When Bonnie posted the assembly instructions, I auditioned the blocks on the design wall and wasn't thrilled with what I saw.
When I look at Bonnie's finished quilt and some of the others I've seen in Blogland, they look softer, more like a watercolor painting. Mine seems "in your face" bold. I guess I'm just not that adventurous. If I look at this picture in a very small size, or from a distance, I kind of get that watercolor feeling.
But up close and personal, I'm wasn't feeling it. Since it's my quilt, and I felt free to change it up.
I omitted the green checkered sashing and substituted a variety of white tone-on-tone fabrics:
I made 1/4 of the required units that Bonnie suggested, so mine will end up a crib-sized quilt. I still need to add borders at this point. I think I will substitute pink for the narrow yellow border that Bonnie used. I want to bring out more of the pink color since this will be for my soon-to-arrive niece. I'm omitting the pieced outer border that Bonnie used (see below). I don't really want to make this quilt any longer - just wider, so I'm puzzling over what to do for the outermost border. Do you have any suggestions?
Most of those outer border pieces went into a small quilt for the little one to use with the teddy bears and dollies I'm sure she will have as she gets older.
I also plan to use those checkerboard units. I think I might take out the black squares and use the remaining green and white units in some kind of March/Saint Patrick's Day quilt.
I read another blog where the quilter changed Bonnie's design (again with the sashing) and someone criticized her for doing so and discussing it on her blog. That person thought it was disrespectful to Bonnie.
I don't think Bonnie would see it that way. I believe she wants us to take the patterns she provides us and to make them our own. I'm grateful that Bonnie did this mystery quilt - I am using all the units she designed, just not all in the same quilt!
On another Bonnie related note - I was watching "Buying Alaska" on the Destination America cable channel last night and noticed a Celtic Solstice quilt on the bed in the master bedroom! Bonnie's quilt design was on TV!! I yelled out "That's Celtic Solstice! I have that quilt too" and I'm pretty sure my husband and son thought I was a nut job!
Don't forget to hop over to Quiltville and check out all the other Grand Illusion quilts.
I like yours both ways, Jackie! Your yellows are strong enough to play in the design along with the greens you had, and the turquois was so pretty in there. I totally get you, though, because to me, when I laid mine out in the original finish design, it didn't shimmer or make an illusion - it laughed nastily like a demon villain from a movie! Nice adaption here. :)
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