Friday, May 18, 2007

Learning Curve

After having the quilt pattern for Karen Stone's Just Beachy for about 10 yrs I finally decided to get over my fear of sewing and give it a try. Here are a few of my blocks:
After looking over the assortment of colors I have been working with, I think I need to add some pink:

I wasn't paying attention when I started wonderundering the first few blocks and forgot about the whole 1/4 inch seam allowance. Fortunately it was only two blocks and not too much of each of the sunrays will be chopped off, like 1/16th of an inch if that much of one ray on each of the two sunbursts. Just enough to annoy me.

The block below is probably my favorite of all so far:




And this is what happens when one is trying to be too matchy-matchy. It doesn't work well for this quilt pattern. Part of the sunrays blend right into the background. I didn't notice it until I cut it out and saw how the blotches were disappearing right into the foundation block.



So far I've used fabric from the stash which is a good thing but now I have to look around for some fabrics in the pink family to add some balance. The only pinks have in the stash are calicoes. I thought I might have a pink polkadot that might blend in but no such luck.
I can't believe I put off trying to make this quilt for so long. I get so focused on what I don't know how to do and sewing scares me because I'm not that good at it all.
I'm always shocked when people tell me they don't cross stitch because it's so tedious. I find sewing very tedious. With cross stitch as long as I can count and pay attention to the chart it's not that tedious, of course a TW project can get overwhelming and I have to be in a TW mood to work on one of her designs but overall I find cross stitch relaxing. Sewing on the other hand, it's so precise. Everything has to be exactly the right dimensions or you and your project are screwed! Makes me so nervous.
Today is the youngest DS graduation from 5th grade. My baby will be in middle school next year. I can't believe it.



1 comment:

claudia said...

I really like these quilt blocks. The fabric is so cool! It will be great watching your progress on this one. Are you sewing all the sunrays on or are you using fusible web or what ever that material is that you can iron on appliques? That is such a neat combination you have there, I would like to try it someday. Good luck with your search for the pinks. Pink will add so much to what you already have there.