Sometimes You Change Your Mind

My Foothills Quilt top is done and I am very happy. For more info on this quilt-a-long by Mary Elizabeth Kinch go here. 

There I was, zipping along, sewing Foothills blocks into rows, using a dark green fabric for sashing. I was in a hurry, trying to get this done as quickly as possible. When I stopped for the day, about half finished, I took time to really LOOK--and I clearly saw the dark green sashing was just TOO dark. I loved these blocks but I did not love how the quilt was coming together.

I thought about it overnight, looked again in the morning, and knew I had to take all that work apart and change the sashing. Here are some options I considered as I "shopped" in my closet:

I liked the gray that is on top of the pile the very best BUT there was not enough fabric for the sashing and an outside border. None of the others were just right--if I was going to go to all the work to take apart a half-day of sewing, the replacement fabric better be perfect!

Here is the design wall with the dark green sewn part on the bottom and a strip of that gray on the top:

Yes, I really liked that gray so I used it on the top two rows, being sure I really did like it, Yes, much better:

So I spent some time unsewing the bottom three rows, removing the dark green. When the gray sashings for the middle of the quilt were all cut I had exactly enough gray fabric left to cut 1.25" wide strips for a narrow outer border. You know I had PLENTY of dark green strips cut. I made a narrow gray outer border, on the outside of the quilt, followed by the 2.5" dark green strips for the final border. I still have plenty of dark green strips cut and lots more of that fabric, so that will be the binding.

Lesson to be learned here: be sure you are happy with ALL your decisions going forward. Being in a hurry cost me lots more time over all. It's not that I didn't have any more options:

Considering a few more fabric options before settling on the dark green would have been time well-spent. 

Now the top is done, a medium brown has been selected and prepared for the back, and once I get it basted I can quilt it. You can bet I'll spend a little time considering my quilting designs before I begin--I learned that lesson a few weeks ago--I had to spend a lot of time removing quilting stitches I didn't like, two hours worth of stitching, because I didn't think it through very well before I began. Sensing a bad trend here...

Sometimes I make a quilt just because I love the design or the story that goes with the pattern. That was the case with this quilt. It won't be a class--the designer asked that no one teach her design as she loves to teach it herself and there is no printed pattern. Perhaps she'll add it to a book someday. For now I'm just glad I made it and look forward to coming up with a good quilting design to enhance it.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Foothills Quilt A Long--Last Chance

I learned about the Foothills Quilt A Long, by Mary Elizabeth Kinch about two months ago. Yesterday I decided to get started as I knew the information was not going to be online for much longer.  This information will only remain online until May 10, 2018--so you only have a few days left.

Based on an antique quilt with "Chain and Bars" blocks, this is a great project to play with your favorite fabrics.

First, go to the Blog and read all about it, Foothills Quilt QAL. Mary Elizabeth asks you to register,   then go to the information page with her very detailed photos and instructions.

Yesterday I took the time to read through all her posts on the Quilt A Long--before I did my "fabric pull". Her information is excellent--I was particularly taken with her proposal that you use this quilt to learn about your fabric choices and make this a "creative" process, not just a "production" process, like "how fast can I get this made?".  Even if you don't want to make this quilt, her description of how she did her fabric pull for her quilt is very informative--I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

I thought I would dig in my closet and spend lots of time pulling fabrics. First, I started with a shoebox under my cutting table that had lots of great reproduction fabrics. In less than 5 minutes I had pulled these and was done, happy with this eclectic group:

While Mary Elizabeth makes her units one piece at a time, I prefer to paper piece the flying geese units. I printed the patterns in Electric Quilt 8, a wonderful software program I've used from the beginning to create patterns and handouts:

Before trimming, front and back

Trimmed to sizr

Mary Elizabeth encourages you to make your blocks with your favorite method.

Here is my first block:

What I learned from this one: it's not my favorite and I'll make different fabric choices for the next block. But what I know for sure, in a quilt with many of the same blocks, not every one can be the "star", some have to be "supporting characters". This is one of those, it's not bad, but it doesn't make my heart sing either.

I'm off to teach the Sunday Sew and Sews now but I wanted to get this information out there right now in case you missed this opportunity and would like to try your hand at these blocks. There are terrific photos on Facebook and Instagram--the fabric choices are fun to see, some are very bright and contemporary, nothing like mine or the original antique quilt at all.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara