Filling a Gap in a Map

For various reasons too complicated to explain here, I ended up with a 2″ gap in a 9″ high space above a door, between the right side of one strip and the left side of the subsequent strip.

If I had moved the right strip of paper next to the strip on the left, you would have seen the pattern repeat itself for 2″. Not a big deal, since it’s high over a door, and it’s a busy pattern anyway. But I knew I could make it look better.

I cut a strip of paper that would match up with the pattern on the left, butted it in place, and then let it overlap onto the strip to the right. This left the same pattern falling on top of itself, just two inches away. The eye would see that repetitive pattern.

To disguise that, I used my scissors to trim vertically along one of the rivers and then branching to some of the smaller tributaries, leaving a jagged line that helped break up the repetitive pattern.

To break it up more, I cut some additional pieces, always cutting along a river so there would be a visible, logical break in the design, and appliqued these on top, such that they broke up the rhythm of the repetitive design.

I even turned one piece upside down, so the eye could not possibly see any pattern repeating itself. Yes, the words were now appearing upside down – but from 9′ down on the floor, and a whole lot of other things to look at, no one is going to notice.