What moves me, motivates me and keeps my sanity!





I've spent a good part of my life working with my hands. I crochet, tat, knit, quill (with paper), quilt, worked with polymer clay, embroidery, and needlepoint. Some of these I am better with than others.


This blog reflects what interests me. My current interests may change, but what never changes is the need to work with my hands and create something beautiful.


Friday, May 25, 2012

Shaking things up a bit

I realized as I finished my last entry that the reason I was  becoming impatient with the piecing of the quilt top was that I was approaching it too much as an assembly line.   When I began making more blocks for the top, I did all the centers, first the red center, then the green square, then I added the calico.  Once I got to the outer rings, I just did all the green, then yellow then white, then the blue.  Couldn't help but get a bit boring!

I realized that Granny pretty much had done one block at a time.  She had strips made of all the colors she had used, and added them as she went.  Using a machine made that a bit easier.  Me, I'm just a beginner, and since I wanted to make sure I was doing them all the same, I did each block by color.  I now realize that that's the BORING way to quilt.  Never again if I can help it.

So, here's the finished product....



Now, adding the next block alongside.....







I  really DO like this...the red calico as sashing wouldn't add enough color, IMHO, so I'm keeping it the way it was originally intended as my grandmother designed it.   The final red calico strip is 1 7/8".  That's enough to make a slightly larger seam and to allow for adjustment when the blocks are sandwiched with the quilt and backing.  As I mentioned before,  I'm going to do the lap quilt type of thing.   I have several types of hoops and frames, and will try a few different things.   I do know I will machine stitch the blocks together.  That's one concession I have to make.

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