The Last Blocks (almost)

OK, this is what I was supposed to make and was planning to make until a few days ago: the dreaded sunflower block.

I drafted it out and started thinking about all those small triangles. I could make the block but I decided that I really don't want to. Even if I paper pieced it's still very intimidating. I've been working on these quilts for almost a year now and I really want to get back to fun piecing and finish the quilt.

This is what I made instead. It's called Grecian Square and I found pictures of it in several vintage quilts so it should go nicely with the other blocks. I used the blue background fabric for the corner squared to give the feel of a circle. For the rest of the fabrics, I matched as closely as I could. It was easy to put together and I really enjoyed it after working on the Lone Stars.

For my more modern quilt I chose a Delectable Flower block. I've admired it since I've seen it on a few quilts. It was deceptively difficult to piece but still a lot easier than the sunflower.

So, with those 2 blocks done I've been able to start assembling.

I've got 2 more rows of blocks on the top, an extra tall row on the bottom and then a column on either side. I still have to go slowly and carefully as the sashing is not the same size on all blocks. So far the blocks are going together well and faster than I expected. I'm beginning to think about how I'll be quilting once the top is all together.

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It's about time - the big reveal

My bright quilt was finished in June but I wanted to wait until both were done before sharing the pictures. Quilting the blue quilt didn't take long but finishing the binding sure did. I did procrastinate a bit as it was too warm to have a huge quilt on my lap for most of the summer. After this, I'll probably do all the binding on my sewing machine (and stick to smaller quilts). Notice the cut-out corners? That was a challenge. I found instructions here and it looked easy enough but I wished I had practiced some. After a lot of finessing I finally got good miters but I could have done much better. The cut-out corners allow the quilt to hang nicely over the edges of the mattress and it's a perfect match for a full sized mattress. But, the top edge isn't even close to the pillows. I wonder how the quilt fit on the bed it was made for. Here, at last, is the original quilt that I was copying. I just noticed - all of the baskets are

Basted

A few weeks ago I was at the Local Quilt store basting my bright sampler. It's been ready to go for a while. I've been working on a baby quilt and it's now done. It's been a while since I've quilted so I'm glad I had a quilt to warm up on. Next I need to pull a folding table out of the garage and re-arrange my quilting space. This quilt will have a lot more drag than the baby quilt. I've also been looking at pictures of similar quilts looking for quilting pattern inspiration. I'm thinking of taking the easy way out and u se wavy lines like this quilt . I should start quilting next weekend!

The last 2 blocks and the tops are done!

I needed 2 more blocks to finish the gray version of the quilt. I ended up making simple 9 patch/half square triangle blocks. One is the yellow block in the lower left. Here it is closer up. When I made the half square triangles I had the red fabric going the wrong way so you are seeing the backside of the fabric. So the red in the triangles is a little lighter than the red in the center. It wasn't worth redoing. The other corner has a blue block and I managed to get the front of all the fabrics showing. So, here's what it looks like almost complete. And here's the blue version of the quilt. I've got the backing and the batting for the gray quilt (the backing is in the washer now) and I'm working on the thread to use for quilting and how to quilt it. They are too big for me to free-motion quilt. I don't have the space. As it is, quilting with the walking foot will be a challenge. These tops deserve so

Erica's Stitches

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