reds and whites and black

I got Pretty Little Mini Quilts from the library a couple of weeks ago, and have been stuck on the "Spinning in Orbit" pattern. I love the appliqued circles on the straight seams. The circles echoing those in a print. The use of color, with it not being too matchy matchy (my problem, in colors and shapes and themes). Yet it all matches.

At The Cotton Shop last weekend, I found some red and black and white, and red and white prints. They kind of remind me of the Timeless Treasures Taxi and Kiwi lines, which I love, but can't quite wrap my brain around, with all that yellow and lime. But red and black. That I can do. Anyway, this is what I left with:

And in trying to figure out the name of the Kiwi line was, I found this Timeless Treasures pattern for Taxi. Which, OOH!, reminds me of Spinning in Orbit. I like it--though it's too something for me. Busy, maybe. Or, maybe, just plain old too yellow.

And! While exploring the various blogs linked on the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild site, I found this. Very cool. I wonder if I could do it in red and black and white. Or MORE colors??? Hehe.

So I started drawing. And shortly thereafter came to the brilliant conclusion that doing a many colored plaid will involve years of shopping for the perfect lime/yellow, red/lime, etc etc prints. Not for me.

So, I went back to my reds and blacks.

The left is like Spinning in Orbit. I don't like it--I have the wrong fabrics to get a nice balance of light/dark, red/black/white, and shapes. The right is more like the Taxi pattern. I like that more, but I am planning to hang this on a cabinet end in my kitchen. I like the long narrow, but have too many prints and not enough cabinet width.

So:

There it is. The Plan. Darkest at the bottom in the widest strip, getting narrower and lighter/less dense to the top. Appliqued circles--maybe a hexagon or 2--to echo the prints, but the largest applique will be near the top, the smallest near the bottom. Darkest at top, lightest at bottom. I think. I also went and got a black/white print (which is in the dryer now, so I can't share), as I had 2 red/whites and no black/white. I may lose one of the red/whites. Have to see as we go along. I am hoping to start today, but with 1 napping boy, 1 on an errand with dad, and a dinner to cook, we'll see.