Deconstructed Goodness

My Camelot quilt block 16 was well received. While the ideas were fresh in my mind, I thought I'd deconstruct some of the choices I made in case they resonate with you for this or other projects that you might be doing.  [Camelot quilt design by Trish Harper]

I'm an over-analyzer which isn't always a blessing. In quilting and selecting fabric though, I think it really helps. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people pick fabrics based predominantly around color. If something is the right blue or the right green, it gets used in a project. That approach works to a degree, but I think you can get a lot more out of your quilts if you also consider shapes, weighting and flow. While not necessarily in every project, certain ones call for demand a purposeful approach.  

I think that's where I went wrong with my early efforts on Camelot blocks. I wasn't intentional enough. I've started and restarted the Camelot quilt a few times. I'd nearly given up, but the price tag was hefty and I hoped to find some joy for the cost. This time around though, I think I've got the hang of it. Here are some of the choices I made and my reasoning behind them. Hopefully sharing them will help you, but it should also help me with my planning and designing the rest of my Camelot blocks.

And that's where we start - with a plan...

[Note: this mini-tute is done in greyscale to eliminate the all-too-common jump to discuss color palette in quilt blocks. You may like to pop open the full color version in another window to have handy for reference.]

Trish Harper's Camelot quilt design features 16 circles arranged as a grid against a background. I'd decided a while ago that I was using a scrappy black text background. That background is biggest field of the quilt. For me, it helped inform my choices for each of the circles. With every block I make, I'm keeping that black background in mind. Now onto block 16. From the outset, it is a pretty straightforward block. There's an 8 pointed star sitting within a circle. That said, there are several parts of the design that can be highlighted which could drastically change the look. I narrowed it down to three options which could work for me: 

1. I could either make a star that pulsed outwards (as shown above).  

2. I could reverse the order of light and dark, putting a light star on a dark circle background. That would make it more intimate (refer to the value quilt along to learn more and creating intimacy). 

3. I could lay things out to give the impression that the block was spinning (needleanddime's Camelot block 15 is a great example).  

In this case, I opted to have my block radiate outwards. I had a general plan. From a color perspective, it was easy to choose colors that moved along the spectrum from orange to green to teal to blue. But I wanted to keep the color palette secondary as I made choices about my block.

In my early forays with the Camelot blocks, I selected my center prints and worked my way towards the outside. I now realize that was the wrong choice for me. Simply put, the outside ring of the circle has a lot more fabric than the inner pieces. Whether it's intended as a subtle background or part of your  dynamic design, it gets the most visual space on the block. I've had a lot more success working in the opposite our. I now work from the outside in. That gives me a foundation which I can build on.

In this case, I decided to use the Kumiko Fujita calendar print in white. The month captions create a perfect ring which is nice. The more important, but more subtle part of this choice is the layout of the rows of dates. The dates are laid out in columns. These columns amplify the radiating effect that I'm trying to create. If you scroll up to the MAKE A PLAN image, you'll see that the the dates perfectly echo the radiating arrows.

My next block has a simpler background. It has plain polka dots, but it should be just as effective.  I'm carefully aligning those polka dots so they also create the subtle radiating effect. You don't have to have fancy text fabric to utilize the principles of orientation and design. You just need to make considered choices as you use your stash. (As I said, I over-analyze things. I always spend more time selecting fabrics than sewing. That's what makes me happy.)

If you are using fancy prints though. Use them well.

I knew that I wanted to use the Tula Pink raindrops in this block. It's a print I love and I wanted to feature it. It provided great contrast against the white calendar print and seemed the perfect place to start. The only decision here was which direction to orient the raindrops.

As humans, when we see raindrops we naturally perceive a flow with them. We know raindrops fall in a certain direction. I used that to my advantage. The raindrops would have fit fine in either direction, but I purposely oriented them so they all fell away from the center.  This married the radiating concept that I was after.

When working with prints, think of how their designs naturally move the eye and utilize that effect. Raindrops cause your eyes to move downwards. Paisleys and spirals create circular flow. As you select prints, be purposeful and design how they add to or contrast with your overall design goal.

I'm trying to veer away from color in this post, but I feel I should mentioned that I intentionally made the next ring in a color that matched that the majority of the raindrops. I wanted to ground the drops and give them a sense of purpose. In making the next section a similar teal, it gave the drops a place emanate from - like paint dripping off the star.

Utilize your prints. Make the most of them and when you can carry their ideas into your overall design.

Having gotten that far, I stepped back and looked at the general design of the block again. As it turns out, block 16 has a subtle square in it's design. I decided to utilize that shape and use it as a place of color change. I also decided to utilize it in the flow of the block as a place of directional change.

Every block layout is different, but it helps to pay attention to the secondary shapes within the design.

If every fabric radiated outward, my block would be a little dull. Purposefully breaking away from your plan adds life.

In this case, I decided I wanted to add a bit orientation contrast. That's a technical sounding term. I totally just made that up. All it means is that I wanted to visually break up the design so my eye doesn't simply radiate right off the circle. Stripes or prints with flow to them as a great way of adding orientation. I find the most success when I use them sparingly and purposefully. In this case, adding two stripes set at slightly different angles introduced the subtlest of spin to the block.  The tiniest hint of spin makes what would have been a stagnant block seem more dynamic and alive. It makes you look twice.

In the lower right of the image above, you can see the pinwheel created by my stripes. When using stripe placement, you can use the "let's get lucky and see where we land" approach or you can grab a pencil and sketch out a few alternatives. Try a few orientations. Experiment with parallel and perpendicular. Try aligning things to an unexpected edge to add spin. I've found a little bit of planning with stripes goes a long way.

I started this block on the outer edge of the circle and worked my way towards the middle. When I got there, I realized that I preferred a single fabric in the center instead of the prescribed look of four adjoined pieces. I guess that is my last point. Don't be afraid to go off the books. It is your quilt, make it work for you.

I know it sounds overwhelming and maybe a bit arduous, but I really did put that much thought into picking fabrics for this block. It took time, but I think it was worth the effort. It left me excited, and I've already started cutting the background for my next circle.

As a reminder, I'm not suggesting this is right for every project.  Some projects call for chaos, asymmetry and no fuss. Other times, it is good to be purposeful. Intended fabric choices can take your block from huh to wow.

Do you have any tips for picking fabrics?  Or is it something you'd like to try utilizing more in your work?