MR: Hi Ranae — I think I am getting somewhere. I am sending a first effort. I realize that there are many combinations I could make up from this, but this is just a quick effort to let you see before I speak to you this evening. I used pinwheel and nesting spirals. Woops sorry about the missing “L” in the title….Muriel
RM: Muriel, thanks for sending this — I look forward to talking with you tonight!
Your color choices are something that would never have occurred to me — and I like them!
Something to think about in the meantime — would you consider doing this design or something like it but with off-center squares? I need to demonstrate that variation on squares, and so far don’t have anything. Your design seems “whimsical” enough that it might show off that technique really well. Look at Twist & Shout on the Inspiral Quilts page to see what I’m talking about.
MR: I have attached an attempt at off-set spirals – Hope it meets with your approval, but please give me any criticism or advice. As you will see from the diagram I constructed it in square blocks , allowing the background to create the floating in a dark sky effect. I haven’t tried any sewing yet – just designing is the fun, and I feel I have not found the right thing yet.
RM: Muriel, you Brits!!! Fooling everyone with that “stiff upper lip” business, and then you let down your hair and do something like THIS! 🙂 I think it’s delightful — love the off-center squares. I’m anxious to see what you consider the “right” thing!
If you do go with something like this, you might want to put an extra border of the black background fabric between the spiral squares and the yellow border so the squares don’t all look like they’re slamming into the sides. Although, having some “slam” would be great for keeping the sense of frenetic movement in the piece. If you enlarged this to, say, 40″ square it would make a GREAT kid quilt!
RM: Muriel, I think I preferred the previous design — this one looks crowded, while the other one feels fun and free. Could you simply expand the previous design up to this size, and perhaps add a border? I also really like the colors of the previous one.
MR: Another go…. I am going to give it a rest for a couple of days and see if I can come up with something different.
RM: Muriel, I understand the need to step back and catch your breath! Whether or not you like this one, I think it has a wonderful whimsical quality. Continuing the yellow border around the perimeter would be a nice touch. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with that you like even better than this!
MR: I have just been playing and wondered if I am on the right track with what I have just attached. I know it is very simple, but I just want to be sure I am tackling this the right way. All this designing thing is so new to me.
RM: Muriel, you seem to have caught the “mandala” bug too! This is nice, and if you wanted to explore a bit more I would suggest more sections, or coloring some of the spokes in contrasting colors ro create a secondary design. Try shading the spokes — otherwise you just get a big solid chunk of color that you could just as easily to with a solid piece of fabric. Shading is one of the great advantages of this technique — and the visual “wow!” factor it affords far outwieghs how easy it is to do.
Having said all this: I really hope you’ll decide to go with the previous design. As I looked at what I’ve got vs. what I need I realized that I have a lot of “adjacent” settings and hardly any “non-adjacent” settings. Your black & turquise design is non-adjacent and has such a delightful fun feel to it, I’d really like to have that for the book.
MR 7-17-07: Hi Ranae – here is a scan of my first block. Does it look ok?
RM: Muriel, looks good — points nice and sharp, nice black background fabric!
Watch the fabric on the upper left hand corner of the white center — it’s so pale, it blends into the light background fabric and changes the shape of the center. A bit more contrast in that first yellow triangle would serve well.
MR 8-24-07: I am sending a photo of the top just before I start the quilting process.
I have named it Splish Splash Spirals and the size is 54″ x 54″
RM: Great job, Muriel! It clearly demonstrates a number of things: off-center spirals, obviously, but also the difference between coloring RINGS and coloring SPOKES. And do I see my Radiant II fabric there in the yellow border?
Spiromaniacs 
June 25, 2007 at 11:52 am
I am very enthusiastic about having a go at producing something worthwhile, but don’t know where the inspiration will come from. Thanks for the suggestion about off-set square spirals. I am starting to look at this.
June 26, 2007 at 7:05 am
Thanks for your comments. If I did go with the table runner I would take your advice about a black border giving the blocks a bit more freedom. I haven’t come up with any more bright ideas – but try stopping me!!
I have used the blocks I have already created to have a look at the childs quilt idea. Let me knolw what you think when you see it. Enjoy your visitor.
June 26, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Thanks for the comments. I will try and expand the first idea and perhaps add the triangle border. Muriel
June 28, 2007 at 2:54 am
I am still playing and I have no doubt I will want to continue to do so, but I am also aware that with a week away on holiday in August I need to get back to the sewing machine if I am to send you something in time. I didn’t notice that the yellow had crept into the baby quilt border – it is part of a narrow border which was black and I think it needs the black to give freedom to the blocks. If you think it is ok I will find the fabric and make a start on that quilt. I will try and contain my enthusiasm for drawing spirals under control until your book is out.
June 28, 2007 at 10:07 am
Muriel, go ahead and sew! I find this design really delightful…
A couple of notes:
1 – The three small blocks across the center of the quilt are all in the same orientation — you might want to rotate some of them
2 – You may want to consider putting another large block toward the upper left hand corner, as the balance seems to lean toward the lower right.
3 – Try experimenting with a narrower strip of yellow (approx. 1cm) inside the blue — you may find it is just the thing to unify the yellow in the blocks with the border. Or not….
July 13, 2007 at 10:00 am
From Muriel: About free setting spirals – I created the little golden dashes on the black background by colouring off-set spirals mainly black with just one or two triangles gold colour. Then the blocks are joined together. This seems a very labour intensive way of getting the effect I want – but maybe a good way to practice spirals. I would welcome any other suggestions you might have to get the same effect. I hope I can see a way of simplifying the black spirals, but keeping the same angled dashes. I have most of my fabric now and once I have finished quilting a large quilt I have been doing for my daughter I will start spiraling. We travel to the Scottish Highlands to visit her on 1st August and so I must give the quilting priority for a few more days. Muriel
July 17, 2007 at 11:50 am
Thanks Ranae, I agree about the pale yellow merging into the white centre and I need to assess my fabric choices now to incorporate some of your fabric I am really keen to get on with making the quilt now. If I get this one finished I can see me wanting to use your purple and blue fabrics in another spiral design.
July 18, 2007 at 10:59 am
MR: From your comment on the Spiral to Quilt post 7-17-07: “I feel it will take a bit of experimenting to get the colour gradations to give the effect I might be looking for, but that is part of the fun of drawing spirals. Muriel”
RM: Muriel, given your “checkerboard” approach to your spirals, the dark sections in between the color show the spiral structure, so the gradation principle may be a little less important in your spirals than if the adjacent triangles were all the same hue.
August 13, 2007 at 3:37 pm
From MR 8-11-07: I thought I would just bring you up to date on my quilt – I must think of a name for it – . I just have six blocks to do. My intention is to spend today getting my friendship Stars swap blocks done and then give my time to working on the spiral quilt until I leave for a couple of days on Thursday. I am going to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC Birmingham. This is the 4th year for this very large quilt show by the British and European quilting guilds. I treat myself to two nights at the hotel in the complex to give myself time to enjoy seeing the 1000+ quilts on show as well as workshops and traders. When I get back at the weekend I will concentrate on getting my Spirals finished and quilted.
Must go – sew! Muriel
September 3, 2007 at 8:53 am
Muriel Roberts, Sheffield UK Designed, machine pieced and machine quilted by myself. SPLISH SPLASH SPIRALS 54″ X 54″
Designed using 8″ and 6″ off-set nesting spirals. Background made from 8″ nesting spirals with just one or two triangles in each coloured yellow to give the “splash” effect. Colouring designed to show ring and spoke variation. Mitred border. Quilted with variegated thread in spiral design. I found this a challenging but very exciting project. I longed to go on trying different spirals. The technique is valuable and will be an inspiration for future projects.
September 28, 2007 at 7:32 am
You quilt is so full of movement. Wonderful!
fee