Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Who likes chaos?

I have been happily sewing more scraps into vortex blocks but my sewing room is a total disaster. I'm going to have to stop soon because the mess is getting to me, and you know "it's bad when"....
In the photo I showed on Monday, I just have all the different sized blocks stuck to the design wall, and now I have to figure out how to sew them all together somehow.
I reread Amanda Jean's week #5 lesson about vortex layouts and construction, but it all seems a bit overwhelming at the moment.
I am wondering about how to bring structure and organization to the scrappy chaos.
Should I sew it together in rows? Add sashing?  Make all the blocks up to the same size and frame them? Or join them?
Or just let it be chaos?

10 comments:

The Cozy Quilter said...

I just made random sized blocks. When it came time to make them into a top, I put them into rows based on the width of the blocks. I sewed each row together...there was some trimming involve to make each row straight. i had to make up a few more small blocks to complete the last row...then, it was a completed flimsy! Embrace the chaos! Let it go! Then, clean up the sewing room, and move on to the next project!

Deanna W said...

Let chaos reign. It would be much to simple to border and or sash your blocks. I know you will come up with some kind of layout that will work!!

Julie in GA said...

Your scrappy blocks look terrific together without any sashing or framing. However, if you are seriously considering adding sashing, check out my post with photos of similar projects: http://quiltsandcostumes.blogspot.com/2015/07/design-wall-monday-71315.html

scraphappy said...

I like a little order with my chaos. A single block size and consistent sashing will make it more cohesive and easier to construct.

Quiltdivajulie said...

What about making all blocks "x" inches wide but letting them each be however tall or short things work out? That way you could build your quilt top in columns but not rows . . . a bit of order but not too much.

Mary said...

I'm sure you will find some order in all that chaos. My Bow ties were chaotic and I had to tame them with a sashing. Can't wait to see what this quilt tells you to do. Let it ruminate on the wall a while longer.

Janet O. said...

I can only handle chaos to a point, and then it needs some order. Not that I can't enjoy the works of others who are happy to let chaos reign. I just know my own quirks and limitations, and I have learned to live with them.
Interested to see what you end up doing with your chaos. : )

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I am not into chaos right now - I need some order. I like Julie's suggestion of so many inches wide but let the rest fall will it may. It all works out in the end.

margaret said...

I have made my vortex, decided to make all the blocks into the same size which meant some chopping off of some adding more to others, It is now in the flimsy stage where no doubt it will remain for ages

Deb Robertson Writes said...

I made two quilts. One I cut all the blocks to 12" and one to 16". It worked out perfectly, I couldn't manage to put them together randomly.