Steps
First one step then another is how I go about my day. If I am stuck, I ask myself what is one thing I can do to move forward. Sometimes the answer is as simple as setting up my sewing machine with the correct foot, stitch and thread. Other times that first step may be to tackle a household chore that is nagging at me, so it can no longer be a distraction in my brain. Often mindless chores allow the problem solving part of my brain to naturally drift through possible solutions to whatever has me stalled.
Pelicans on Patrol
I was disappointed last week to note that the pelicans weren’t standing out as much against their background as I thought they would. What step could I take to get them to pop? I ended up taking only two steps. My first thought was to surround each pelican’s body with a thin line of satin stitch using a medium blue thread. It did make a difference, but enough. The second step was to add the eyes. I was shocked by how such tiny dots of black ink (yes, I do use fine point permanent ink pens for tiny details) could make such a monumental difference.
OK, now that the problem of distinguishing the pelicans was resolved I could start quilting. The quilting shows up just a bit more on the back side of the quilt. A great way not to get mired in the what do I do next dilemma is to not push through to finish, but to leave that until the following day. This way, I know the first step for me to do when I return to the studio is quilting.
Rainbow Scrap Challenge
Miraculously, I did manage to make the first broken heart block. Only six more pink blocks to go! This is my palest pink in the scrap bin. I was concerned it might not stand out against the background fabric, but it does. The first block is always the hardest.
What are steps do you take to push past the hurdles in your life?
I’m linking up to the following posts:
Wow, that is amazing how much difference adding the eyes to the pelicans made! Plus that outlining and quilting the background helped, too. So fun to see the before and after – your window thingy is really neat!
The side by side slider is a feature of WordPress I discovered by accident. I love how it makes it easy to share differences that at first appear subtle, but are actually more obvious when placed side by side. Glad you enjoyed using it, Diann. Yes, I was startled, after putting in the first eye what a difference it made. Brought the pelican to life.
What a great way to show before and after on your pelicans. And you really do notice the details. Especially the pin dot eyes. What an amazing quilt you are making, such interesting piecing.
Thank you, Debbie. Love that before and after feature function on WordPress. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your appreciation.
Your plan of moving forward one step each day is a great way to get past obstacles. The pelicans do stand out so much more after the quilting. So glad you can move on the the next phase of quilting.
Thank you, Angela. The difference between my 1986 first quilt self and today, is I don’t panic or give up. I accept I will be presented with problems of my own making and will at least improve on the initial results. Experience provides me with confidence and many, many work arounds. :).
Wow – adding the eyes made a huge difference!!
Glad you can “see” the difference, Alycia. Amazing what a tiny dot of black ink can do to enhance a design.
The pelicans are outstanding! I love the final design for the Broken Hearted quilt & the first block came out fabulous!
Oh nice of you to say, Sue. It should be interesting to see how the broken heart blocks play with each other. I find I am still tweaking the design.
I like how you have that sliding bar for the before and after!!! Great job on the eyes!
The before and after bar is a standard feature of WordPress. I stumbled upon it accidentally when I wanted to add an image and was selecting the image “block”. Figured I would try it out. Now I use it as needed. It is one thing to see the image showcasing the eyes. Another to one image with eyes and the other without. Happy you enjoyed it.
Adding that sliding bar was a fun way for me to compare the before and after! The eyes sure made a huge difference!!!
Isn’t that sliding bar fun? I find myself using it more and more often. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
as a painter, I put a subtle gray line around a subject to shadow enough to make them 3-d
I’ve used prismacolor pencils to shade on fabric too, really blending it. Shadow really makes a subject stand out and you won’t notice the shadow if it’s blended well
LeeAnna
In fact, I did the very same thing you suggested LeeAnna. I put a thin line of a mid-value blue around the pelican bodies. It definitely helped. Forget what class I was in when the instructor pointed out that shadows aren’t black. Probably Annette Kennedy. Shadows are a darker value of the color they are covering. Hence the mid blue value. I did paint the top of the log the pelicans are standing in order to give it a more convex look.
Hi Gwyned, thanks for showing us how you made your pelicans pop! Your outline and the eyes made a big difference. Good luck with your broken hearted blocks!
When I first started quilting I tended to either accept my mistakes or add them to the WIPs. Experience has taught me that fails, rarely are. They can be salvaged. So, I like to share, when I can, the before and after of my missteps.
Happy you enjoyed seeing the comparison. Now to tend to those broken heart blocks. 🙂
Good call on the eyes. What a difference! Thanks for joining my Sew and Tell party.
My pleasure to link to the Sew and Tell party. I had always planned on the eyes. I just hadn’t realized what a difference they would make.
The satin stitch outline and the dot really worked. I can really see the difference in the slide photo (That’s really cool!).
I was so pleased when I discovered the ability to include comparison pictures in my posts. I do think it helps show progress and in this case how something small can make a big difference. I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
Pretty pelicans, the eye makes them alive, and great job with the quilting making them pop. Fun trees quilted on the background too.
One step at the time, I do pretty much like you do, and using a lot of lists ;
Thank you for sharing your creative work in progress.
I wasn’t quite sure how to quilt the green section of Pelicans on Patrol. Did a Pinterest search on FMQ trees. So a “modern” quilting motif I liked in theory, but tweaked it big time to fit the scale of the quilt. The other pattern was much more open, square and exacting. I wanted my trees to be less regimented, more like forest. I’m glad they worked for you.
Always good to hear from you Frédérique.