Friday, November 21, 2014

How *NOT* to make a quilt block

I've been following along with Lori Holt on Instagram (@beelori1) as she releases blocks for her new Christmas sampler.  Some are from her Quilty Fun book, and some instructions are only available on Instagram.  I've had quite an adventure with the mitten block.

I had this cute Santa fabric, and I thought it would be perfect.  But really it's just too much white with a white background.  The mittens lose their shape.  Also, having the cuff stripes go that way makes them look like jar lids. 

How about this pretty flower fabric?  And just to get wild, how about flipping one of the mittens?

Ugh.  Looks just wrong.  Doesn't look like a pair any more.  Time to grab the seam ripper.

So now they look like a pair, but why don't the borders fit?  What the heck?  I had cut the mittens the wrong width.  I could rip them again and put a wider background strip in the middle, but it was time to move on. 

Try #3.  The fabric is a little less interesting, but they're the right size and I like the pink background.  You can see a few more of the blocks in this picture.

The excess mittens will probably go into the back of this quilt.

Despite the overthinking and mismeasuring, I'm really enjoying this project and can't wait for the next block to come out.

She also released a cute turkey pattern on her blog that I whipped up into a pillow:


Rainy days make me happy to be inside sewing!



3 people stopped folding laundry to write:

Tami said...

All of your mittens are adorable, but I have to admit I smiled at you refusing to rip out the flowered mittens a second time. I find myself in that same spot quite often - just time to move on! :)

The turkey pillow is cute. I'll tuck that idea away for next year.

slow panic said...

love the mittens!! I am having the hardest time getting to my sewing machine. or to knitting. or to anything with thread or fabric or yarn......

Rosemary said...

Happy New Year to you and all your lovely family.

Love,
Rosemary

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