Mod-Mood Quilt 3 ~ Get Your Pattern On
Step 3: Get Your Pattern On
Once you have identified your moods and chosen corresponding colors in step 2 what are you to do? It's time to choose a pattern.
A. For your Modern Mood Quilt you can choose any pattern to work with. You can stick with a traditional block pattern but I encourage you to plunge into the wide and free world of improvisation. Don't be intimidated by the word improvisation. All it means is to create without a predetermined pattern, but not without limits or parameters.
B. Decide on your parameters. The parameters for my Modern Mood Quilt are to work with wedge shaped increments to create curved flowing sections. I have also decided to change the length and thickness of my wedge shaped increments according to the depth and intensity of my moods. On certain days I may use 4" strips that are only 1" to 2" wide to create my wedged curve sections and on another day if my mood is really strong I might decide to work with 8" strips that have a range of width between 2" to 5".
From here on out I will give instructions for working with wedges and curves but feel free to improvise within your own parameters. For example you could decide to work with squares and even thickness strips to create improvised sections base on a log cabin construction.
C. Prepare rectangles to cut your wedges, out of the fabrics you chose according to your mood in Step 2. For instance, if you have decided to work with wedges that are 6" long and 1" to 3" thick then cut or build rectangles of fabric are 6" in width. If you have a piece of fabric that is only 4" wide and 10" long, then add a 2" strip to make a rectangle 6" wide x 10" long or cut it down to 6" wide x 4" long. Prepare several rectangles of fabric in this way.
D. You don't have to use a ruler to make these cuts. Instead cut them freehand. Your measurements do not have to be precise only approximate. In Step 4 we will review cutting and piecing without a ruler as we begin cutting our rectangles into wedges.
Rowing the Boat:
Please post any questions you have about the process or technique and I will respond. Share images of your process on the Mod Mood Quilt Flickr pool. Any surprises? Discoveries? Satisfactions? Dissatisfactions?