Black + White = Illusion

Black & White quilts are becoming pretty popular lately, or are they just a fantastic classic combination that will never go away?  I've toyed with the idea of making one for years, yet never quite got there.  In order to make an impact just the right design was needed.

OPTICAL ILLUSION
55" x 72"

Back in January I started the search after seeing Christa Watson's (Christa Quilts) Illusion Quilt ~ Cafe Walls, I was so impressed and mesmerized!  I was inspired!  Now I was on a mission.

I hunted for hours which became a week easily.  Cross-eyed from all the crazy optical illusions, I eventually found the right design.

Once I figured out all the measurements and details, the process began.  I made a lot of practice blocks, took a lot of notes (which have disappeared now) and eventually came up with a formula and plan.  

The intense piecing began!  Black & white.  White & black.  Tiny squares, rectangles and eventually strips and blocks.  Some black, some white. Some white, some black.  

It doesn't like much right now, but it's getting there.  I took my time wanting to make sure each little piece was square and the pieces would fit together. 

And for the most part they did.  Each of the small squares are 1 1/2" unfinished.

The center took the most time, of course!  After the first phase of the center squares were pieces, they had to have a border.  In order for the design to translate in to an optical illusion, I added a 1" border.  Black for the black squares and white for the white squares.  

After finishing the center, I was really looking forward to the easy part of cutting the solid squares.  Charm square pre-cuts would have been a great idea and a time saver had I been making my squares 5" x 5".  In this case, each finished square is 4 1/4".  I was afraid if I went big, the illusion wouldn't come through.  Not sure that would be the case, but I didn't want to take a chance!

This photo of the top was taken in March after a beautiful white carpet of snow fell!  I couldn't pass up this photo op!!  Plus, I needed a good picture of the top for the long arm quilter!  

I found Andrea on Instagram after seeing her mad quilting skills.  You can find her here at The Champ Life.  We went over many different quilting ideas and in the end I decided not to get crazy with it and loose it's impact.  I decided this would be appropriate!    

I was super excited to see how it would look and I certainly was not disappointed!  I think the design and the white thread was totally the right call! 

The backing could have been anything!  I went back & forth and figured the unexpected was where I would go!  Eventually I decided on this gorgeous Art Gallery fabric: Cuneiform Script designed by Katrina Roccella.  I nabbed it from Hawthorne Threads.   

A beautiful sunny spring day and the chance to take some nature photos!

You know when you have an idea that brews & stews in your mind for years?  Never really knowing when or if you will get to it.  Then eventually it just happens.  You have the time, the design, the fabric and all of the sudden ~ BOOM done!  Wait, what, already?!  This one, I feel like that.  Blink and missed the entire experience!  (but we all know better than that!!) Now I guess I will have to make another one...

Inspiration:  Akiyoshi KITAOKA 

Illusionary Motion:  Is an optical illusion in which a static image appears to be moving due to the cognitive effects of interaction color contrasts and shape position.  (Wikipedia)  

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