Tuesday, January 22, 2019

I'm in a rut.

I've been noticing lately that I seem to be in a rut.  I want to finish up old (yep, old old old) projects but they are all blending together with the same shades and colors.  I wonder if when I haven't been able to finish up something - I've just gone to the store for some retail therapy and end up buying fabric/patterns/kits similar to what I'm already sewing.



Just in case you can't tell, there are 3 projects in the picture.  It's understandable that you might think they are all the same project because they are the same colors over and over again!!!

The other conclusion is that I tend to like certain color combinations but something brighter demands my attention so that the left over projects are all the same.



The current quilt on the frames is from a fabric line called Portobello Market by 3 Sisters - Moda.  It came out in 2008 and I bought a layer cake of the fabric.  I just wanted to sew one day.  I didn't want a lot of decisions or pressure, I just wanted to sew.  So I grabbed a pattern called Rosettes by Fig Tree and just slapped it together as fast as I could - phew!  It satisfied my need to stitch and the top was carefully folded and stored.

Needs pressing desperately


I started another quilt in 2015 with fabric I found in Ye Old School House in Cedarburg Wisconsin.  I got interrupted and the rest is history.



Recently I wanted to spend time in front of my sewing machine so I decided on a pattern and went looking for fabric.  I decided to use my stash of fabric from Blackbird Designs.  So I got busy cutting and cutting and cutting.  It needs 412 wedges to make the Wheel of Fortune quilt below.

I want to make this quilt pattern.

Guess what?  I picked out the same colors AGAIN!

Am I in a rut or what?
Robin

10 comments:

Quilting Babcia said...

You love these colors! I do too. There's a similar problem when I go looking for fabrics in my stash, woefully short on some colors, others will last through my daughter's lifetime, much less mine! All are beautiful and I hope you will be sufficiently reinspired to finish them!

Linda in Arkansas said...

I love the fabric too! I even have a quilt made with it. One thing I heard (but have not learned yet) is that if you like a color you will continue to pick that color over and over until you make the quilt. Of course if you are going to your stash, that's what is in there. I love ALL THREE quilts! You are doing an excellent job on each one.

Karen said...

I like the border print you used with the Portobello line of fabric. I had some of that fabric but do not remember having any border print like that.

I am trying to break out of a rut of purchasing similar looking fabrics but I still can't make myself do the modern look. I do like many of the prints I am seeing that are more modern but just don't know that I would be happy making a quilt with them.

audrey said...

I often work in the same color ways, over and over again. If I recognize it, then I try to change something up with it, maybe emphasizing a different color in the selection! If it's your comfort zone, then maybe there's a reason? I adore the wheel quilt. Been wanting to make one for a long time!

Janet O. said...

How funny! But, hey, nothing wrong with going with what you love! :)
I went through a purple/green phase. I still love the combo, but I don't have three or four quilts in a row being produced in that combo, like I used to.
I think each of your projects is gorgeous. Do they coordinate with the colors in your home? Maybe subconsciously you are thinking of how they will fit in with the decor.

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Oh my Robin, it is not a rut, it is just using the colors that make you happy! I tend to use bold and graphic reproduction fabrics, so I find your color palette very soothing and inviting. Whenever I try to venture out of my comfort zone, I head back to safety on my very next quilt. I love all of these projects. Carry on!!

Jane in Cumbria said...

Such wonderful blocks, and the colours!! I am not sure it is a rut if you are making the things you love, and then similar things again!

Nancy said...

Not to make light of your challenge, Robin, but I had to chuckle at this post and your presentation of the problem.
I think all three quilts are so beautiful and I love the colors together. But the question is, do you love those colors? If you love the colors then maybe it isn't a rut. Maybe it's just love! If you don't love the colors, maybe it's your comfort zone. Or maybe, as you suggest, the brights draw you away from these colors.
Whatever you decide (in a rut or in love) I hope you enjoy the process with your new quilt. it is a wonderful pattern, one I think about making every time I see it.

Kaja said...

You have two beautiful quilts and love the plan for your new project. As Audrey said, maybe you could just add in something that changes the way the colours play together, so that you see them differently. As an observer the colours are lovely, but if you're feeling in a rut that might be an easy way to move forward.

Marti said...

I agree with Nancy. If those are your favorite colors, I can see why you are drawn to them when you choose colors for a new project. Those are colors I like too. As much as I think I'd like some bright, vibrant colors, I'm drawn to the peace of soft, muted colors.

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