Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 58

Block 58 - Nearly Insane Quilt

I love the visual effect of pinwheels.  The original Block 58, had a half square triangle arrangement which didn't make much sense to me, so I have used my initiative and tidied it up to make the centre panel pinwheels. I think I have also changed the proportions of some of the shapes too, however, it somehow still ends up having more pieces than the original.  I pushed the boat out on the stripes too!

As you know, I EPP (English Paper Piece) my blocks together, so my photos always have the tacking thread in them still.  I am sorry for the green tacking thread - I don't think you get to see the blocks at their best.  When I put the blocks and sashing together, I like the rigidity that the paper gives, so the paper and the tacking usually stay in until the very end.

Autumn leaves, October 2013

Also, this weekend the clocks go back for Winter.  In the last week Autumn has arrived with vengeance and they are predicting bad storms in the next few days.  Besides the weather, it makes it difficult to take good photographs for the blog, as they are usually indoors, and artificial light often plays tricks on the colours.  I think it calls for a bit more creative imaginations on my part ...

Anyway, here is the summary of this block.  As I said, mine has a few more pieces than the original, but with this one done, I can start thinking about Draw 15.  Joining up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict and  Crazy Mom Quilts, for my finish this week. 

NUMBER OF PIECES: 56
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle 1" (25mm) x 3/4" (18mm) x 3/4" (18mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Rectangle 2 3/4" (72mm) x 3/4 (18mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:  White on Cream Print
Red and White thin stripe (unidentified)
Red with white pindot (unidentified)

Nearly Insane Quilt - Draw 5

Here is the block selection for Draw 5. Again, nothing too bad here - when will those 'insane' blocks make themselves known?
 

10 - 57 - 62 - 87

 

Nearly Insane Blocks 4, 30, 61 with Spring Polyanthus

Above are the set of blocks from my Nearly Insane Quilt Draw 4, Block 4, 30, and 61 .  I thought I would showcase my blocks against our Spring polyanthus. We have had a few warmer days this week, and I just managed to take this picture before the rain started again.  My posts have got a bit out of sync, due to having more time to sew, and less time to update my blog, but I think with this post I have pulled it all back into order.



Nearly Insane Quilt, English Paper Piecing

I have started to gather a good pile of blocks, along with other bits and pieces for the Nearly Insane Quilt, but overall, it only represents about 17% of the total.  As you can see, I have made good headway with the pile of sashing strips, but the cornerstones are falling slightly behind.   So this is a review of my 'Design Wall', and so joining up with Patchwork Times today.

Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Quilt - Part 8 (Borders and Binding)

I think it is fair to say that Part 8 of the Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery Quilt involved quite a lot of work, so this is the second instalment of my progress so far.  The top is pieced together, and this weekend I put some time aside to choose the borders and the backing.


Easy Street Mystery Quilt

After letting the cogs in my brain do their bit, I have decided not to add further borders.  With the quilt being quite large already, I felt it was large enough, and probably heavy enough, so to finish off the edge of the quilt I have decided to add a very thin, red inset into the binding.  The red adds some intensity to the purple and although only very thin, gives a nice outline.  I have pieced up the red inset from red scraps from 20cm to 70 cm long, and it is ready to go. 


Plans for Easy Street Quilt Border and Binding

For the binding, I looked to see what I had left over in my stash, and one of the largest pieces remaining was the Sandy Gervais Moda print  'Friendly Folk'.  This looked better than the 'neutral', as the red berries and the green foliage on the print added something, and tied in the red inset strip.  I have enough of this to go around the entire quilt.  Again, it is all pieced together in a strip nearly 9 metres long.


Easy Street Quilt Binding

These decisions usually take me a very long time, but in the long run it is rarely time wasted.  It also allows the luxury of playing with your fabric stash, as you audition the colours.  With the decision not to add borders to the quilt, it slightly altered my plans for the day, as these will be added once Easy Street has been quilted - no plans for that yet.

Meanwhile, I have been able to enjoy the first of the snow for the winter.  On Friday it snowed all day, with almost 6" settling, with advice to stay off the roads and many schools and offices closed. With the temperature not rising above 0 degrees, the snow is still about, but slowly thawing.


Snow, January 2013