Off The Wall

I've been suffering with "piecer's block" lately; the projects on the design wall have been stalled there for the longest time and aren't currently inspiring me to move off the mark and get back to them. What to do? In an effort to jumpstart the creative sewing juices I have taken them off the wall, albeit temporarily, and have launched into something new. Using Sujata Shah's Cultural Fusion Quilts book as a springboard I have taken off on a free-form Rail Fence quilt, a pattern in her book. This type of  piecing has been both liberating and disciplining for me at the same time. Liberating in the sense that there's a freedom in slashing gentle curves without a ruler that combine into these rather crude, rough shapes. The exercise in putting together the blocks has been disciplining in the sense that I have stayed on task adding the blocks with regularity to the wall, I've learned that there's definitely a right and wrong direction to make these rails "work" together and that there needs to be enough visual contrast between the chosen fabrics for impact (my original inclination was to use this pattern with low-volume prints, NOPE, that doesn't work efffectively at all!).

"Rustic Rails" might have booted those other projects off the wall for the time being, but it's been just the kick I needed to get things moving again. I hope to add eight more blocks to this wall by the weekend, bringing this quilt top to approximately 64" X 80"; the blocks measure 16" and will be set four across by five down. Thanks, Quiltdivajulie, for bringing this great pattern to my attention; the not-too-distant-future flimsy status of Jackstones, Hexie Garden and Metro Rings thanks you too! Welcome back, mojo, I have missed you.

Life is Good!