One day in the not so distant future, God willing, I will finish my CQJP 2015 project. As it nears completion, how to put it together is on my mind with each stitch I take and each new seam that I complete. There is much thinking and much consideration taking place as to how to put these blocks together.
While I briefly considered stitching the blocks directly to one another, I realized that I would prefer to put some sashing between the blocks and let each one shine individually.
My initial thought was to use some pink/yellow/orange fabric for the sashing. I have some of this in my fabric stash, though not enough to do the entire piece. When I visited a quilt shop and we looked at this option, it was thought that the blocks got lost a bit on this fabric.
I did try some yellow fabric, but I wasn't at all fond of the look. Too much yellow! Not to mention that somehow the blocks got lost on it. Orange fabrics weren't any better.
I like the idea of using a bright green for the sashing. That would help it hang in my home better, since green is a predominant color in my home along with white, ivory and natural linen. While brighter than the majority of my home decor, at least it would coordinate. But the blocks do seem to blend in and don't stand out as well.
Then I thought that maybe a darker green was in order. It does make the blocks stand out, but this particular green is far to muted to work well with the blocks. This one is out of the running.
So what about using a bright pink for the sashing? It does make the blocks sing and brings up the brightness of the stitching, as well as minimizing the yellows a bit. What surprised me was the best pink fabric also had a lot of orange in it! I'm still not quite sold though. If I use pink sashing, I seriously doubt that I'd ever hang the quilt in my home as it is simply too bright, though it certainly would be joyful!
Then I thought about using black for the sashing. Just narrow bits, about an inch to inch and a half wide. It does seem a bit stark, but I'd use a combination of golden yellow and bright pink stitching along the seams if I did this, similar to this glorious quilt created by Elizabeth Frolet of Georgia (scroll down to the bottom of the post for her lovely,"Elizabeth's Garden, A Tale of a Thousand Threads" quilt)
Then again, I could use that green that I like and add a simple narrow black frame to each block, rather like a stunning bit of stained glass!
Or how about on the pink fabric with the black framing?
Truth is, I'm still as unsure as ever about how to finish this. My ultimate goal is to make this the best CQ that it can be, secondary is whether I'd hang it in my home! I'd love to hear your thoughts on which option you like best and why!