A Tale of 20 Blocks

On My Design Wall - Penny Patch Quilt In Progress

(updated) 

I am working on my Apple Pie Penny Patch for this quiltalong ...

@ Stitched in Color

Here are my 20+ blocks for the Linky Party

Well ... actually I am looking at these blocks on my wall  and moving them around every once in awhile as I work on other things today. 

This is what I had at one point on my wall ... 

(1) Penny Patch - Scrappy 

This is what I had on my design wall after putting up a stack of the penny patch blocks with the 6.5" squares.

Very scrappy.

Scrappy usually makes me happy.

But this is looking a bit too busy-busy to me.

I am not scrappy happy.

Hmmm ... what to do?

While I thought on this, I made a few more blocks ...

 Butterfly helped.

Katniss helped

After studying my design wall, I decided that maybe it was the scrappy low volume and neutral 6.5" blocks that are the problem for me. 

So I took out these 6 blocks ...

... and I added these 6 blocks which were already cut ...

Then with more thought and a little help from my friends I took out the blue.

.. and this is where I am now on my design wall ...

(2) Penny Patch - Focus Fabric - No Blue

I think I like this much better.

I have taken out the blue apple print.  It was not in my original color scheme.  It was a late addition when I happened upon it in my stash, with the apple basket print and I added both when I was cutting.  The apple basket print with the green background is staying.  The blue apple print is too strong and the wrong color and I will save it for the backing or for placemats or something.

I am going to cut more of the light fruit and veggie print (below) which is actually the fabric that started this quilt. Somehow this print is just low volume enough to make the rest of the fabrics work better.

Awhile ago I bought two yards of it from the sale rack at a nearby quilt shop because it appealed to me. This fabric is the one that I used to develop the color scheme for my Penny Patch Quilt. When I started pulling the other apple prints and red and greens and yellows, I decided I had to go back to the quilt shop and see if they still had the bolt, thinking I woud like to use it for the backing of my quilt.  I bought the rest of the bolt, about two and a half yards so I can at least make a pieced backing with this as the primary fabric.

I will be putting at least 2-3 in each row along with the other large squares.

So now I have a scrappy Penny Patch Quilt with a "focus fabric."

Time to sew on!

Also linking up today with

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times

If any of my readers would like to comment with your thoughts on whether you like the

(1) Scrappy
or
(2) Focus Fabric - No Blue

arrangement better, I would appreciate your feedback.

TIA!

Have a Happy Quilty Day!

:-)