Well, I went to the basement to work on the OBW and take a couple of pictures. This one frustrates me so much. I guess I don't have the 'eye' to put this all together and it's been 6 years so I don't remember how I had it all planned out at that time. .... not that I haven't been known to change a plan during the construction process.

So, I'd really like some suggestions.... I'm thinking that this one is going to take awhile just to get the hexis placed so the colors seem to flow. It's not there yet. I'm going to need lots of encouragement on this one. But getting this one out and on the wall does push me to get that CW done.

nanna-up-north--very pretty OBW. For laying out, I have seen them go from light to dark at an angle say starting in the top left with light and ending with the darkest blocks in the bottom right. It looks like you've tried to sort by light and dark, but that your light is in the top left, medium colors in the bottom left and dark more on the right...maybe thinking about it/looking at it as going light/medium/dark it will help with the laying out. Also once you have them sorted by shade, you can decide do you want dark back ground with yellow flowers close to the medium, them go to pink, purple, green...or do you want the flower colors mixed throughout the dark. Just some things I would try....

Carriem, those are great suggestions. I'm going to have to take at least one row apart but if that gets me going again, it's worth it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Great suggestions for nanna, carrie. I was seeing the same things initially, too.

I'm pretty sure I was in that siggy swap and have been looking for a layout for the blocks ever since.
Thanks heaps, Fraew. I now have some inspiration for what to do. Yours is gorgeous.

Aussie Quilter

Help this quilt not become another UFO, please. I bought these fabrics a few months ago, because I loved the jewel tones, and the black has all those colours in it. I finally found a pattern I thought would be perfect, but it's just not working for me :( It was inspired by one I saw, but that pattern was appliqued, and I thought that was a silly way to deal with squares. So I got out my fabric and cut a bunch of blocks. But now, it's just not looking like I hoped it would, partly because the fabrics are much darker than I thought.

Ideas on where to take this would be great, so that I don't just pile up the blocks and stuff them in the back of the closet. I don't have a lot of the coloured fabrics left (just had fat quarters to begin with) but I can make more blocks - especially the smaller ones.

Photo is sideways (sigh) - this was the original plan, with the spaces all filled in with the black. I tried a bunch of different layouts - grouping like colours, growing from a corner, stripes - and don't like any of them.

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to asimplelife--I love your cat Elsa also love the quilt it looks like trip around the world pattern. I would have adopted her too--those winter days are very cold in MN I'm sure she has a loving home now.

more impact I think if you stick with similar colors for the large blocks say all green on bottom right.. growing upwards to the blues then the reds in top side but slightly not all diagonally place you know.. a couple bumped in each section .. use the smaller blocks for the seperations diagonal lines.. so you get a gentle swerve up to the next color like a line from bottom left moving up one then three blocks at a time to switch to then next color. I think when its said and one you doing to really like the eye popping quality of this quilt. I would consider one more shade of each block color like a slightly lighter version of the blues etc.. so you add a little pop? not a whole bunch just a few of each so the color gradiates upwards?

This is a group with a purpose that I really need to join. Let's see, I have 3, or is it 4, maybe 5 UFO'S. Like everyone else, I'll start and get flustered and start another that becomes a UFO's. Excited to show my finished products. The completed ones I've seen are really inspiring!

Krista - Love what you have going on here! Have you thought about adding another one or two colors to your mix? Maybe an intense golden amber or pumpkin? Would brighten it up and still be consistent with the jewel tone theme. I did a jewel tone afghan once upon a time that had all the bright rainbow colors with black. One of my favorites.