The Turtle Wins the Race, Right, Rabbit?

While working out this morning I found myself listening to one of the TED Radio hour podcasts from NPR.  Odd topic it was – “Slow”.   The subject focused around appreciating that sometimes, things move slowly for a reason, and that high-tech may not be the ultimate savior of everything; that slow is sometimes the best, most effective approach to a problem or issue. 

Then, as I was looking through a few blogs, it kind of hit me – I am a “slow” quilter.  But, I like that.  I’ve never been one to only want to sew in a straight line – I like curves, I like hand piecing, and I like taking my time to enjoy the process of making the quilt – top to bottom, back to front.  I think that’s why I can easily get frustrated with new patterns and "new" ideas – because some of those are aimed purely at the notion of how fast can we churn out a quilt and move on to the next.  I'm not the rabbit, I guess, and want to enjoy the process of making and composing a quilt - and making it my own.

I see this notion of "slow" relating in one of my latest endeavors – make this quilt that uses 3 ½” blocks – little pieced star blocks.  And, oh yeah, it’ll take 256 (yes, that’s 2-5-6) of them.  But, that’s just the start.  In addition, it takes numerous additionally-cut 3 ½” squares.  What am I?  Nuts for taking on this project?  Yeah, probably so.  But having to make 3 ½” hunter’s stars was a challenge for me.  I normally like to work with big, bold patterns and this one is small (small!).  But, last weekend, I accomplished (crossed the finish line) what I thought would take a lifetime – over 256 little, 3 ½” hunters stars completed. I think this actually took me about 2 years, working off and on.  I admit, I must have gotten overzealous when cutting the last star pieces (probably because I saw the light at the end of the tunnel), and cut a few too many.  Oh well – completed as they are, I’ll use them somewhere. 

Here's the quilt I'm patterning from.  Lots of squares.  But, for me, that's dull, so I'm mixing up the colored squares and free-piecing scraps to add more interest.

So, out of a fabric I bought on-line – and it looked really neat on line, but when I got it, I kind of hated it and set it aside – I now have 256+ star blocks that I smile at every time I look at them.  Funny, when something is cut into little pieces and sewn in a different configuration, something once icky becomes enjoyable.  Lesson learned:  don’t discount those fabrics you don’t like:  cut them up and you may find they take on a new life.  

The original fabric, being cut into 1 1/4" strips to make the stars.  I didn't like this so much to begin with, but cut apart and paired with the white star, I really like the effect.

So, here’s what 256 star blocks look like. 

Staging for keeping track of all the pieces I needed for each star. A block of Styrofoam comes in handy.  

Close up of the 3 1/2" stars.  I liked some of the printing on the edge of the fabric, that I included in the stars.  Gives some clues as to what fabric was used.

And, to complicate the quilt further – instead of cutting all those additional 3 ½” squares to put the block together, I decided to modernize and retro it at the same time by creating the pieces I need out of scraps sewn in wonky ways.  I rather like this treatment as it adds more interest to the quilt.  If I have a path to choose  - one easy and one hard – I’m pretty much taking the “hard way home”.  I’ll get there; it will be slow.  But I enjoy this process and enjoy the excitement that free-sewing can provide.  It’s a bit of freedom that comes along with the process – it’s challenging and fun at the same time. 

This is the finished block.  Each block will look slightly different as I free-piece the colored side of the block.  I'm doing this instead of cutting all those 3 1/2" squares.  I like the effect more as it provides much more interest (at least it does for me).

This the back of the block.  Just for fun.

Have fun in what you enjoy doing.  I think it frees your mind to be even more creative. Linking up with friends this week, after being gone for a while... 

Happy Quilting!

How the Yellow Brick Road Became Star Flowers

Stardate 2017.187.1

Just what do you do with blocks that you’ve diligently pieced according to the pattern, then kinda don’t like the way the quilt top looks when you lay it out on your design wall?

That was my dilemma.  So, the blocks got shoved into the closet…for a year or so.  I didn’t want to deal with them.  Wasn’t happy with them.  They’d just remain a “UFO”.  But, one day, I thought to myself, “Self, what if you cut those blocks apart and set them in a different pattern?”  Turns out, that was the defining moment – and the trick to liking the blocks again.  So, I started cutting them apart, and here’s what emerged from the rubble:  A quilt I L-O-V-E! 

I think the problem with the original quilt – which was the Yellow Brick Road pattern -  was that the all of the colors were a bit to bold, and in mass they just got lost in the shuffle with none of them really standing out.  Plus, the original design didn’t have any “breathing room” for the eye; nowhere for the eye to relax and pause.

The smathering of blocks from the Yellow Brick Road pattern The high saturation of all the colors gave me heartburn when it was all together in a mass...

Enter the Star Flowers quilt design/pattern from Love of Quilting - March/April 2014.  

With the star pattern, now, the eye had a place to stop and rest; a place to linger and look at the quilt without becoming highly overwhelmed.  The white – a common tool in the contemporary quilter’s stash – became the exact component needed to break up the heavy, strong colors. 

Under construction and after the original pieces had been cut apart and placed in a new arrangement with the white to let the eye rest.  Ahhh.....

So, what did I learn from this little endeavor? 

• 1    Sometimes, when you think things aren’t going your way, they actually are.  You just need to revamp your vision.
• 2.    Those unwanted blocks can turn into the belle of the ball.
• 3.    Don’t be afraid to explore different ideas. 

This was a challenging quilt to set together because it was loaded with Y-seams and lots of areas where using a partial seam really helped get those points matched up between stars. 

I finally set out to quilt it – after being inspired by Karen McTavish and the McTavishing method, I decided I’d try my hand on this large quilt.

McTavishing in the white diamonds of the quilt.  The quilting really lends motion to the quilt.

I started by using 40 weight King Tut quilting thread.  While it worked okay, it was very bulky thread and really shows where you had to backtrack on your quilting.  So, I got the hair-brained idea that using 100 weight polyester thread would do the trick.  Boy, did my machine NOT like that thread.  So, I then found the Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread, and it actually worked out really well.  The machine mostly liked the thread (they played well together for the most part) and the stitching didn’t seem so “thick”.  So, off I went, attempting to get this quilt done to enter into the fair this year (which is at the end of July), when…darn it!!!  … the needle came loose and jammed in the machine, so now the machine skips stitches.  A call to Bob – the guru of machine repairs…we’ll see if he can work his magic and I might still have time to finish the quilting in time for the fair…

The quilting in the center stars came out cool...I didn't realize it when I experimented with the quilt design, but it made a secondary star in the center of each star.  Fun!

Things I learned while quilting the quilt top…

• 1.     Make sure to cut ALL the tails and dark threads from the fabric on the back side of the quilt.  (I forgot…and now have dark spots showing through the white fabric, when you look at it close (and a judge will…))
• 2.    An extra layer of batting would have helped the quilting show through better.
• 3.    Thinner thread breaks more easily.  So, be patient as you work on the quilting, and realize that if you use the same color thread as your background (or what you’re quilting), some of your mess-ups won’t ever really show. 
• 4.    Stitching in the ditch using a ruler can be HARD.  But, like Karen McTavish said, “Do what’s hard”. 

In the words of Bob Ross, the painter, we don’t make mistakes, we have “happy accidents”.  That’s that this quilt is – a happy accident.

A larger view of the quilt.  I'm really enjoying how the quilting is enhancing the overall quilt. Lots of hours, but fun to watch it come alive.

 Here's hoping you have some happy accidents in your quilting adventures. 

Linking up with friends at Busy Hands Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Scrap-tastic!

Stardate 2016.259.01

Sometimes we all need a bit of a break, even from the things we love to do.  After being so focused for the first 8-months of the year, trying to get quilts done for various deadlines, I think I just needed to have some down time.  Seems a common theme, as I’ve read others’ blogs.  My “break” came in the form of taking a trip for a relative’s wedding.  Now, while I spent much of my vacation helping out with the wedding, it was time spent away from feeling that I had another quilting deadline to meet.  That break helped my brain calm down and re-focus on some of the various projects that I’d put on hold.  When I came back to my quilting, I found myself finding a happy place again. 

Finally I’ve been able to get time in to play, an oh what a smile it put on my face.

Being inspired by the likes of Victoria Findlay Wolfe and her suggestion that we spend 15-minutes “playing” by just piecing scraps together got me to start working on this fun-filled 6-pointed star.

One scrappy star which I'm currently auditioning background fabrics to use.  (This just makes me smile!)

Now, while the technique really is not really new, it does let the mind just relax and produces some fun combinations.  I have antique quilts  - one of my aunt’s and one from my husband’s grandparents – which both used the sewing together of scraps to make larger pieces of which to cut shapes to make into a quilt block.  So, here’s how I created the scrappy pieces…

Start with a bag of scraps, and pick out any scrap you like.  I grabbed this red triangle…that’s my start.

Then, I grabbed this fun black-and-white fabric that would easily combine with the red scrap.  Sew one side, then press. (I used a standard 1/4" seam) 

Go back into your scraps and pick another…and stitch away.  Each time, it helps to set the seam with the iron, then press the fabric to one side.

I gave this a quick audition and I liked it, so I attached the hot pink scrap to the red & black scrap pieces.

Trim off the seam to be a ¼” seam.  Now, just keep on going until you have enough scraps sewn together to cut a piece for the block. My tip is this - don't spend too much time "auditioning" scraps to use; the more spontaneous, the better.

Just tidying up the seam allowance to the 1/4" standard.  

If you happen to get a wonky edge, then just create yourself a straight line by trimming the piece were necessary.   That’s what I did here.  I had an L-shape and I just cut off a chunk to eliminate the L-shape.

I had a wonky edge where the red scrap and the retro scrap came together in almost an "L" shape.
So, I lopped off the pieces to give me a straight edge to add a new scrap to.  

I had enough scraps sewn together to cut the block piece.  In this, I’m cutting a 5 ½” diamond using Jaybird’s quilt ruler (that makes it really easy).   While you are working on positioning the ruler on the scrappy fabric before cutting, be aware of where the points land; you want the points not to land directly on a seam.  So, take your time and just be aware of where you are placing the ruler, before you cut.  Kind of like the old adage, “Measure twice, cut once”. 

You can see where I sewed the pink scrap to the wonky edge which I cut (above).
Now, I have a large enough piece of fabric, so I can cut the piece I want for my star.

Once you have the diamond cut, you’re one-sixth of the way there.  Now, keep on going…

So, here's one-sixth of the next star that I'll assemble.
This is so fun and spontaneous that you just don't know how it's going to turn out. 

I’ll work on getting the star sewn together, but, I’m still trying to decide if I want a patterned background or not.  I’m leaning towards “not”, because I don’t want the block to become too busy, and if I use a solid background, the emphasis really focuses on the scrappy stars.  We’ll see where I land.

I’m having so much fun with this technique.  One piece of advice – and why I understand Victoria says to just take 15 minutes to play – seriously, after 15 minutes, your spontaneity fades and you find yourself naturally trying to “match” fabrics.  By just playing for 15 minutes or so, you focus less on that need to match fabrics and you actually wind up with something very spontaneous and energetic.  

Hope you try this sometime...and have as much fun as I'm having.

Linking up with friends at the various link parties on the right.

Keep Calm and Quilt On