Skill Builder Bom - Hex n Chev and Geo Swirl

It's over!  I've finally finished sewing those damn hexies. You know what?  NEVER AGAIN!

I didn't think to press the block before taking this picture, but it looked a bit of a mess afterwards.  I clearly didn't sew them together closely enough as they're a big bagged.  I didn't use the usual slip stitch method, I tried it, holding the two hexies right sides together, but you could see the stitches, so I held them on my knee, right sides down, butted up, and ladder stitched.

I added a couple of borders and you know what?  I love this block! Did I really say that?  Someone shoot me in case I'm tempted to do it again...

Oh, haven't told you what this is about, in case you're not paying attention and making notes on every post I write (remember, there will be a test!).  This post is part of the Skill builder BOM, hosted by Pile O Fabric.  

Thought you might like to see the back:

No?  Oh, OK, well I'll show you Geo Swirl instead.  This is one of the blocks for May.  I know, I know, there are two English paper pieced blocks for April and I've only done one, but I can't face another yet!  And anyway, one of you might shoot me.

As I'm not new to paper piecing/foundation piecing, call it what you will, this was easy.  Only one problem where the fabric wasn't big enough to fit the shape, but that was easily dealt with.  The pattern was over several pages and the instructions said I had to watch the video to see how to put them together.  One problem, I can't watch videos.  My PC doesn't have sound and my lap top is ancient and far too slow to stream, I'd need my work lap top for that and I hadn't brought it home.  It was OK though, I figured it out.

I like the block, but don't like the appliqued circles.  Wonder if it's my colour choices?  I might end up unpicking them and putting something else in their place.  Not sure what though...  suggestions on a post card please.  (Or you could just leave a comment, that would save on postage).

Related posts

Soundwave and Magnum

Em-Dash
The Mood and Woven Star

Woven Star

Woven Chevrons

Still hexing

When will it be over?  Please let it be over soon...

Hexies and how my life gets harder by the day

When will it be over?  Please let it be over soon...

Skill Builder BOM - Woven Chevrons

In order to prevent me being kicked out of the EMMQG, I thought I'd better actually do some quilting, well patchwork at least.  I haven't forgotten the Skill builder BOM, hosted by Pile O Fabric that I signed up to, though you could be forgiven for thinking I have considering I have done nothing since March (except basting 13 hexies!).  I'd been putting off March's block 6 - woven chevrons - as it looked hard.  It actually wasn't.

Oh, Ange, this is that boring quilt in just shades of blue, you know the boring one I was telling you about that you said sounded boring? ;0)

I cut 40 million QSTs and 20 million HSTs* and sewed the QSTs together.  

So far so good.  Then I had to sew these pieced HSTs to the HSTs.

I was pretty sure I'd end up with loads of different sized squares, so I thought I'd better trim them up.  Alyssa said they should be 3.5".  They were all a fraction over and a quick trim sorted that out.  I was stunned.

The squares were sewn into rows... all these rows are the same length.  Hmmm, something odd going on here.

Done.  Most of the points match.  MOST OF THE POINTS MATCH!  So you're thinking "so what", well that's never happened to me before!  I know why it's happened, some lovely lady, I think it was Kerry, explained to me what a scant 1/4" seam is.  It has changed my entire world.  OK, so it hasn't.  The house is still falling down, I still don't have a kitchen, I still have to go to work tomorrow, but MOST OF THE POINTS MATCH!  

It also measured 12.5", just as it should.  None of the others did!  I added some borders and called it down.

MOST OF THE POINTS MATCH!  I'll accept your admiration now ladies.


*slight exaggeration

Related posts

Soundwave and Magnum

Em-Dash
The Mood and Woven Star

Woven Star

Skill Builder Bom - Woven Star

This post is part of the Skill builder BOM, hosted by Pile O Fabric.  .

Remember this?  The cross on a pedestal?

I did this to it...

I have no idea if this is the correct way to fix a block - maybe I should have removed the borders and unpicked each row.  I didn't though.

Much better!

Related posts

Soundwave and Magnum

Em-Dash
The Mood and Woven Star

Skill Builder BOM - The Mood and Woven Star

I made another two blocks for the Skill builder BOM, hosted by Pile O Fabric.  It was not a complete success.

First up was the Mood block.  I'd already cut these pieces out, it was February's block after all!  I added in a bit of orange print for this, but I'm not sure it works.  I'm trying to do a predominantly blue, and predominantly solids quilt, with flashes of yellow and of print...  But, on the positive side, it worked well.  I was worried about this block, there was a lot of panic in the Flickr group as one of those triangles is made by putting your ruler at 60 degrees, then moving it 2 degrees. To be honest, I have no idea how far I moved it but fail to see how it can matter!

This is the Woven Star.  Except it's not a star, is it??

See it?  Damn you wayward orange triangle, I'm going to have to unpick you...  You have no-one to blame but yourself. 




Related posts

Soundwave and Magnum

Em-Dash

Skill Builder - block 3 Em-Dash

I finally got round to making another block for the Skill builder Bom, hosted by Pile O Fabric.  Blocks 3 and 4 were posted in February, so I'm really behind, I also haven't FMQ'd the first 2 blocks... need to get moving on this one!

Block 3 is the Em-Dash which starts by adding HSTs to the corners.  I took the photo above to illustrate how bad my accuracy is.  That sentence didn't make sense, did it?!  I very carefully cut and starched the blocks.  I very carefully lined the small blocks on top and they don't line up properly!

Even so, my points aren't that bad.  2 meet, 2 don't and of course the middle doesn't, that's obvious from about 3 miles away!  2 out of 5 is pretty good for me!

For some reason my block finished up at 12.25" rather than 12.5" so I decided to sash the 3 I'd made and cut them down to 15".  I couldn't find what size the finished blocks were supposed to be, but this is my quilt so I'm going to just make it up!  There's some pretty bad pressing on display above.

This appalling photo shows the first 3 blocks sashed.  Eagle-eyed readers may notice I changed my Magnum block.  I wasn't happy with the mistake I'd made, it took seconds to fix so I'm glad I did.

Now I just have to get block 4 sewn up, all 4 basted and quilted then I'll have to start on March's blocks, though I don't think they're out yet.  Does that mean I'm not behind?


Related posts

Soundwave and Magnum

Skill Builder BOM

What my title lacks in imagination, it makes up for in information.  My excuse, I'm sticking to it! 

The Skill Builder BOM I'm referring to is hosted by Pile O Fabric.  It's a year long BOM with 2 blocks each month using a variety of techniques to make a full quilt.  I bought some fabric especially for the Skill Builder, thinking I'd do the block in solids.

Incidentally, UK readers, these fabrics came from The Village Haberdashery where Kona solids (which these are) are just £1.75 a fat quarter!  Bargain.  I bought a selection of blues, Sand for the background and some orange. 

To cut a long story short, I bought fabric based on requirements for the wrong BOM and do not have nearly enough.  I've decided to add in whatever solid blues I have hanging around and some blue prints to bulk it out.  With it being a year-long BOM, I can buy some more fabric later in the year if I need it. 

This is lesson 1 which were January's blocks.  Yes, I'm behind, already.

This is the Soundwave block.  It's improv-piecing - well the strips are all a certain width, but the lengths were improv'd. 

And this is the Magnum block.  Anyone who's participating in the BOM will see that this block is wrong.  The blue strip in the top left corner shouldn't be there, but I had a small measuring "incident".  I may remake that part of the block.

The quilt is Quilt-As-You-Go with FMQ.  These blocks should be done already and February's pieced.  Ah well, I've got a year to catch up!

As I'll be QAYGing, I want blue prints on the reverse, finding very few in my stash prompted a bit of a shopping spree.  First up are my goodies from Prints to Polka Dots (affiliate link).  Yes, I know that Daisy Cottage doesn't fit the blue theme.  Nor do the red prints, but I was lacking in red to and they were having a sale!

These little lovelies were also bargains, this time from Threads and Patches where I also bought the crewel wool I mentioned earlier this week.

I also bought this panel which is currently being made into a book for my lovely little nephew.  These kind of panels to make soft books are in real short supply.

Well that's all for today, enjoy your Friday!