Thursday 18 April 2013

A cry for help!

Trying to arrange my retro flowers blocks is doing my head in completely. So I'm fluttering my eyelashes and asking prettily for some advice from you all ;o)

These are my finalist layouts (out of the twenty bajillion I've done). I would really love some feedback as to which you think looks best. I've alternated warm/cool blocks in all cases (by happy coincidence I have eight of each), but as to where to place the bloody things, I've got no idea. I'm trying to get a balance of value across the whole quilt, plus made sure each colour isn't too concentrated in any area. I need a few fresh pairs of eyes on this I think!

Layout 1:

Layout 2 (apologise for blurry photo):


Layout 3:


Thanks in advance lovely peeps :o)

xx Jess

48 comments:

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Layout 2

Caryn said...

I like number 3. The second column in the second photo are all low-value. The first one seems a little light on the lower right quadrant. No matter what you chose this is going to be a gorgeous quilt. I love the richness if the fabrics!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I like the balance of #3 - pretty much found the same faults with 1 & 2 as Caryn.

Deborah said...

I like #3.

Jessica said...

3 as well! I looked at them all a few times and that's the conclusion I came to :)

Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts said...

#3 - good balance of colour saturation!

Ella said...

I like #2 best....or #1 if you switched the green block in the first row with the one on the bottom row.

CitricSugar said...

#1. But your fabrics are so lovely that it's not going to destroy the quilt if you arrange them a different way. It's going to be lovely, regardless. :-)

Nicky said...

I'd say 3 is the best balanced layout over all

Susan said...

I agree with Caryn and am definitely leaning to #3. Would you consider swapping first in row 2, with second in row 3??? I would like to see the two deep blues further apart (like #2). Or in #2 swap first in row 1 with second in row 4? Have I confused you? Probably! lol!
Maybe just pick one and call it done- I really think when it gets to this stage, its time to make a decision because maybe you will always see one block as 'wrong'? And that could spoil your enjoyment for it!
And you know something- turn it 90 degrees and it looks totally different!

Pile O Fabric said...

#3 seems very balanced!

Catherine said...

No 3! I think 2 is good too but 1 is maybe a little bit top heavy? It's going to be a lovely quilt!

Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

I think I'd go with 3 as well. These are gorgeous blocks :)

Anonymous said...

Hi! I make always myself grazy with the balance thing - can't help myself! I think n:o is great, but I would try how it looks if you change the 1st block on the 2nd road with the 2nd block on the 3rd road. It gathers few strong colours in the middle. Also it makes blue-green diagonal line, wich can be good (or not), should see. Good Luck! x Teje
Ps. I love your colours and fabrics and it will be anyway beautiful quilt. If you like to see my Butterfly wall quilt, you understand that I had this same problem.

moira said...

2 or 3 for me. #3 has the same print in different colours next to each other which makes me look more quizzically but I am rubbish at the whole balance thing so don't listen to me :)

moira said...

I meant #2 re the big comment above - sorry

Mack and Mabel said...

Number 3 gets my vote, but 2 came a close second

Kathy S. said...

I like #3. It was easy to see all three together when I clicked "Pin It" for Pinterest. #3 seems more balanced.

Michele T said...

I like the #3 layout - the colours seem more balanced.

Sarah said...

Layout 3 would be my favourite. 2 my second choice. :-)

Annabella said...

Without looking at anyone else's comments I chose No.2!

Sarah_L_N said...

Number 3 gets my vote :)

Susan at TheBoredZombie.com said...

I had a photography person once tell me that if you image isnt interesting at 200x200 pixels it probably isnt interesting larger either. Well, that may be a stretch, but I've used the trick of looking at things at 200x200 and have in fact noticed things I didnt see at full size. I downloaded your pictures, resized them to 200x200 and looked at them side by side. Layout 3 immediately stood out as the most balanced of the bunch even taking into consideration that the ambient lighting is darker at the top than bottom of the image. Give it a try and see if you agree. :)

Susan at TheBoredZombie.com said...

Sorry - still talking - I also meant to mention, at the 200x200 size, the dark blue flower really stands out above the others in layouts 1 and 2. It seems to like it is muted a bit and blends much better in 3. The real truth is - even though I vote for 3, I dont think you can lose with any of them. It's a beautiful quilt with lovely fabrics. You've already one no matter what you decide!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

I like 3 too although I actually like number 1 if you made a couple of changes so it went from stronger to paler from top to bottom (of that makes sense) - I would turn the pics into black and white to help you decide. I did that with mine and I think it worked a treat!

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

I think no. 3 and no. 2 is pretty close too!

Charlotte said...

3 is my fave :-D

Jessica Kelly said...

I think Layout 3, or possibly 2...I think there is too much dark on the top of layout 1, great blocks, this quilt will be awesome no matter what you choose!

Kati from Kati's Quilting said...

I agree with Susan, the dark blue flower jumps at me too, even though I didn't see the layouts in 200x200, but just regular size. I'm not sure if you'd consider taking that out and make a lower contrast different one instead, or whatever layout you pick I'd put the dark blue in a corner. Good luck to you with picking! :)

Taryn V. said...

Three is my favorite because I think it has the best color balance. When I "squint" my eyes at the other two, there are very distinctive light and dark areas. But really, it will look great with any layout you choose! Love the pattern and the color combo!

Tiffany said...

After squinting at them for awhile, I've decided that #3 is a little more balanced than the others, so I go with 3!

Heather D. said...

I'd pick either 2 or 3, if forced to make a choice I'd say 3. Good luck!

Nikki M. said...

#3 is the one I'd vote for. its a very inspiring quilt. Was it easy to make?

Becky said...

If I had to pick one, I'd pick 3, but they honestly look so much alike with all of that scrappy goodness, that you couldn't go wrong with any of them! Beautiful!

grapes and hearts said...

Number 2!

Di said...

My vote is for layout 2. Di x

Katy Cameron said...

#3 for me. Now off to see if I'm in the majority or bucking the trend...

Angie said...

My eyes are drawn to layout three.

Julianne said...

I think #2 or #3

Lisa in Port Hope said...

I would say number 3, although if I were sewing this it wouldn't matter because I would get them mixed up somehow...

Leanne said...

I like 3 the best, but if it were me I would lay them out with the darkest cool and warm colours in opposite corners and then keeping them together blend them to lightest in the centre or vice versa. I think these prints are so beautiful but they are not making me as happy as I expected mixed this way.

sarah elizabeth :: {no} hats said...

I think 3 but I can't quite figure out why? (Sort of feels like when you take the eye exam and you have to choose "1" or "2" about fifty times, and by the end you can't quite tell which is better because they both look perfect to you?) Well this quilt is like those last final clicks... you really cannot go wrong ;)

OhioLori said...

Love #3 layout best... By the way, you did an AWESOME job!!

Anonymous said...

Number 2

pandchintz said...

Hi Jess - liking them all, but I think number 3 is best. Hope this helps!

MaterialGirlQuilts said...

They all look good, but #3 is my favorite!
Amanda

Julierose said...

All 3 layouts are pretty: have you considered--all darks in middle and lights on outside or vice/versa? Julierose

Katy said...

You could just ("just", I say)make another pair of each block and make 3 different quilts! Because they all look great!