To all you talented quilters out there - let me first say - sorry!
This (quilting) is NOT going to drive me nuts.
I simply refuse to allow it.
Having said that - I was hoping to be up to the hand stitching by now.
Am I ?
NO!
Not even close.
I am kind of stuck on the pattern.
First decision I had to make was to drop the loud orange / blue flowery pattern. Next came the plain blue (for obvious reasons). The rich orange was next to go.
Suddenly I am thinking it's just not as funky as I wanted.
Oh well!!!!!!!
I measured and I cut and then I started to arrange.
I re - arranged.
Then I re - arranged again, and again, and again.
Thought I had it.
What's the problem here?Oh, I see. I am short of a row of green half squares - you see that - right?
It should be said that I did not discover this until after I had painstakingly packed the rows in(what I thought) an order that I would not forget.
I did forget - of course I forgot. But at least by having to re- arrange again (or should I say re-construct?) the next day I was able to see the GREEN problem.
Again I couldn't remember which way I stacked the rows!!!! So, re-constructing this masterpiece (trying to stay positive here) was another headache. A little too late I remembered Linds saying that I will need lots and lots of pins. On hindsight I guess this was the stage when the pins should have made an appearance - right?Never mind. At least I solved the green problem (I swapped an orange in third row for green).
How about this for brilliance? Check out the labeling!
Oh no! Back to the drawing board. The pattern is still not right. Look! Go back to the second picture. What's wrong? The third row of green needs to be around the other way. Which means I have to change the first row - which will affect the second and fifth. You can't have first and third row going the same way and fifth the opposite. You just can't. Third row (the middle) need to be the odd one out.Grrrrr!!!!!!!
I am having SO MUCH FUN.
I can do it, I can do it, I can do it....... I CAN DO IT (said the little train).
Back to the re-constructing.
I tell you - those written instructions better work (smile).
Apart from all that. What do you think so far?
6 comments:
Welcome to the wonderfully frustrating world of quilting!!!
Don't worry it looks great.
Did you know that the Amish always made deliberate mistakes on their quilts because only God is perfect. When I notice I've stuffed up (which is usually when it's all sown together), that's the excuse I use.
Can't wait to see your progress.
It looks wonderful. Perfect, and as I said, some anomalies in the quilt make it real. "The history of the quilt" remember!!!! I got Margaret to pack her rows in freezer bags labelled to keep them separate.
The pin part is really for when you pin baste the quilt together. When you put the backing down, then the wadding/batting and the top. After it is constructed. Once you are ready to sew, put it all on the carpet and leave it there as you pick up the squares to sew them together. One VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION.... did you add extra on to the half squares so they will measure the same as the complete squares when you have sewn them together? ie to make one 4" square from 2 halves, you need to cut each half with a seam allowance so the finished square will measure 4 inches. Don't forget to iron. And if you didn't do that, don't worry. You will just have to cut the whole squares down to measure the same.
But excellent progress!
Phew - at least I remembered to make the half squares bigger.
Thanks for the encouragement girls. The sewing machine comes out today - even in this stifling heat!
Note to self: Don't forget to iron!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary, While you were going through the quilt blocks again and again, my eyes felt like they were rolling, kind of like pin ball machines. It is great your other bloggers are so helpful, and anything new takes some getting comfortable with. Just think how happy you'll be when you finish a quilt, and how many problems you can't possibly worry about while your getting the parts of it all together.
I didn't know the Amish put mistakes in their quilts by choice. Kind of like life, isn't it. If we live long enough, we may just make a few. So keep up this endeavor. With all this guidance and advice from people who want you to succeed, you will be fine.
Well, I love the colors and patterns together! It looks lovely to the untrained eye :)) And now I'm starting to worry about what mine's going to look like. I thought I'd just sew the big squares together but maybe I should get fancier and start cutting squares in half. But then again, maybe simple is best for the first go round. Decisions, decisions! I best talk to LInds before I start anything. Or maybe I should stick to scrapbooking which I have sort of figured out!
Keep going - you can do it - I'm cheering for you!!!
Hang in there...the end is in sight. The first one is always where you learn the ropes and it can be frustrating. I am starting another quilt for our bed and hope it goes well. I seem to make one for everyone else before getting to ours...lol!! Good luck!
Blessings,
Mary
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