Need Your Improvement Ideas/Suggestions On This One!
 

OK friends, I need your help! I saw the MSQ tutorial where Jenny used the 3 Dudes jelly roll pattern to make a quick quilt: easy pattern using 2 1/2" strips sewn in 4 strip sets, crosscut in 8 1/2" squares. Then one square is laid horizontal, another placed on top laid vertically, sew 1/4" around all four sides then cut a diagonal "X" corner to corner. When cut, you get 4 cute blocks with half the strips going vertical and half horizontal. When she placed the blocks together, she got a nice secondary pattern with a diamond pattern in every 4-block larger square.
Well, I did all that, but it didn't come out as I expected: the secondary diamond pattern seems to be totally lost and it just looks all 'jumbled' to me! While this quilt is for charity and 'just OK' to me, I would like to make it again and have it look better.
I used 8 different fabrics, and just randomly sewed the 4-strip sets together. So is that my problem--should I have made all the strip sets the same or just 2 variations? Or is it my fabric selections--are they too bright or busy? Is the mix of solids and prints the problem? Or is it that my color values are all about the same--not enough light/dark variance? I would really like your suggestions on how to make my next one look better so that the secondary pattern will show up. This shouldn't be that hard, but I am baffled on this one! Thanks for your thoughts!!
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I would guess that if the outer 2 fabrics were darks and the inner 2 fabrics were lights on each strip set then the secondary pattern would be more visible. Or vice versa, put the lights on the outside and dark on the inside.

Wow this is a hard one to answer. I like the solids. I think some of the busys are too close together washing out the design, example the 2nd row from the bottom 6th one in from left along with 3rd row from the bottom 6th and 7th block in from the left meeting with the 4th row from the bottom 7 th block in from left cause that whole section of blocks to blend in too much loosing the design (my opinion). I like the fabric. It is not too bright or busy. I just think the placement needs a little bit more focus.

How about putting your strips together arranged in sequence from light to dark value,so you have contrast? It would look great if you had gradations in the same color family?

I like the way it came out, but maybe more contrast between the colors.

I like it! Maybe if you lighten up some of the brights...like the yellow, orange or blue?

I think you made a very happy quilt, and the colors are well distributed. If you want the secondary pattern to be more pronounced, I think it may be that many of the values of the fabrics you selected were too similar. I also did my strip sets dark to light and there was more of a range in values.

I like the idea of doing dark to light. When you did yours, did you use various fabrics but always dark to light?

I've done a couple. Of course, I can't find pictures of the one I want. I always used just 8 fabrics, arranged in 2 sets of 4 for all the strip sets, and arranged them light to dark. Here's a link to a small one where I actually arranged the blocks by color:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t204023.html

Rob at ManSewing just came out with a tutorial on this quilt pattern. He used the same color order for his light, medium, and dark. You might want to look at his utube offering and see if that is closer to what you are imagining.

I think you made a very nice quilt. I have no suggestions for your next one. to me a scrappy is a scrappy and someone will love it and will be warmed by it.

I agree with others, normally you need some lights and darks with your medium value fabrics.

This tutorial was very helpful! I think all of you are right---I need more light/dark variance and put them in order. My random method just didn't work for what I was looking for. Thanks to all of you! Looking forward to trying it again.

http://land.mansewing.com/three-dude..._campaign=t011
This might give you some ideas.

I like your quilt. I did see the secondary diamond and then I lost it with the randomness. The yellow was really prominent to my eyes but I was not in a "figure" arrangement. Of course then my computer started flashing around. I swear this board has a bug!

What if you made 2 different starting blocks using 4 colors each, but made enough for 2 quilts. That way you could use the half of the blocks that have the part that form the diamond of one color for one quilt, and the other half of the blocks that form the diamonds of the other color for the other quilt. (you would make the same combination of 2 starting blocks for all of them)
Does that make sense? :o)

print your picture in grayscale. It will probably show that u used mostly medium fabrics. I have found that scrappy quilts look better when using a dark darks and pale lights. Even a solid can be a medium.

I think if you arrange your strips with dark on the inside and light on the outside and alternate with blocks that are opposite, your pattern would be more defined. Rob and Jen have a new video that uses black 1.5" strips in addition to the other four. It is a dramatic variation of the pattern. I saw it for the first time on 4/27.

I do think it is pretty, though.

wHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS Tutorial or quilt. I would like to go look at the video.

Go to the Missouri Quilt Co. Website and click on the Tutorial tab. The name of the original Tutorial is "Amazing Jelly Roll quilt by 3 Dudes" and was posted in 2012. There is now a second, updated tutorial with Jenny and one of the guys that has a narrow black strip addition that is marvelous, and it is on that site too. I don't think there is an official name for the pattern that I have seen anywhere.

Thanks for sharing the video.

I can see the diamonds on some of the quilt, but not others. I would have credited the fact that I am color blind for that, though. Perhaps sewing the strips uniformly would have given you the look you wanted, but again, I'm color blind, so am not the best person to give advice!

I like the quilt just as it is, though. It makes me feel happy!

It is all about color placement. Rob and Jenny placed lights in middle and worked out with progressive darks. Also, placement of blocks to make the secondary pattern. Watch the tutorial that Jenny and Rob did together, it shows it very well.

I think it is beautiful. It looks like confetti or sprinkles on a cake.

Actually, I think the name is The Amazing Jelly Roll Quilt by Raymond Steeves who, I believe, is part of the 3 Dudes Quilting shop in Arizona. There is a pattern for sale on their site under this name. FYI, Rob Appell of ManSewing is not part of 3 Dudes but I enjoy his variation on this pattern.
While the scrappy look is bright and cheerful, there is something to be said for the deliberate organization of color values. It's all in what you are trying to create when you begin a new quilt.