Filmstrip Quilt Top Completed

Here at last is the finished "Filmstrips" quilt top.  The piecing was completed over a week ago, but with grandkid visits and then finally some good weather for gardening, I didn't get back to photographing and blogging until this morning.   I'm happy with it.  I'm mostly happy that I finished it.  I don't have any illusions that it will win at Quilt National.  (because I won't enter it, among a few other reasons!) But as a process, as an exploration of ideas, an a practice at implementing them, I think it was successful. Lessons learned:

• Don't think so hard.  The last two corner pieces that were "thrown together" relatively speaking are my favorites.  
• Pay close attention to values.  One reason I like the corners may be the contrast.  The other areas especially the original blocks before putting the filmstrips back in are relatively dull because they lack definition, or focus, maybe.  
• Construct more carefully.  It is nothing but frustrating when you damage the piece trying to handle it.  Especially if I'm going to do more pieces this size.
• Cut more carefully.  Even if freehand, the pieces should be relatively square, unless you are really trying for wonky... I struggle with this. 

I just now realized it's the largest art quilt top I've made.

To see what I mean about value, I reduced it to black and white.
The pastel blocks have no focus, but there is enough going on elsewhere
 that I think they work as a place to rest the eye.   

After an intense push to complete something I have a strange inclination to just walk away from it.  I need to get some perspective literally and figuratively before I can come back to it and think about next steps.  Even though Nancy stresses completed tops, not quilts, I am going to quilt it.  1) I need the practice, 2) I hate the feeling of "UFO's" hanging over my head. 

I have some ideas about how to quilt it - I've been "studying" others... But I don't think I am ready to FMQ it, so there is going to be a lot of wrestling it through the machine, and first my least favorite activity sandwiching and basting.  I think I will use spraybaste instead of pins on this.  I'm worried about stretching out or damaging the badly seamed areas, and it seemed to work well on the large bed quilt.  Hopefully DH has a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood somewhere so I can spray outside, that stuff stinks!