Red is a Neutral This is the most recent in my Color Block improvisational series–“Red is a Neutral.”  I used solids and sewed pieces together in a fairly random fashion, many of them left over from previous projects. It gives me great satisfaction to “repurpose” blocks or units that either didn’t work in another piece or were simply left over.

I’d like this piece to be on the large size, probably 40″ x 60,” which is the largest one I’ve done in this series so far. I really enjoy how the random construction sometimes results in surprises, for instance the block in the middle has a yellow triangle that looks like it’s the partial roof of a house emerging from the left.

Color Block IIUnfortunately, sometimes the blocks don’t work. The yellow block on the upper left was created with another idea in mind that didn’t pan out, but I think it’s too monochromatic for this piece. So I took another picture of it on a larger solid background by itself. It’s an interesting block and perhaps it could anchor another piece all on its own. In my mind I see some dense machine quilting in blocks all over the surface–sort of like wavy echoes.

I took “Red is a Neutral” to a critique group I was participating in recently, and several people commented that the blocks are interesting enough on their own to be the “star of the show” in separate quilts. I think that’s a valid point, although I really like the riot of colors and intersecting shapes in this one. I’ll probably continue with this idea for this piece, but their comments gave me the push to try something different with the block that stood out too much. Maybe it’s the germ of another series!