A New Start: Clean Up pattern

 Good day, and welcome to my blog.

I recently pulled out all sorts of scraps and cut pieces for potato chip blocks, and also cut 2 inch strips and pieces.  Last week I sewed potato chip blocks, and this week it's time for the pattern I picked from the Quilted Twins website, under their free patterns section.  It's called Clean Up, and you need 2 inch strips, sewn together, cross cut, sewn together randomly to make a central block of 10 by 10 squares, 15.5 inches unfinished, and 15 inches, finished.

My block is about 15 to 15.25 inches now, which tells me my seam allowance is a little wide.  Normally this doesn't make a difference, but adds up over 9 seams.

You also need border units of more 1.5 inch squares, and I have started on those too.  But I am concentrating on those big blocks.

Three down, many more to go!

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Potato chip blocks

 Good day and welcome to my blog.  You may have heard of the potato chip quilt pattern?  You can't make just one block!  Well this past weekend and early this week I cut pieces and started piecing these blocks.  It was fun!

I used 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch fabric pieces, finishing at 2 by 4 inches.  This is a common size.  You can cut your fabrics in other sizes - but you must keep the proportion of 2:1 the same (plus seam allowances!).  So 3 inch by 6 inch blocks (finished) - cut pieces 3.5 by 6.5 inches.

Start with two pieces side by side.  I used old dark stash and some newer brighter fabrics.

Sew along the long side, and press seams to one side - it doesn't matter which side.

Add fabrics to top and bottom:

This is before sewing.  Press seams outwards.  Now prepare 2 sets of 2 fabric pieces sewn end to end, and add those to the sides of the unit shown above.

It should look like this, before sewing.  Sew on the side units, and press seams outwards.

Prepare 2 more sets of two fabric pieces sewn end to end.  These will be added to the top and bottom of the unit you have sewn.

Oops flipped my block piece upside down.  Well you can see how I am proceeding.  This looks long and rectangular, but there is one more step.

Sew 2 sets of THREE fabric pieces end to end.  Press seams (it doesn't matter which way, no corners are meeting).  Place these sets to either side of the unit you have sewn together.

See how the set of three fabric pieces is just the right length?  Sew these sets on and you have a potato chip block, and it should be 12.5 inches square if you are using 2.5 by 4.5 inch fabric pieces.

I stopped here, but some quilters sew another round on to the block.

I have 20 blocks now, and set them 4 by 5 on the floor to see how it looks.  The blocks are not sewn together yet.

Thoughts:

-- Chain sew your blocks in sets of 4, 6, 8 or however many you want, to decrease stops and starts.

-- You could use a controlled color scheme, or have the center one color, the first round of pieces another color, and the last round a third color.  Diagram the block out on graph paper, or do a google/Pinterest search to see what other quilters have done.

-- You could put sashing between the blocks, if setting the blocks together looks like too much of a mish mash to you.

-- Set the blocks with the center 2 fabric pieces vertical, and then horizontal, then vertical in a alternating fashion. (suggested by other web pages).  Then no seams meet.  You just have to line up the corners of the blocks.

Here is my starting stacks of fabric pieces, in a clear plastic bag that used to hold a sheet set:

And here it is after making 20 blocks for a throw quilt:

Yes I cut with abandon, without counting, and I think I have enough pieces for another quilt in there!

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Woven: Over and Down Under Pattern top finished

 Good day, or should I say good evening.  I am busy in my day job and just now getting around to updating my blog.

My last entry was about a project, using the pattern Over and Down Under, and a fabric line called Georgia.  It's a line of pretty pastel fabrics and I was afraid the woven look would not develop.

Well I am now done with top, and you know, I rather like it.  It's like a Monet painting.  Up close, his paintings have blotches and swirls of paint.  But step back, and you see waterlilies.

My project:  up close you see squares of fabrics:

But overall, the woven look is there, if a bit subtly.

The top finishes at 56 inches square.  I like the deep purple fabric used in the border, and I saved some for the binding.  

Next: I may try this pattern again with a jelly roll of bright batiks.  Or I may cut scraps for some other projects I have in mind.  All balanced with day job and family of course.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Mom was right!

 Good day, and welcome to my blog.

I have started a new project, using a jelly roll of fabric from a line called Georgia by Moda Fabrics.  I was at the local quilt store and felt a jelly roll was a more economical purchase than a half yard each of the entire fabric line, looking so wonderful on the shelf.  😊

So, what jelly roll pattern to use?  I have a pattern called Over and Down Under, purchased a few years ago:

You need one jelly roll of 40 strips, and a background fabric.  I bought a deep purple for the background.

I ran this idea past my mom: sending her the image above of the pattern, and sending her to the website by Moda of the Georgia fabric line.  (You can click and see it too.)

Mom is a retired art teacher, and knows color, hues, tints, shade, contrast etc.  She gently pointed out, that although a set of beautiful fabrics, the pastels would not have much contrast, and the 'woven' look may not develop.

I cut the fabric, and started anyway.  Here is part of the border:

And here is the top left corner, partially sewn together:

Mom Was Right!  6 rows together and the fabric blends together!  Well except for one strong lavender column on the right.

I will persevere and continue... (the fabric is cut) ... but this top may never be quilted.

I still like this pattern.  I have a jelly roll of bright batiks (no pastels) in a rainbow of colors, and yardage in a charcoal color for background.  That will be my next project, and I'll share it to this blog when I have some progress.

Linking up with Midweek Makers (she featured my log cabin project - thank you!), Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian