A Chuppah in Progress

This is a tale about moving from there (above) to here (below).

And, before I proceed, I must reiterate my warning that my camera is dying a slow death and is not doing justice to the vibrant colors in the chuppah. The dull, somewhat 70s era shading stems from the combination of the crappy camera, indoor lighting, and flash (thanks rain!).

Starting to lay out the blocks, with the light and light/medium blocks in the center.

Surrounded by medium blocks,

and then by medium/dark and dark blocks.

However, the more I looked at, stared at, and contemplated the design, the more I realized something was off. It was unbalanced and didn't work. The problem, I determined, was the rectangular shape.

All along, I'd been thinking about a square; I decided it needed a square center, which would blossom into a big square. So I made more blocks (barely squeezing out the last dark blocks, hoping the fabric strips could eek out 2 more blocks). Which they did:

[See those striations, they are not in the quilt, they simply reinforce the ill camera.]

Here's a better shot, from a different angle:

I'm still a little concerned about posting these pictures, because they don't show off the quilt top well. Don't hold it against the chuppah. Here are some close-ups that, I think, give a better sense of what the colors look like.

Making this quilt reminded me that fabric surprises you. I included some fabrics I was unsure about in combination with others, fabrics that while making the blocks stood out to me, making me wonder if they really fit in. Then, when it was all put together, I barely noticed them. They blended in, my concerns unfounded.

The chuppah is not complete, but the pieced top is. The first time I saw this design, I thought it would make a lovely chuppah, and I'm glad I'm able to make it for a good friend. I don't, however, intend to make the design again anytime soon, for it is very labor intensive; chain-piecing helps, but strip-piecing is limited because variety is key in this design.

I've been calling this "Beth & Harley's chuppah."
Any suggestions for other, less literal and more evocative names?