Lessons learned

Take two on my quilt is almost finished. I have shown some improvement in this second quilt. I bought a book on free-motion feathers, and couldn't quite get them, but tried something similar in meandering and it came out fine. One thing I didn't quite figure out was the tension or some other thread problem. I started out skipping stitches, so I read up on that and changed my needle and then needle size and then rethreaded my machine a million times and it eventually got...better, but not totally fixed (so I'm thinking I need a tune up).

The lilac colored thread on the top looked best on the prints not the yellow. I'm anxious to see how it washes up. Don't ask why I think that will help, but I think the thread will relax a bit. Other than that, the ivory thread on the backing looks great.

Another lesson learned, or something to watch out for: I noticed with the first quilt that the backing flannel was "stretchy" and since I bought the same one again, this 2nd one was also stretchy. In addition I messed up when I cut my backing into two pieces. I cut at the halfway point but then ripped it, and it was apparently not cut straight on one end because I ended up with one side one inch too short and the other side 4 inches too long. Sigh. Measure twice, cut once....grrrrr.... Then I pinned the top with not enough backing on the top and had to take all the pins out and move it and pin it again. So really I am learning, but very slowly... This is the floppiest flannel I've worked with, so I think it is the brand. I also had trouble with the thread breaking. I didn't have that problem before, but I want to play with heavier thread weights next time. I also had more problem with catching the backing into funky pleats while quilting. Sigh. Maybe I need to look into starching or doing the adhesive between layers. It was harder to get this quilt taut while pinning--or I was being lazy because I knew I was keeping this one...

This time I ironed the backing's edge into a fold for the binding, if that makes any sense, and I had less problem making a neat corner in the binding. I hand sewed it again and I must say it took much less time, but it does leave my left arm oddly sore (and I'm right-handed), so I can't do more than an hour or so at a time.

Block Study

This week I finished 1 of 2 quilt, and I'm close to sewing the blocks into rows for 2 of 2 quilt. Duplicate quilts: you may wonder why.

Well, one of my biggest struggles has always been following instructions. I think that's what urged me to become a technical writer by trade, believe it or not. You may see words, but if the text is too dense I just see "blah blah blah". Maybe it's a learning disability, maybe I'm a visual learner. Whatever. The saying "measure twice, cut once" just seems like an optional suggestion to me. So when it came to me designing a quilt for a friend's little girl, I found a pattern and decided to mix it up a bit. First off, I took the block size from 3" to 12". Next I took it from 5 rows across and 6 down to 4 rows by 4 rows. Then I drew it out on grid paper and set about making my list of materials. And that is where things get fuzzy.

I based my blocks on the 12" Flying Birds block from "501 Rotary-Cut Blocks" by Judy Hopkins (off-topic, but that's my maiden name, although I'm not related to this lady). Problem is the block in the book has a big triangle of light material, 3 light birds, and the rest is dark fabric. My design, based on Darlene Zimmermann's "Hot Tamale" from "Fat Quarter Small Quilts: 25 Projects You can Make in a Day", had the block opposite that, with the patterned fabric as the birds and big triangle. I didn't notice until after I'd cut out 16 triangles in my background color and 16 assorted colored triangles.

Fortunately, while I was picking the fabric, I ended up "fortuitously" picking some of my favorite colors: teal, purple, coral and fuchsia. So what to do with the extra 8 background triangles? Make a second quilt, of course. At that point I also realized that the original design didn't call for any background triangles, but what if I did 8 regular, per Hot Tamale, and 8 reversed, per 501?

Another lesson learned on this project was about fabric calculation. I went back to the store for more background material twice before I had enough, and I ended up having to search for and find 2 of the colorful fabrics online.

Once I had all the blocks finished, then the fun began. I arranged them in several configurations on the floor and took pictures of them to choose which one I liked best for the project. Indecisively, I emailed the recipient for input. The dominant patterns of the blocks created an "X" or a diamond. I found 7 variations the first time around, and today I found 3 more. I will probably still go for option F, with a diamond shape and the blocks making more of a windmill effect.

One of the reasons I liked the pattern originally was the prairie points. My son and my friend's children are all from Nepal, and the flag there is a unique shape of 2 triangles. I liked finding something that vaguely spoke of the kids' origin without smashing anyone over the head with it (like a flag blanket, found for sale on many adoption-themed websites ). The prairie points ended up being not as hard as I thought, and they maintain shape after washing. The one thing is I have not found what the trick is to making the corners of the backing come out OK with the bulk of the points and the quilt top. Funny how the instructions from several books just gloss over how to finish that backing...

Other valuable lessons: reinforce intersections where there's a lot of bulk. Don't use a varigated light to dark thread for the machine quilting unless you are really good, although in general I thought it made some of the designs wishy-washy where the thread had the least contrast. I'm using a solid orchid/lavender on the quilt I'm keeping.