A Process Post.

Process posts in quilting blogland were all the rage a month or so ago and I love them. It's so interesting to see where everyone gets their ideas and how a final creation comes together. So here's my version.

1. I need to make another quilted baby mat for a little boy.
2. I read too many home decorating magazines.
3. I <3 IKEA.

These three coalesced the other day when I saw this picture:

And then this in IKEA:

I loved the bold colours in this doona/duvet/eiderdown (whatever you call it) cover and pillowslip set.

Lots of matching material in nicely sized squares ready to be hacked to pieces and sewed back together again.

Quilting does seem a little silly when you think of it this way, so I prefer to think of my re-sewing as value-adding.

So the bathroom photo was translated into a design chart (I inverted the blues and the greens as I had more of the later):

(sorry about this pic, I should have upped the contrast but I'm too lazy to go back and do it)

I cut out a hellofalotta squares and started laying it out.

Then I tweaked it a bit, moving a few squares here and there.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about this.

So, to the kitchen for cuppa and a think.

1. What is it that I love about the original inspiration photo?
2. I love the subtle graduations in colour between the turquoises and aquas.
3. I also love the use of larger squares to frame the smaller, more mosaic-like squares.
4. Why is it so quiet?
5. Where is that kid - you know the one, small, no hair. Other two children shrug around their mid-morning snacks.
6.  Crap, did I remember to shut the study door?

No. No, I did not.

I really wasn't upset because I already knew I wouldn't be making that quilt (plus the little guy was having such a great time it was impossible not to laugh).

The big kids were mortified, having followed the process all morning. My son was especially enamoured with the 'quilt map'. I think he's going to be an engineer (bless him).

While I fed the baby they picked up all the squares and put them into separate piles for me. Yay, kisses all round.

Later, that night, I tried some other layouts. I knew that I really wanted to explore the colour-graduation thing. And that some white was needed.

Simple, structured, sexy.

Mixing it up with some half squares as well.

Or maybe lose the grid and go for lines instead.

The inverse. I love me some negative space.

These are just small mock-ups to get an idea of how the pattern would look - the finished quilt will be larger. I used one inch paper strips to make the borders (much quicker to lay out and move around than fabric).

I still plan to make my original design, but using a more subtle colour range as per the original inspiration.

But for the redesigns, I think I'm going to go with the first one. Which do you prefer?