...Quilt Along Finished - Quilt Bloggers-Block-Palooza

Back in December this Quilt Along was announced and it kicked off in late January/early February. If you somehow missed it (for a while there it seemed the thing that everyone was talking about) the flickr group and 'host' Quilt Dad would be the place to start. 


At the time a group of bloggers were asked to each design a block with a 9-patch or flying geese theme and two were posted each week for 8 weeks. The layout was to be a surprise, although this wasn't clearly spelt out until the second week. I finished all my blocks on schedule but it has taken me a while to get around to sewing the top together and quilting it because I have had some very negative feelings about the quilt along and, consequently, the quilt itself. A real shame because I am really growing to like the quilt I have ended up with. 

This was the first quilt along I joined so I had the idea that the host or hosts would be spelling things out in much the same way as a pattern and give the specific focus fabric to be used I assumed amounts would have been checked . With that in mind, and a week before the first block was to be posted I ordered the fabric recommended, a fat eighth bundle and a few yards of co-ordinating solids and prints.  At this point we were all assured that the fat eighth bundle would be plenty and there would be leftovers. There was, and there wasn't. A few days before the first block was posted a new list of requirements was posted that included a fat quarter of several of the prints in the bundle and a change in the requirements for some of the solids. It resulted in needing to purchase quite a few half yards and a petite fat quarter bundle if I wanted to be able to put to use the considerable amount of fabric I had already purchased and follow the mystery and have a quilt that looked cohesive at the end. After all of that at the end of the quilt along this is just some of the fabric I have left, quite a few fat eighths I never touched and lots of leftover from the petite pack and the half yards. 

The kit we were all told was in the pipeline has never materialised - this quite clearly would have been the most efficient way to purchase the fabric but has not been made available. It seemed a little careless with so much lead time that exact fabric requirements could not be identified before the QA started, or that requirements were given that then changed so dramatically.   


All which made me, and others, a little frustrated before the first block was posted. 


One thing that has really struck me was the commericialisation of the whole thing, Sunkissed by Sweetwater was the line chosen by the hosts as the focus and the one I used to give me confidence I would end up with a cohesive quilt, and also because I liked it. Other, braver souls than me chose to use scraps or different lines. For them fabric choices must have been difficult without a finished reference or very little information about value placement or colourway spread because no information was given beyond how to use the focus line.


Fast forward 8 weeks and I have 16 blocks and the final design is posted. And I don't like it, at all. And it isn't quilted or bound. The 16 blocks just made formed the border of the quilt and I couldn't have thought of a worse way to use the blocks we just spent 8 weeks making. There were also another two layouts posted and I chose one of them. 


And I have come up with this. 

And this for the back. 

I quilted 1/4" either side of the block seam lines and chevrons in the border setting triangles (the corner of which were not cut large enough according to the directions).

I've learnt a lot from the experience. I made my first flying geese units in this quilt. It is my first sampler quilt. If I haven't seen a finished sample of a QA quilt don't start it until I have. Be wary about quilts that require so much fabric to be bought. 


And while there are a number of frustrations I am pleased to have finished the quilt and satisfied at how it has turned out. 

A blocky weekend!

A bee block weekend was had by me last weekend



The end of the month was fast approaching and I had some bee blocks to make before they were late!


First up were two sets of blocks for Bee Seam Piecing Downunder with the February blocks for Erin being delayed after it took a whole month for an envelope to arrive in the mail from Adelaide. Continuing frustration from Australia Post is becoming the norm for me lately!


Erin had previously asked us for our favourite colour and sent us some fabric in that colour as well as other fabric and set us a free choice block. With the flying geese kick I had been on recently this was the first block I made.

Originally it was to be three rows of flying geese until I (thankfully checked) the instructions and noted Erin had asked for 10.5” blocks.

More triangles for block two seemed fitting and a pinwheel emerged from the machine.


Next up was two of these blocks for Nicole in the same bee but for March. Based on this quilt by Red Pepper Quilts that was apparently originally based on another seen on flickr she asked us to create these, full of squares and half square triangles. Unfortunately we were all a little short of the yellow as the bolt appears to have been narrower but this and the almost finished second was sent on the way.

This will be a wonderful quilt but with so many small pieces in each block is it one that is helpful to have some assistance in piecing!

Also on the list was the this scrappy stashbuster block for Crystal in Bee (a little bit) Japanese.

Thankfully she had precut all the tiny little squares for us and these came together surprisingly quickly.

A lovely detail that she requested was that we sub in two squares of our own and then raw edge applique another scrap of this same fabric to a label/siggy block to help her identify and remember everyone's contribution in the final quilt.

She also asked for our favourite quote to be included on the label - I went with the one I consider most fun.

The final bee blocks for the weekend were two for the Faith circle do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}. Kathy Dougherty of Material Obsession fame (both the store and the books) had given permission for us to use the stashbuster quilt pattern so long as it was not published publicly.

As this quilt will be going to a little baby girl I included some fun prints and a little pink.

I really love this quilt (it is on the long, long list for things I might get to one day) and was pleased to be able to have a small hand in one in the meantime.

To round out the weekend I finished the final two blocks I still had to go for the Quilt Bloggers Blockapalooza

and fixed an earlier one when I found some more orange stripe.

Sewing the top together is the next step!

This weekend it is all about the double wedding ring quilt top (and back hopefully!)

Blocks 12, 13, 14 - Quilting Along

This week has been a strange and upsetting one in our house with Mollie, the much loved cannine member of the family, backwards and forwards to the vet. Thankfully she seems to be getting back to herself although the cause of her ailments remains a mystery for the current time.


Worry, tiredness and sewing to not mix.


Tonight though I have been able to set my mind to some sewing and have once again caught up on the Bloggers-Block-A-Palooza blocks.

Block #12 by Sugar StitchesThis quilt is really becoming a Friday night quilt, with most of the blocks pieced on a Friday night after work. Now there are only two blocks left I am looking forward to seeing the surprise setting arrangement and sewing the top together and then quilting me a quilt!

Block #13 by Camp Follower

And Block #14 - Follow the Leader from I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts

Quilt Along Block 11- The mistake ridden edition

This block almost did me in.

It wasn't particularly difficult. It didn't use any techniques not already used in this quilt. The instructions laid everythig out. And yet at almost every stage I stuffed something up.

On Sunday I swapped the grey check and grey swirls when cutting the fabric (and didn't have extra to fix it). I went with it.

On Monday I pieced the pinwheel, then had to unpick it because I had forgotten to trim the HST units to size (all 20 of them).

On Tuesday I decided it was best to take a break.

On Wednesday I pieced the flying geese units - and realised I sewed the solid grey squares on wrong side to right side..... after I trimmed off the extra. Luckily I could move them to the other side.

You can bet your life I checked everything multiple times when sewing all the units together at the end.

All things considered I think this one turned out alright.

Quilting along with Blocks 8 , 9 & 10

The next three blocks up for the Quilt Bloggers Block-a-Palooza hosted by Quilt Dad, John - now I finally have the pictures taken.

Bock 8 Basket of Geese by Angela from Angela Yosten: Moda, Home, Mom featured some applique. Not a worry (remember the Doll Quilt Petals - they are coming along by the way). I was going to needle turn mine (with the recommended fusible web for stability (fiddly with such small pieces). Why would I bother? I wash my quilts in the machine and I just don't like having raw edges on something that gets that punished. In the end though the triangle wouldn't sit flat with such small pieces so I machine blanket stitched them. Hopefully they hold up OK.

Block 9 Lemonade Stand by Scott from Blue Nickel Studios was more Flying Geese.
Did you know before I started this quilt along I had never made a Flying Geese unit? Course not, why would you? Well, when it came to triangles I was all half-square. But I might be adding a new unit to my repertoire. I think I like the version of construction in this block the best. Yes it is easier to join the squares to a rectangle and trim but there is waste, in that method and I don't like waste. And yes it is a little harder to have this unit end up square and the points to be all in a line but I'm usually up for a challenge.

The latest, from Thursday, was designed by Amy from Amy's Creative side. I like this block, I can imagine this being a whole quilt with the blocks turned different ways.

I wonder what is in store for us on Monday (or most likely Tuesday morning here in Australia)?

Quilting Along

I've never participated in a quilt along before. And now I seem to be adding a lot to the list.

Most, like the Postage Stamp quilt along with P.S. I Quilt and The Single Girl Quilt along with Nova, Megan and Katy I have put on a list of projects to be done sometime within the next year - more like quilting along behind really.

I am, however, completing the Bloggers Block-a-Palooza quilt as part of the 'pack'. There has been a few hiccups with the fabric requirements being shared but I have decided to use the Sunkissed fabric by Sweetwater which is the featured fabric being used.

I decided this on for a couple of reasons with the major one being that the final design of the quilt is a surprise and not having this overview of the finished quilt yet would make fabric decisions for blocks exceptionally difficult.


 So I have been happily stitching along and these blocks are what I have made so far.

I think I like this one the best at the moment!