Fancy Fox Quilt Top Done!

Made a concentrated effort to finish off the Fancy Fox quilt top. Don't know about you but it always takes me a moment to really get familiar with a pattern, so the first few blocks are always a bit out in measurement and I usually still try to work out which way I am going to press the seams. After having done a few I then could go over to chain piece elements together.

On the weekend I did the remaining 9 blocks chain piecing the segments in one hit. These last 9 blocks were much better in accuracy than the first few, so I felt that I was really getting the hang of things.

All the eyes done! I thought I was on such a roll until I noticed this...

I was trying to keep the direction of the fabric the same, but I am so spatially challenged that I got the eye section the wrong way around. Initially I was going to leave this, but then I thought that I was not going to be able to overlook this, so had to slow down and re-do a few eye sections.

Anyway, it got done and yesterday I completed the sashings and top border

So cute! This is the baby quilt size of 34 x 46in. In retrospect I wished that I had made this larger but I just had enough grey background fabric and for the white I used every available piece that I had down to the very last scrap. I think that I will do another one with a brownish background, maybe adding a row in width and length.

Learnings: don't be too over-zealous with cutting the blocks to size...I did on quite a few occasions and forgot that I was cutting into the seam allowance, hence some of the points were no longer points! Hmm...now the fun begins with the quilting. Would like to do a woodgrain design but am really not that good at it...may need to practice for a little while to see whether I can let loose on the quilt. Alternatively, a nice allover design...still pondering.

Karin

Production Line Piecing

I am on to my next baby quilt. I already constructed one quilt, then found out the couple were expecting twins, so committed to do a second one in a different colour way. Well, I thought that I have got heaps of time...expected arrival is set for April! However, as I am hearing it, those babies are in a hurry...definitely is not going to be April. The expectant mum is currently in hospital being monitored. I reckon another few weeks and they are going to be arriving.

So I had to spring into action. Nothing better than a deadline. Thankfully, my little quilt lends itself perfectly to chain-piecing. I already had all the pieces cut out and ready to go...

Making a start just piecing the triangle units together

Sure enough...did not have enough of the white triangles and needed to cut out some more. While I was at it, I also cut out my binding with the Accuquilt Go 2 1/2in Strip Cutter. Such a handy die, and saves so much time.

Finished the binding off, as I was sewing the units together, feeling super productive.

Chain-piecing in action

Making all of the units in one hit

The first block...yah!

Today I finished putting the little quilt together

2 days of straight piecing! Also found Anne Kelle's Remix fabric at one of those 'end of bolt' sales...fits this quilt top absolutely perfectly

I will put this together tomorrow and hopefully start on the ditch quilting. Then I will do the same continuous line design I did for the 'boy' quilt with my Pro Echo 8 ruler. Looking forward to this.

Hopefully I will finish this off by next week, ready for the new arrivals.

Karin

Piecing Galore

Continuing on my many WIPs in my sewing room...next on the list is the Disappearing Four Patch quilt.

While the Four Patch block is quite easy to construct, it took me a while to work out the pressing of the seams. As it is a one block quilt, one should have thought that this is quite easy, but it took a few trials (more orphan blocks) to get it right as the blocks have to match up in a light/dark fashion so each alternate block has to be pressed in a way that the seams interlock across as well as down.

In the end I worked out my colour distribution (this will be an organised scrappy quilt as I selected a narrow range of my favourite country fabrics) and started on one half of the blocks pressed in one way. Managed to finish those 21 blocks yesterday...

 

Going about it in this organised way helped me to get less confused about the different fabrics and the pressing of the seams. I got on a roll and was able to chain-piece my units which sped up the process enormously. Actually got into a bit of a competition with myself of how much I was able to match my intersecting seams correctly when piecing the segments of the 21 blocks. Needless to say, some days were better than others...yesterday I ploughed through about 10 blocks and hardly had any mismatching seams...yah, this does not happen too often!

Chain piecing the Four Patch Units



A mountain of Four Patch halves building up behind the machine

 



Ready to snip the units apart



The completed units

 Only about 19 blocks to go of the other lot...this should look good when completed. I am planning to give this quilt to one of the magazines, so am on a bit of a schedule.

After this I am planning to continue with my FMQ. Finally gave up on my idea to drive to the Quilt shop in the city for my thread and ordered it over the internet. Will be interesting to see how I went with choosing the right colours...also am itching to do another FMQ sampler similar to the one that I did last year when participating in Leah Day's Wednesday Quilt Along...idea after idea...

Linking up to Anything Goes Linky Party at Stitch by Stitch

Until next time

Karin