Summer Sampler 2018 :: Points

Oh goodness! One glance at this week's Summer Sampler block and I knew I was in for a workout. Points, designed by Kristy/Quiet Play, was inspired by "one of the most iconic places in Australia - the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House." And it was definitely worthy of that inspiration!



I confess I kept telling myself, "the worst is over"... 16(!) segments of paper-piecing, then piecing those together into quadrants and then adding in a curve. That wasn't too bad - I just went pretty slow and am happy enough with the results. THEN came piecing my quadrants together, and for some reason matching up those triangles in that step was the fussiest part. (Read: I had to use my seam ripper a few times.)



That said, I'm happy enough with the result. Perfect? No, but good enough to live with, and I'm loving it with my other blocks.Pretty cool how far-flung the inspiration is for our blocks, don't you think?



Someone asked exactly what Carolyn Friedlander fabrics I am using, and it's just a mix of what is in my stash... selections from Botanics, Doe, Carkai, Friedlander, and Gleaned. Basically a little of this and a little of that - whatever felt right as a grouping. And I'm totally happy with my choice.

Year of Scrappy Triangles

It started back in October, and I'm not sure I've even posted here about it. But Leila/Sewn by Leila started a Year of Scrappy Triangles, offering a free paper-pieced triangle block pattern each week. Admittedly, I've been inclined to make my blocks in batches rather than one a week - that's just how it's worked out.

Though the blocks are designed for using scraps, I'm kind of cheating there, as I'm cutting into my generous stash of Denyse Schmidt prints, making more scraps than I'm using, but I'm ok with that. For 'backgrounds,' I'm using the two DS dot prints, a very pale gray solid, and some Essex Homespun in Natural. Some days I question my choices there, but I'm going with it....

I'm only making one block of each design, so my finished project won't be that large unless I change my tack. Time will tell what I decide to do about that, if anything. Meanwhile, these 6 1/2" blocks are a nice diversion now and then, so I'll let it be that for now.

Mini Log Cabin

Preoccupied with the Crosscut Quilt-Along, I totally forgot to share about trying Nicole/mama love quilts' Mini Log Cabin pattern. The paper-pieced block is just 3 1/2" unfinished, with logs measuring a scant 1/4". Even with the small size, this went together really easily considering it was paper-piecing.

Before I knew it - seriously, in barely over an hour - I had four blocks, entirely made from scraps. Fun, but that was enough for now....

Just perfect for a new mug rug for my desk at work.

Linking up with Scraptastic Tuesday.

A Geometric W.i.P.

It appears I only have w.i.p.s to share these days, but some weeks are like that. When I had a day to sew at the SMQG Meetup, I decided to work on something that wasn't even really on my to-do list and definitely not one of my projects with a deadline. Maybe not too clever, but it's something I've been wanting to tackle for a while, and I was anxious to work with my Imprint fabrics again. My chosen pattern, Geometric Sewing Machine by Kristy/Quiet Play, is paper-pieced and took me most of the day, but went together easily enough. Keeping my fabrics straight as I sewed along was the hardest part, and it helped me to mark my pattern pieces and focus on one color at a time. Over 20 different fabrics were needed, so I dug into my cherished Indelible, also by Katarina Roccella, for some additional coordinating fabrics, and still added a few odds and ends to balance the colors to my liking.

I'm thinking the completed 16 1/2" block just might work its way into a nice sewing machine cover, so that'll go on the list. So the equation is kind of fuzzy . . . I accomplished something not on the list so I could add a new project to the list? That's the way it goes sometimes . . .

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.