08 September, 2014

Round and Round


Okay, so I didn't get rid of ALL of my scraps. I did hold on to the two big glass jars of strips and strings holding court in the studio. They were overflowing with leftovers from projects, binding, and backing. Augmented by a bag of scraps my students in Nova Scotia gave me last year and a shipment of Botanics strips from Carolyn Friedlander, they were in danger of taking over a certain corner of the studio.

Then I saw this quilt.

It hung out in the recesses of my brain for a few weeks, taunting me with its movement, tempting me to test its construction. I tried to make it go away, to convince it that I had other projects to finish. But it wouldn't listen. And a listless and stressful end to summer for me brought on a need to play. So I decided to make just one block, just to see what happened.

Well, like it is a physical impossibility for me to eat just one cookie or have just one piece of chocolate, I couldn't make just one block. The movement, the energy, the use of these scraps. They all add up to a heck of a lot of fun.

Each block measures 16.5'' square. I probably should have made them on a foundation, but I didn't. So I'm treating them carefully and only making more to add to the design wall. I've started with 4, 5, and 6 sides polygons. Maybe even 7 sides. It goes together, roughly, like a log cabin. Adding one side at a time. Sometimes I add a small bit, sometimes a long strip. Eventually they have to be squared up so I'm getting some odd bits at the end. I'm learning to keep at eye on the edges before I get up to size. Doing so saves me sewing things I will end up cutting off, as well as avoiding skinny bits along the edges.

Round and round I go, where I'll stop nobody knows.


Excuse the horrible photos. It is snowing today. No light in the studio.

11 comments:

The Cozy Quilter said...

Yikes! SNOW???? Isn't it a bit early to use the S word??? I like your blocks! You can never just do one....

beth said...

i have that quilt pinned as well and have stared at it many a night wondering why if there was a tutorial somewhere on the interwebs for making it!! i love how rounded those blocks appear to be!!! i'm hoping you do a tutorial at some point... although i suppose i could get out some scraps and just start trying!! i love them!!

and i love how you just threw it out there like it's december... 'it's snowing' !!! gah!!!

Linda Kay said...

Snowing already?!? Say it isn't so! Your blocks are lovely - they look like roses. I may have to try those. Thank you for the inspiration. :)

eva said...

awesome!!!! awesome!!!! awesome!!!!
very very cool... i love it.
lighting is fine...
and snow??? YaY!!!!!
only 107 days until Christmas.... not sure how many baking days that is... so snow is appropriate..
xo
eva
bc

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I have never used foundations for my crazy piecing and I've been making it for over 40 years. Your blocks look great!

Luch said...

Love it! Funny, I've had this tutorial http://letseatgrandpa.com/2013/01/29/bloomin-quilt-as-you-go-panel-tutorial/
Open in a browser tab all week because I've fallen in love with it. But omg...a whole quilt of it would be gorgeous too!
It is snowing here (edmonton) too...so so cold. I wish I could quilt up the whole house in a day! (And I want to knit All The Things too.).
Thanks for sharing!

Karen said...

WOW! My jaw has dropped--gorgeous! BTW--I've been meaning to tell you how much I love your introduction on your About Me link--Great!

Kathye said...

I love those blocks! So colorful!
Whenever I click on "this quilt", I get nothing -- the page goes blank. I have tried clicking it on both my iPad and my laptop pc...can you provide a photo or another link to the quilt you are referring to?
Thanks!

Kathye said...

Never mind, I found it! I had to get out of blogger so that that it would connect.

Charlotta said...

Awesome blocks. Really make me want to make some - unfortunately, they also make me want to keep my scraps. I'd otherwise started to talk myself into getting rid of the lot of them!
I agree that foundation isn't necessary; might make it a bit sturdier while you work, but will make the block and resulting quilt a lot bulkier and potentially much less flat.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! What a beauty to work on in the snow!