Iceblossom

So another top done... Simplish/Horse with No Name. Had the CD full of America's Greatest Hits, plus 60s and 70s gold to dance and sing along with. The piece of desert background was so badly cut, I should have theoretically been able to get two more strips out of it which would have helped me a lot and if I had two full yards it would be quite different.

Originally designed with 24 blocks (8 across, 3 sets down), this is 12 blocks, 6 across, 2 down, plus the top and bottom "border" blocks. The border fabric and the border blocks are the same fabric as the backing, which was one of my $1/yard Walmart buys from last year. I originally cut 8 of the red/white horse fabric before I found I was so short on the background and decided to use 6. The other 6 are dark backgrounds. Even with such a simple design and so few blocks I played with them and amused myself for quite awhile before arriving at this layout, with the dark fabrics along the outer edge.

Always a decision on how to work with directional fabrics... I decided that even though I was working with very directional fabric I didn't want it to end up as directional, so would construct all my blocks the same way so that half would be upside down. The border blocks I decided to face the same way with the outer border the same orientation. The sides I could have more easily cut along the long edge but then I was faced with the directional issues again, so decided to cut across the width. I actually put the first side on upside down... wanted the feet on the inside and the heads out, but it's amazing how when faced with a long seam to take out that I can change my mind on such things!

I have another little project that isn't quite kitted out but all the fabrics are collected. Thinking that's next...

joe'smom

Very interesting quilt, Iceblossom. I like your half and half solution for directional fabrics!

retiredteacher09

Iceblossom: Wow! Another quilt top done. Way to go!

Iceblossom

I have started the "next" project, have pictures in the Virtual Sewing Weekend thread.
Virtual quilting weekend—April 10-12, 2020

Related to that I was having fun with my stash, went into my solid box looking for a light purple (not light enough), a "butter" solid (couldn't find), the green that was my "parakeet" from the Bonnie Hunter project (not right), and I stumbled into a great option which turns out to be blue and shiny! It's in the wash now so it's coffee break/board time for a bit.

I tried a couple of other things like different off whites as well and generally just had an hour or so fun with fabric and it is slightly more straightened out than it was before. I had a lot of things I had pulled for my Tuesday group, some of us were going to do the Canadian Row by Row and I was trying to temp others in with fabric. Have to put them back in the appropriate color boxes instead of traveling bags of fabric...

elly66

Iceblossom that is lovely. Beautiful colors and you matched so well.
My quilt room is a disaster between all the quilt projects and masks but it's a productive disaster at least. It is starting to bother me so I will need to do some cleaning this afternoon.
Doing the Unity quilt along that Bonnie Hunter is hosting and there's as many pieces as it looks like in her quilts (my first one to do). Of course there's worse things than being surrounded by fabric pieces. Used 6 2/3 yards of fabrics on masks so far.

retiredteacher09

elly66: What a great way to use up your stash by making masks. I need to make a few for my sons and myself but wasn't too thrilled with the first 2 I made. Back to the drawing board.

Iceblossom: I like the bunny fabric.

WMUTeach

Retiredteacher09, have you seen the Jordan Fabrics video for masks? It takes a little more time, but the masks fit the face better.
Give a look, the extra features would only add a couple of minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3igudjup3g

Iceblossom

Well, sometimes a great plan doesn't work so well. It's a good thing I always do a test block or two and I immediately found out that my star blades were much too wide! I'm using a ruler I've had for 20 or so years and the width of strip I thought I needed and markings it had matched -- but it turned out it wasn't the measurement I wanted! That's the problem with some of the specialty rulers is when you still need the book to use it well, or maybe I just need to do a few more projects with it. I do have my lonestar sampler coming up so part of deciding on the Lemoyne star was to gain some skills before that one.

Had to make yet another one of my taped ruler tools. Turns out that even when I try to sew precisely, I'm still ending up with cutting large and trimming down.

It's all good though, I'm having zero issues with the set in squares. I'm zipping up the diagonal seam and then placing the square using that little mark I made to help line it up. Then I'm actually sewing from the other side, using the existing seam as my starting point. Fold and twirl and sew the next seam.

WMUTeach

If at first you don' succeed, try, try again, Iceblossom. And you did!

retiredteacher09

WMUTeach: I did watch the Jordan video a few days ago but my youngest sent me a few patterns he was interested in. Thanks for the link though.

Today my youngest (37) asked what machine I had and said he didn’t know if he would remember how to sew. I told him I could have my machine ready in 10 minutes because I basically needed to put it in my sewing rolling tote since the tote still had things I would take to classes in it. I added material to the tote. I also sent him a video of how to turn it on and which buttons to push to start sewing. So he now has the machine and we will see if he tries some masks. I did make another one for him today and he will get that tomorrow to try on for size and fit. Maybe he will take an interest in sewing and try to sew for his baby. That would be so awesome! Wishful thinking.