"Contemporary" out of "traditional"

One way to get started on a new quilt is to write about it. I found myself pontificating on contemporary quilts in an email to Martha Ann, saying "Maybe what scares people in making contemporary quilts is that the outcome isn't cut and dried -- you have to stop every now and then and look and see if it's working, and that's a bit risky. But rewarding." (Since then I've been tormented by conflicting thoughts and indecision on "what is a contemporary quilt, anyway" and "how is it different from an innovative quilt"? -- now that the colour of stair carpet is decided, I need something else to worry about and be indecisive over.)

Martha Ann had sent a pic of a Pennants quilt (much nicer than the one above!), so on that basis I went on: "I was going to adapt the Pennants quilt to be "contemporary" I'd do something "different" -- in about half of it. Introduce assymetry, and something discordant -- but try to keep balance and harmony -- a tall order! Maybe have borders on just two sides, or scale down half the blocks and then put "borders" on two sides of the block to get it the same size as the others. Or else play around with the colouring, or use, eg fabric printed with words, in some of the blocks, and put some words on the borders or else embroider some words among the quilting."

A title popped into mind and the idea of actually making this quilt took hold -- I would call it "Penance" - in repentance at wagging my cyberfinger at Martha Ann, trying to push her into the Land of Contemporary Quilts.

Also, a "contemporary" quilt might need "meaning" -- a bit of research was in order. Here's what Wikipedia says about penance: "Penitential acts [commonly] consist simply of prayers, fasting, and charitible work or giving, or a combination thereof. Such penance is frequently accompanied by a requirement for the penitent to be reconciled with anyone against whom he or she has sinned. The most common penances involve the recitation of standard prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary, meditation on particular scriptural passages, or praying the rosary with special penitential intentions."
Amid the quilting could be words from prayers, or phrases like "full of grace" or "hallowed be" might be useful for setting the "feeling" of the piece, to be expressed in use of colour. And it would be fun to use some non-traditional material -- paper with writing on it, shopping lists -- then the penance could be penance at over-consumption?Out came the notebook, to doodle down a few ideas - during that process I discarded the idea of altering just half the quilt and decided to Go The Whole Hog. Out came the paper and scissors to try out the blocks -- it's yet another way to doodle, a speedy way to make a few blocks so they can be recombined, and seen full size.The doodles, the development and - over the page - some serious measurement, and some limits -- 36" wide would be enough penance. After all, the original mental picture was of something the size of a journal quilt, maybe.
Below, trial blocks made up of four 4" blocks. In the one at the top, pages of food magazines (the first thing that came to hand) were glued to the fabric, the paper wetter, the excess rubbed off -- unsuccessfully; is there a better way? In the bottom block, machine stitching holds the bits of paper between the top layer and the luscious scarlet (polyester organza) backing. The extra stitching in the top block is done with thin strips of silk, to hold the corners down. Not sure where that aspect is going... referring back to my research, the piece has quilting and it has words to meditate on during that quilting (even if they are merely glimpsed in passing). The entire concept will develop as it adapts to the fabric I have on hand.