I've Always Liked Red
The smaller pieces to the B&W blocks are at my work station. I want to finish those blocks before starting on the 12" ones. A completely B&W quilt is a bit boring for me so I do like to add a splash of color.
As I thought about colors, I know that red has been my all-time favorite, but it can be way too intense to use it alone in anything. This old picture of me surfaced recently. It was taken in Barcelona, Spain in an empty bull ring. I made that cape, but good goddess look at how cute I was with my bell bottom pants and tiny body!
Red is recommended for the center square on the Log Cabin blocks, representing the heart and hearth of the home. Just a little red is often enough. (Here is a close-up of a block on the lovely quilt named "Brother's Gray" that I made last year.) The entire quilt is so gorgeous and was fun for me to create.
When I have taken those psychometric tests that ask questions like, "If you were a color, which one would you be?", then my answer was always red.
Like red, I am the kind of person others can handle in smaller amounts. Like a red cape flashing in front of a bull, I can be the kind of person shakes others into a wake-up mode.
However, I am also the beauty of a Cardinal calling out "Cheer, cheer, here-e-e-e-ere", or like the red of a bird feeder attracting Hummingbirds with color & sweet liquid nurturing. (This is a quilt I made last year that uses Cardinals for the border and some inside pieces of a Twisted 4-Patch, simply named "Cardinals".) The gold in the fabric tamed the reds a bit, but its a stunning quilt.
I smile seeing red shown as hot & angry, because I can be that energy as well. Red has many faces and many uses.
Like most quilters, I am careful to use red sparingly. This was part of what I made as a mug rug, and sent to my swap partner for the HandMade Gift Exchange. Reds among fabrics can be just a slight bit different and yet can work together. I loved making the 6" block with yellow half square triangles and got a chance to practice some machine quilting on it. The backside has just one of the red fabrics with the stitching showing so if she wants to flip it over, there is a less busy look to it.
Funny thing is that a few years ago (OMGoddess, is it that long ago!!!) I put together a holiday quilt using mostly reds in it, and its too much for even me. I am hand quilting it, and its taking me so long to finish. If I think that B&W alone without color is boring, I also think that reds alone on a quilt are too much. I like it, will work on it again this year, and maybe even finish it. It has been a good lesson for me in learning about balancing colors as well as energy.
I am not sure why I am in such an evolutionary state of mind right now, but clearly something is going on in or around me to bring on this change of thought. I know I want to finish the projects listed on my sidebar for the next couple of years. I am also committed to learning more about quilting, and learning more about myself as I quilt. It seems like something comes to my attention every day and that its all about being aware of the little things that make up the bigger things.
