The two half petals are sewn. Here is the first one.
35 x 31 inches
You may remember a red bottom line in the original plan. The more I looked at it, the less I liked it. I wanted enough red for interest, but not enough to usurp the red in the fabric. As I auditioned various colors, I realized the dark blue echoed the narrow blue and black lines in the print, liked it and went with it.
Then to decide on the size of the second one I did some rough sketching.
This is with the smaller half petal about 3/4 of the larger one. I like that sizing, but am not sure yet of the placement. That will be easier to decide with the real pieces. I have often found that my mental enlargement with color doesn’t accord with what the pieces look like after they are sewn. Spaces and proportions that work in a small sketch don’t in the real piece.
I plan for the quilting lines to follow the background piecing lines, so I needed to think about options for the pieced background here as well. From many sketches, I chose these two. Sorry the ray lines on the right one are so faint. I am leaning toward the curving lines on the left, anyway, except I think there may be more space needed between the two shapes than I like.
So out comes the “design” sofa-bed (and there goes my living space till this part of the project is completed). I put tape on the mattress to mark the desired finished size and began to work with the layout.
Now to work on spacing and background. See you later.
knitNkwilt 
What a work of ART – can’t wait to see it finished (neither can you no doubt).
It’s look really good, and I like your choice of the dark blue much better. Can you remove the mattress from the sofa bed and stand it against the wall, or is it fixed? A lack of space is really restricting – in previous homes I used to have three cuphooks fixed to the top edge of my book cases, and on these I rested a long wooden dowel that ran through a pocket in the top edge of a queensize beige flannel sheet. This was my design wall. Once things were pinned on, I could roll the whole thing up out of the way if necessary, and then just let it down when I wanted to sew. Would this work for you?
I love how you are working on the layout for the quilt……great idea. I’d have to do the same on my bed, but would then end up sleeping on the couch (unopened) till I was done with the layout. Colors in teh sections look great. =)
What an interesting way to work on it, and so efficient to lay it out that way. I’m going to love seeing what you decide to do next.
Thanks to that design sofa-bed I begin to see the method you are following. It was harder to discern with just the one piece done. Good call on limiting the bright red. There’s enough to catch our eye in the City print. I can’t wait to see how you fill in the blanks, now…it’s sort of feeling like somewhere over a rainbow. Love it, and enjoy seeing your posts. I find it endlessly fascinating that we all approach these things in such unique ways. I also appreciate your tendency toward more deliberation…I have an idea in my head that just will not leave me, and am itching to try a much more planned effort soon. All the improv practice gives me techniques, but in the end I want my own results, not someone else’s! I like where this is going, Claire.
I’m going to pick your brain on big curves! I’m in a big mess with trying a similar technique.
loving where this is going…let me know if you need to raid my stash for color!
I love the process, maybe I can free myself to work this way at some point. I like the flowing lines of the sketch on the left.
Love your inventive design wall, too!