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Monday, March 14, 2011

"Making Over" or Re-designing a Quilt

Designers and artists don't always "get it right". I'm sure even Da Vinci (and I'm not really comparing myself to his genius!) had works that were not his favorites. 
This little quilt is one of those for me. For one thing, the colors are just not as bright and cheerful as most of my quilts. SO........
I've decided to give her a makeover. 
She is a different version of my more popular pattern,"Rain, Rain Go Away" (see below). I don't know exactly why I redid her originally, but one reason is that I wanted to offer a pattern with no words and a different colorway. 

There are many ways to change a quilt that you've already finished but are not completely satisfied with. With applique, you can just applique a new color over the old, even if it has been quilted. So I started by changing the umbrella color. I wanted more color. Then I gave her striped stockings. That still didn't give me the punch I wanted, so I sewed a "rainbow" colored rick-rack over the seamline between the first two borders.  I was happier, but if I wanted to offer this as a pattern, completely different from the first, I needed to add more. I decided to call it "Singing in the Rain". I added singing birds, a singing dog, and a singing cat. Then I added embroidery to make the little girl singing instead of smiling.
Singing in the Rain


So.....here it is. Made over. What do you think?

Here is Rain, Rain Go Away (still available):
 

4 comments:

  1. Good job with the make-over. I really like the new striped stockings and multi-colored rick-rack. I guess, this is sort of a spring cleaning sort of time or re-birth time or something. I think it is funny, because that is exactly what I have been doing with my artworks, pulling out old things I abandoned and reworking them. It has given me closure on some of the unfinished artworks I have laying around everywhere. We must be sisters!

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  2. Oh...I loved the first version, still do, but the addition of the furry babies to the new version tugs at my heartstrings...can you tell I'm an animal lover? LOL (and "Singing in the Rain" is a favorite movie of mine). Okay, hubby says "Back to bed" for me. The older I get, the slower I recover from surgery *sigh*. I really do love both versions Linda!!! Hugs...

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  3. The old one is cute, but the new one is fun-tastic! I love the fabrics that seem to give it more pizzazz! and the furries joining in to sing - just great! Thanks for sharing your creative thoughts with us!
    Jacque in SC
    quiltnsrep(at)yahoo(Dot)com

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  4. Love your blog! I am now a follower! Kahy from Humble Quilter sent me over! Thanks!

    Jackie in NE TX
    www.quiltytreasures.blogspot.com

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