What I Did On My Rain Days Off

I worked on the Pointing the Way project on these 2 days with work closed due to the weather.   I completed seven 16 square patch blocks, and sewed the middle four together. 

I also started looking at the pattern's recommended borders (these half square blocks were already sewn).  I wonder if they want a narrow border between the main star and the point border?  I'd have to calculate it so the points would still work.  I suppose I could cut down the ones I already have sewn to make it work.

Since I have an aversion to white space, I'm thinking of putting a smaller version of the large pattern in the corner blocks - also made the half square blocks for it.  Perhaps I should embrace the white space, I'm just not sure.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Pointing the Way - as of 10/30/2012

 I did pretty well on the center section, so I'm not putting anything over it.  (The pattern calls for an appliqued compass points on a circle.  You can find the pattern online -- it opens a pdf file -- at this link.)

Pointing the Way - Middle Section Close Up

I'm tired now and starting to make mistakes, so I'm going to stop sewing for the evening.

Subtlety Is Not My Forte

One of my current projects was from one of my local quilt shop's, Webfabrics, for National Quilting Day 2011, called Pointing the Way (pattern by Martha Ethridge).  I think I got it in March.  Now that I have a design board (and I highly recommend one) I think progress will be faster.  This one was very hard to visualize in pieces laid on a table.  I could only get 1/4 of it visible at a time.  Now that I see it up it is much easier to piece.  Yep, more precision required.  I am becoming one with my seam ripper!

Pointing the Way

I did not pick the fabrics and initially thought they were far too similar.  Seeing it in the photo, though, I see the variation and I like it.  This one is helping me hone my eye to the subtle differences in shading.  I tend to prefer big, bold coloring.  I am starting  to explore shading and slight changes in hues because I have some more artsy fartsy ideas that will require this to work.

Mad for Plaid!

It's Saturday, so it's Block of the Week day!  I started the day checking out the new block on Barbara Brackman's Grandmothers Choice: Votes for Women blog.

The block this week is called Brick Pavement: March on Washington.  It commemorates the march on Washington prior to Woodrow Wilson's inauguration.  There was a parade, mad men (really angry men, actually) and a white horse.  Read the blog for more!

I had trouble early in the day figuring out what I wanted to do...so many possibilities.  I took a break and went with a friend to one of our favorite shops in Purcellville, VA, WebFabrics! Yummy!  We got fabric for a workshop we are taking soon.  THEN, this fabulous black/white plaid fabric jumped into my hands, followed by a lovely black on black floral, and about 8 other fat quarters and a charm pack that I NEED for this project.  (I think I'll have enough for 5 more quilts in these colors by the end of the year!)

The plaid and floral inspired me and this is the result for week 9:

I used the tip I learned from this same friend at a recent quilt retreat:  You can't use too many pins.  I'll add that I find you can't iron too much!

Block of the Week - Can I Keep Up?

A woman in the guild I am in mentioned a "Block of the Week" project that started on September 1st.  CRAZY, I thought!  No way could I keep up.  It would be tooooooo difficult for me at my stage of quilting experience. 

So, I joined!

It is on Barbara Brackman's blog, Grandmother's Choice where she is providing the history of the women's suffrage movement in the U.S.  Each week she posts a new block and explains its inspiration.  I am learning SO much.

We've done 8 weeks now....here's my first 8 blocks: 

I chose this color combination because I think it is perhaps a choice that we would choose today if we were faced with this topic.  And because I really love these colors - I hope they're not too much once I get 49 blocks done.  The light turquoise will be in every block accompanied by the black and white or red-orange. 

I have decided since I made it by week 4 with the sunflower block, I can do any of them.  Here's hoping!

Another way I am learning through this process is by seeing what everyone else is doing with their blocks on the Grandmothers Choice Flickr group. Check it out!

What's in a Blog? (or what I am doing here?)

Well, what am I doing in blog-land?

I have been quilting for a little over a year and have recently been learning a lot of "tricks of the trade", if you will.  I'm also working on projects to force me to sew blocks I might never have thought of doing and to force me to be quite precise.

So - I thought I would record some of my musings to try to remember some of these tips as I go.  It will be nice to have a record of what I'm working on as well.

In between quilting, I do a little photography and a little other crafting.  Sometimes I just muse.

Let's create!