pinterest board to see some examples.)

Do you follow any Australian quiltmakers via Instagram or Pinterest?
I find their use of print and color so different from my own and I've studied these photos intensively to figure out what draws me to their work.
Is it the color palette?
Is it the print scale?
Is it the value and degree of contrast?
I think studying and discerning what attracts me to a quilt is an important step -- I don't want to just reproduce a quilt -- I want to learn something new from it, even if it's a pattern I've done a dozen times!

But in the end, looking at the pictures can only take me so far.
Eventually, I have to cut the fabric and start to putter my way towards a pleasing arrangement that fits into my own style of working with the fabrics I own.

(This photo of four blocks is from the Paper Pieces website.)

 

There are three elements that many versions of this quilt seem to have in common.

First, the central octagons are often a interesting motif.

Second, the four corner motifs are all different in each block but each one matches the three corners they meet in adjacent blocks and are fussy cut to make an interesting new motif.

Finally, the "background" wedges are most often narrow strips (though I've seen one that uses a gray polka dot which I like!)  In the quilts that have a single fabric used for all the background wedges, the grid formed by the interesting blades seems much stronger visually.

Having identified those design elements, the next step for me was to identify which of those were important to me and which I could accomplish with my fabric assortment.

Because I rely a great deal on "warm" versus "cool" colors to create contrast, I started with turquoise and pinks in the first fabric pull.
As I cut out pieces for the "blades", I expanded that by adding oranges and greens taking my cues from the colors in the "busy" prints I pulled.

My first layout featured fussy cut octagons from favorite large scale floral and bird prints.
I organized the warm (pinks) and cool (turquoise) prints symmetrically.

Then I reversed the warm and cool placement -- interesting to see the warm colors come forward and the cool ones recede and how it impacts the design.

 Time to cut the corner units and I soon discovered that working with the prints I have on hand, there were no interesting fussy cuts available.  Plus at this point, I'm not sure the piece will be larger than four blocks, so there is only the center intersection to play with.  In the end, I cut more of the warm and cool prints and organized them so they are opposite the blade -- warm blade get a cool corner, etc.
Notice that I settled on using both of the above arrangements of the blades and alternate the blocks.
It gives the piece a looser feeling which is one of the traits I'm striving to achieve as much of my work in the past few years has been very controlled.

Once the auditioning of the background wedges started, two things happened.

Because it's going to be a small piece, I decided to stay with black and white backgrounds.

Once that was decided, I experimented with more than just stripes.

Some of the reason for that is that my stripes stash is limited and if I go bigger, I don't want to have to be hunting the "same stripe". 
At this point, I also started to feel that the bird octagons felt awkward with the rest of my fabrics.

 Here are two new florals -- better -- along with my final choices for the background wedges.

As of this evening, everything is basted and I'm happy with layout.

I even stumbled on the best way to arrange the four background prints so that if I expand to nine blocks, it will still feel balanced. 

 I put one of the blocks into my EPP tray and moved it down to the living room for an evening of stitching!  If I stop at four blocks, it will be about 20" square -- perfect for a fresh new pillow!
Right now, that's my goal so I'm going to declare a finished pillow as my March One Monthly Goal.
If I want it to be bigger (and take longer to finish), I won't make my goal!?!

I see the pattern and papers being offered by some Australian shops on-line.  Here in the USA, Paper Pieces has sets of templates and papers HERE for 10 1/4" blocks (the size I'm making).  They also have supplies for a 7 7/16" block -- I have those papers, but am intimidated by the smallness of them!!

Time to stitch!!
Mary