Four Years Later...
The Barrister's Block Sow-Along started on February 2, 2012. Sixty-six blocks later, yesterday I finished the last block. Wahoo!
This project really has been a quilter's path. I've learned how much more difficult it is to accurately sew tiny units and small blocks. One little wiggle and everything is off. I've learned from experience that value is sometimes more important than color. I've learned flying geese and HSTs go much better with a big can of spray starch nearby!
Here are the final blocks, completed since my last post 2 weeks ago:
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| Cactus Pot |
No particular memories associated with these scraps, but I loved the golden-brown fabric -- it just screams "basket"!
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| Basket (yep, that what it's called) |
This one was a disaster. None of the blocks had any directions, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to complete the piecing without a Y-seam. I ultimately ended up hand-stitching the remaining seam, and not very well at that. Argh!
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| Railroad |
I was dubious about my choice of fabrics here, but I think the paisley makes the block! All the others came from the bed runner that I made last winter for Beth and Stephen. :-D
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| Rail Fence Variation |
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On the other hand, these fabrics looked good at first -- the aqua and black-and-white are from Bonnie Hunter's
Easy Street mystery. But although the colors work, the fabrics just don't go together. I might end up making another version.
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| Leaf Block |
The neutral is the background fabric from my niece
Molly's quilt.
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| Basket (again) |
There was a basket thing going on here toward the end. The green flowers are actually cabbages!
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| Jack in the Pulpit |
Here I used the same color scheme as Randy did, happy to get rid of some pinks that I have never liked. Can't say it really does anything for me. But the background fabric was from the
little wall hanging for my dear friend, Annie. And that's a happy memory!
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| Sawtooth Star Variation |
There are tiny red flowers in the black print. It really comes together in person. Used up some civil war reproduction fabrics, too. The enchantment has worn off.
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| Streak of Lightning |
I love the colors here -- blues from Easy Street and Molly's quilt -- but the block is a bit (!!) wonky. Another do-over?
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| Double X |
Maybe my favorite in the group. Although the effect was unplanned, the brown squares on the corners of the center give the appearance of an overlay.
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| Dove in the Window |
Usually when I do a "controlled scrappy," I keep the background fabric pretty much the same throughout and mix up the colors (as in all the other blocks here). This time I did the reverse, and I like it. I love how the dark blues just pull you in.
When we moved last summer, my design wall bit the big one. Now I really need one so I can figure out what to do with all these blocks. My husband had a great (I think) idea. I put the "loops" side of a strip of Velcro along an edge of a piece of flannel, and will put the "hooks" side on the top edge of the trim on the closet door in my sewing room. I can hang up the design "wall" whenever I need it, and just fold it up and tuck it away when it's not in use. Yea!
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| The last eleven blocks and the first nine. |
The very first block (4th one down on the left) used the same little red star print that's in the center 4-patch in one of the very last ones (3rd one down on the right)! Black sashing, maybe? Or dark brown??
