Saturday, March 4, 2017

Cherry, Scarlet, and Wine

I won't bore you with illness discussions, or the insanity of the weather, or politics, as I strictly stay away from politics online.

Instead, let's discuss red.  Does anyone else have a hard time finding truly red fabric to buy?  Too often, it's pink leaning, or orange leaning (ugh!), or purple-y.

I made my five Garden Party blocks (pattern by Bonnie Hunter), but had to resort to a wine red and a pink red to make my five.
Then I dug out my orphan blocks in red.  I added the tans and browns and fall colors to the pile, as you can see on the right of the photo.  There isn't much to work with, but I've pulled some triangles and awkward bits from my scrap buckets as well, so I'm hoping I can expand these pieces to make a quilt roughly 40" square.  Of course, these come dead last in the progression of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, so I may not get anywhere at all.   I'll rearrange throughout the month and see what sparks an idea.

Be sure to check out the red inspiration this weekend!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

10 comments:

Julierose said...

Oh yes, a good red is hard to find--to paraphrase that old song--I like the blue-leaning reds and deep maroons..I am not a fan of the orange reds at all--too jarring for my taste (not that there's anything wrong with them lol). Hugs and good luck on your search--looks like you've found some nice ones.. hugs, Julierose

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I think that happens with every color, Katie! I have really had trouble with purple, especially. I think you have to figure out what works for your project. I like your Garden Party blocks! Hope they work with the rest of the blocks you make in all the colors!

Marly said...

I have the same problem with red: most that I have is almost orange or a deep burgundy. It doesn't seem to be in favour with fabric manufacturers at the moment. Have you noticed that the last few years the red in Christmas fabric has become so dark it's almost brown?

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

I have a lot of the rusty reds too - they must have been way popular at a time ... But I will perservere - ha ha - I like what you have up on the wall - here is to a finished quilt!

Chantal said...

After reading these comments, maybe it's time we complaint to the manufacturers as the color problem seems to be all over the world. What "good reds" I have, have been in my stash for a while. Nowadays, it's all about half tone; watermelon, cherry, beet, barn red, brick, cinnamon, etc. Sadly, nothing is "fire truck red" anymore. ;^)

The Joyful Quilter said...

RED is NOT a favorite color of mine, so I only tend to buy it if a project requires it. Garden Party is such a big quilt that I'm sure it can accommodate ALL shades of RED. Have fun tracking down more of our Color of the Month (and let me know if you need me to check my scrap stash for you!!)

Kate said...

Reds always seem to have an orange or purple cast to them. But I read many years ago that of all the colors, that different reds blend the best. Looking forward to seeing what direction this set of orphan blocks takes.

claudia said...

I seem to be able to find truer reds toward the holiday season. Maybe stock up then!
Your quilt will be interesting. I can't wait to see what you do with it.

Nell's Quilts said...

I think so many of us have problems finding beautiful red reds. You have a whole month to be inspired by the quilting muse. Looking forward to seeing something spectacular near month's end.

Cathy Tomm said...

Yes good reds are hard to find. I am on the hunt for more nice reds as I am going to do a Canada 150 quit with mostly reds. Love the mix of bits of red on your wall.

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