mariner's compass

I've been putting it off because…

1. I didn't know how to do it
2. I needed skills I didn't have
3. The prospect of trying this terrified me
4. That's a lot of damned appliqué

But here I am. It's been over a year since I've touched this project … it's time to get started. I've had a design in mind for some time, but it took a while to articulate it into even a simplified design — each time I drew it, it got simpler and simpler and simpler.

Adam and Brenda's wedding quilt is "Say Yes, Let's Go."

It has simplified itself into a tiny color palette. The largest stars will be subtler than this — possibly two-toned? but the intended effect is visible: a medium-on-dark star and a medium-on-light star, circled by stars of the opposite tone, with a medium-on-medium center star.

I've been mulling this one over for a while. Adam has always had such a strong, clean, simple design aesthetic, and as a result I ripped up more designs for this quilt than any other I've ever attempted.

Everything was too complicated.

A year ago I learned how to make itty bitty stars. They were okay, but not great. My skills have improved since that time. I've learned the basics of appliqué. I feel more confident in my construction ability.

I have the fabric; I just need to commit to it. The sketch is simpler than the final colors will be — I hope to make the larger stars split half-and-half in color to make them subtler, but I wanted to post the design and be done with it.

This is a make-you-crazy quilt, the kind you think about for a year before you ever cut fabric, because you have to know exactly where you're going before you even start.

…gulp.