Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Tish vs The Pieced Block--Round 1

I hate when I let myself get distracted and that seems to...I'm sorry, what was I saying?  Just kidding.  I find that I have a bad tendency to start projects and get distracted by the next pretty thing that crosses my path.  I know that never ever happens to other quilters.  I'm just a sad little girl over her in her corner surrounded by half completed projects.  Wait?  I think I hear a crying over there behind that other large pile of fabric.  Maybe I'm not alone?

As I figured I would do, for the time being, I have halted quilting on my mystery quilt.  She's not forgotten but she has to wait just a tiny bit longer.  I have done very well this year with keeping up with the 2015 Aurifil Designer Mystery BOM (which are mini quilts this year).  So I stopped my quilting to piece and quilt June's Hi-De-Ho Cheerio by Me and My Sister Designs. Piecing is completed and it is basted, marked and ready to go.


From inside a shopping bag near my sewing table, I could hear the fabric I purchased this weekend calling to me.  "You know you want to take us out and play with us."  All I could think about was Julie's Modern Building Block project over at Pink Doxies.  She is doing an amazing job with her quilt and inspired me to dust off my copy and finally give it a whirl.  So I thought, why not.  I'll just make a block...maybe two then I will get Hi-De-Ho quilted.  I got out the fabric for block 1, a 36 inch block, started following the diagram (no written instructions...just a diagram) and went to town.  I was so proud of myself.


I was over here dancing saying look at me, I have the center done already.  I just knew I was going to get this baby pieced in no time at all.  Cutting of the setting triangles to turn this into a square in a square commenced.


And I realized...that is not a 1/4 inch space between my point and the end of the block.  C-R-A-P-T-A-S-T-I-C!  I put the brakes immediately on and measured.  It became apparent this block was not going to turn out 36 inches square.  I stopped cutting and piecing and decided to take out the quilt layout and regroup my plan.  Since the blocks are all different sizes it is pieced together in small groups.  Instead of piecing the blocks in the order they are numbered, I decided to start on the blocks for section A.

It's made up of 6-6.5 inch blocks, 3-12.5 inch blocks and a 18.5 inch block...6.5 inch blocks it is.  I decided to rewrite the cutting instructions for the flying geese and half square triangles so I could work with squares and rectangles instead of triangles.  This might help me avoid mistakes that I was obviously making.

I just hate love math!
I was crunching numbers like crazy (it had been a while since I had to do this) until I figured out I was forgetting seam allowances.  This was starting to get very personal for me.  I HAD to get a 6.5 inch block to come out correct or...or...I'm not really sure what, but I just had to.  So I started with the easiest of the blocks.


And thankfully for my sanity's sake, it came out 6.5 inches.  Life could move on.  With that battle won, it was time to pack up my unused fabric.  Maybe after I get Hi-De-Ho Cheerio finished I will attempt another block.  Do you ever find yourself re-working a pattern to piece it in a way you feel more comfortable?





2 comments:

Stitchin At Home said...

Oh those silly seam allowances. Who needs them anyway. lol

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

your circle quilt is great, really like it . My seam allowances are always off. It made me nervous about joining a bee, but I seem to be ok so far.

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