a Dilly Dilly background

with improv curves

With a fresh, empty design wall and a stack of inspiring fabrics, I am ready to start sewing my Dilly Dilly quilt!

As you can see from the sketch, this quilt doesn’t have a regular block layout. The best way to keep my orientation is to build this quilt on the design wall. Then I can cut each background piece with an eye for how it relates to its neighbors.

I’m starting at the bottom of the quilt, with the grassy green colors. A cork textured print in dark moss green is standing in for stems.

While most of my stems are stick straight, some have pretty curves. I haven’t sewn improv curves in so long, but I guess it’s like riding a bicycle. Though you never quite know how the curves will turn out until you are finished, since the work is freehand. That unpredictability is somewhat exciting, somewhat daunting.

After creating blocks in grassy green at the bottom of the quilt, I’ve added a layer of lighter greens above. Next will come pale green, then white and then blues.

Did you spot my double-stem block? Fancy!

Wondering what the on point squares are doing? Those stand in for quarter dresden blocks (a la Drummer Boy Dresdens), which will be pieced on point into the background. Fingers crossed it all works out for me!

This took days to develop, in between other activities. I find it interesting that the top and the bottom of the quilt are both darker in value, in contrast to the center. I wonder how it will look when I add the dresden flowers. Will they grab the attention or will the dark values continue to draw the eye?

Curious!