Midnight in the Tropics - Block 3

I really thought I'd posted last week. Really. So imagine my surprise when I pulled up the blog this morning and see I've been very negligent in getting Midnight in the Tropics - Block 3 pics loaded.This is a challenging block for me because again, I wanted to use a variety of colors. Tropical flowers are very colorful and I really want that reflected in this quilt. The flowers in this block are nasturtiums. After a lot of debate, I decided that I'd do the four flowers in four different tones - even if nasturtiums don't come in these four shades. It is my quilt, after all, so get to I make the decisions. One flower is shades of tangerine/oranges (with a touch of pinks):

One in shades of pinks (with a touch of yellows and oranges):

One in shades of red-oranges (with a touch of yellows and a bit of shiny gold):

And one in yellows (with a touch of pinks and oranges):

I made many different star centers in many different fabrics before deciding on the black batik. I love the irridescent look; like tiny spots of light might be shining through fence or hedge and onto the flower. I also settled on a blue/purple/green variegated batik for the flower buds. And yes, I went through several fabric iterations before deciding on this fabric. My first inclination was to stay in the red/orange/yellow tones. But the buds in those colors seemed to get lost, rather than stand out within the block. To me, this fabric works because the buds hold a promise of a beautiful bloom; however, I'm left to imagine what the color will be. It's like a surprise waiting for the right time to happen.

Another choice was to decide on the fabric for the radiating spokes of the leaves. This was my first choice. But I think it's too blah and a bit too gold.

This is the one I think I'm going to use. (Of course, I retain the right to select a different fabric later - that goes with being both a woman and a quilter!) I like the color tone better against the darker green, and I like the patterned fabric better; there's more life to it.

I just think it plays better with the other colors, and brings in just a touch of the blue-greens from the buds and the background fabrics.

So, block 3. I like it!

Like the other blocks, I wanted some consistency within the block itself; a place to rest your eyes, if you will. So, my constants for Block 3 are the leaves, the buds and the star centers, although I think there's enough variation in the batik bud fabric to give a sense of change there without being overpowering.

Three down, one block to go! And a note: I have finished most of the applique on block one (lower right corner). There are three small leaves at the pointed end of each stem that I still need to cut and applique but that should go quickly!