Eggplant fix

Last summer I took a class with Ruth B. McDowell and started a small pieced quilt based on a photograph I took of an Ichiban Eggplant in my garden. The following pictures show a bit of the creative progression. See my previous post in July 2012 for more details.

Original Photo

Simple tracing

After creating the full size tracing and freezer paper template, the fun part starts -- picking fabrics.

Making fabric choices

More fabrics and possible borders

I finished the top about 10 months ago and have been staring at it ever since, thinking about whether it feels right, and about how I would quilt and finish. This was my first effort at this type of work, and there are some things I would do different next time, but two places bothered especially -- the lower right of the flower, and the top of the lower left leaf. One of the cool things about the method is the ability to change a few things. Two weeks ago, at a quilt retreat of the Houston Modern Quilt Guild, I removed these two pieces and replaced them with lower contrast pieces that seemed better suited.

Finished top -- almost

More finished top

I'm still not totally satisfied, but I think I like the result better, and plan to move on to quilting. 

I learned a lot from this -- contrast is important, complementary colors make things pop, fussy cutting to make the fabric work for you, and editing the picture to 'abstract' the essence. Mostly, I need to dive in and do a lot more of these...

Thanks for reading,

Susan