Monday 7 May 2012

Put your shades on before viewing

I've been making the front of the quillow this weekend and cutting the sashing for the quilt bit.  I knew it would be bright but I didn't think it would carry a health warning!  If it were edible you wouldn't want to give it to children under 12.  I've been making two - a bit of tweedledee and tweedledum.  One is to show the finished block and one is to show the construction.  We did the last of the nine patches for the quilt at April's class.  I hadn't done two Dresden Plate blocks for some reason, so I did that first.  I don't think Leonardo Da Vinci would be too impressed with my centre circle though.


My beloved Thirties prints aren't everyone's cup of tea!


Then I started on the block for the cushion.  We started our first class with a nine patch and we are going to finish with a nine patch - only it's a bit more advanced!  The Card Trick is a lovely block, using half and quarter square triangles. You need to be very accurate or your points don't match and the effect is spoilt.


Pinned and ready to sew

Just to prove it IS a Nine-Patch

Accurate piecing is essential

Marking the borders

Ready to sandwich the cushion front
The other quilt is not quite a reverse of the this one and it is very busy and bright.  The Dresden Plate above belongs to the other twin.  The one shown above has dark jade green backgrounds and is a bit easier on the eye.


I've loved doing this project.  This afternoon I am going to sit and mark the sashing for both quilts and make the Card Trick Block for the second quilt.





I know it seems a lot of fuss to hand sew and mark every seam but for me every part is a relaxation.  If I want to make a quilt quickly I just get the machine out and put my foot down.  


If I get time I'll start the next part of the mystery quilt.  I made this a long time ago as a mystery quilt for some of my friends.  Alison and I already have made two each - probably about fifteen years ago but these are slightly different.  We couldn't find the instructions for some of the parts so had to make them up again.


I have a list of about a dozen things to do this Bank Holiday weekend and I think I've ticked four or five. I'm totally chilled out though and that wasn't even on my list.


There's an enormous pile of fabric that needs to be tidied and put away before the end of the day and a teetering basket full of ironing but it's only 10am and there's a stack of little triangles waiting in anticipation.  Iron or sew?  No contest.