Here is my "Blanket of Flowers" kit I picked up last week. The quilt in the instructions used stark white for the star/pineapple shapes. I thought it looked too harsh so I softened it with this light cream. I kinda like these 16 inch squares ( well..sorta ) they cover a larger area so I feel like I'm making better head way. This is supposed to be queen size, but I'm thinking I'll probable use it on our king bed. It really is sorta striking all finished and quilted.....really....well, I thought so. Don't you think it kinda fits into the "Fungly" challenge
Tonya presented to us? I would like to make this again and reduce the size of the squares.
I try really hard on my "REAL" quilts to make everything match up, but as you can see EVERY square seems to have some problem or another....( put you're hands over your ears
Tonya while I complain about this )! What do most of you do about this?? Do you square up and then sew them together. The other quilt tops I have done were smaller squares and I didn't have much of this. I need to get me a seam guide attachment as well, I think this would help. But I have never been clear on how to square up. How do you determine the center of the square to start with ....without alot of measuring?
Here is another one.....Some of these "problems" are 1/8 to 1/4 off. All my other points match up ok. Is this where some of the fabrics give a little? I have a really great DVD of a great quilter/fabric designer that forcefully says if you sew it right you shouldn't have to square up......OH REALLY......well, I sewed it right!! I mean we're talking about a gal here whose bath towels and wash rags are all facing the same direction. ( Well, not so much anymore...I'm really trying to work on this ). One day I just took my newly laundered towels...wadded them up and just SHOVED them into the cabinet.....It felt really good!
Here are some of the neutral fabrics I picked up last week when I went to the quilt shop. I love their soft, yet whimsical attitude. I love how fabrics seem to have attitudes.....some are dark and looming, serious. Some are VERY chic. Others are silly and fun.......there are some that look like they could just stand up and put soft, cuddly arms around you. Some wild and loud and just seem to DARE you!
I'm going to get back to my quilting and stop showing my craziness about my fabrics. Have a good day!
I will tell you I'm not a very precise sewer. So I do have this issue myself but I don't square blocks. It just seams (no pun) that when I square up blocks I am trading one problem for another. I try to just give a little around the mistakes. Even when I try so hard to be precise I still have an issue somewhere if it is a larger block like yours, especially those with points. Every quilter deals iwth this in one way or another but I don't deal with it really, I just keep on going and let the mistakes be damned. Quilting to me is not a perfect science since I am not perfect. And thats my story and I'm sticking to it. And while we're on the subject of folding, I fold the towels in 4s and put them in the drawer/closet without even thinking about it. Its the 8 kids thing. It knocked all my edges off. Somedays I think "what was I thinking???" If I reread this I'll delete it so here it goes.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot - your blocks really pop with the off white. The whole thing just comes right at ya. I like it. And I like your neutrals. They are darling.
ReplyDeleteYour fabrics are wonderful. Love those flower fabrics. You asked what camp i've been talking about. It is with a guild in IN. I belong to it (and I live in TX). We have 50 coming this year. We are there from Thurs to Sun and all meals are provided. It is great No phones, No husbands, No Kids, Just sewing.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Nanette on this matchy, matchy stuff. I don't square off, I sometime 'stretch gently, gather and fudge' a whole lot. If, and I do mean "IF", it is a part that stands out and shouts "Look at me I'm crooked" I may use the seam ripper and try to hush it up a bit so that there's only a whisper, "I'm still a bit wonky". LOL :c)
ReplyDeleteBut all in all I love old homey quilts., rag quilts, and scrap quilts, so I'm not too fussed with a few errors. As long as I like them and the people I make them for like them then that's all that matters.
As far as the towels go, I had 5 kids and could never keep a linen closet tidy. It always looked as if a bomb went off in there. Now that there's just the two of us, it's a 'feel good thing' to open up the linen closet and be able to put my hand on a bath sheet or a hand towel. So there, a little bit crazy but that's just me.
Love your quilt top and I absolutely adore those fabrics. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to find my own, next week.
~~ Fran ...:c)
Beautiful neutral fabrics. I'm sorry I'm not experienced enough to answer your quilting questions. I hope you find a solution.
ReplyDeleteI always fold my towels the same way so they can go turquoise then royal blue in stripes in the airing cupboard with no folds showing on the edge showing. But fear not the rest of the house is a chaotic mess at the moment while floor sanding is going on.
la la la, fingers in my ears. Forget about matching and it all becomes easier.
ReplyDeleteI love the shirtings you picked up at your LQS! They are chic and cute at the same time--I have one that is a turtle fishing on a pond! As for seams, well, I blame it on sun spots when feasible, I got a good 1/4" foot, and just do my best that still lets me have fun and enjoy every second. Quilting isn't supposed to be a stress, right? Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteNot seeing ugly in this but if you say so... curdate: 031410
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