Threads Together: May (eep!)
My June and July have been more than insane, in a good way - all part of my plan to have the best summer ever.
So I can’t work up a lot of guilt over not posting here much.
On the other hand, falling behind on my virtual quilting bee output does have me hanging my head in shame. Especially when, after thinking I had sent Cris’ blocks weeks and weeks ago, I just found them while cleaning the guestroom. What???
So while we’re on the subject, I might as well show you them.
I think a lot of folks doing the bee thing choose one or two dominant fabrics and then a bunch of accents, so Cris’ fabrics were a fun challenge, since they were pretty similar in value. I chose a chevron pattern because I wanted to show off big chunks of fabric in roughly equal amounts, but with a sense of movement. And made from a bunch of 3 7/8″ half-square triangles, it was no trouble at all to get this one together. Please, please, please, even if you are a beginning quilter and hoping to remain so, learn to make half-square triangles. They’re as easy as squares to cut and piece once you’ve practiced a bit, and they’ll expand your piecing repertoire many times over.
And this is a concept I fell in love with a few years ago when I saw a quilted bag in a Japense craft book made up of similar patches. The randomness makes for incredible ease of piecing, but the side borders really clean things up, visually. Also, I think with all the squares we’re used to seeing in patchwork, a bunch of rectangles becomes incredibly pleasing to the eye.
There. Blogged. Now, to get these, and others in the mail….
August 16th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I am so glad I was not alone in getting behind. I had a huge meltdown and thought I had lost envelopes full of fabric. But after looking and looking, I found them after more fabric–where else would they be…..then I had to find the time to get my act together. That day, when I finished all the blocks..and put them in the mail, I was so happy. This month, I did my blocks the week the fabric came. That was so much better, the stress was gone and I enjoyed the experience of sewing for someone else….take your time..I love this project. I’m even thinking of putting those wonderful Kaffe blocks I got together for a wonderful quilt. I have a special place picked out for it…hopefully before year’s end.
Thanks for organizing this great group of quilter….
Great blocks today!