The Puzzling of Ode to Joy

Years ago, I took The Process Pledge. Rossie @rossiecrafts posted the pledge on her (now inactive) blog on May 14, 2010, and I was #768 to sign it late in 2011. Here's what the pledge said: "The goal of the process pledge is to create a new sensibility in quilting blogs where we don’t just show finishes or occasionally confess about our moments of indecision, but chat openly and often about our works in progress, our inspirations, and our moments of decision."

So a lot of the quilt bloggers I knew during that time and years since, adhered to that pledge, and I have always thought that sharing the process was just what one did. So you may not have realized that it was an intentional commitment on my (and others) part, but it is. Thus I'm sharing a crucial junction in the life of the Ode to Joy quilt - that when I have all the blocks from my bee mates, and I'm starting in on puzzling a quilt top together!

After much debating and mocking up, I decided on a background design and fabric colors, as well as an orientation for my blocks. Not one that's used to doing this with computer software, I taped graph paper together, cut up post-it notes, and went the old-fashioned route. But at least now I have a 'map' to follow.

I can't say that having a map makes things simple, but I'm getting there. I'm finding it especially tricky when the different background colors meet.

And a wider view....

And then a more recent view as I got a little more progress over the weekend....

Besides white, I'm using Konas Black and Raisin for the background. And I've loosely grouped the blocks into categories. I'm liking where it's headed, though it is time-consuming. Hopefully slow but sure will get me there.