Iceblossom

Well. Now that I've digested the setting triangles, I see why Joe's Mom redid some of her half blocks into full blocks. I'm going ahead with what I have but I am tempted to switch out those ones that I'm not happy with. As I do the setting triangles I'm being slightly fussy with what yellows I use and am not using any of the lightest ones that gave me the most troubles. As long as I stuck with school bus yellow I was ok, it was me diving into lemonade that caused problems.

I understand we need mysteries but I would have definitely made some different decisions on my pinwheels had I known then what I know now. So for those of you who are lagging behind benefit from looking ahead! There are reds I could have happily used for the half blocks that I didn't use at all because they were just an inch short of the full blocks...

I don't think this is a "breaking the rules" picture especially since the reveal has been made and we've been showing our blocks but I had a hard time picturing the pieces that would be left over and I figured that the half blocks would be a bit better utilized, but no... these are indeed half blocks made from the pieces of a full block. So these are the pieces left over from one block.

Iceblossom

Hmmm.... this is going to require more thought and more coffee.

While it doesn't bother me to have the rough edges for the setting triangles, I do that sort of thing all the time, it does bother me to have those unused pieces greatly.

Current thought is to just make them into full blocks, using what I've learned with being pickier on the yellows. Then take the blocks I'm unhappiest with and use them for the setting triangles, expect more of those pink ones in the edges along with the yellow/green bad combos and the ones with issues. No, it won't bother me to "do all that work" to put them together only to slice them apart -- I already did a lot of work in cutting and subunit assembly. Sometimes we call that crazy quilting for a variety of reasons. And hah! those funky monkeys that photo-bombed my progress shots will get culled out of the zoo by a quick flick of the rotary cutter. That first block where the one point disappears into the other square... well it will also disappear via rotary cutter.

I piece backs anyway, I'll make a sash of those sliced blocks and incorporate it there.

edit: I'll have to make the four corners as directed first and then yes, I think I will need to make some more 4-patches but I have plenty of narrow/short scraps. Another one of my problems in the early rounds was a red that had dark blotches and of course, just the dark blotch shows in the 1" square size. The sash would just be the triangles alternating in a single row, that should be enough to go across the quilt in one direction, or close enough for my purposes.

joe'smom

I just saw an interesting completed top on Quiltville. It looks like yellow was used in place of aqua, and a busy blue print as the neutral. The result of the yellow and receded sashing 'blocks' is that the stars really pop! The one drawback would be that the green doesn't show up as much against the blue. It also has a busy bunch of borders; all in all, it makes quite an impression.

wildyard

Today I finished all my corner blocks and half of sewing the FG together. I did put one whole block together, without the sashing.. and it's ok. I have one point on the center star that doesn't line up accurately. I'm debating whether to rip that out and try to fix it. Tomorrow is another day. LOL

Iceblossom

Well, I thought and thought and hemmed and hawed all day yesterday and didn't actually sew a stitch. I don't really want to but I think for me the thing to do is to make those setting triangles into full blocks and then cut my blocks for the half blocks, using the remainders as an accent strip on the back (which will be pretty cool actually). When I get my full set of blocks happy, I'll start cutting the setting triangles oversized at 1" over the diagonal point. That will let me slice off whatever it is I wish to slice off and give me plenty for the setting.

It is not ideal with the way the seaming and block is constructed, that diagonal seam does concern me. It would be easier if I used scraps to make some additional units to make two setting triangles instead of one and a bunch of "waste", but with my hand-dyes and the way we did that wouldn't be as easy as it sounds although it is possible. I will look and see if I can make the additional aqua/blue combinations (plus the red/blue 4-patches) that would allow me to get two blocks out of a half set. For some reason, not using entire block sets doesn't bother me as much as an unused half.

Yes, I could make something out of what is left from what I've already worked on but I basically just don't want to. If my scraps were more just on the dark/light side of things, I'd find them more usable for other projects, but as they are, my mind is not expanding to use them in any other project.

I've gone through my existing blocks and have selected out the one with the bad pinwheel, the bad green/yellow connections and other funky monkey type errors. I haven't cut them yet and won't until the very end, but I've marked them with a safety pin at the offending point. So I don't have to make all remainders into blocks if I can add in just a couple of triangles here and there, but for now it's back to the sewing machine with me.

It isn't that much extra work, I come out without extra pieces, and I'll be happier. All around, it's a win/win.

joe'smom

You and me both, Iceblossom. It was that interesting Frolic photo I saw that distracted me. It got me thinking about neutrals again, and led to some experimenting, but in the end I decided to stick with my current plan.

By the end of the day today I hope to be back to where I was when I realized I would have to switch out some blocks. From there it shouldn't be long before I have the half blocks finished. I'm eager to start on the full ones.

I saw another interesting Frolic photo this morning on Quiltville. This one was set on point yet had no movement whatsoever. The only distinctive feature I can see that sets it apart from Bonnie's version is that there is virtually no contrast between the goose and wing color on the green geese. They are both dark and the green is a very bluish green.

PiedPiper

I haven't begun the quilt but I have a question about the flying geese. I like to make mine in the 4-at-a-time method (Deb Tucker wing clipper ruler)...but I'm wondering if there's any way to use that method to make the 3-color flying geese? I'm really averse to cutting the pieces out as half-square and quarter-square triangles and then having to attach the bias edges to each other - I always manage to stretch them somehow during that process.

Maybe I just have to use the method of two squares on a rectangle, making one unit at a time, although it does tend to be a bit wasteful.

Do any of you awesome ladies have any tips or tricks for those three-color geese?? Thanks!

Iceblossom

For my geese, PiedPiper, I started with Bonnie's Mountain/Goose triangle the size she had us cut it from the strip. Instead of using the two squares method. I cut an oversized square which I then sliced on the diagonal and centered the too big corner triangle on the correctly sized goose.

Many people used different techniques. Just keep in mind that it does matter which side is which on the 3 colored ones.

I press open so could ignore all that, but if you press to the side her blocks will go together better if you follow her directions on which way/how/when to do the seams.

QuiltingNinaSue

I am processing along at my pace, working on clue 6, making flying geese, and finished over the halfway mark now. I like what I have done, and doing now. Patience is a virtue, although I am in the slow lane, I am still moving forward. Loving the postings.

wildyard

Yay, I fixed the off point in the center of the first block, finished sewing the FG together and matched up all the sets. Then I made a second block... I'm happy!