The Most Fun I Ever Had Making a Quilt

Truly, making Cheddarback as a sew-along has probably been the most fun quilting I've ever done (though Baskets of Plenty is right up there, too).  It was challenging, frustrating, not fun, but when I look back at the whole experience of making this quilt, I think of it as fun.

This was a sew-along offered by Gay Bomers of Sentimental Stitches.  Many thanks to Gay!  It began in March, 2019.  We received five patterns each month, one for a 12" block and four for 5" blocks.  Gay recreated all the blocks from an antique quilt which she called Cheddarback because the backing of the quilt really was cheddar-colored fabric.  She also created a few more blocks and offered an adapted arrangement, which is the one I chose.  You can see the original quilt in the sidebar, to the right and down a little.  Some of us who made this quilt attempted to recreate it using fabrics as close to the originals as possible; others made the quilt using whatever fabrics and colors they chose.  There was a Facebook page for the quilt-along where we shared our progress.  It really made it feel like there was a group of us working together. 

 
In the version of the quilt I made there are 16 12" blocks and 54 5" blocks.  Most are pieced, a few required paper piecing, a technique I learned with this sew-along.  This paper-pieced block, at right, was the very hardest of all the blocks (for me) and I think it was the first paper-pieced block I made.  It did not endear me to the process, but I persisted and finished the other blocks that were paper pieced, too. 

The quilt has six 5" basket blocks, or seven if you count the 12" one at the top of this post.  There are three letter blocks; several paper-pieced blocks in both sizes; a few applique blocks; a few blocks that are just odd; and some traditional blocks.

For backing fabric I used Paula Barnes's "Rose Basket" from her Madison Square Collection by Marcus.  For binding I used fabric from a red shirt.  It seemed in keeping with the original quilter's choices:  she used clothing fabric for some of the blocks.

The information below includes details I like to keep track of:  Which batting did I use in that quilt?  How much shrinkage was there?  What size did it actually finish at, etc.  And, of course, how long did I work on that quilt and when did I finish it? 

Timeline for this quilt (and measurements--the quilt lost ~3" in width and nearly 4" in length).

~3/01/2019  Began

 4/21/2020  Final blocks finished    
 5/11/2020  Blocks sewn into top   (72" x 86")
 9/11/2021  Layer and basted
 9/12/3021  Began hand quilting
 3/29/2021  Quilting finished   (71" x 83 3/4")
 4/14/2021  Binding finished   (70 3/4" x 84 1/2")
 4/15/2021  Washed and dried--finished!   (68 7/8" x 82 1/4")

From finished top to washing and drying, and due to quilting and washing & drying, the quilt lost ~3" in width and nearly 4" in length!

I used Mountain Mist 80/20 cotton/poly batting.  It was one the company sent to replace one of their wool battings that was a fail.  I had it on hand and decided to use it.  It was easy enough to hand quilt and the fibers didn't come through the front or back of the quilt.  I would probably use it again.

 Below are two of my favorite blocks.

This is a 5" block, a pattern I hadn't seen before or since.  It was appliqued.

This is another 5" block.  It was paper pieced.

I'm thrilled to have this quilt completely finished!  I think the quilt needs a new name, since there is no cheddar on the back, but I haven't come up with one yet.  Ideas?

I'm linking this post to
> Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
> Beauty Pageant at From Bolt to Beauty  
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.

Happy to Finish, Sad to Finish

I'm always so pleased to finish hand quilting a quilt.  A finish!  And yet it's also a sad time.  I've usually spent hours a day for months quilting and nearly every inch of fabric has passed through my hands.  It feels like the quilt and I have become good friends.  I walk into the family room expecting to sit and quilt, then suddenly remember it's finished.  No hoop, no quilt.  Anyone else feel that way?

You can see the diagonal lines in the blocks and the zig-zag quilting lines across the sashing in this photo.

After I laid the quilt on the floor--gosh, it seems so big compared to Flowers!--I was trying to decide what color binding to use.  The likely possibilities, considering the colors in the quilt, were red, blue, or brown.

And then I remembered that I was reproducing an old quilt and should see what color the original maker used.  Red!  The original quilt does not have a sashing-and-cornerstone border; it just ends with the blocks.  Even so, I think a red binding will be just right for my version of this quilt.  (And I hope I still have some of the red fabric I used for the cornerstones!)  By the way, the pattern for this quilt is called Cheddarback and was a sew-along offered by Gay Bomers of Sentimental Stitches.  I'm grateful to Gay for recreating the block patterns and sharing them.

Finishing hand quilting this quilt was my One Monthly Goal for March.  I'm pleased to have finished on time.  And I'm grateful to Patty who hosts the One Monthly Goal challenge and link-ups each month.  Thank you, Patty.

I'm linking this post to One Monthly Goal March Link-up at Elm Street Quilts.  Follow the link to see other One Monthly Goal finishes.

--Nancy.

Five Blocks and Sashing to Hand Quilt

My One Monthly Goal for March is to finish hand quilting these five blocks and the rest of the sashing that haven't yet been quilted.  That will give me a finished Cheddarback quilt except for the binding.

These are the blocks I'll be quilting.

And this one, below, which is already in progress.  It has the first two lines taped for quilting.  I'm using blue painters' tape because it's the width I need, about 1½" wide.  I haven't had a problem with residue on the fabric (and hope I won't!).

These blocks are all along one edge of the quilt.  I'm not sure how that happened because I usually quilt from the enter out until I have only corner blocks to quilt. 

I'm quilting diagonal lines just as the original quilter did, but after seeing how Robin (of I like to Create) has been quilting her Cheddarback blocks here, I'm beginning to wish I'd quilted mine another way.  Isn't her quilting beautiful?

It would be great if I could sew on the binding this month, too, but for my OMG I'll stay with quilting the blocks and binding.  I'm linking this post to March One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Patty.

--Nancy.

Covid, Doing Little, 2021 Books

I'm recovering from Covid and at the point where I really want to do something but have nearly no energy, either physical or mental.  It's a strange situation because I'm not one to sit and do nothing.  Sometimes life gets so busy I think, wouldn't it be nice to be able to just sit for an hour.  I'm not so thrilled now that I can do that. 

I finally picked up Cheddarback and began a little slow quilting.  And I've been reading.  And napping.  And just started taking walks again, such slow walks, around our neighborhood.  By all I've read, mine has been a mild case of Omicron.  (It felt like a sinus infection to begin with.)  I've been able to weather through it at home.  It didn't sink keep into my lungs though I do have a cough and I didn't lose my senses of taste or smell.  I haven't have much of an appetite.  I'm ready to feel good again.

We just took our Christmas tree down today but other pre-Christmas things are still cluttered around.  The nisse along with her patterns and papers sit in her box with unfinished neck scarf, Dear Prudence lays under the cutting mat awaiting a choice of binding and a trim, the Christmas wreath is still on the door, and a bag of Christmas gifts sits near the couch in the family room.   

I've missed all the end of year wrap-up posts (too late for that now) and all the planning for 2022 posts (I don't have the mental energy yet), but I thought I could share a list of (most) of the books I read last year.  I came up with a new system to rate them:  loved them, liked them, ho-hum, strongly disliked them.  I tried to include notes about language and intimacy and whether light fantasy.  I may have missed some language notes, though.  If you have questions I'll respond to comments or you can check goodreads for reviews.

I Loved These Books

• This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing: A Memoir.  Jacqueline Winspear
• South of the Buttonwood Tree.  Heather Webber (light fantasy)
• Hamnet:  A Novel of the Plague.  Maggie O’Farrell  (positively lyrical though the ending could have been stronger, one intimate scene)
  
• The Lake House.  Kate Morton
• Midnight at the Blackbird Café.  Heather Webber (light fantasy)
• The Kitchen Front.  Jennifer Ryan
• The Downstairs Girl.  Stacey Lee
• The Lost Spells.  Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris (breathtakingly beautiful)
• Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting.  Lisa Genova
• The Paris Library.  Janet Skeslien Charles
• The Lights of Sugarberry Cove.  Heather Webber (light fantasy)
• Every Secret Thing.  Susanna Kearsley
• The Dictionary of Lost Words.  Pip Williams
• The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive.  Lucy Adlington (non-fiction, amazing ways the women worked together to save each other!)
• The Rose Code.  Kate Quinn
• The Keeper of Happy Endings.  Barbara Davis
  

I Enjoyed These Books, Worth Reading

• WinterFrost, Michelle Houts (children's chapter book with a nisse)
• The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding.  Jennifer Robson
• At Home on Ladybug Farm.  Donna Ball
• Penguin the Magpie: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family.  Cameron Bloom & Bradley Trevor Grieve
• Growing Up.  Russell Baker
• The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin (children's)
• News of the World.  Paulette Jiles
• The Second Sister.  Marie Bostwick
• On the Wings of Morning.  Marie Bostwick
• The Last Garden in England.  Julia Kelly
• The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America.  Elizabeth Letts (non-fiction)
• Seven Perfect Things.  Catherine Ryan Hyde
• The Shadowy Horses.  Susanna Kearsley (some language)
• A Desperate Fortune.  Susanna Kearsley
• The Paris Apartment.  Kelly Bowen (some language in difficult circumstances)
• The Nature of Fragile Things.  Susan Meissner
• Pumpkin, The Raccoon Who Thought She Was a Dog.  Laura Young
• I'll Be Seeing You: a memoir.  Elizabeth Berg
• Hannah Coulter.  Wendell Berry
• The Keeper of Lost Things.  Ruth Hogan (some language)
• The Last Thing He Told Me.  Laura Dave
• The Last of the Moon Girls.  Barbara Davis (light fantasy)
• Never Fall for Your Fiancée.  Virginia Heath (a fun farce; some intimacy)

Good Enough, Not Fabulous

• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.  V. E. Schwab
• The Uncommon Reader:  A Novella.  Alan Bennett
  
• A Piece of the World.  Christina Baker Kline
• The Promise Girls.  Marie Bostwick
• The Lost and Found Bookshop.  Susan Wiggs (placed here because of the ending)
• The Last Year of the War.  Susan Meissner
  

Books I Disliked and Wish I Hadn't Wasted My Time Reading

• The Lincoln Highway.  Alex Towles

I hope you're having a good new year!
--Nancy.

Very Slow Stitching

I've quilted seven of the blocks on Cheddarback, enough that I decided I could begin quilting sashings between the quilted blocks.

I remember noticing a quirkiness about the quilting in the sashing when I watched Gay Bomers's video about Cheddarback.  Can you see it in this photo below?

All the blocks are quilted on the diagonal about 1½" apart.  The sashing is quilted on the diagonal, too, but perpendicular to the quilting in the blocks.  One would think it should all align uniformly but it doesn't in the original, and it doesn't in mine.  The quilting lines around the red cornerstones between the large blocks don't frame the cornerstones like I imagine they should.  I won't change it because I'm trying to replicate the original as much as possible.

If I have a chance to stitch today, this is what I'll be stitching.  This is definitely slow stitching because all those seams are challenging. 

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.   Thanks for hosting, Kathy.

--Nancy.

Completed One Monthly Goal for September

My September goal was to move Cheddarback from a finished top to beginning the quilting. 

Yes!  There are three blocks quilted and a fourth in progress.  The quilting is totally unoriginal--diagonals spaced at 1½"--but I chose to quilt it like the original.  It is also difficult because of all the seams.  Needless to say, I'm not aiming for tiny quilting stitches.

The steps in the goal for the month involved sewing two lengths of fabric to make the backing, layering it with batting and the quilt top, pin-basing the layers together, and beginning the quilting.  How satisfying.  If I had been doing this when I was younger it might have been a one-day process, but I find that as I get older, bending over or getting down on my knees on the floor has become more challenging and I can do it for shorter periods of time.  It took me several short stints over two days to finish the pin-basting.

I posted about the backing fabric earlier in the month.  I bought it online and hoped it would look fine, decided it was good enough, then stitched two lengths together.  It looked like a repeat pattern and it turns out it was.  I wanted to match the print because the flowers stand out and the diagonal is so obvious.  That always takes me a little time, getting it pinned just right, then sewn and pressed.

I really need to change the name of this quilt, especially since I'm not using a cheddar-colored fabric for the back.  But change it to what?

When I walked past it while it was on the floor in the process of being basted, the child's game of hopscotch came to mind.  Hopscotch a far-fetched and playful name for this sampler quilt.  I'll have to think of other possibilities.

I'm linking this post to
>  One Monthly Goal September Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts and
>  Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts
Thank you, Patty and Kathy, for hosting these link-ups.

--Nancy.

This and That, One Thing and Another, Etc.

I've been slowly making Burgoyne Surrounded blocks.  Gosh, they take a while.  There are a total of eight now, with four more to make.

I started with the intent of really scrappy blocks using four-patches I'd already made, cutting some 1½" x 2½" pieces from scraps, and trying only to use similar colors for the diagonals from corner to corner and the center squares. 
And then I tried a few that were more color-coordinated and less scrappy.  Scrappy or not, I think the blocks work because of the pattern.

I always envisioned these blocks in autumn colors--naturals with reds, rusts, browns, greens, oranges, golds, etc.  Some of the lighter colors don't work as well as the darker or brighter ones.

I love making scrappy--a bunch of different fabrics and colors--but it sometimes takes longer and I'm not always satisfied with the outcome.  Sometimes I think I'm missing something.   Maybe scrappy requires some constant other than just the pattern.  What are your thoughts on scrappy quilts, if you make them or if you love looking at them? 

Cheddarback is now layered and basted, with one block quilted.   I forgot to brush my fingers with liquid bandage before I began.  I'll change that before I put needle to quilt again.

I had the silly notion that if I quilted one block per day I could finish this quilt in a month.  Ha!  That was before I realized/remembered how hard it is to hand quilt through so many seams!  I'll be thrilled if I get it finished in a few months. 

When you baste a quilt and have extra backing fabric, what do you do?  Cut it off?  Fold it over and secure it with pins?   I folded that long piece at the bottom and pinned it.  I knew if I didn't cut it before quilting, I would have slightly larger piece when I cut it after quilting.   But I'm just wondering what you do and your reason for doing it.

I found a sweet surprise in the closet this afternoon when I was looking through some boxes I thought were empty.

I bought these Madelaine's foil-wrapped pansies around Easter time and hid them from myself.   Today was a great day to find them!  Have you eaten Madelaine's chocolates before?  Their foil-wrapped hearts are the best.  (No affiliation with Madelaine's, just a happy chocolate-lover.)  These are about an inch and a quarter in diameter and 3/16" thick.  Perfect to let melt in your mouth.

And any of you who enjoy jigsaw puzzles will appreciate this article telling their benefits and how they can improve your quality of life.  And then head over to this link, scroll to the bottom, and put together a quilt puzzle.  I don't seek out puzzles but when they come my way I can hardly resist doing them.

I'm linking this post to
> Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
Thanks for hosting, Alycia and Wendy.

I hope you've had a good week and will have a great weekend.

--Nancy.

Backing Fabric

It sometimes happens that what looks perfect online might not look exactly the same in person. Take, for example, this fabric.

It is Madison Square, by Paula Barnes for Marcus Fabrics.  I bought it online at Whittle's.  (Gosh, they are a fast, efficient company.  I ordered it on a Saturday night and it was in my hands 3 or 4 days later.  No affiliation, just a happy customer.)

In person this fabric's colors are somewhere between the two photos above.  I'm never sure what to expect when I buy fabric online so I remind myself that the fabric will probably work for its intended quilt but might not be perfect.  (But heck, who needs perfection, anyway?  And is there really ever perfection when human hands create something?  There's so much more character and interest with imperfection, right?)

I bought six yards of this fabric.  It will become the back for this quilt, Cheddarback.

The original quilt and quilt pattern are called Cheddarback because the fabric on the back of the original is a solid cheddar color.  I never envisioned using that color for the back of this quilt.  It was simply the name given to the original by Gay Bomers of Sentimental Stitches who hosted a quilt-along almost two years ago.

When I saw the Madison Square fabric it almost shouted at me, "Use me for Cheddarback!  I belong on her."  (Does that ever happen to you, that a fabric tells you it wants to be used for a particular quilt?)  To me it has an old-fashioned look that seems to fit the quilt.  I think the fabric will be okay.  There's enough brown in the quilt that the brown in the backing fabric won't stand out as odd.  And the red flowers will work because of all the red in the quilt.

How to quilt it?  In the original it looks like the blocks are quilted on the diagonal at about 1½" apart and the sashing is quilted the same distance apart but in the opposite direction.  The quilter made sure the quilting lines met where a large block meets the sashing, but sometimes the sashing lines are not 45-degree angles.  The quilter adjusted the quilting so the lines could meet.  You can see detailed photos of the original here, and below is Gay giving a tour of the quilt and showing some of its features.  You'll see that the quilter must not have used masking tape to mark the quilting lines because some of them are slightly curved. 

I may change my mind about how to quilt it once it's in the hoop.  We'll see.

This will be my One Monthly Goal for September:

• wash, cut, sew, and press the seam for backing 
• layer the backing, batting, and quilt top, the pin baste, and 
• begin quilting

I'm linking this post to the One Monthly Goal September Link-up at Elm Street Quilts.  Thank you for organizing and hosting, Patty.

--Nancy.

2020 in Review, a Year of Finishing, More or Less

I determined that 2020 would be a year of finishing quilts that I'd started and were still in progress.  I set my sights high with nine quilts in varying stages of progress to work on and, hopefully, finish.  Photos are below descriptions.  

Baskets of Plenty was first on that January, 2020 list.  I needed to remake two blocks and make one new one to have the nine I thought would make a good-sized quilt.  Those are finished and the blocks are sewn into sashing with borders on part of it, awaiting applique on the top and bottom borders.  So, from these blocks on the left to the still-unfinished top on the right.  Not a finish, but still, progress.  You can read all the posts about these baskets here.
 


The Blue and the Gray was the next quilt on my January list.  I had only the blocks and cornerstones finished so it still needed the sashing to become a top.  I'm thrilled to have put the last stitches in the binding in November.

Everyday Patchwork was next on the list.  Ohh, I love this quilt.  I had 30 blocks made at the beginning of the year.  I added 5 more for a total of 35, for a 5 x 7 block layout.  It also needed sashing, borders, and applique on the borders.  The top is awaiting batting, backing, and quilting.

Autumn Maples, I'm happy to say, is in the process of being quilted.  I'm hoping the quilting will bring to mind leaves swirling in the wind.

Red Circles on Green Squares needed many more squares, so I've been working on those now and then.  My enthusiasm wanes and it's easy to lay them aside when there is other handwork to do.  I need 192 and have finished 182.  Just 10 more to go.  The stack below is about a fifth or sixth of what I have now.  There's still lots to be done with this quilt.  I'll need to decide on sashing and cornerstones (or not) on the groups of 9 blocks, and then sashing between the 9-circle blocks.

Cheddarback is a finished top.  This was a sew-along so I couldn't choose my own pace to finish it.  It was about half finished at the beginning of the year.

Little Rubies is a finished quilt, the last stitches put in sometime in April or May.  I love it, I don't love it.  But it's finished!

Linda Brannock's Flowers and Quarter Cabins saw no progress at all.  Flowers will need some unstitching then restitching.  I tried to make it larger by adding more sashing.  It's not right so I'll make it the way Linda did and add borders. Quarter Cabins needs a few decisions about the next steps.  I didn't look at either quilt all year.  I know they'll wait patiently for me, though. 
















Two quilts that weren't on my January, 2020, list were these:

Blue and Lights.  When I realized I had three 12" blue and white blocks left over from Cheddarback I decided to just make more blocks.  Most of the year it seemed I was doing the back end work of finishing.  It was fun to make blocks to continue a quilt in progress.  Here are 15 of the 20 blocks I've made.  I'll have to decide on layout, sashing, cornerstones, and borders.

Ohio Winters Browns (from Lori's 50 Shades of Brown at Humble Quilts) was the other finish for the year.  It's hard to go a whole year without starting at least one thing new, and this was it for the year.  It's a little quilt -- the small squares finish at 1". 

So that's my year in quilt-making.  When I began this post I was feeling down-hearted, thinking I had accomplished nearly nothing.  It's been a good way to realize that all my small efforts have amounted to something, even if there were only a few complete finishes.

I hope you had a good and successful year, whatever you did, and I wish you all the best in 2021.

--Nancy.

Cheddarback Is a Top

I finished putting together the Cheddarback blocks months ago but had trouble getting decent photos.  These aren't that great but they'll have to do for now.  (The one above was taken in front of a window with the curtains drawn and the one below was taken on a bed.)

This Cheddarback sew-along, hosted by Gay of Sentimental Stitches, took up a chunk of time every month for about 15 months.  I loved this sew-along particularity because it was not a mystery.  I knew up front what the finished quilt would look like (if I chose to copy the blocks as closely as I could).  What I didn't know at the beginning was how very challenging some of the blocks would be. 

The hardest challenges were the y-seams and paper piecing, neither of which I'll do again unless absolutely necessary.  The creator of Cheddarback used lots of pinks, blues and reds, a little brown, some black, and occasional greys/browns.  She also used plenty of stripes and clothing fabric, sometimes including the seams in the clothing.  She must have been frugal.  I really enjoyed trying to find similar fabrics to those used in the original blocks. 

I posted about every set of blocks.  This link takes you to all of them (not each of them individually).  But if you want to see details about individual blocks, there's a search box to the right where you can type "Cheddarback Block" + the number (as in Cheddarback Block 18) to see a particular block and my comments about it.  They were given to us in sets of 5 so search for Block 1 will get you Blocks 1-5; searching for Block 6 will get you 6-10; etc.

I don't know when I'll begin quilting this top but I'm looking forward to that challenge, too.

Thanks so much to Gay Bomers for creating this sew-along.

I'm linking this post to
> Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts
> Brag About Your Beauties at from bolt to beauty
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
> Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
> Off the Wall Friday at Nina Marie's blog
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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What to Do About a Quilt Top with Ruffled Edges?

I stitched together the sections of Cheddarback yesterday including the sashing around the edges.  It was great to get it done, but now I have a potential problem.

You see those ruffly edges?  Should I be concerned about those?

I don't believe I've ever had this problem before and I'm not sure what to do.

Are my seams a few threads too wide?  Are those blocks a smidgen too small?  Or both?  Or is there some other problem?  The center and top edges and corners of the quilt are flat, it's just the lower right and left sides and corners. 

I suppose it's possible those ruffles will quilt out but maybe not.  If I can improve the situation now I'd rather.

Thank you for any thoughts about this problem!

-Nancy.
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Last of the Cheddarback Blocks

For you who may not know, Cheddarback is a block of the month sew-along offered by Gay Bomers of Sentimental Stitches.  We began making the blocks last March and when so many of us were asked to stay at home because of the pandemic, Gay gave us the last ten blocks together instead of over several months' time.  These first two blocks are remakes.  The last ten in this post will allow me to sew together the rest of the quilt.  There's a quilt top finish coming soon!

Block 26

This is a 12" block which will go on the bottom left corner.  This row of blocks was not in the original quilt.  Gay gave us a Barrister's Block pattern and also suggested we could choose a different pattern.  I made a block I thought was perfect but found it too similar to another block in the quilt. Then I chose this pattern and made it with blues and a creamy print.  When I placed it with the rest of the blocks I realized that using a print background was very unlike the choices the original Cheddarback creator made.  She most often used plaids, stripes, or ginghams with darker prints.  So I remade the block.  Perhaps it's not really the way the creator would have used these stripes (if she would have used these stripes at all) but I like it better than the first two blocks.  So this one will get stitched into the quilt.  (If you've been counting you'll realize that I now have two 12" blue orphan blocks.)

Block 35

This is a 12" block and also a second version.  The first one I made had a fabric with very light stripes and much darker blues.  I like this version better.  I don't know if you can tell but the flowers in the lighter blue fabric are yellow/orange.  I colored them so they would be just slightly closer to the fabric in the original quilt.  (And remaking this block means I now have three 12" blue orphan blocks.)

Block 59

This is a 12" block.  The original had a tan paisley fabric but I had nothing similar.  This light print was the closest I could find.  This was a simple block to make.

Block 60

This is a 5" block.  This was a paper-pieced pattern.  If you've been reading my progress on this quilt you'll know I don't like that method of creating blocks.  So I paper pieced only the geese then cut out the rest of the blocks using the paper pattern, leaving 1/4" on all sides, and stitched the rest of the block.  I'll do almost anything to avoid paper piecing.

Block 61

This is a 5" block.  This block was cut using paper templates.  My colors are similar to hers and I find them unusual.  From a distance the star in the center disappears completely and this block looks like a large X.

Block 62

This is a 5" block.  I wrote about this block here and here.  It was a bit of a challenge and it's obvious there are some glitches in the striped fabric where the seams create a little too much white or red.  The original fabric was a wavy red and white stripe and her seams barely showed.  Oh, to have had some of her original fabric for this block!

Block 63

This is a 5" block.  This was a letter block in the original quilt this but since I didn't want to more letters, I made this block.  It was simple to create since each square finishes at an inch -- five across for a 5" block.

Block 64

This is a 12" block.  When I've substituted or added blocks I've chosen ones that were created/published about the time the original Cheddarback quilt was made, probably 1890-1910.  But when I saw the black and white pattern for this 2014 block, called Aunt Dinah, I thought it looked liked it could have been made earlier and I saw the potential to use striped fabric as the Cheddarback creator did.  I think the stripes could have been put to better use but I'm not going to remake it.

Block 65

This is a 5" block.  This was one of the easiest of these last blocks to make.  It is a substitute for a letter block.

Block 66

This is a 5" block.  This was another paper-pieced pattern, necessitated by the fact that 5 divided by 3 does not come out to a number we have on our quilting rulers.  To avoid paper piecing, I did the division and found that 2 3/16" x 3 comes out to 5 9/16" (after sewing the center seams).  I decided to cut on the narrow side of 2 3/16" (yes, I had to consistently estimate just where that was on the ruler) and sew on the wide side of 1/4".  It worked just fine.  Another success avoiding paper piecing!

Block 67

This is a 5" block.  This was another paper pieced block which I didn't paper piece.

Block 68

This is a 5" block.  The original has dark green checked fabric.  The best I could come up with was this black plaid.  It works for me.

And that's the end of the Cheddarback blocks, though probably not the end of posts about the blocks.  It's been a fun sew-along and I'm grateful to Gay Bomers for recreating the patterns and making them available to us.

I hope you're staying safe and enjoying the change of seasons.

I'm linking this post to
> Needle and Thread Thursday (NTT) at My Quilt Infatuation
> Off the Wall at Nina Marie Sayre's blog
> Put Your Foot Down at For the love of geese
> Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
> Can I get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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