MONTH 2 -- Show Your Progress Here

[Helen W.]

Great start to Feb. month 2. Hoping I will have time to do my fan border blocks this month too.
Waiting for Barbara's video and fan info before proceeding with them.
Decided to go with my modified flower block instead of the one we will learn next month. It is fun
to rearrange the blocks to see what combinations looks like. HelenW

[Lynnanne]

Helen, your blocks are so pretty! I like that you always try to use stuff you already have. And you’re good at inventing new versions. I haven’t started yet…I’m still trying to figure out a color scheme and I also have to finish the previous BOM. Good luck, it’s coming along well.

[Judith A.]

Beautiful! Really beautiful!!

[Sally H.]

Love your color choices!

[KayeT]

Month one done, steadily doing the fan blocks and have the first of 20 blocks done for month two. Like doing the appliqué method. Thanks Barb.

[smvite]

Here's my block 1 and 2. I did a blanket stitch with black thread on the 20 block 2's instead of hand or invisible by machine. I may add a little of this stitch to each block where appropriate. Working on the fan borders next.

[soniasimone]

The blanket stitch will be great with the embroidery & applique in the log cabin section!

[jptousley]

Finished 4 blocks. Have not trimmed to size, yet. What fun! I used Jen’s templates and did machine piece. The curves were very gentle and surprisingly easy.

[soniasimone]

They look nice! I like this curve, too, it's very doable.

[MaryJo M]

I am so appreciative of your videos and blog, Barbara. So far I have my rows sewn for the uneven 9 patches. Very scrappy. I was pondering the crescents and came up with another method, as I have used the fold over and glue method for appliqué before but was trying to think of something else. I have some Ricky Tim's Stable Stuff Poly Fabric Stabilizer, and thought of the interfacing method. So I traced the template shapes onto one sheet, marked the dots, and copied in my printer, making sure they were accurate. I used 10" fabric squares folded to cut three crescents at a time, leaving the extra on the straight edge. Then I lined up the fabric curve and stabilizer curve, and sewed with a 1/4 seam. When sewn, I could see the dots right at the sewn line. I pinked the curved edge and the stabilizer turned and creased the edge very nicely. I will be machine appliqueing them. I am pleased with my test pieces. I have a lot more to make, but for me this may be a bit easier. I am also thrilled that you showed the paper piecing method for the borders. I will certainly be using that! Thanks.

[Helen W.]

MaryJo M. I have a draw full of various stabilizers, I think I have some Ricky Tim Stable Stuff in
it. Your method is brilliant. Probably would have tried it if I wasn't already off in a different direction.
I am thinking of butterflies on my log cabin blocks. Might be able to use that stabilizer for turned edge
on them. Thanks for the great pictures of your method. I love how creative all the TQS quilter are, and how they share their ideas. HelenW

[Judith A.]

Thank you for sharing your process. I will have to try it. Looking forward to seeing your finished blocks!

[Judith A.]

Pinking the seam allowances of curved edges is another great idea. I had forgotten about that. It makes for smoother circles in prepared edge applique. Thank you!

[Helen W.]

Lynneanne, I am still on my way to finish Homeward Bound and will be Home in 2 miles (make that 2 borders).
Technically, scrappy quilts don't need a color palette, but if you are like me, I seem to like controlled chaos.
If I had the time and money to do 2 more Pick A Petals, I would do one in Tula Pink rainbow colors. All her
collections work so well together and I love the way she works her way around the color wheel. The other one
be a cross between Kim Diehl fabrics and Kansas Troubles collections. Back on the farm type look. And if I
had still more money and time I would do a Kaffe one with warm and cool colors. Who doesn't love Kaffe fabrics.
Looking forward to a couple pictures when you get going on your Pick A Petal. HelenW

[Lynnanne]

It looks great! I love the black.

[Judith A.]

Georgous!!!

[Elizabeth A.]

I’m having trouble liking the blocks. I’ve decided to keep going and pin up on the wall. I’m afraid I’m not a scrapy person!

[Barbara B.]

Maybe a more controlled palette would please you more. More contrast between the fabrics helps, especially the background on Block 1.

[Helen W.]

Elizabeth, I know exactly what you are saying. I was feeling the same way and tried auditioning
white and the med. tone colors. Did not like either, then tried with white as an accent and thought
that looks OK. You can audition by just laying the pieces out and not sewing until you get something that looks good next to your center star block. Maybe try warm vs cool colors. I did
mainly cool colors in the 4 corners of the 9 patch, and warm colors for the square shapes.
You could go light in the corners and medium values for the squares and crescents. I took the
colors in my center star to make the crescents for the blocks. Usually, light medium and dark
contrast will work. Maybe lay some light squares of fabric between the blocks you have made like you will be doing for
the petal block to separate what you have. HelenW

[Helen W.]

I’m having trouble liking the blocks. I’ve decided to keep going and pin up on the wall. I’m afraid I’m not a scrapy person!

Elizabeth, Here are some blocks using a controlled palette, not so scrappy. See if any of them are pleasing to you, and then use the concept as a jumping off place. HelenW

[Lynnanne]

Thanks for these, Helen! I’m going to make my blocks with these placements

[Elizabeth A.]

I finished 6 blocks. Took a pic and made them so I could just look at value. I’m going to try and have more contrast between the 9 patch and the outer curve blocks. We will see. Thanks so much for imput…. I’m pushing my scrappy self!

[Barbara B.]

Better. And the more you get done, the better the overall design will be. In the beginning when working out of our comfort zone each decision seems so hard. It gets easier the more you do.

[Judith A.]

I am slowly starting on Pick A Petal. I have been fighting a respiratory virus and vertigo that doesn't want to go away. I am a Sue Garman and Judie Rothermel fan. Pick A Petal is way out of my comfort zone! I am going to try Pick A Petal with some Tula Pink and Kaffe fat quarters that I bought for last years TQS BOM but didn't make. I have a stack of whitish low volume prints that are already prewashed. I am going to prewash the Tula's and Kaffe's as well. Because they are fat quarters, I serge the edges first before I wash them, to prevent fraying. It is something I can do sitting down without much vertigo. Then I will sort them in like colors, wash with a little Synthrapol, and dry in a hot dryer to prevent further shrinking. In the meantime, I am enjoying following everyone's posts on the Forum. Keep up the good work!!!

[Helen W.]

I am slowly starting on Pick A Petal. I have been fighting a respiratory virus and vertigo that doesn't want to go away. I am a Sue Garman and Judie Rothermel fan. Pick A Petal is way out of my comfort zone! I am going to try Pick A Petal with some Tula Pink and Kaffe fat quarters that I bought for last years TQS BOM but didn't make. I have a stack of whitish low volume prints that are already prewashed. I am going to prewash the Tula's and Kaffe's as well. Because they are fat quarters, I serge the edges first before I wash them, to prevent fraying. It is something I can do sitting down without much vertigo. Then I will sort them in like colors, wash with a little Synthrapol, and dry in a hot dryer to prevent further shrinking. In the meantime, I am enjoying following everyone's posts on the Forum. Keep up the good work!!!

Judith, Hope you are feeling better each and every day. With Tula and Kaffe in your quilt it will be beautiful. Like I said in an earlier post, they would be a combination that I would have loved to use in this quilt. Serging the edges will take away that tangled mess. My worst mess ever was the flannel I used for last years BOM. When I took it out of the dryer I was wishing I could just throw it
in the garbage can. I have read on one of posts of Barbara, I think, that you can cut a 45 degree angle on the corners and that
helps. I have found that the only fabrics I need Synthrapol for are the batiks. I have a utility tub by our washing machine, I put
the real hot water in there, add the fabrics, wait about 5 minutes and if the the water starts to change color I add the Synthrapol
and swish it around and wait 15 more minutes and then put it in the washing machine on rinse and spin. I have read that
Synthrapol does not work well in front load washers because it does not soak the fabrics in enough water. The other option
is to just throw in some Color Catchers. Post a picture of your fabrics after you get the sorted and ready to go. I have been
loving your technique for glue turned edges on the plastic templates. Here is a picture of what I have so far. I always like
laying them out in different configurations to see if something looks better than the original plan. HelenW

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE

[LORI M.]

These are my 6 blocks needed for this round. I’m not using this block for the other border. The curved edges were turned under using a very thin strip of fusible interfacing then straight stitched with matching thread. Some of my corners aren’t good. I hope they’ll look better when the blocks are sewn together.

[Cherie D.]

like the fussy cut for the animals. looks great

[Cherie D.]

Month 1 and 2 blocks with extra fans. all month 2 blocks have been cut and marked now to sew them all. Enjoying process but I am a little slow. Cherie D
Sorry name is not showing.

[Gail E.]

Finished 5 so far still lots to go. Thanks girls for all the helpful tips. I used Barbara’s method and sewed by machine. I used the narrow blind stitch to tack the crescents down, worked out okay for me.

[Janet H.]

Fun Fun Fun
Hand appliqué! Thank you for all the tips!