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Saturday, October 9, 2010

Sweetness and Light

All the talk of the Roseville Album and it's glorious color has got me thinking about why I have long preferred the darker palettes of Civil War reproduction prints and Thimbleberries and Kansas Troubles and the like.

Truth is -- I'm just not that sweet!!

I have a small collection of 1930's reproductions.  All that pink and pastel and what not.  Even bright pastels! Sheesh! Who left the sugar bowl open!! I get the vapors just thinking about all that sweetness.  Next, someone will suggest we do Sunbonnet Sue's...see, now that's where I draw the line!!!  (Well, except for those fall ones I did here.)

I started a Feedsack quilt a few years ago.  It's ice cream sundae blocks are languishing in the UFO pile (yeah, no Work In Progress, here.  It's way back in the closet underneath the pile of upholstery fabric I will need in 2025 when I've worn out the cushions on my couch!).

There's an authentic feedsack or two in the mix (one my mother gave me), but most of the fabrics are repros.  I think I originally had nine blocks...don't have a clue where the other one is (perhaps in the box with the unfinished cross stitch projects of 1988).

I helped the looks of one of the blocks with a little "cherry" on top.

Yeah, buddy.  Sweetness and light.  Please, pretty please, with a cherry on top.

Blaaaaaaaaah!  Blaaaah, blaaah.                             Blaaaah. :-P

I never was much of one for sweetness.  Not much sentimental.  My sister keeps all the family photos.  The dust would eat them at my house.  I don't save all the mementos of my children; don't wax nostalgic about the fabrics of my grandmother's time.  If I didn't love Christmas so much, I would call myself a pre-revelation Scrooge!  

The appeal of the dark palette is different.  It's the tartness, perhaps, that makes it appeal to me! Those darker colors are the crispness of October apples, the colors of fall leaves, the smoke on the water as the cooler air touches the surface of it and whispers of burrowing animals and Thanksgiving feasts and the bite of Jack Frost in the not-too-distant days.

Sounds pretty sweet, after all, doesn't it!? :-D  Kinda like Noah's Ark and the rainbow of God's promise....




Sweetness and Light, indeed!! LOL
The Psalmist writes, "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you...I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:11-12, 14)

Today, it's more "fearfully" than "wonderfully." :-D
Sundae, anyone!?

Blessings,

12 comments:

antique quilter said...

well I love 30's fabrics too not as much as reproduction fabrics from the 1800's but they have their place!
when I make baby quilts I love using 30's guess they are my "brights"!!!!
and it helps one of my DD's loves 30's
Kathie who is with you though give me those fall /aged looking fabrics!

Crispy said...

I do love brights....after I discovered them for my Aunt Millie but I doubt I will be doing all of Kim's that way. The very few 30's fabrics that managed to drift into my stash were given to a friend. I don't own fabrics with cutsey themes on them and I'm a total Scrooge....Christmas is for the little guys and no decorating is perfect for me :0) I must admit, I like the tone of the old fabrics, just not the look of them....does that make sense? LOL

Crispy

Sarcastic Quilter said...

Except for a few (few) kids' momentos, you took the words right out of my mouth, sistah! lol

Debbie said...

I am in there with you....darker means bolder and stronger and that's the palette I use! We provide the balance to keep the light ones from going overboard!Love the Fall quilt. Finish the ice cream sundae --leave a blank for the missing one--and give it away to a "sweet" person.

Staci said...

I've spent time this morning pondering this color question & personality. I have had times in my live I loved the dark colors, and times I love the bright colors and times I was drawn to the pastels, times when it was the reproductions and vintage, times for the modern and contemporary. (Starting to sound a bit like Ecclesiastes 3) At this present moment, it seems I like darn near everything, judging by my fabric purchases over the last 6 months! I'm not sure what this says about me. . .

~Niki~ said...

love it! seems to me my tastes keep changing. I used to LOVE thimbleberries. Now not so much. Now I love all the brights. who knows. lol. yours is gorgeous.

A Plain Path said...

Well, it's beautiful despite it's sweetness. I love all color, soft, bright, dark...just love color. I do tend to be drawn to warm colors more often than anything else though.

Beautiful work!

LuAnn said...

I have that drawer full of 30s fabrics, too. I pull them out and try to do something with them, but it just doesn't work for me. Now my repros are all looking too dark compared to my Kaffe fabrics. I am in a bright phase but as sure as I get rid of those others I'll want them for something. And, what ARE we going to do with all of that embroidery floss left over from our cross stitch days?

Retrogirl said...

I had to laugh!! The vapors. LOL What can I say? I love the sweet colors of 30s fabrics. Your Sundaes are delightful. They'll come together when the time is right.
Best Wishes & Happy Quilting,
Heather

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

I agree with you on the color likes and dislikes. I'm trying to venture into some brights - we'll see what happens - lol!

Carrie P. said...

I really like those blocks. I lean toward darker colors too.
Watched some of videos. He is a funny guy.
I just noticed on your profile that you homeschool. I homeschooled my 3 kids for 16 years.

Karen said...

I just stumbled upon your blog, and have to tell you I love this post!
Like you I am a repro gal- deep, dark, rich (at least that is how I see them). I can not do sweet. I've done a 30's quilt - a pumpkin seed- and loved it, but it is not something I'd keep for myself. DD loves it.
I will be coming 'round again for a blog visit. Keep giving me some inspiration to clean up my own "quilting mess"!! Beginnings and Ends- a very good concept.
Karen