The scrappiness of
Wintersweet continues to capture my interest but I have to say that in my excitement to get started I've been a little slack on paying attention to even the most basic instructions.
Nine-patch blocks are pretty straightforward, right? Apparently not for me. I started with the red/white blocks which have white/neutral squares on the corners and four red squares. Not paying attention, I did a beautiful job of sewing the exact opposite. A little time with Jack (the ripper) remedied that but I still repeated my folly a few more times. Sheesh.
When I started to play with a few green blocks there was obviously some muscle memory built up because I had it down pat. Problem is, the corners and centres for these blocks should be green! More time with Jack.
I think I finally have it figured out now but I'll admit to a bit of self-talk to help keep things on track.
And I don't do myself any favours when it comes to
scrappy nine-patches. This pattern is designed around strip sets, which means you get several consistent sets of blocks throughout the quilt. I must be a little OCD because if the quilt is to be
scrappy then I want to avoid those repeats and really work to having each block different from the next. So much for taking advantage of speed-sewing techniques!
That said, I do a bit of a modified strip set, joining a light and a dark strip and then sewing down a variety of blocks. It's a little slower for sure, but it gives me the mix that I'm looking for and once you get into the groove it moves along quite nicely. All of which is to say that, despite this being a 'quick' quilt designed for strip piecing, by the last step in the process I'm back to working with 2.5" squares instead of strips. Ah well, it's still fun....M
I also do not care for the exact repeats of strip piecing. Good to know there is someone else who does things with squares, not just strips! Love your quilts!
ReplyDeleteThere's a time and a place for all techniques. I like a lot scrappiness too and probably would have worked with squares too. Read directions? Well, occasionally, it can same a little bit of time 😉
ReplyDeleteUnsewing is never fun but these blocks are crisp and beautiful! I think the scrappiness is worth the extra time.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely selection of fabrics, Marie … and, I love them with the purity of the whites! “Jack, the Ripper” … LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way, I want my blocks to be truly scrappy so I end up cutting out the little squares and sewing them together one by one. But, I'm always happy with the results.
ReplyDeleteOh, this whole post totally sounds like something that I would do, from the unsewing to the being annoyed at the 'repeats' in what is supposed to be scrappy. Sometimes patterns just get in the way! lol
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I can't tell you how often this happens to me. That being said, the fabrics in your blocks are beautiful. I like the idea that you're going for scrappy and sewing the blocks individually. So much more character and interest, I think.
ReplyDeleteMarie, so love this new quilt, inspiring me! Linda
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