Stitched in Color's Mosaic Contest

Rachel's site is often a source of inspiration for me. It may not be apparent in my work but I always find her pictures and way of seeing things really motivational.
They make me choose bolder choices in pairing and bring home fabrics that I would normally pass by.

The latest contest is no exception.

Based on a quilt that she had pinned with the note 'softly against black', she's challenged readers to make fabric mosaics based on that theme.

All the details can be found here.

While my first instinct would have been to go in the Halloween direction, I kept myself from taking what felt like the easy road.

Instead I chose a print from Field Study. One in which I would never see myself using.
And then I began to think about how (what seems like a long time ago) I used to get up at dawn to write letters. On actual paper. It was my favorite part of the day. I'd watch yellows and pinks break against grey. Butterflies would wake up and begin their day and I'd finish letters, sometimes wondering if I was sending the words I didn't say off into the wind.

I started picking fabrics based off of those memories.

I've named my bundle Wings at Dawn:




The first print reminds me of the iron fence around my old porch. Then I added a soft text for the letters and of course the Field Study butterflies.
A little peach. A little aqua. More grey to deepen it.

Now I want to think of a suitable design and turn this bundle into a quilt.
It needs something geometric but that reads soft. I don't think I'd want too many hard lines.

The contest is running until Sept. 20th. I've been having a wonderful time looking through all the great bundles that have already been created.

If you feel inspired, you should certainly add one to the mix!