Friday, March 29, 2013

Now for the next one

Kyoto Gardens has borders! I’m glad the first two corners went on smoothly or I might have relegated the quilt to the UFO bin again.  However, as I got those on without too much fuss I had more patience for the last two corners that required a bit of ripping and fussing, but eventually went on if not perfectly then “good enough”.  No Quilt Police in this house! 

I has planned to machine quilt it right away. I have the backing and the batting and the thread and even thought ahead to what quilting designs I’ll try.  However, dealing with the weight of just the top or just the backing caused the tendonitis to twinge so I thought wrestling the whole thing while I quilt it might not be a good idea just yet.  It’s back in a box, but at the head of the queue to be quilted when I can get back to that.

IMG_6551So, now I can dive into the next project.  This is a brand new one.  I have been letting the design stew for a while, tweaking it now and then until it finally felt right.

I bought most of these blues and greens on sale last spring, planning to use them together, but with no particular project in mind.  Last week I bought the oranges and neutrals to add to the pile and yesterday I spent a rather long time deciding which fabrics to save for something else.  This new design doesn’t need that many.

The next couple of hours slipped away as I tried to choose which method to use to make over 250 triangle squares so I would know how to cut my fabric.  I still haven’t decided.  I tried all the methods I have used in the past (stitching on both sides of the diagonal, using the Easy Angle ruler, using the Angler) and fussed with my seam allowance, and I still am not getting consistent squares.  The whole quilt, except for the borders, consists of 3” triangle squares so I need to get these right!  I have one more method to try, and if I don’t like that either I will resort to making them larger than needed and trimming them to size.  That would bug me though…I feel I should be able to be accurate by now!

4 comments:

  1. I know what you mean! You would think that cutting accurately and sewing with 1/4" seam allowance using the special foot, things would come out perfect! I hate that! I always use the large square method where you come out with 8 HSTs (add 1" to the finished size X 2) Is that the trianble you are making? Your fabric is gorgeous and very colorful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have you tried Thangles? I find they are VERY accurate... Follow directions carefully and be sure to leave the paper in place until after you press. I think you'd like the precise results. They are my favourite method.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How fabulous that Kyoto is reading for quilting. I simply can't wrangle quilt tops these days (unless they are baby quilts) - much too hard on the wrists, back and neck. Love the colours of your new project. I always make my HSTs larger and cut them down.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, I use the make'em larger method, too. Mine NEVER come out to the correct size, regardless of what I try. Love all those colors. You sure you're not going to use them all?

    Liri

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting. I truly appreciate your comments and will try to reply to comments by email if your commenting staus is not set to "no-reply".

If you have a question, emailing me directly at joanne@canuckquilter.com will ensure I have your address to respond. I promise I will not share your email address and I will not use it for any purpose other than replying to your message.