I have been looking at my three Spiky 16 patch blocks and trying to decide if I can get away with a quilt made from 3 blocks. As I mentioned, I need to make some HRTs and I haven’t had a chance to finish them up.
Spiky 16 Patch – offset test n.1
I had an idea to make sort of a square with the on point blocks offset. the effect wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
Spiky 16 Patch – offset test n.2
I tried to offset the blocks again leaving space for a fourth block. It still didn’t work the way I expected. It isn’t what I want.
A lot of what I am doing at the moment is prep. Cutting fabric that I can’t sew together now, but will do so later. Pressing fabric that will be cut whose small pieces will eventually be sewn back into a large piece of something. This is the sad nature of Hunting & Gathering.
As I mentioned the other day, I have been cutting clues for more Spiky 16 patch blocks. I have quite a number of 16 patches waiting to be spiked, so there is a never ending need. For some reason that I can’t remember right now, I couldn’t actually get fabric under the machine, but I could cut and I cut a lot.
I have to say and I am really liking the Split Recs ruler by Studio 180 Designs. I can cut gazillions of these pieces without thinking twice. Watch the video!
In between all that sewing for the Octagon 9 Patch, I made a few 16 patches and another Spiky 16 Patch. The center 16 patch is actually one of the 16 patches I made. Instead of putting in the pile and taking one of the centers I intended for the Spiky blocks, I just started adding bias rectangles to it.
I won’t be able to make anymore of these until I make some more of the left facing HRTs. I am almost all out and I always forget to make them.
Now I have three blocks for this donation quilt. I am thinking 4 or 5 blocks will make something nice. I want to set it a big asymmetrically like the giant Sawtooth Star quilts I made. I’ll have to play around as these 16″ blocks are larger than the Sawtooth Stars.
I finally got into a rhythm with the Bias rectangles (HRTs- half rectangle triangles) and was really able to make a lot of them, get them trimmed and put blocks together. The sticking point is always hauling fabric out of the fabric closet. If I didn’t want to make these pieces scrappy, it wouldn’t be a problem, but I do like the scrappy look.
My original idea was to make a large quilt with 16 blocks. When I realized that each block was 52 pieces, I decided that I would start with a 4 block quilt and go from there. It isn’t difficult to make the HRTs once I got the hang of it and the blocks really don’t feel like they have 52 pieces. Still, I wanted to finish and the top I made finishes at 39″ x 39″. That is big enough for the NICU. I still have the other 16 patches and will continue to make bias rectangles until I have made 4 quilts like this one. I should be an expert by then!
HRT donation quilt back
The back was also scrappy, of course. I used up some fabric that has been hanging around.
I made the blue and green donation blocks last year with the idea that I would add HRTs to the blocks to make something a little different.
I have been struggling along with the HRTs,despite all the different tutorials and information I found. I was about to put it away and try “later” when I got a new burst of energy for the project. I worked on it much of the day Saturday. The burst of energy came from watching the video on how to use the Split Recs ruler. DUH, I know. I did read the directions, but clearly didn’t understand them, because I was struggling mightily to use the ruler. I really needed to watch* the video, because there are certain steps and tips that come across a lot better via video. The biggest tip: both fabrics need to face the same way. This means wrong side to right side NOT right sides together. HUGE tip. HUGE.
HRT Donation Quilt – March 31, 2018
The picture (above left) is from my first struggles with the ruler and different ways of making the HRTs.
The image (right) is from today, after I trimmed the HRTs I had and started making new HRTs to fill in the gaps.
The quilt will be 4 blocks – it will be a small NICU quilt. I have 16 blocks and may make more of these spiky blocks. We will have to see. I am pleased I am finally making progress.
*I don’t know why I am so resistant to watching quilting videos. I suppose I perceive that it takes my time away from the actual sewing. I found the Split Recs video to be invaluable and am sorry I didn’t watch it sooner.
