Cre8tvlwyr

If you go back to my post #1970 - a page or two ago depending on how many posts you have per page, you will find a list of post numbers that include some tutorials for some of the blocks we have found to be either a little difficult or found some alternate ways of making them.

I - and many others on this forum - prefer to make our blocks a little closer to Jane's original. Although Brenda's book is absolutely phenomenal, there are some block sketches that simply don't match the original. She's a great lady and tried to make the book so that we can all be successful in coming close to reproducing Jane's beautiful quilt. Where her drafting differs, it is most often because she has made it somewhat simpler. One of the blocks I made this weekend was L-11 although not on the schedule til June 30 - I loved the fabric I had picked for it so did it yesterday. Look at the sketch and the original block. The sketch is missing the extra background strip that appears to be around the center print square. The border strips should actually have small triangle background pieces in the middle... it is a little harder but not that intimidating. If you check the picture in the post above you can sort of see what I mean. The block is the last block in the bottom right just before the triangles and is blue. You will note the white that goes all the way around the center square and see triangles coming out. I just checked the 'thatquilt' blog and they made the change also although I didnt paper piece. I will post that picture too - but go over it again in June.

I worked on a few of them this weekend and redrafted them before sewing them together. A1 is a great example - the inner blocks are not halfsquare triangles in Jane's quilt. The inner section is more like an octagon and very 'wonky' so we redrew it! I-7 is another block not made with perfect half square triangles. If you look at the original you will see that the lines separating the white background from the print in the inner squares line up to form the appliqued triangles in the outer borders. I will post a picture of the block in the next day when I take a real picture of it and include some directions. It was on our schedule for this past week. The thatquilt.blogspot.com site has some great tips and I will check it out before I make a block if the construction I want to use is not obvious to me. I love to paper piece when it is the only way but hate to tear out a ton of paper because I do feel it can distort your final product. Because I find there have been several blocks I personally feel need adjusting, for me I have not used the software as much as I had thought I would. I think it is easy enough to make a copy of the sketch in the book. When I think an adjustment needs to be made, I do so with pencil directly in the book on the existing sketch with some measurements. I trace in good lighting from the book to freezer paper or to kids coloring paper which can be ripped out more easily than regular paper when I need to paper piece. In order to plan an applique piece, I trace to freezer paper and cut out the piece to be appliqued. I use the 'window' created by this method to 'audition' the part of the fabric I want and when I find it I carefully put the cut out part on that fabric. I then use the window to mark my background to indicate where the piece goes. When you draw inside the window your design is slightly too small. When you draw around the applique piece freezer paper template, your design is slightly too big. This will help hide the markings you make in case you cant get all of the marks out and still ensure your placement is accurate.

Have fun & enjoy
Gus

if you have any questions - feel free to ask here or send a PM