Sunday 12 April 2015

La Passacaglia progress

It's been a few months since I showed you my la passacaglia quilt.  This is how it's looking now.



I really didn't touch it in February and March. I made a concerted effort to finish other projects during that time.  I'm back into it now though, and once again almost overwhelmed by the possible fabric combinations.




I started Easter by re-organising the fabrics I had set aside for la passacaglia. I pulled them all out and regrouped them by colour. Of course the blues and greens dominate, with a touch of purple thrown in for good measure.



I have decided to just make the 30 odd centres required for this quilt at the moment. I was going crazy trying to plan the stars as well. I can cope with choosing 3 colours at once, so I went ahead and selected groups of 3 fabrics that gave high contrast. The la passacaglia quilts that I like the most have strong contrasts between the light and dark fabrics, so I'm aiming for that in mine.


I'm using zip lock bags to store my chosen groups of 3 fabrics into bags. This will avoid everything getting muddled up again. Funnily enough, the very act of sealing a bag reinforces the fact that I have chosen these fabrics and they are not to be changed. It's a way of telling myself that I liked those fabrics together at some stage, so just leave them alone, they will work.




Over the past 10 days I've made 5 new centres which are included in the photo below. It's looking very green at the moment, but there's more blue coming to balance it up. I'm going to think about the stars at a later date once I've got an idea of the final layout. I'm viewing them as the connecting pieces, almost like sashing on a quilt.




I'm linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday, Esther's WOW and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

33 comments:

magistra said...

This is so stunning. I love your Fabríc choices! I'm glad you shared an update. You've really gotten a lot done :)

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

love your choices! I have #1 made and two more centers of which i need to remember to put up on the design wall. I'm not sure if what kind of order I am going to work in though - it is a bit of confusion on my part and have to keep looking at the illustrations in the book!

Carol Q said...

stunning Wendy. I love brights and these definitely fit the bill. I'm not at all sure I could commit to such a complex project though.... :)

Carla said...

Your colours for this are so beautiful! I love green. Looking forward to seeing more. I'm making rosettes too for the new hexagon Millefiore ; )
Choosing the fabrics hurts my head!

Wendy said...

Your quilt is stunning thus far and I cannot wait to see this progress. A great idea with the baggies as well. Thanks for the tip. Now I need to settle on some colors for my centers.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Looking wonderful Wendy... I'm enjoying following your progress and reading about all your decision making processes! Linda

Pam @Threading My Way said...

This quilt is going to be stunning, Wendy!!! I'm with you on the zip lock bags - my way of reserving fabrics for a particular project once I've finally worked out a combo I'm happy with.

One Wee Bird said...

It's looking amazing Wendy!!!!

Anonymous said...

How wonderful it looks already now long before its finish!

Helen@Till We Quilt Again said...

Doesn't feel good to have meet your goal. And now you onto serious play time. The colors are spectacular and this is going to be amazing!

Oops-Lah said...

I think it's a good idea to do all the centres first before starting on the stars, although with all those fabulous fabrics, you can hardly go wrong. Something I have learned with making my Camelot quilt is that it's more the overall effect and not so much the colour combinations of each block. It looks great by the way.

Staci said...

Absolutely in awe--this is going to be incredible.

Serena @ Sewgiving said...

I use ziplock bags exactly the same way! Decision made. I love how bright your rosettes are ... it's going to be nothing less than spectacular :)

Sandra White said...

I enjoyed reading your blog. La Passacaglia for me is in my exploring stage. You have come up with some good organizing ideas. Your fabric choices are lovely.

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

Beautiful project. I know it can be overwhelming and admire the way you are trying to control it. Thanks for the hints. I look forward to seeing more of this project.

Katrina said...

Just amazing Wendy!

lvkwilt said...

A work of art for sure. I have been drooling over this project but with three EPP projects in the works, I just can't start another. Your fabric choices inspire me though! Can't wait to see more!

salamanda said...

I might try that too. I've discovered my favourite centres are where I pick a motif rather than spend ages fussy cutting and recreating one. I've thrown a few solids in here and there in an attempt to calm it down at times.

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Absolutely STUNNING!

Ruth said...

Its looking fantastic Wendy, a good hint at what the finished quilt will be like!

Paula said...

I love you colour choices, they are ever so stunning. This is going to be a really magnificent quilt when it is finished.

Plum Cox said...

Wow! This looks amazing! Love the idea of treating the stars like sashing and getting on with the centres. Love your fabric choice method too - stunning results!

Marsha Cooper said...

So pretty and so are all of the colors!

Linda in Calif. said...

Great colors!! It is amazing.

Julie said...

This will be such a work of art when it is completed.

sisterview.com said...

Incredible!

Anonymous said...

It's lovely! I completely agree with you that the most visually interesting versions of this quilt involve high color contrast. I love the fabrics you've chosen.
I actually have this planned for my next EPP project, but I need to start collecting fabrics for it. It might be either fun or stressful. I'm not entirely sure.
I look forward to seeing more of your progress.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

Amazing and so colorful. I love them all.

PeachPatchQuilts said...

Amazing!

JanineMarie said...

These are so beautiful. And the little bags of fabric are like little bags of candy! It's fun to watch this project grow.

Angie in SoCal said...

Absolutely gorgeous, Wendy!

Rebecca Grace said...

lovely blocks, wendy! i love your bright, cheerful fabrics!

Jen said...

Looking good! I always enjoy seeing your progress pics on Instagram!