Dear Jane Quilt - Sashing and Cornerstones

Dear Jane quilt  (G7 - Indianapolis)

You have seen this Dear Jane quilt block before (G7 - Indianapolis), but today it is proudly wearing its new cornerstones and sashings.  The original quilt doesn't have actual cornerstones, but I had a bit of fun with the cornerstones on my Nearly Insane quilt and I think a little extra thought on this area can take a quilt to the next level.

Firstly, the sashing.  If I require lots of the same squares or rectangle shapes for my English paper piecing I usually use the Table function in Microsoft Word.  You can set the size of the table cells in the software and then print out a blank table on regular printer paper ready for cutting up in the shapes that you need.  The sashing will be the same as my background fabric.


Dear Jane Quilt Sashing 0.5" x 4.5"

You can see I managed to get about 30 sashing strips on one sheet, each one being 1/2" x 4.5" and here are some of them prepared with their tacking stitches ready for when I need them.

'Hearthside Seasons' by Kim Diehl

For the cornerstones I am using one of the 'Hearthside Seasons' fabrics by Kim Diehl.  I thought I could fussy cut the stars for the middle.  The cornerstone squares below are English paper pieced and are just 1/2" x 1/2 Inch.

Cornerstones  1/2" x 1/2" - Dear Jane Quilt

 

Quilting Milestones - Nearly Insane Quilt



Nearly Insane Quilt - Cornerstones

As you may know I have been trying to get all the bits of my Nearly Insane quilt done so that I can start getting it together.  In the past few weeks 'life' has been doing its best to get in the way, but I have persisted, even if it meant just doing a few stitches a day.  My little 2" cornerstones have pushed me the most.  There were 85 to complete, each with 9 pieces, a total of 765 pieces.  As I took the final stitch in the final cornerstone, I was almost deafened by the silence - where was the trumpet fanfare?



Nearly Insane Quilt - Cornerstones

I soon realised there wasn't going to be one to mark this milestone, so my husband opened up a bottle of fizz to help me celebrate.  Everything is now ready to lay out the quilt for the first time.

 

Nearly Insane Quilt - Draw 28

Nearly Insane Quilt Blocks

Suzi the cat is tired of waiting for me to finish these Nearly Insane quilt blocks.  I promise that there has been lots of sewing this end, it is just the blogging that is suffering.  Between us we have hatched some other projects that we want to do and she knows they will involve lots of sewing time in the sewing room - her favourite activity.

Tour de France 2014 - stitching as I go

A few weeks ago I updated you on the other 'elements' of the quilt - the sashing, cornerstones and zig zag border. I set myself a target of getting these done whilst I watch the 2014 Tour de France this year - I meant to tell you about it earlier.  Today it is Stage 13 of 21 and I have completed all the sashing, all the half cornerstones and am now wading through the remaining cornerstones.

To catch up with myself, I will bring you up to date with the blocks from Draw 27 which are finished, which deserves a little link up. The next blocks are

20 - 32 - 84

You may notice that there is not a half block on the list.  It is because they have all been done!

 

Feline Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday Crazy Mom Quilts

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 35

Block 35, Nearly Insane Quilt

Block 35 has been enjoying the summer sunshine in the garden.  In these last few blocks I have enjoyed using some of the new fabrics I have sourced lately, as well as the old favourites.


Block 35, Nearly Insane Quilt

In my recent post I mentioned how close I am to completing the blocks for the Nearly Insane quilt, but that I am a bit behind with the sashing and cornerstones.  With a major sporting weekend starting here in the UK (Tour de France - Le Grand Depart, British F1 - Silverstone, Wimbledon Tennis Final), naturally the rain has now set in, so it looks like a good weekend to make the most of the television coverage and move these other components of the sampler quilt forward. 

Joining up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Whoop Whoop Friday!(PS: No cats in this post, but pop along to Feline Friday anyway!)


NUMBER OF PIECES:  69
DIFFICULTY: 1/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle, 1"  (126mm) x 3/4" (18mm) x 3/4" (18mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle, 2 1/16"  (54mm) x 1 1/2" (38mm) x 1 1/2" (38mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Counting Sheep - Cherry, Calista from Blank Quilting
Tried and True Raindrops Garnet(04273) by Nanacy Halvorsen, Benartex
Wishes Red on Vanilla Doilies SKU# 5531-14  by Sweetwater, Moda
Christmas Past  (14547) by Polly Minick and Lauri Simpson for Moda
Scattered Red Stars on White (Unidentified)
Cherry Sally's Skirt by Sweetwater for Moda #5473
Red with White Dots, Makower
Calico

Nearly Insane Quilt - Draw 27

Nearly Insane Quilt Blocks 5, 52, 82 - Draw 26

Here are the Nearly Insane blocks from Draw 26 which I completed whilst I was on holiday.  Gauging how much you will get achieved whilst you are away is always difficult.  I would hate to be in a situation where I had run out of sewing!  The build up to the holiday is always combined with preparing the Nearly Insane blocks and the other bits and pieces that go with the quilt, and if I am honest this is more of a priority for me than what actually goes in my suitcase.  I usually cut plenty of cornerstone pieces as I know they can occupy me for hours, but take up very little room.  I usually choose to tack the sashing pieces when we are travelling on the more bumpy and windy roads ...


Zig Zag Border, Sashing and Cornerstones

Along with the blocks are the sashings, the cornerstones, the half cornerstones which go around the edge, as well as the zig zag border.  I have phases where I have a bit of a push of these, knowing I will need them to get the actual quilt together, but I have not kept up with them as well as the blocks.  I hope you don't mind if I use this post to get a grip on this ...
At the moment I have done

162 / 196 (82%)  - Sashings

57 / 87 (65%)  - Cornerstones

18 / 28 Half (64%) - Half Cornerstones

21/80 (26%) - Zig Zag Chevron

So still a bit of a way to go on this, but enough bits to get over half the quilt together.  However there are still blocks to do too.  Here are the next ones in draw

 

34 - 35 - 76 - 93

After these are done there are just 4 blocks left to do of the 85 total.

Linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts

Day 7 - Twelve Days of Sewing at Fabadashery

Cornerstones and Corner block, Nearly Insane Quilt

Well, I have done four more cornerstones, and a half cornerstone, which I think means I have completed the twelve I intended to do in total.  I have also done one of the four corner blocks for the Nearly Insane quilt.  

Suzi the Cat on her cat mat

Most of it was done waiting for Bonnie Hunter to reveal the next part of the Celtic Solstice 2013 Mystery Quilt, which she did at midnight in the USA.  But we were all sound a sleep ...

Nearly Insane Quilt - Edge Block 98

Edge Block 98 - Nearly Insane Quilt

In the Nearly Insane Quilt, the blocks are set on point, so as a result there are these half triangles on the edge. Despite having done fourteen of these edge blocks, this is the first 'star' one I have done.  Each one is repeated twice, and I have found that they tend to be more standard blocks, and that they are perhaps not quite as challenging as those I have faced with the full blocks.

Half Canoe Block Cornerstones, Nearly Insane Quilt 2013

Alongside the half blocks are the half cornerstones, which I mentioned I had been working on in my post last week.  The cornerstones are 2 inch blocks, so when cut in half diagonally, the red triangles are REALLY thin - too thin for even me!  So this is why they are still full size on these half blocks - I will sort the excess when I come to it.


Nearly Insane Quilt - Set on Point

To give you an idea of how all this comes together, here is a mini layout, with the edges, cornerstones and sashing.  I really am itching to start getting this quilt together, but there just aren't enough blocks done yet.

NUMBER OF PIECES:  18
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle, 3/4"  (18mm) x 1/2" (12mm) x 1/2" (12mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle, 13  (76mm) x  2 1/8" (54mm) x 2 1/8" (54mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Kimono Ditzy (843) by Henley Studio, Makower UK
Pom Pom de Paris by French General for Moda #13575-13
Designer Beads (Red) Freespirit for Westminster Fibers

Nearly Insane Quilt - Edge Block 97 and Cornerstones

Nearly Insane Edge Block 97

The Nearly Insane Quilt is set on point, so along with the blocks there are these triangular blocks which go around the edge. These edge blocks are no where near as complicated the main blocks in the quilt, so they get done quite quickly.  Also, most of them are repeated twice.  However, I did have a bit of a hitch this time around.  Although they look VERY similar, the triangles done in the Bias Check, are a slightly different size (on my pattern), but I didn't find that out until I had sewn them on.  So then I unpicked it ....

2" Canoe Block Cornerstones

Also the 6 Month Progress Report allowed me to review areas that needed attention, which made me realise that I was lagging behind on my cornerstones and sashings, so I have spent a bit of time catching up on these.  Now have 30 cornerstones done and 75 sashing strips complete.  I am not sure how many NEED to be done, but I do know I printed enough paper templates, so I am just working through them. I also started to take out the inner paper pieces from the cornerstones - I can see that is going to be quite a time consuming job in the future.

It is time to do some more fabric cutting for these.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 15
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 3/4" (18mm) x 13/4" (18mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Square 1.5" (38mm) x 1.5" (38mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
Cream Bias Check Mama Said Sew by Sweetwater for Moda  #5495 11
Redwork Rendevous by Alex Anderson for P&B Textiles
Red Pin Dot (Unidentified)
Cream Pin Dot (Unidentified)

Nearly Insane Quilt - March 2013

Nearly Insane Quilt, Progress March 2013

Since February 2013 when I started on the Nearly Insane Quilt journey, I have been drip feeding you progress on my work, so as an Easter treat I thought I would share with you an update of the overall progress.
All the tacking stitches and paper templates are still in place, which makes the overall look at the moment a bit strange, but I know when I finally sew all the components together, it will transform the work I have done so far.  I am always tempted in the back of my mind to sew a few together, or remove the papers, but ultimately I see it as the incentive for completing the first stage of making the blocks.  It is also fun playing with the bits and pieces, like I have done here, to get a taste of what the overall quilt will look like in the future. 
You will know from my Random Draws, that this is not the final layout of the blocks, the actual layout can be seen in a very small format on my sidebar.
The completion statistics so far:

10 Blocks

3 Side blocks

7 Cornerstones

25 Sashes

 

Thanks to everyone who takes time to stop and comment.
Joining up with Patchwork TImes.

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 61



Block 61 - Nearly Insane Quilt, March 2013

Happy Easter!

 Another lovely quilt block from the Salinda Rupp, Nearly Insane Quilt.  Part of the fun on this journey has been searching the internet to see how others have approached each block - it is amazing how differently they all turn out.  I like this block, mainly because I have used the Solid Red for the centres.  I think it is just a perfect red, and has a real intensity, especially when placed next to other reds.  It is the remainder of the solid red fabric I have used in my red and white pinwheel quilt.

For difficulty I have given  quilt block a 5/10.  I believe this block is known as a Snowball Block, which is made up from an octagonal shape, rather than hexagons.  Despite being a long time English Paper piecer, I have never really got myself involved in hexies, and actually I found them a bit fiddly.  I was always having to change direction, and when wrapping the fabric around the paper template, one seam always ended up much smaller than the other, by the time I had gone around the octagon.  Also, it was only once I started to piece the block together that I noticed the sides of the octagon were not the same length, and this meant a bit more concentration when  putting it together.  The biggest headache was deciding whether to stitch in red or off-white thread - in the end there is a mix. So it gets 5/10.

On the original pattern there are more pieces, as the centre squares are made up of four triangles, but I have chosen to keep it as a solid square.

As well as this block, I have also been preparing some of the cornerstones and sashing for the quilt.

I hope you like my seasonal photo of Block 61 of the Nearly Insane quilt. (I thought the green grass would tie in with my green tacking stiches nicely...).

NUMBER OF PIECES: 41
DIFFICULTY: 5/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 1" (25mm) x 1 11/16" (17mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Rectangle 1" (25mm) x 1 11/16" (17mm) x 1 11/16" (17mm)TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:  Kona Cotton (Solid Red) by Robert Kaufman
"Polka Party Petite" (Buttercream) "Lakehouse Dayz" Collection by Holly Holderman, Lakehouse Drygoods (LH05037)
"Quilter's Memory" Stof Quilter's Basics #4517-118

Nearly Insane Quilt - Cornerstones and Sashing

Cornerstone Sample, Nearly Insane Quilt

Now that I have started gathering a good set of blocks for the Nearly Insane Quilt, I have been putting my mind to the other elements in the quilt.  This past week the cornerstones and sashing have been the focus of my attention.  The original quilt has solid squares of colour at the point where four blocks meet on point, but with such little blocks, I felt it deserved something more delicate.

Crossed Canoes Block, Nearly Insane Quilt

Using my Electric Quilt 5 software, I searched for a block that would link the corners of the neighbouring blocks and came across this Crossed Canoe Block, which I have slightly adapted by making a completed square in the middle, rather than four triangles.  The cornerstones for the sashing, are just 2" square, and I will need to make 85 in total, plus a further 28 half blocks for the edge. I do like these little blocks, and imagine a quilt made of these, alternated with plain blocks?  As you can see I have only made one, so perhaps ask me about this idea once I have completed the other 84!

Nearly Insane Quilt Sashing 2" x 6", Unbleached Calico

For the sashing I have kept it simple, by just using the unbleached calico for the 2" by 6" strips.  I think there are about 196 of these to do, so I intend to do a few as I go along, rather than a load at the end.  So with the cornerstones, sashing, half blocks and full blocks, this is the layout of how the quilt will be set. 

Cornerstones, Sashing, Blocks Setting, Nearly Insane Quilt

Joining Up with Design Wall Monday!