New Project "Road to Ok" Quilt for My Bed (Top Finished!)

[ozark hen]

Wow, you are fast, beautiful!! I love quilts no matter how many squares don't match up. I think those are the ones with character. I love them all because of all the love that goes into them. You are doing a great job. Tom will love it!!

 

[sianara]

Love the colors!

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry, Angie, that piece is four 12" blocks sewn together. I'm doing it that way, units of four, rather than just sewing them in a row like I'd usually do.

 

[speckledhen]

I've been working on this quilt and all I can say is:

Why, when you cut everything so precisely, sew with a machine which has a 1/4 inch guide, when you are soooo careful, does nothing fit???? I did eight blocks, pieced them in blocks of 4 blocks each. When I go to put the two sections together, one is fully one inch smaller all around than the other! I can't even get them together if I fudge!

So, looks like I have two very colorful wallhangings.

I think I'll blame the burgandy fabric, the homespun stuff that tends to stretch. Yeah, that's it. Now what? Why can't I even piece squares and triangles together anymore?? Maybe I need just squares. Something where the only piece is a square and make it interesting by arrangement of colors.

 

[silkiechicken]

Oh no! That's so much work to have not line up! Either way, that's some talent.

 

[country lady]

Speckledhen, I understand your frustration but your work is still beautiful. I only make lap quilts and wall hangings these days and the same happens to me no matter how carefully I cut and sew. I did learn one thing, though, with paper piecing. The printer distorted the lines. I made flying geese strips with paper piecing, drawing each one instead of xeroxing, and it turned out nice. You chose pretty colors. Wall quilts are fine. I saw a picture of a wall covered in small quilts, much like a photo collection on a wall. Very nice.

 

[speckledhen]

Guess I could use the largest 4 block section as a medallion and do borders and other simple blocks around it and go out from there till I have a bed quilt. That puts me at a standstill until I can get some black fabric to set the section off from the rest of the quilt. Since is already has gold, green, red and blue, seems that black would be the perfect "frame" around it. Any other suggestions? I can't redo all that work, so I'm going to change paths a bit here.
I usually only do wallhangings, crib quilt and lap quilts nowadays, too. A bed quilt is a huge project for me to undertake. Already, I have a beautiful quilt top made by kathyinmo in a frame, but I can't make it fit the frame adn stretch right, so I'm taking it out and putting it in a large lap hoop to handquilt it. Geez, I've quilted for over 20 years and I feel like a newbie!

 

[country lady]

Cynthia, I hate to rip out too. I use a lot of black fabric and I find it hard to sew but it really makes a quilt stand out. This quilt will truly be your own. How large will your finished quilt be? I make mostly scrap quilts and buy quite a bit on sale from Hobby Lobby. Here the fabric is always 30% discount but I usually have a 40% discount coupon. The website: www.hobbylobby.com has a coupon that I use. Let us know how it's coming.

 

[speckledhen]

I've designed medallion quilts. It's just "create as I go" with those and the end product is a real mystery till its done. Here is one I made and is now owned by Marlinchaser's daughter. This one was done completely by hand, the only way I knew until this year, when I was gifted with a nice sewing machine. I did get some fabric from Hobby Lobby, but the closest one is over an hour away.

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

Cynthia..does your machine have a special foot..(I have a Phaff and it is called feeddog..I think)..it works together with the bottom feed feet that helps it not stretch the bottom fabric. do you know if the burgundy homespun is usually on the bottom?