A Churn Dash Quilt Top

A finished top!  Not perfect, but finished.  I love it!  It will be such a feminine quilt and reminds me to think of the girls and women who used churn dashes to make butter.  I wish I had batting and backing to layer and quilt it now.  Quilt tops always seem fragile until they become quilts and I hesitate to do much more than lay them on the floorThe top measures 69" x 90¼".  A little long, maybe, but it will shrink with quilting and washing/drying.

I made the side and bottom setting triangles larger to extend the width and length of the quilt.  Without the side triangles being wider the quilt's width would have been 61".  When Lizzy of Gone to the Beach reminded me how stretchy side triangles can be I took extra care, but you'll notice a little waffling in the photos above and below.  I may go back and redo some seams but I think those will quilt out.  What do you think and what is your experience?  Do they need improved? 

In a recent previous post I wrote about the challenge of cutting such large triangles--21" square, cut diagonally twice--for the sides and bottom.  I didn't have a cutting mat large enough to cut 21" fabric squares so explored cutting options.  I finally decided to cut strips of fabric 10½" wide as if I were using an Easy Angle ruler, then cut the strips into triangles.

I have a 6" x 24" ruler with a 45-degree angle marked on it, which I tried, but I didn't trust it for accuracy.  I also tried using the 45-degree line on the cutting mat but didn't trust that, either.  (I knew that having an accurate 90-degree angle at that corner was important for accuracy.)

I finally used my 12½" ruler to cut the triangles. I was careful to align the ruler exactly at the upper edge of the fabric where the 90-degree angle was.  (For you observant readers, the triangle below is for the top of the quilt and not for the sides or bottom.)

I was happy with this method for cutting triangles, though it took extra steps compared to having a larger cutting mat and ruler.

This quilt is the first I've ever made using the same background fabric for all the blocks, and it's the first quilt I've made using a white background.  I'm not a huge fan of white but I think it works for this quilt.

Finishing this top completes my One Monthly Goal for September so I'm linking to September One Monthly Goal Finish at Elm Street Quilts when she posts the goal finish link-up.  Thank you for hosting, Patty.

Also, I decided to make this top to sew-along with Chookyblue's Churn Dash Quilt-Along.  Thanks for the fun, Chookyblue.

I'm linking this post to
> Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
> Brag about Your Beauties:  a Pageant of Finishes
> Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina Marie
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

Autumn's here!  It pushed summer aside yesterday.  On Wednesday, the temperature went above 90^o with high humidity.  Yesterday it was in the 60s, and this morning it was in the 40s, both days with sunny skies.  I think we'll have an early autumn, as far as leaves turning colors, and I wonder if we'll have an early and hard winter.  For now, we're headed into my favorite season.  I hope things are good in your life.

Thanks for visiting, reading, and leaving a comment (if you do).
--Nancy.