Options for Chain Reaction

I'm still trying to decide how to put together my Chain Reaction quilt.  I tested out 3 new options for the hexagons.   The one on top is the original plan. On the left, is too boring. I really like the one in the middle, but I don't have enough of that fabric to do more than 2 or 3 hexagons, because I cut the triangles out of the same fat quarter. the one on the right isn't bad, although it would be better without the dark purple.

I think what I'm going to do is try to fussy cut the one on the right, to ensure that the really dark sections don't end up on an edge where they will meet the 9-patch blocks.  That will keep some definition between the sections. Then I should be OK, and it won't look quite so busy.  This is going to be a tiny quilt, since I'm working with 6 fat quarters and a bit of yardage.  Silly purchase on my part, but I guess I was thinking of a pattern which used a white background too.

Since it's the end of the month, I'll add my block count here for the 350 Block Prioject.

48 blocks - turquoise diamonds quilt
24 blocks - turquoise rectangles quilt
1 block - patchwork year
9 blocks - modern quilt
27 9-patch blocks for chain reaction

That's a total of 109 blocks completed this month.

January - 74
February - 69
March - 109
Total: 252 blocks so far this year.

No border

Being my typical self, I neglected to consider binding, when I was examining my border options for the quilt yesterday.  So, the answer is, no border. Because I need that fabric to bind it :)  I'm going to cut the strips a bit wider than usual, and aim for a 1/2" binding, to match the sashing dimension.  That is the way I was leaning originally anyway (no border), so the fabric situation just reinforces the decision.

In the meantime, while I pondered the options and read all your lovely comments, I finished the companion quilt.  This one gets a narrow border (it's about 2" finished) and then binding in the same fabric.  It finishes at 60x80, which should make it just about perfect for the twin bed that will (at least temporarily) be in the spare room.

And now my next quilt is up on the design wall. This was supposed to be a calmer version of Chain Reaction, but I don't think it's working out that way. 

Maybe I'll try adding a sashing (if I can figure out the math for how wide to make it) to separate the individual blocks more.

Or maybe I should scrap the fabric I've used for the hexagons and try something less busy there.

To border, or not to border

I have a quilt top put together!  But now I need to decide if it needs a border or not. I was not planning to border this one, but that was before I added the sashing.  Now I wonder if it needs a bit more. I have enough of the white fabric left to make a 2 or 2.5" border around the quilt.  The blocks are 9" finished, and the sashing is 1/2". What do you think?

 Now that this quilt is done (or almost, if I decide to add borders), I'm planning my next project. Have 3 in mind, not sure which will win out.

First, I have fabric from the Modern Quilt Guild for their Riley Blake challenge.  6 fat eighths from the Cottage Garden line.  I have decided on a plan, and needed some background to go with it. So that meant a shopping trip this past weekend to pick up a Riley Blake coordinate in order to meet the challenge rules.    Plus the ruler I needed, since the challenge is to try something you've never done before.

My other current thought is the "Chain Reaction" pattern.  I like the block design, although I would do it in a slightly less busy set of fabrics.

I also want to make another of the quilts shown above. But I think I need a break from this particular design for a while, so that will go on the back burner.

My stash report this week is looking good, thanks to the finished top. I might even hit black next week, if I can finish assembling the other turquoise quilt.

1 1/2 yards in, for the Modern Quilt Guild Riley Blake Challenge

7 1/4 yards out, turquoise/brown quilt

Stash totals for the year:
83 yards in
79 1/2 yards out
Total: 3 1/2 yards in

Drop by Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing this week.

It's almost a fix

I decided to add sashing to my quilt, to fix the alignment issues I had when I went to sew together my strippy blocks.  Unfortunately, I should have thought about the size of that sashing just a little bit longer. I made it based on the ideal cutting of those blocks, but life is never ideal and my strips are a bit more out of alignment than I accounted for.  But this will have to do, because I'm not taking it apart again :)  The edges of my squares are going to be a bit wobbly, but I think the overall design is still going to show through.  And I know what I did wrong, so I'm already planning a new quilt, using one of my jelly rolls.

The lower right section of this picture is complete. The rest is sewn into rows, but the rows aren't assembled yet.

I'm linking up over at WIPs be Gone today. One day I'll have something new to show you :)

Oops

Let's play a little game called spot the flaw.  Don't scroll too far/too quickly if you want to play - the answer is at the bottom.

Here's the quilt I've been working on so diligently. All 48 blocks are now cut and ready to be sewn together with a 1" sashing in between and a 4" border. I love this quilt, and it matches the room perfectly. So it is going to be a double-size, for the spare bedroom.  Hmm, apparently I didn't take a photo with all the blocks up.  The quilt is 6x8, not 5x7.

And here's quilt #2. A neat design obtained by setting the blocks on point and rotating them in various directions. I mapped it out in Electric Quilt, and I love it.  All the blocks are cut and ready to go.  The off-cuts from the ends of each strip make up the setting triangles, so I didn't even have to make any special blocks for it.

Now - spot the problem. What small, but very important factor did I forget to consider in this layout?

See how nicely the blocks line up on my design wall?  All the lines go in perfect directions and continue from one block to the next.

But then...

Are you ready?

Do you see what I missed, until I started sewing the blocks together?

The sections which had me the most concerned, where the stripes change direction between blocks, worked out perfectly.  The seams nest, the blocks line up, and life is good.

And then, I went to sew together 2 pieces where the lines continue in a straight line.  And realized that this is what is going to happen.

My lovely quilt is going to look like it was put together by a drunken sailor :(

 So, back to square one (well, square two, since the first quilt is still good to go).  I need a new plan for all these extra blocks and the setting triangles.

I'm linking up at WIPs Be Gone, and on Monday morning I'll also be over at Patchwork Times.  Maybe someone will have an inspiration for me.

Tool (mis)use

I'm almost ashamed to admit what I did with my precious quilting tool this morning.  I hunted everywhere for my exacto knife, and I could not find it. I have no idea where I put it after I used it last time (I know exactly where I thought I put it, where I should have put it).  But I really wanted to get the carpet pulled up in the spare room today, so I can get the remnants out for garbage in the morning.  We only have pickup every two weeks, so I've been planning this carefully.

So, what does a quilter do when she can't find an exacto knife to cut the carpet?  Brace yourself ... I used my rotary cutter.  I did switch the blade out for a used one (designated for cutting paper now) before I started. And even so, it cut through that carpet like butter.  Hopefully the quilt police won't be knocking on my door, for the misuse of quilting tools.

And now that step is done, I just have to paint a section of the wall (which was behind my cutting table) and put down the new flooring. Then I might actually be able to clear out a bigger section of my new sewing room and get everything organized in there.

On the other hand, in sewing news, I picked up a yard of fabric yesterday, which I hoped to use to finish my current quilt. I am running low on whites and in order to keep the last 3 blocks scrappy I needed a bit more. Unfortunately, it was the wrong white - despite my best efforts at matching.  I knew it was iffy when I bought it, but I had to try.  So, 1 yard into my stash this week. And nothing out, because I haven't finished any of my current projects yet.

Stash totals for the year:
81.5 yards in
72.25 yards out
Total: 9 1/4 yards in

Drop by Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing this week.

Slow progress

It's been a quiet week on the blog. That doesn't mean I haven't been working, but a pile of strip sets isn't much to show for all that effort. A couple of days of stress overload shut down quilting for a bit, so I didn't make as much progress this week as I had hoped to.

I'm still working with my string blocks and strip tube ruler. I discovered a new layout for the blocks - same blocks, completely different result. And soon, I'll actually be able to show it to you.  2 more strip sets to go, then I can cut them, put aside the 35 blocks I need for the first quilt, and lay out number 2.  In the mean time, my wall still has these blocks waiting for the next step.

Design Wall Monday - March 16

I had a productive weekend, and made lots of progress on my new quilt.  My design wall is busy today.

First, the new project (I guess it needs a name).  30 blocks complete, but I decided another 5 would make a good sized quilt, so I'm working on those now.  Conveniently, 1 strip set nets 5 blocks, so that's all I have left to do.

From the leftovers of that project, I have all these cute little triangles.  Not sure yet what they will become, but I'm working on a plan there.  If I have enough fabric, they may be setting triangles for an on-point version of this quilt.

And I have my modern blocks ready for guild. I'll sew them together later this week, in part so I don't lose them on the way to guild next Monday.

And, last but not least, I have my February block done for my Patchwork Year embroidery project. I'm almost keeping up on that one. Would really like to get ahead, because there is the most adorable owl project sitting on a shelf waiting its turn.

Drop by Judy's blog to see what everyone else is up to this week.

New Project

I'm almost caught up on some of my block of the month projects, so I decided it was time to start a new one. No new fabric, but I bought a pattern a few weeks ago. I didn't like the way it was assembled (foundation piecing) so I also picked up a strip tube ruler.  This morning, I cut all the strips I need to make 30 blocks. And the first 10 are now done.

It's not the most exciting quilt to put together (sew 14 strips together, cut into squares). But I am already loving the result! I bought this fabric over a year ago, with a vague plan in mind - a neutral quilt with pops of turquoise. This is a different quilt, but I think it was a good choice.


Stash report for this week - nothing in, nothing out.  But lots of sewing going on.

Stash totals for the year:
80.5 yards in
72.25 yards out
Total: 8 1/4 yards in

Drop by Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing this week.
Also linking up at WIPs Be Gone (thanks for the reminder), although I think this is more a case of creating WIPs, than finishing them :)

Stash Report - Mar 8

I've already counted all the fabric from the finishes I showed yesterday. But I can count 4 yards out for finishing my light neutrals quilt.  And here they are - both neturals quilts, taken in the same lighting.  This quilt pattern is from Amy Ellis's "Modern Neutrals".

These 2 quilts are made from the same set of strips. I just reversed which strip the large squares were cut from. I defnitely like the lighter version better.

Nothing came in this month, so my stash totals continue to drop towards a positive number.  Look!  Single digit negative number!!

4 yards out, nothing in this week.


Stash totals for the year:
80.5 yards in
72.25 yards out
Total: 8 1/4 yards in

Drop by Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing this week.

Finishes!

I have some finishes to celebrate this week. 

First, we have "Spectrum", a pattern from Fresh Lemons.  I saw some ombre fabric in fabulous colous at the quilt shop one day, and knew I wanted to make a quilt from them.  Took a while, but when I saw this pattern, it jumped right out at me.  The top was finished back in November, I quilted it over the Christmas holiday, and FINALLY finished binding and attaching the sleeve & label last week.

This quilt is "Metro Lattice" from Sew Kind of Wonderful. It's made with the quick curve ruler.  I love some of the neat designs you can make with that ruler.  I added the dark segment for some contrast/interest, and pieced the back with all the leftover pinwheel blocks from the intial assembly.

I see now that I attached the hanging sleeve across some of the pieced section of the back. Oops, not quite what I intended, but the quilt does definitely have a top so no choice there.

This is my One-Block Wonder quilt.  The fabric is "Scallops" from Kaffe Fassett - I used the leftover bits for the outer border.  I wasn't sure this fabric would work for a one block wonder, but I'm pretty happy with the end result.  Finally out of my UFO closet - quilted and bound, as part of a UFO challenge at my guild this year.

And one more for the UFO challenge.  This one is my "Grand Illusion" - Bonnie Hunter's mystery for 2014.  All quilted and bound - it really never achieved true UFO status, since it didn't end up resting for very long between steps.  But it's done, and in this case I call it UFO prevention :)

The backing is a fabric that I originally bought to make another one-block wonder, but in the interests of using stash rather than buying new, I instead used it for this backing.


I'm linking up at WIPS be Gone and TGIFF today.

New project

I got tired of working on my block of the month (almost caught up - working on March now). And my neutral quilt is almost done.  So I needed a new project.  The Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild has a challenge running this year, to create a modern block every month from a starter block provided.

After the last meeting, I dug out all the old starters and drafted my blocks for the past 8 months.  And today I started building them from fabric. I decided to do a blue & cream quilt, mostly because I have lots of blue scraps in my bins. I managed 3 blocks today, before I needed a break from that too.

I'm linking up at Freshly Pieced and the Needle and Thread Network today.

I found it! I found it!

My missing quilt has come home! Apparently I even made a backing for it. And then I carefully folded the backing up with the quilt inside it. And in one of my cleaning fests, I placed that backing fabric back on the shelf, thinking it was unused.

Hunting for backing for my neutral quilts today, I pulled this out and found a surprise inside!!

Badly in need of ironing, but the quilt is there and the backing is pieced, so now it's hanging - quilt side out - in my "to be quilted" closet.

It's design wall Monday today, but nothing has changed there. I still have my second neutral quilt on the wall from this post. I've been working on catching up on a Mystery quilt, so I have lots of blocks parts made and filed away in little baggies, but nothing to show yet.

Drop by Judy's blog to see what everyone else is up to.

Stash Report - March 1

I was out at a local quilt shop retrieving a quilt today, and I found this flannel fabric.

Isn't it just PERFECT for this pattern?

Look at these owls.  So adorable.  Now I just need to pick my fabric for the front, to coordinate with this backing fabric.  And hope I bought enough of it, too.

That was not good for my stash report however. Especially when I fess up to the 3 yards of background I picked up for another project. I probably only need 1/2 of it, but I didn't know and I don't want to run out partway through that quilt.

So, my stash report for this week.
Out:
5 yards - backing for toes in the sand
4 yards - dark neutral quilt
1 yard - binding for baby quilts & placemats

In:
5 yards - owl backing
3 yards - neutral background for modern quilt

10 yards out, 8 yards in. Still headed in the right direction!


Stash totals for the year:
80.5 yards in
68.25 yards out
Total: 12 1/4 yards in

Drop by Judy's blog to see how everyone else is doing this week.