Tuesday, June 8, 2010


Finally...Block 4 finished...and in the nick of time because Block 5 is nearly here. How are the rest of you going?...would love to see any alternate fabric versions. Nearly half-way through...can't wait to see how all the blocks will go together....the colour schemes for each are so different. It's nice having some hand-piecing to do in amongst all the machining. I've never found machine-piecing to be accurate, no matter how anal I get about the 1/4" seams. Have just started learning foundation piecing which is fun but confusing. Anyway, I'm enjoying this BOM - it gets quicker each time and I don't have to think about choosing colours. Not sure how I'm going to position the blocks at the end...whether to have the diamond at the top or the triangle or just mix it up.

12 comments:

  1. Lazy me. I haven't even finished block 3. Hope tom have itnfinished this weekend and will get block 4 cut out. Luckily for me itmusually takes 3 weeks from then time MO starts mailing till I receive it. This is really pretty. Do you know what the fabric for the center block is?

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  2. Hi Gretchen, The centre block is from an Aboriginal print fabric...I don't know the brand but can ask MO for you. I've never really appreciated Aboriginal art but MO have a great range of these prints, then earlier this year there was a contemporary Aboriginal art exhibition in our office foyer and it blew me away...gorgeous stuff. But I found myself looking at the paintings and thinking "that would make really nice quilting fabric"...sad, isn't it?

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  3. Really nice Susan! I've cut for Block 4 but haven't progressed further and I've got to get moving as I think Block 5 is already in the post! A quick question for you -- my background fabrics (two green and two red) are slightly different to one another. I can't decide if they are different colors of fabric altogether and meant to be that way or if I'm getting bad dye lot variations. Are your reds the same and your greens the same? Thx, Meg

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  4. Susan, are you aligning the points with the fold lines for quartering the background? That's how I had 2 basted and just realized when rereading the directions that we are supposed to place the edge triangles parallel with the 4 sides. Thank goodness I hadn't appliqued them to the background blocks yet.
    The piece of the aboriginal print I received for block 4 was cut with the purple circle right
    at the edge so there would be no design centered in the block center so I substituted Kaffe's potentilla in dark pink/red and really like how it looks.

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  5. I love the the aboriginal print for the center but I don't like the piece I have so much. I think the potentilla would make a nice substitute. I have a huge Kaffe stash so I'm sure I have a piece of the potentilla to try. Still working on block 3. I have a minor kitchen facelift going on and I got a new toy (an iPad) so I've been playing more than I've been sewing.

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  6. I've been off-line because I've been on annual leave...don't have internet at home currently because of sick PC. Spent 2 glorious days (and lots of money) at the Quilt & Craft Fair at Darling Harbour, Sydney...that's the big annual Sydney quilting event. Meg, yes I have different coloured backgrounds...1 red, 1 brick red, 1 green, 1 turquoisey green...I think they're supposed to be different. These are Reece Scannell shot cottons and the dye lots seem to vary from delivery to delivery anyway. MJin, I think I know what you mean about the placement of the edge triangles and I do remember seeing that in the instructions...I think I've misinterpreted those instructions in my blocks and I'm sure I followed one of the photos...oh well, never mind, that's my Amish mistake.

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  7. Susan I just got back from a 2 week vacation and saw your reply about positioning the design on the background. I thought about leaving mine with the points lined up with the fold lines but realized that won't work with the pieced sashing that makes the finished blocks look like hexagons. If you leave yours that way, you'll have to change the quilt setting. I decided I didn't want to think that much and would rather just correct my mistake and following the directions.

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  8. MJin (is that what I call you? or M?)...you are absolutely right! I didn't think it would make a big difference but I saw the original quilt in the shop and realised my problem. Kathy's going to have a think about it for me. I don't want to unpick my 4 blocks because I sewed those points in very securely. I think there's enough fabric in the background so that I could tilt the block the right way but then the background will be slightly on the bias and, being shot cottons, I don't know if this will affect the look of the fabric. I did read the instructions through before I started but by the time I got to appliqueing, I just looked at the photo which, for Blocks 1 and 2, are showing the diamonds at the top. I'm now not going to applique to the backgrounds until I've finished all the blocks and can work out what to do. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

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  9. I only have one actually stitched to the background. I have the points in the wrong position. The other 2 that I almost finished are basted to the background so that won't be too difficult to change. I was going to leave it until I looked at the completed picture again. So I guess I'll have to pick the first one out and hopefully won't destroy the background in the process.
    The fifth block arrived last week. It's my favorite so far. I've only gotten as far as basting the paper pieces to the fabric for both 4 and 5 but I'll get a picture of #3 up in the next few days

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  10. My comment from Monday seems to have disappeared or maybe I just can't see it...I'm still having problems posting. Anyway, I'm now thinking I might unpick my first 4 blocks (boo hoo!) and sew them to the backgrounds properly...might be easier than trying to work it all out at the end but I don't think I have the strength to do it right now. Am piecing Block 5...it's very pink, isn't it?

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  11. Sorry to have caused you such trouble. I had read through all the directions before starting too but forgot the important point of placement and like you used the picture as a guide. For once I was lucky that I was lagging behind and hadn't done any appliqueing to the backgrounds; blocks were just basted.
    I love block 5 but only got enough of the pink to fussy cut 5 squares so Kathy is looking for another piece to send to me. I got an additional square of it that was large enough to cut the necessary piece but the way it was cut didn't allow for the fussy cutting so I'm waiting. It's fine since I am still working in block 3. I started it but put it aside to work on block 4.
    You can call me MJ or Mary Jo. My email address is on my blogger profile if you want to email me directly.

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  12. I'm loving ALL of your gorgeous blocks! Wow!

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