LOVE my sampler quilt

I love this quilt. I love the fabric. I love the blocks. They aren't perfect, but that is what I love about it. Each block has a memory attached to it. I can see the puckering from my very first applique block. There was the disaster of the wonky block. Still have no idea what went wrong. There is going to be a hole in one of the blocks because I have no seam. Very few of my points are perfect; some are worse than others. None of it matters though because when it is quilted and laying on my lap, I am going to remember what fun I had with the quilt along. Konda did a great job organizing this quilt along.


I didn't follow the layer cake layout instructions. I used the jelly roll layout instructions. I perused the jelly roll flickr page and saw one with a scrappy border in addition to the sashing and the main border. I think it turned out well. Did I say I love this quilt?

Sampler quilt

I have my first sampler quilt! Thanks to Moose on the Porch's Layer Cake Quilt Along, I have my very own sampler quilt. I love it! I have worked through several issues through this quilt along. I gave up some control by not knowing the entire pattern when starting. I have learned fabric selection and scale. I've worked with scraps. Lots of little things that have made me a better quilter, in my opinion.

So here is block 12. Super easy to put together. Only two seams to match. I succeeded in getting one to match.

The finishing instructions should be up soon. I am excited to see all the blocks together with sashing, etc..

Brought to you by the letter E

It is really hard to believe there is only one block left in the Layer Cake Quilt Along. I liked the block, but the cutting and piecing weren't completely straightforward. I act like a teenager sometimes when I quilt. I ignore words like "scant 1/4 inch seam" and "1/8th inch". This block called for both. So some of my seams don't match up. I decided to cut my loses and move on.

Dreaming of spring

It isn't quite spring yet here in Iowa. Last week we got snow. We are now in that see-saw between winter and spring. Block 10 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along looks like a tulip. Something as simple a floral block can cheer me up and this one did.

I spent a lot of time picking the fabrics for this block. I didn't have two matching layer cake squares for the background, so I had to go with coordinated fabrics. I used scraps as much as I could. That's kind of what got me into trouble. I had laid out all my fabrics, figured out my colour scheme and started cutting. One of my scraps I had miscalculated. I couldn't find an appropriate substitute that worked with all the other colours and I wasn't going back to re-pick fabrics. I just took another matching scrap and sewed it to get the appropriate length. So there is an extra seam in the block. My OCD for colour and print overrode my OCD for extra seams.

I think it turned out well. Since there isn't a real background fabric, it looks a little busy. There are only two blocks left. That is crazy! It seemed like May was so far away when I started. Now it is upon us. I can't wait to see what the final layout is going to be.

Just not motivated

This sat on the cutting mat for a week. I just wasn't that motivated. I couldn't decide on which layout for this block, but I eventually decided on option 4. I hope that the cream doesn't stand out too much in comparison with the other blocks. I like it. It reminds me of a wrapped package, like with a bow.

I received my quilts from Jenny yesterday. I am working on one of the table topper's binding right now. I think there should be a movement towards frayed/no binding quilts. I greatly dislike that final 45 degree seam. Ugh!

Choices! Choices!!

It seems hard to believe, but block 9 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along came out today. That means we are 3/4 done. I have been a bit of a square hoarder so I think I may have some left over at the end. A couple blocks ago I kind of panicked and started using as many scraps as possible. I also used a solid that wasn't in the layer cake. I may be able to do a block 5 redo.

There are 4 layout options. I picked my fabrics with a general idea of the shapes in mind. Which option do you think I should go with?

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

If done correctly

If done correctly, you can mis-measure. It happened again. I had a scrap piece that wasn't large enough for Block 8 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along. I needed a 5 inch square, but the strip was only a smidge over 4 1/2 inches wide. I decided to eek it out again. This time I was intentional in my sewing and figured out exactly where I should sew to make it a 4 1/2 inch block. I was right on the edge and I did have to use some fusible web to reinforce, but how awesome am I with my measurements?!

Since the block had two options for arrangements, I did my usual preview.

I went with the first arrangement. I thought it showcased the large floral better. I really like how this block turned out. I am also glad I got to incorporate a couple colours that haven't seen much time in the previous blocks.

Don't mismeasure on purpose

Block seven in the Layer Cake Quilt Along allowed for the use of scraps. The scrap piece I chose wasn't quite large enough, so I decided to eek it out. Yeah, not a good idea. Those measurements are there for a reason. A square of 5 3/4 inch is not the same as square of 5 1/2 inch. It looked like it was working till I had to put the borders on and the block was too small. I had to rip a couple seams and trim down to the block size. It all worked out, but I was a bit frustrated by the end. The instructions though were awesome! The pressing instructions really helped.

I wanted the spin to look really spin-y so I did my usual fabric trial. I thought the brown floral showed up better than the polka dot. Likewise, with the border the cream didn't show up as well as the brown solid. I also used up the green because it is on the 'inside' of the block. The green is my sashing fabric and I have been conscious to not use it where it might be on the outside of the block. Always thinking!

All together now

Ok not quite all together; half way together would be more appropriate.

I am fairly pleased. I love the mix of colours. I am looking forward to more brown and blue coming in. I am going to rip apart Block 5 and redo the middle square.

Serendipitous blocks

Block 6 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along came out today. I had to read the instructions a couple times. I wasn't so sure about this block and vacillated over my fabrics options. I took pictures to make sure I was choosing the right fabrics. This block allowed me to use scraps from previous blocks. To make sure that the block looked different I picked scraps that hadn't been in the same block. Yeah, my scraps are in a scrap pile.

My previous blocks were very coral/pink centric and I wanted to break away from that. I wanted to introduce blue and brown.

It looked great, but unfortunately the scraps I had were not wide enough so I had to go back to the drawing board. I ended up choosing the coral. Go figure! I did think the brown balanced it out a bit.

I think the block turned out fabulously. I absolutely love it. I think the floral fabrics cuts the harshness of the geometric lines. This has turned out to be another serendipitous block. I wasn't so sure about block 3 either, but that turned out great. I am growing as a quilter. I still have my obsessive tendencies, but I am branching out, learning how to mix and match fabrics and sometimes letting things just work out on their own.

It will quilt out

Goodness, this was a difficult block in the Quilt Along. The instructions were well written. It seemed simple enough, but something went wrong along the way. The block was supposed to measure 12 1/2 inches, but mine ended up being only 12 inches. It took some very creative seam allowances to make the seams match. I drew lines; I sewed on the edge of fabric. It doesn't look all that bad, but the middle square is all puckery. Yes, I am adding that word to the quilting dictionary. It is an adjective.

Admitting mistakes

I took the Process Pledge, so I am admitting that this block had to ripped apart several times. I laid the block out, but when I carried my pieces to the sewing machine I got them flipped around and it ended up looking like this.

ALL wrong! So I ripped off the sides and flipped the triangles around. I had to undo one side again because the points were off. I don't know about anybody else, but I make sure I sew through the seam intersection of triangles to make sure I get the point.

The final version has a couple seams a bit off, but I am too tired right now to rip it out yet again.

Redo

Well, I looked at block 3 and while piling it with blocks 1 and 2, I saw that block 2 was much larger. I knew I had not trimmed the half square triangles down to 3.5 inch blocks, but I had figured it would be ok. Well, every little 1/16th of an inch added up and the block was a good half inch larger than the other two. It became really obvious when I added in block 3. So I ripped it apart (just the square blocks), trimmed them down and put them back together. I feel much better!

First impressions

I wasn't so sure about Block 3 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along, but after picking my fabrics and putting the block together I really, really like it. That was a long sentence!

There was a fair amount of piecing in the block and looking at the Flickr group many made modifications. I followed the instructions and I am glad I did. I wanted this experience to stretch me and following the instructions made me go with something I wasn't sure I wanted to. I really do like the block.

Layer Cake Quilt Along- Block 2

In the movie Clueless, Cher talks about how she doesn't rely on mirrors when picking an outfit; she takes Polaroids. I took that approach with this block from the Layer Cake Quilt Along. I wasn't sure how to make the colours work, so I took pictures to make an objective decision. I did learn the importance of scale. Reading quilting magazines and books, they always talk about scale, but I've never really grasped the concept. My first choice had too many small scale fabrics, so I switched one out to a larger scale and it totally worked. I also had to make a call on what is considered a dark when there is truly only one dark in the layer cake. I decided that I would take my 'darkest' light and make that a dark. I think it worked pretty well. I went with option 4 of the different combinations.

The block wasn't the easiest to work with. I am glad I had some experience with half square triangles, but even with that I did double check that I had sewn it right before I cut them apart. For the most part my points turned out ok, but the straight squares are off. Go figure!! I did unpick and sew them again, but I couldn't get them to work. I gave up. Oh well!

I am really enjoying this quilt along. I am learning how to read instructions and definitely learning how to put colours and prints together. I may be a quilter yet!

Applique redo

I couldn't look at the block without seeing the puckering. It was messing up the fit of the entire block, so I ripped out the circle. I went ahead and applied fusible web to make it a little sturdier. This time I did check my tension and found one that didn't pucker. It isn't perfect, but I feel MUCH better.

Layer Cake Quilt Along- Block 1

My fabric arrived this morning and I started right into Block 1 for the Layer Cake Quilt Along. I did make a conscious decision to try and make the contrast work; I folded up the fabric squares to make sure.



For the first two squares I trimmed off the pinked edges and that wasn't a good idea. Those pinked edges are included in the 10 inch measurement and so I was a smidge off (1/16th of an inch) with some of my measurements. By the third square I had figured out to keep the pinked edges. There was also the option to add an applique circle in the middle square. I decided to go for it. I have never done applique of any sort before. I used a zig zag stitch, but apparently my tension was off because the fabric puckered. Ooops.

I thought the block turned out pretty well, even though the middle block did skew things a bit. There is a flickr group and when I look at the other blocks, I wish my block was more crisp. Maybe by the end of the quilt, I will have the crisp look down. Can't wait for the next block pattern to come out.

My first Quilt Along

I caught onto this Quilt Along a bit late so I don't have my fabric yet. I ordered it today from (as usual) The Fabric Shack. Still half price shipping. Yay! I am using Breakfast and Tiffany's from Fig Tree & Co.

It is a Layer Cake Quilt Along from Moose on the Porch Quilts. There are contests during the process and people post pictures of their blocks as they make them. The first block pattern has been posted and people have already posted pictures of their blocks. There are some awesome fabric selections and colour combinations. There is a button on the side that links to the Quilt Along.

I'm a little nervous on how it is going to turn out because I am a bit of control freak and I won't know what all the blocks are in advance. I will have to pick each block's colours without knowing the pattern of the next one. This will be a good exercise in learning how to not over think things. Not sure if that made any sense!

Will update when the first block is done.