Monday, October 31, 2011

Notan

This has been one of my favorite challenges.  I had never heard of the Notan concept but was fascinated with it as soon as I started researching.  I found this great example by Lynn Ticotsky and knew that I wanted to try something similar.  With the aid of CAD drafting software I tried out several different ideas for a repeating pattern.  (Some that I didn't choose are in this blog post.)  I created a freezer paper template and cut the chosen pattern out of black fabric with fusible web on the back eight times.  The resulting 16-square block reads more like an irregular 9-patch to me, but it is made up of just the eight cut-outs and their "leftovers".   I'm not a very precise person, so this definitely looks better from a distance where you can't see all the fuzz, but I really like it.

Right now it's just fused to white fabric, but I would really appreciate some advice on whether to add a black border, and what sort of quilting pattern to use.  I don't want to distract from the design, but I'm not sure that just tracing it with quilting lines would add much.  Input greatly appreciated!
(dimensions are 24" x 24")

(Cutting out Notan shapes is perfect activity to do while joining hubby watching football!)

5 comments:

Wendy said...

Really interesting concept, Sharon. I see some areas are not strictly Notan while others are... who knew? Stunning design at any rate. So glad folks are coloring outside the lines on this one! Well done...

Wendy said...
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Sharon Robinson said...

Hmmm, okay. I thought it was, because all of the pieces are either the black square background, or the pieces that were cut out of it. I combined 8 identical squares, but some are flipped on the diagonal, and some side-to-side. It was a lot of fun, anyway!

Susan B said...

Looks like Notan to me. But what do I know? Love it! I know there is a lot of work in this, cutting the design 8 times. This is a very successful design.

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Sharon, I love this...wouldn't this be a goregous pillow on a black leather couch?
Great job!
Cynthia