on point setting woes

[Brenda H.]

oh my goodness, this is the most challenging thing I've done yet!

way way way back when I first started, some of you even helped me with one of the first blocks for this quilt. she-quilts (my good friend Joyce) came asking for help on how to draw a certain block in EQ7 for me, because I was basing it on a KCS pattern I had. This was a sunburst block, back when I was doing all this by hand. Oye.

FINALLY I'm putting the sashing on and assembling the rows and putting the side and corner triangles on...... 'cause of course I decided on an on-point layout for this diary quilt of mine. Even though my aunt, who had done one, warned me it would be HARD. I looked at it, thought, "you just make diagonal rows, and then they sew together straight, just like normal......how hard could it be???"

How hard, indeed.

So far, I have:
-put the single piece of sashing such that instead of building my rows bottom left to top right, which is how they "read" in my head, I had to build them top left to bottom right. No problem, got that sorted, all is fine.

-laid out my rows. Yay! they work.

-cut my side triangles way too large. No problem, I'll trim them when I get them on. Easy! (this comes from ending up with 16.1" and trying to translate to fractions of an inch.....rounded 1/10th up to 1/8th, which is enough to make a lot of excess, somehow....)

-cut my first batch of corner triangles too small (again with the math....I didn't round the 1/3rd up enough....) rounded up, recut those, perfect fit. Yay!

-Put the corner triangle onto the two corners that are ready.

-put all the side triangles onto all the rows. Carefully line up the bottom edge of the triangle with the bottom edge of the row. Forget that the rows slant the opposite way from what I originally intended, so I've accidentally matched the bottom edge of the triangle to the top edge of the row, which flips the row over and now my carefully arranged rows read right to left instead of left to right. Since this is a diary quilt, and each block is placed precisely in order to tell a story, this is not good.

-don't figure this out until I cut the sashing for, and connect, the first corner to the first row. Actually, until I trim the next and get ready to measure the sashing for between row 1 and row 2 and realize, as I lay them out next to each other, that everything is in the wrong spot. argh.

I am debating laying the whole thing out, in the wrong orientation, and see if the quilt will make sense from any angle. I'm pretty sure it won't, which means I have to take off all the side triangles and flip them over and put them back on. Carefully looking at my print out from EQ7 this time to make sure I get the edge lined up with the right bit of the row. Plus of course taking the sashing off the one that's together already, since it is on backwards as well.

My aunt warned me this would be hard. Why on earth didn't I listen to her??? LOL!

well, just had to share with those who would "get it." Today, laundry, school, dishes, etc. Tomorrow I will unsew and resew and hopefully end up with a quilt top put together, if I have enough time. Wish me luck!

[Lotti D.]

Had this kind of day before.... Byou've already started with the best thing to do: set it aside for today, concentrate on the other stuff that needs doing...
And tomorrow, go back, and fix it with renewed energy.

[Lotti D.]

Nice to know I"m not alone!

Also, huge good news --- I, thinking I was being lazy, took the rows outside to lay out in their proper arrangement, to see if the blocks, would, somehow, make sense going all the wrong way. Discovered as I did so that, hey!, the rows on the top side of the middle row have their triangles going the right way!!! Yay! So I only have to take off 4 triangles (2 ea off 2 rows) and flip those and put them back.

This is really good I looked, because I was going to take off every triangle, flip them all, etc. I'd have been in the same (only opposite) position tomorrow had I done that. Very very very glad I checked!

Meanwhile, the laundry all got folded, hung up, and put away, and the dishes got put away and the dirties washed, school got finished, and I'm feeling much better about this. Also had a lovely chat with my oldest son as I explained the quilt to him (he was outside while I was laying it out/flipping things around/etc); I didn't realize I'd not explained it to the boys yet. So, that was fun and an unexpected really nice moment in the midst of it all.

[Lotti D.]

And, don't tell... An extra little math lesson as well....
Yup, a good break is sometimes all that's needed.

[wendy w.]

What a day! Hope you bought lots of fabric for when you have your next go!

[wendy w.]

You GO girl! Sounds like you are working it out. AND, I have had the same problems when I set blocks on point.

[wendy w.]

I just finished a quilt with the blocks set on point. Some rows I had to take out, and then when I put them back in, I still did it wrong! Playing with blocks on point can be confusing! I did it in sections and then when I put them all together, the quilt was huge! Finally figured out that that I made the blocks 8 in instead of 6 in. What a careless mistake. I was going to hand quilt it, but it is like bigger than a king size, so I guess I'll have the quilt shop quilt it on their long arm.

[wendy w.]

Oh my, some days just go like that :roll: and the best thing to do is to walk away from it while you think about what to do next.

Looking forward to when you get it finished and we get to 'Listen with Mother' to the whole story I admit to wondering what had happpened to the KCS blocks that you started with.

[wendy w.]

Oh my, some days just go like that :roll: and the best thing to do is to walk away from it while you think about what to do next.

Looking forward to when you get it finished and we get to 'Listen with Mother' to the whole story I admit to wondering what had happpened to the KCS blocks that you started with.

I'm hoping to do the fixing today and get the top together, than have to decide do I want enough borders to make it throw sized for the couch, or all the way up to bed sized. The original plan was bed sized, and when I started out I didn't realize that 25 little 6" blocks would NOT make a bed sized quilt. (cough, cough) Then Joyce/she-quilts helped me turn it on point and add borders to enlarge it. Still the middle isn't huge, and will need borders to be bed sized. Now I'm wondering if I want to do that or not.....

Will update with a photo when I get the top together

That one KCS block you all helped with I wound up piecing the sunburst together then appliqueing it to a background square because 5 or 6 tries later I still couldn't get that inset seam/Y seam done right.

As for it sitting so long untended......sewing all the boys' quilts got ahead of my sewing, so now I'm in "pause" mode waiting on the chance to get the MonoPoly thread for the last boy's quilt, I had time to return to my first project. Finally!

Wish me luck!

[wendy w.]

Ritzy & Penny, glad I'm not alone! I think I'll definitely reserve on point settings for quilts where layout doesn't much matter from here on out! And hopefully I'll have learned my lessons well.

[wendy w.]

Heather--write yourself notes on what you did wrong and what you learned to do it right. I always forget from one project to another what I did that worked.

[wendy w.]

Heather--write yourself notes on what you did wrong and what you learned to do it right. I always forget from one project to another what I did that worked.

good idea! I did make notes on the print out; I'll be sure and write it somewhere else too so I don't forget, LOL. Maybe lots of somewheres!

I got it fixed and put together --- now need to decide how many/what colors for borders.....I welcome any suggestions! I think we do want it for the bed (this part fits just perfectly to be on top of the bed, so any borders would be the part that hangs over the bed, which is what I had wanted). Thinking a color border, then a narrow black (same as the sashing) then another color (or repeat the same) and then black binding. But.....ideas? Suggestions?

Here it is:


I still need to trim/square it up, but it's all together now so that's good!

[Norma H.]

I like your quilt. The blocks are bright and colorful, so I think your ideas on borders are very good. I would have suggested something similar :lol: . You can test it by taking photos of different fabrics and colorways and see what you like best.

[wendy w.]

Wow worth the effort. I'd think about what colours are in the bedroom because there are so many in the quilt you've got a good choice.

[Lotti D.]

Looking great! Yup, like your border ideas too!