May's Cheddarback Blocks

These are my May blocks, with annotations.  Just look at the photos if you prefer.  (I sometimes write/type too much and give too much information, though I'll be glad to have it later when I've forgotten what I thought or did.)  You can see the photos of the original Cheddarback quilt at Sentimental Stitches where Gay Bomers is hosting a sew-along this year.  Blocks are free the month they are published, then $5.00/set after that.  You can see the May blocks here.

Block 11

This is a 12" x 12" block.  When I first saw it on Sentimental Stitches I saw red and white stripes and several dark/navy blues.  I didn't have a red and white narrow-striped fabric so when I came upon a shirt made with the fabric at a thrift store, below, it came home with me.

The red is a little on the rose side and now that I've made the block I think it looks very pink --  too pink!  And as I look at the original block again I see red and off-white, and something else different about the stripes that I didn't notice before.  It's a waviness, though it's hard to tell whether it looks that way because the quilt has been washed and dried or because the fabric is printed that way.  I will probably remake this block if or when I find a different background fabric.

The other thing about this block is that the pattern as Gay wrote it makes an 11 7/8" finished block.  In the directions she said, "I need you to be a little scant on your 1/4" seam allowances to make up the 1/8" we need for our block to have a 12" finished size."  All of my 12" blocks have come out a tad too large so I used the same seam allowance I usually use and this block is the perfect size.  That tells me I'm not really sewing a 1/4" seam.  There are times when it matters more than others and this is one of them!

Blocks 12-15, below, finish at 5". 

Block 12

The original of this block had y-seams.  Gay kindly created a simpler pattern for those of us who wanted to use it.  I simplified her simple version even more by using just one red triangle in the center of the basket instead of a small square and two triangles.  Both the background fabric and the blue and white check fabric were shirts. 

Block 13

Many people who are members of the Cheddarback Facebook group thought Block 15 was really challenging, and it was.  But I found this block just as challenging.  Gay offered two versions, one for paper piecing and one for rotary cutting.  When I first looked at this block I saw what I thought would be an easy way to sew this block by creating the triangles in each square, sewing the triangles together into squares, then sewing the squares together.  Gay's paper-pieced pattern was sewn that way, and that's the pattern I used but I sewed it by machine.  It looks easier to sew than it was.  The blue striped fabric had been a thrift-store shirt.  

Block 14

The original of this block has a purple and black fabric similar to the one above.  That blue and black fabric is not one I would ever buy, at least not a fat quarter or yardage.  This came in a bag of 3" squares I bought at a quilter's yard sale last year.  I wasn't sure I would have enough but since there were four blocks I was able to sew them together in pairs and cut four 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" strips for the border.  It was a little tight but it worked. 

Block 15

This was the hard basket so many talked about in the Cheddarback Facebook group.  It received its own post a week or so ago.  The only change I wish is to have reread Gay's description again before making this block so I would have known (or remembered) to use a solid red for some of the triangles.  (I would also have used a plaid for the basket but I didn't have one close enough in color to the original.)  This is a sweet basket but this is a block I will not remake!

Here they are together.  What a variety of blocks there are in this quilt!  I haven't decided whether making these blocks is a test of my mettle or a good learning experience.  Probably both!.

As I work on these blocks I continue to be amazed as I remember the original creator cut by hand without the use of a rotary cutter or acrylic ruler.  Amazing!

I've chosen fabric for the light sashing but I haven't found a light blue/blue grey floral print for the sashing around the side and top edges, so I haven't sewn any of the blocks together yet.

I'm linking this post to Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More.  Thanks for hosting, Wendy.

--Nancy.
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