Sunday 22 March 2015

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.


6 comments:

  1. oh man I didn't see it until I read it. I really like the second layout too. Hopefully someone will have some brilliant creative solution for this one. I love the color combination, so relaxing

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  2. I like the "drunken sailor" variation! Right now I'm reading Roderick Kiracofe's latest book, "Unconventional and Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar." Your design fits right in. http://www.roderickkiracofe.com/about-1/

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  3. Uh-oh! Maybe you can match them all up to meet at angles? Both layouts are stunning!

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  4. Would sashing in those bad-meet-up-spots help?

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  5. Oh I love the second design so much! This is what I would do. I'd take a back and batting and place the blocks on top (starting in the center with the blocks butting up to each other - say starting with four of them) and zig-zag them together with invisible thread, so they will look like the layout. It could be a wall hanging and wouldn't suffer too much handling that way.

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  6. Thanks for linking to WIPs Be Gone. Now I wonder what you'll show this week?

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