Where you seem to take two steps forward and one step back.
Where more ripping takes place than progress.
I started out with these:
When I first started at Caring Hearts Community Quilters, no-ne told me what size to make the quilts, just “single bed toppers”. I didn’t know what that meant but then I remember that the wraps I knit were also single bed toppers and they are 40” x 70” (28 ten-inch square in a 4 columns, 7 rows configuration).
And so I pieced this quilt top in the same way. It came out 44” x 77”. I pieced the backing to be two inches larger all round – 48” x 81”.
There it stopped. I never got around to quilting it.
A few months passed and I found out that the quilt size required was approximately 54” x 64”.
Clearly this quilt was too narrow and too long. I have known that for several months but have only just got to this UFO.
It should have been no problem. Remove the bottom row. Make two more squares. Cut some more sashing. Put it back together.
Cut the back down and find a way to make it wider. Ah yes, ten inches wider. Three sashings at 2” each plus a four inch panel of the main fabric – just as well I still had some of the fabric in my stash.
~~~~~~
I decided to work on the backing first – it’s more straight forward. First cut it down to 70”. Then unpick two 70” seams to remove the pieced panel.
Cut 2.5” strips WOF (width of fabric). Join the strips to make sashing 70” long. Sew the first sashing to the pieced panel. Oops! Should have used pins – unpick the whole lot! Re-sew.
Pin the second sashing to the other side of the pieced panel and sew. Good job. Uh-oh! What’s this? The sashing has been sewn on upside-down so that the joins are facing the outside. Unpick 70” of stitching. Re-sew.
Iron and cut two four inch strips from the main fabric. Join to make a panel. Sew sashing to panel. Perhaps I should have used pins? Err. I think I’ll get away with it!
Join two narrow panels to each other. Sloppy! Should have used pins! Rip. Re-sew!
Sew the narrower of the two side pieces to the stitched panel. Haven’t you learnt yet? Use pins! Rip. Pin. Re-sew! Pin last piece of backing to the panel piece, sew!
Backing finished – go and have a late lunch and read for a couple of hours!
~~~~~~
Ah, feeling better. Time to face the quilt top.
Rip the bottom row. Assess the situation. Find some appropriate scraps. Fortunately I have some strips of three of the fabrics that are used in other blocks. Measure the original blocks. Cut strips. Iron. Cut more strips. Sew strips in pairs. Join pairs (Look, mum, no pins!). Continue until blocks are made. Press, measure for size. Oops, too small.
Find another strip for each block. Rip one seam in each block. Add new strip. Press. Trim to size.
Cut 2” strips WOF to make sashing. Cut two 9” strips. Pin. Sew to blocks. Measure. Cut two 11” strips. Pin. Sew to blocks. Attach one block to the top and one block to the bottom of the four blocks that had previously been removed from the quilt top (because they have been made from the almost the same fabrics and need to be separated). Join sashing strips. Pin to side of blocks. Sew. Press.
Make another sashing strip. Add to other side using pins. Sew. Press.
Collect rest of quilt top from the family room. Look at it. Shake head. Look again! Realise the last sashing added wasn’t needed. Rip off newly sewn sashing.
Pin completed block column to rest of quilt top. Sew the last seam (finally). Begin pressing! What’s this ?!*^~*?
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| Can you see the problem here? Look closely at the top two block on the right and the two below them. |
Leave it in tears. Go back to book!
*pat pat pat*
ReplyDeleteLeave the blocks as they are and call it a design element...
;)
Oh honey, it was indeed one of those days :-(
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of both knitting and sewing is that it can be unpicked/frogged and resewn/knit.
Take a breath, go attack that sucker with your unpick and rotate those 4 squares by 90 deg or whatever you are able to do considering where your seams are and then sew it back together and pat yourself on the back because you noticed it BEFORE you sewed the three layers together :-)
Oh, boy....when did you let the quilt police move in? We see it now because you pointed it out, but in the over all design it does not stand out. I am glad you took a break after your intense sewing because you did a wonderful job with these scraps. Big hugs for you.
ReplyDeleteAwww I hate those days! Sure hope today is kind to you. :)
ReplyDeleteWalking away is part of the whole process, you know! Face it again tomorrow and it will go right together with no problem! It is a good thing you are accomplishing....remember that!
ReplyDeleteIs that a row? Just remove one block, add it to the other end of the row and shift it in to place. You shouldn't have to seem rip EVERYTHING. Sometimes the harder we try the farther behind it gets. You just need to take a break:)
ReplyDeleteLove all the advice and support! We've all been here and done that and most of us have one step forward and two back days, besides. So, you've got two "Amish humility' blocks..design element for sure!
ReplyDeleteAs you said some days are just that way. Let it sit and then decide if you can live with it or if you really want to "fix" it. Hope it was a really good book.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hate days like that! Hope it gets better soon, 'cause that's a really cute top that deserves to be finished. On YOUR terms, of course.
ReplyDeleteI've had a few of those days around here too lately... glad you rebounded~
ReplyDeleteI would never have known it if you hadn't pointed it out. But I guess you would always have known it. By the way I adore your quilt back too!
ReplyDelete