It's Not Procrastination

I usually work without a pattern, making up my own as I go along.  It's fun but it's also challenging.  Sometimes I procrastinate move slowly when I'm not sure I can succeed.  But yesterday, after not getting around to it for several weeks, I finally stitched together a pieced side-setting triangle.  And I think I succeeded!

In fact, maybe I over-succeeded.  This half-block turned out at least an inch deeper than it needs to be.  I tell myself that's okay because I can always trim part away but I would have to sew another triangle if it were too small.

Here it is in comparison to a full block folded in half.  It's big, huh?

In the last post about this quilt Rebecca Grace of Cheeky Cognoscenti asked what size I want the quilt to be.  (Thank you, Rebecca Grace.)  That's not usually my first consideration but I get around to it as I lay out blocks.  In this case, asking that question was really important because I have more than 40 blocks and will add sashing.  So I spent some time this week calculating size options with the blocks I have.  (The blocks will finish at 9 1/2" which means they'll measure 13 1/2" on the diagonal.)

I thought about making the sashing narrow (above) so I could use more blocks but I decided I like the wider sashing better.  (In the photo above you can see that overly-large side-setting triangle on the left.)

So I'm back to wider sashing and fewer blocks which will make a twin-size quilt.

Don't those side-setting triangles look great?  (The ones in the photo are just whole blocks folded in half.)  I think the quilt wants them. . . .   But I'm not sure I want to make them.  If I choose this layout and use pieced setting triangles I will need to cut and piece 19 more side setting triangles!  And I'll have 12 blocks left over.  Decisions, decisions.

Once again I have to get these blocks up off the floor because my grandbabies, daughters, and son-in-law are coming to visit.  On Friday.  How much can I get done by Friday?  I know I can't cut and stitch 19 side-setting triangles AND cut sashing and cornerstones AND sew them all together.  If only I didn't procrastinate move so slowly. . . .

On another topic, there's still time to link up to Quilty Inspiration #1.  Or come back on Sunday and link to Quilty Inspiration #2.

I'm linking up to
WOW at Esther's Blog
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
Let's Bee Social #92 at Sew Fresh Quilts

--Nancy.
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Quilts at a Local Quilt Show

A little nearby town, Grove City, had a quilt show a few weeks ago.

This first quilt was large and I couldn't get far enough away to see all of it in the camera's viewfinder.

This quilt show was held in a large room in a local church.  In previous years the quilts filled the room.  This year there were about half as many quilts as in previous years.

And yet the aisles between the rows of quilts were so close that it was hard to get any but the smallest quilts in the view of a camera lens.  Hence, the less-than-great photos.

You can click on any photo to enlarge it.  (I'm not using Lightbox.)

When I see a group of quilts I'm always taken by the patterns, the colors, the fabrics.  I forget to look at details.  I usually don't notice individual aspects of quilts like fabric choices, quilting details, or borders.

This year was a little different for me.  Because I'd just come from the store with the quilts hanging on the fence and realized what I forgot to look at, I took notice at this show.

From a distance, I saw flowers.  Up close, I saw the strips of fabric that created the flowers.

This quilt was interesting because it seemed very two-sided.  The quilting threads didn't show much on the front...

... but on the back, they were bright echoes of the pattern on the front.

When I looked at the quilting this time, I noticed that the hand quilting seemed to meld into the fabric and become part of it, even when the quilting lines were evident.  The machine quilting seemed to lay on top of the quilt, almost like a separate aspect of the quilt.

I didn't fall in love with any of the quilts but there were several that I thought were special.

Take care,
Nancy.

P.S.  If you're interested, there's a link-up to share your quilty inspiration posts here.  It's open until Thursday evening.  Participate if you can!
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Quilty Inspiration #1

Hosting a link-up is a first for me.  Let's see how it goes!  Next week I'll share an inspiration post but since this is the first week (and I'm feeling uncertain about the behind-the-scenes, technical aspects of this process) I'll just explain about the link-up. 

I hope Quilty Inspiration will become a place where we can share what inspired us in the creation of our quilts.  So, please link a post that tells about (or shows) your inspiration for a quilt you've made, are making, or hope to make.  What inspired you?  Tell us about the very beginnings, before you put scissors or cutter to fabric.  Did you see a painting that inspired the colors you chose?  Did you see a quilt that suggested the block pattern you used?  Did you remember a quilt you saw and loved?  Were you flipping pages in a book or magazine and something clicked?  Or perhaps fabric itself inspires you.  Tell us about or show us some creative inspiration that may lead to a quilt and/or share a quilt and then tell us about/show us the creative inspiration that started it. 

I've arranged for the link to open on Saturday evening and stay open until Thursday evening.  That should give all of us time to write an inspiration post if we haven't written one already. 

Just a Few Rules for Quilty Inspiration

• Link a blog post (not your homepage) in which you've shared either a source of inspiration and/or the results of some inspiration and a bit about your creative process.  (I'm sorry but Instagram photos just don't offer enough substance for this link-up.)
• Link the url for the post, not the url for your blog.
• Please link back to this post in your own blog post.  You can use the button below (copy the code) or use a text link.
• Visit at least several other participants and leave comments on their posts.

<div class="Share-Your-Quilty-Inspiration" style="width: 150px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.joyforgrace.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGWOu_1YW1OijA6Li_GCh1qq7EuVoGKBgCIJF2GFw1Pv-1m8DvOB3Rwnokb3Aip5MUgsLt4Qf1wHnh_7vCMWuUBHUymwp9-TvkpgcWHS8efQgMywXy_rPCvSlKxD5-1Zf3lCZVSDF7-k/s150-Ic42/QI-print1-%252520150%252520black%252520letters.jpg" alt="Share Your Quilty Inspiration" width="150" height="128" /> </a> </div>

Let the inspiration flow!  (And spread the word.)

--Nancy.

An InLinkz Link-up

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A Fence of Quilts

This past Saturday morning I went to a sale at a local quilt shop.  I was surprised to see their driveway fence hung heavy with quilts.  Here are a few photos.

I took group shots to begin with.

Then I switched to photos of individual quilts, or at least only a few in the photo.

 

When I reached the end of the parking lot I decided to snap a photo of the whole fence -- or at least as much as I could get in the photo.

All of these were sample quilts and all were selling for 50% off.  Most were lap-size quilts or smaller.  None came home with me -- except in photographs.

Whenever I see a show of quilts I'm dazzled by the colors and patterns and I invariably forget to look at the details or how colors were put together, the borders, the actual quilting.  I can look at all of those things in photos except the quilting.

Thanks for visiting.

--Nancy.
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