Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I am backtracking. I worked hard on piecing Frolic! over the weekend. This is no different than other Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilts in that there is a lot of piecing. I think I pieced 1.5 blocks total. I worked for about 6 hours on this piece and don’t feel like I made a ton of progress.
Regardless, I had a lot of time to work on this piece and look at it. I think it may need to be on point. I may still set it straight, but I am thinking it may need to be set on point. Stay tuned.
Half and quarter blocks are not my favorite. As a result, I have been thinking about setting Frolic! in a straight set in order to avoid those pesky half and quarter blocks. Since I haven’t had the time to actually move any blocks around on my design wall, I went trolling for examples of the Frolic! quilt on IG.
I saw a number of blocks sets laid out in a straight set. Jeff Rutherford took a straight on photo that really helped me visualize how the quilt might look. Little Bunny Allison also posted a straight on photo.
Finally, I saw a previous Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt, On Ringo Lake, by Sew Angela. She has some setting triangles, but they are just a few pieces. This layout keeps the quilt on on point, but avoids me having to make those half and quarter blocks.
Perhaps I am just being lazy? There is a lot of piecing in this quilt (and all of Bonnie’s mystery quilts!) Barbara Reeves had a particularly nice example of the quilt as Bonnie intended, so it is still a possibility.
After the update the other day, the piecing on Frolic! went a lot faster. I think I reached a tipping point and was able to zoom right along. I made some more progress and feel like I am making good headway, though it looks like a mess right at the moment.
I believe I need 25 full blocks. The 7 I have are in various states of being sewn. The spaces are because of the seam allowances or missing pieces.
I haven’t dealt with the half and quarter blocks yet. I don’t like quilts where there are half finished blocks, in general. I am seriously considering a straight set. I laid out some of the pieces in that way before the Reveal. When I have a few more blocks finished, I’ll lay it out that way and see what I see. The corner pieces with the 4 patches make a very interesting secondary pattern.
Frolic!, or what there is of it, has been on my design wall since earlier this month. I said then that I didn’t want it to become another UFO, but I didn’t made any progress. I don’t want it to become a UFO, so I worked on it over the weekend.
I determined that I needed to start piecing in order to get interested in it again. I haven’t finished Clue 4 (still!). I don’t want that lack to drag me down.
I thought I would start from the corner and cut and piece as I went along, chunking the top together. The corners are a conundrum and I left them off after awhile and worked on the blocks. You can see that my progress doesn’t look like much, but it feels like progress. I am still contemplating a straight set.
A lot of the Frolic! Mystery quilts have been posted. I am determined not to let this one become another UFO, but I have to admit that a couple of the steps are not making my life easy.
They aren’t difficult just require a bunch of weird cutting and few speed techniques.
As you can see from the photo, I have done a couple of things. First, I rearranged the pieces so that the piece is oriented the way it will be oriented when it is all sewn together. I did not have it on point before. I didn’t exactly achieve the on point look at this time, but as soon as I get some of the more difficult pieces cut, I’ll be able to do it.
I also cut some of the triangles that will be Flying Geese in the near future.
I’d really like to start sewing the piece together, but I don’t have enough pieces yet. I need more of the pinwheels and the weird Flying Geese.
Bonnie Hunter did the big reveal of the final layout of Frolic! the other day. I laid out the pieces that I had to see how my version of the project would look. What you see in the photo does not show the piece on point, which is how the final will be sewed together. As soon as I get some more of the pinwheels made, I will begin sewing the piece together in the way it was intended so I have more space on the design wall.
I am happy with my choices. The green does stick out quite a bit, but I think it will settle down once I have more pieces ready to sew. I have a lot of HSTs and Flying Geese to make.
This is probably a design I wouldn’t have made if I had waited until the final reveal to decide, but I am happy enough with it. I’d be happier if I had been able to keep up with the clues, but it is what it is.
I finally finished part 6. I am now only 2.5 parts behind in the project. Bonnie published a sneak attack set of directions on New Year’s Eve. I just didn’t have a chance to do it when I finally did notice it, which wasn’t until the Friday.
I was vindicated in not finishing part 4 when part 6 was making Flying Geese from the quarter square triangles that were supposed to be cut in part 4. I did use the pieces I had cut to make Flying Geese using Bonnie’s Essential Triangle Tool* method, but I made the rest using the Deb Tucker Wing Clipper ruler* method. If you have the dimensions, you don’t actually need the ruler, but the chart of sizes is one of the benefits of the ruler. I also use this ruler to make Sawtooth Star blocks.
*I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item you click on. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I made a lot of progress over the holiday. I am back at work, so I hope to continue to make progress.
The blocks are mostly sewn together. I am chunking them and it is going quickly, though I have started to pin the intersections so they match.
I added a row to the right and another on the bottom. After I sewed the first group of blocks together, I had space. Since I have a lot of blades, I decided to use them. The piece is now 64 blocks (groups of 4-2 blade blocks). It fits on my design wall, though wouldn’t if it weren’t sewn. I had to cut more backgrounds, which is a little tedious, but I am breaking up the work by sewing.
I hope to have the top finished soon.
I am sort of keeping up. I am still working on Clue 4, but I did finish Clue 5. This was another clue that went pretty quickly and where I used the Triangle Technique for making HSTs.
I find now that I am two clues behind as Bonnie slotted in a clue on New Year’s Eve when I was otherwise occupied. Oh well, one is pretty easy, so I should be able to catch up soon.
As mentioned, I started working on Windmill blocks. Last time, I talked about this project, I was sewing all the blades together. I realized that I had TONS of blades, so I shifted gears. I have enough blades to make at least two quilts. I decided to make a warm version first. This will consist of red, orange, yellow, pink, brown, beige and any mottle fabric that reads ‘warm’.
I wanted something easy to sew together. Despite the angles, my idea worked. I can eyeball how to put the patches together so they sew up into a square.
Since I started cutting greys, I made the background grey so the foreground fabrics stand out.
I think this will be part of the Niece-phews project.
Along time ago, Friend Julie and I started cutting Windmill shapes for each other. It’s possible that the last time I posted about this project was in 2012. Last weekend, I decided that it was time to sew them together. This project is coming off the Hunting and Gathering list.
The blades sew together very quickly once I got the placement correct.
My first layout, shown left, was kind of a wonky looking zigzag. I was starting to change the layout to the one shown below, so the upper right hand corner blocks are in a different layout. Check the bottom. 😉
The zigzag layout has its charms. Then I texted Friend Julie and she called the pieces blades, so I started thinking about them in a kind of fan format.
I rearranged the blocks into that format. I am not sure about this quilt in general. I think I might need to use all warm colors or all reds and pinks or something. I think both layouts look strange.
At some point, I decided to cut background fabrics, so that the foreground blades would be highlighted. The idea works; I am just not sure if I like the whole effect.
Also, I have a lot of these blades. I think I can make at least two quilts.
No, I am not finished with the White Improv Strip Donation quilt, but I needed some leaders and enders, so I started sewing bits of white fabrics together to start the improv version in my series.
Some of the bits were not used for the strip blocks and some were long enough to be added as the shard grew.
About a month ago, I told you about SIL’s Friendship Star. She is still working on it. We had dinner over there on Saturday so I got to see the evolution.
She is still not quite happy with the layout. I can see where she might want to make changes, but I think the gradation is a lot more evolved since the last time I saw it. It is looking really good.
Recently I talked about some fabric I bought and some ideas for a new project. I have pretty much ruled out the idea of the complicated design I drew up. Not forever. Just for this fabric bundle.
While I have been thinking about it, I have thrown in a couple of other bits of fabric.
Recently I bought a pattern called Country Revival by Sew Kind of Wonderful. You know what that means, right? Yep, Quick Curve Ruler.. Ever since I made MetroScape, I have wanted to use that ruler again. This might be the time.
The example quilt has a limited color palette, which I like, though I think it might be interesting to use the fabrics above, carefully, in the different circular designs.
I finished the top of the bat tablerunner. I just sat down and did it, so it would be one thing that was finished. I am going to make the back and the binding for Amy. It is on my short term list, as in next week. I’d like to bring it finished to the meeting.