You Have My Heart Quilt Project #2

The Luge Tunnel that we are currently calling a road.

It's cold. I mean like yesterday's -7 degrees with a -20 to -30 windchill.

Don't think it's doing much..do you?

My poor snow fence cannot keep up and I haven't seen my mailbox in about a week. The roads in our town look like a luge tunnel.

If the check is lost in the mail, I've got proof!

 We are so sick of winter.... 












The orphan blocks...

It's the perfect time for a project, quilt #2.






Years and years ago I saw this pattern in a quilt magazine, I don't even know which one, but I knew
I had to make it.







I carefully made the blocks, realizing that these were essentially strips, sewn together and then cut with corners of half blocks. I pieced several with the intension of eventually making a quilt out of what was presented as a simple wall hanging.



Showing the strip construction.
 

.......Then I ran out of steam.












So for years these lovely blocks have been ruffled, stuffed and lived a life of quite desperation in my fabric stash. Until now.

I searched through the stash and came up with five finished blocks.

"What can I do with five little blocks?"  I thought.

Well as you see, a lot.


Sometimes having less is really having more. I decided to feature these blocks instead of making an entire quilt out of them which, while it would have been lovely, would have also entailed a lot more time inputted than I really had time to spare. Utilizing the few blocks I had, really made them stand out in the quilt and I think, made them look all the more special.

So I decided to do a diagonal set which I've never done before. After setting this I really liked it but it also created a problem, namely, I got a lot of space to fill and not a lot of one color fabric. What to do?


So I thought about it on the commute to work. And making dinner. And working. Yeah, when I have problem, I can get a bit obsessive.....

And I came up with this. I found a pattern I really liked in Eleanor Burn's Pioneer book but I figured that if I did it in reverse, it may look more like filigree and less like a block. So here is what I made for the corners. 








This is how I made them. It's one of those patterns that is actually very easy but looks so much harder than it is. Look at the block construction, it's only two different blocks set at different angles: a diagonal piece and a wild goose chase block.




















The diagonal piece is made by simply putting two squares and sewing on a diagonal . Then cut off the corner piece, bend it back and iron. I did mine in the opposite direction unfortunately but doing it three more times made it a pattern and not a mistake. I'm a big fan of mistakes.. I think some of the best things are made when something is done by accident. I'm a firm believer that brownies were developed when someone didn't add the right amount of flour to a recipe.

               ... and I love brownies.....

Then repeat on the other side.

I used Eleanor Burn's method for the Geese. She puts a smaller square on top of a larger square. I iron the crease so I don't have to draw the line and can center it.

 

 

 

Makes a line from one corner to the other on the diagonal and sews 1/4" from either side.

 

 

 

Cuts down the line, matches up the pieces on the outside of the piece, NOT THE SEAM, and repeats the process.

 

 

 

 

Then use the wild goose chase ruler to cut out.



Piece it together. Square it up with a 12x12 ruler as best you can.
 

 

Remember we are trying to use up fabric so I create this as I go. I wanted to use this cherry fabric for something else but I needed a lot of fabric for the side triangles. So I used it sandwiching it in as I went.




Then because I still didn't have enough of one fabric, I added boarders with a side cornerstone.

Out of a little, comes a lot!

Finally, last night I sewed all four corners together. I will probably add a border all the way around but for the most part we are calling this one done.













I think it came out pretty for some lonesome little blocks..what do you think?