Mr. October for #NGAQB — Nick

Mr. October for #NGAQB — Nick

Catching you up to date in the final stretch of the year long #NGAQB I have been messing around with.  These guys have been great! Today’s post covers Nicholas Ball over in Cardiff, UK.

NoGirlsAllowed

Nick wanted improv blocks based on his favorite painting. He really loves the Dali painting below. I don’ t know if I could ever have ONE favorite painting…..I can barely narrow down one favorite artist. I am such a visual addict. Anyway, here are Nick’s words for what he wanted:

I really excited for this one guys, and have been ever since we started the bee. My favourite painting in the whole, wide world is Salvador Dali’s “Persistence OF Memory” which currently hands in New York’s MOMA. I have been to New York three times, and never once have I seen the painting in person. Trip one there wasn’t enough time (I was travelling with a large group of friends and some were more interested in 5 I heart NYC tees for $10!), trip two the only free day we had the museum was closed and trip three the painting was on tour. What…a…BITCH! Want to hear the real sting in the tail? My friend went to NYC this year, went to MOMA, saw the painting, face timed me and I MISSED THE CALL. I don’t think it’s in the stars for me t see this painting in anything other than my countess Dali books!

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So, this is where you all come in. If I can’t see the painting then I’m just gonna have to make one of my own…from fabric. That’s right guys! I want your help to make my very own Persistence Of Memory. You want details? No problem! (Best New York accent).

I would like you all to make some improve blocks. There’s no pattern or pre design block for what I want so you’re gonna have to go it alone. Have fun with it and release your inner Dali. That said, I do have a few requests.

* I really want to keep to the colour palette of the original painting. I’ve attached a cool graphic I found that takes the main tones from the painting. Please try and stick to these colours as much as possible.

* My original idea was for you all to make a “section” of the painting, so some of you do sky, others the foreground. You would only use the colours that feature in your section. However, I’ve since decided that I want it to be a representation of the painting, not a replica, so now I’d like all colours in the blocks, with the intention of creating a feeling of the work within your blocks.

* Even though I’m asking for imrov blocks, I’d like it if you could keep your piecing quite square/rectangular, like the examples below. I don’t really want any circular of triangular piecing.

* In terms of size, I always think you’ll know best when an improv block is done. However, feel free to make any size block, which can be square or rectangular. As this is going to be quite a large quilt, I’m going to need to play around with layout, so I ask that you don’t straighten the edges of your blocks please but rather leave them ‘ragged’. That way I’ll have some room o chop and change!

* As for fabrics, I really like modern, graphic, geometric prints. I’d like a mixture of solids and prints, in the colours of the painting. I love lines, crosshatch and modern florals (think Friedlander). I don’t want novelty prints or anything too large-scale…I’m not sure it would work but I trust your guys to do what you think best. Also, I have some ant fabric that I would like pieced into some of the blocks (there are ants in the painting) so I’ll be sending some of you a piece of that. Please don’t use any clock or time fabric either! That’s not the look we’re going for people.

Hope I’m not being too demanding! Thank you all! Male quilters rule!

So that’s what Nicholas wanted.  And here’s what I came up with:

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I can’t wait to see the other blocks and especially how he puts them together!!

Only two months left for the 2014 #NGAQB….. November which was my month and December (now) which was our ring-leader’s Month, Mr. Joshua Helms, better known in the quilting world as Molli Sparkles.

So that’s my brief note for today. I spent yesterday wrapping Christmas presents all day. I really wasn’t too focused. I should have done a lot more….I was planning on decorating the house yesterday. I was in one of those weird spaces where I just meandered about too much. Didn’t even get a nap (which would have been nice!)

Have a great week peeps!

Keep Sewing, Keep Happy,

Scott

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