Sewcialites: Block 6

Block 6 of Sewcialites is called Devoted and is brought to us by Robin Pickens. This one is rated experienced, and I would definitely agree with that rating. It took me about an hour and a half to complete. There are a lot of small HSTs in this block. The block is nearly all HSTs! We've discussed my trepidation around HSTs before, but maybe by the end of this project, I'll feel a lot more comfortable with them.

I did use the Triangles on a Roll in the 1" finished size for the smaller HSTs and made the two larger ones the traditional way. I'm still figuring out which way I prefer, but I think I like making larger and trimming down. My finished block is more accurate when I do that versus using the triangle paper and trimming on the lines on that.

It is a stunning block. I'm not 100% happy with the way mine finished as it's a little wobbly, but the block design itself is striking. I might remake this one after I make the next block with the fabric. I want to make sure I have enough, though I'm sure I will since there is a significant portion of the fat quarter remaining.

Sewcialites: Block 5

Block 5 of Sewcialites is called Wisdom and was designed by Sherri McConnell. That's two Sherri McConnell patterns for me this week, and I'm pleased with the way both of them worked out. This week's block is labeled as beginner, and that's just what I needed this morning. An easy block that makes me feel accomplished. Even though I have finished things this week, it's been a tough week outside of my crafting, so it's extra nice when crafting works out.

This block, like many of the others, includes half square triangle blocks. Again this week, I skipped the Triangles on a Roll, mostly because I knew it would be faster to do it the way the pattern shows. I cut my squares a little large to trim down the HSTs to the perfect measurement.

For the cutting on these blocks, I haven't really broken too far into the yardage. I'm still using stips I cut for the first couple of blocks. They're just about used up now, though. I have them labeled at the selvage with a Frixion marker, so I don't have to remeasure the strips each time.

It came together in under 45 minutes, including digging out the correct fabric and cutting. The final block was just about 6.5," and nearly all of my seams meet where they're supposed to. There's just something about this block that makes me happy. I might prop it up on my desk for the next week to give myself something to smile at when things get tough.

Sewcialites: Block 3

Oh boy! A whole block of HSTs. Just looking at the pattern this week has made me break out into a bit of a sweat. It turns out the sweat was probably a bit warranted.

Block 3 was designed by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic and is called Affection. I know the joke has been made in the Sewcialites group on Facebook already, but I'm going to go ahead and make it myself. I do NOT have much affection for this block. I appreciate what I learned from it, and I'll happily carry those skills with me as I continue quilting, but I certainly do not feel any kindness, goodwill, devotion, or friendship with this block. (Yes, I looked up synonyms for affection. The thesaurus has long been my friend both at work and in the outside world.)

The block is rated as experienced, and yes, yes, that is an accurate rating. It is not for the faint of heart. How tough can it be, it's a bunch of HSTs, and if you have triangle paper, they're practically already made? Well, kind reader, let me tell you, there are all kinds of ways this block can go awry. I did fine making the individual HSTs, but once I started piecing the block together, that's where things got a little dicey.

Matching the corners correctly when attaching the strips of HSTs to the larger HST caused me a bit of a fit, particularly one corner (I’m sure you can see it…it’s right there). I used my seam ripper three times, and it's still not perfect, but if I fiddled with it any further, it wasn't going to end well. There were several places I had to ease the strip in, and even then, there are places where it's not as good as I'd like it to be. It is likely my perfectionism speaking since it's pretty darn close to 6.5" and looks like the picture, especially from a distance. Overall, I'm okay with the block and look forward to the challenge of next week's.

Sewcialites: Block 2

This week's Sewcialites block, designed by Lisa Bongean, is called Loyal. This block is labeled beginner, and it was a lovely, quick sew after work today. It only took me 40 minutes from grabbing the fabric to trimming the block. Because it was so speedy, I didn't take many pictures or use the Alphabities.

There is less contrast between the solid and print fabrics this week, but I'm happy with how it looks. Overall, the quilt will have heavily contrasting and lower contrast blocks, so I think it will balance out. I did use a design board for this. It's nice that the fabric sticks to it, so things don't go wonky if there's a breeze. (Yes, this has happened to me more than once, including recently with the Jawbreaker layout.)

Loyal is another block that uses HSTs, so I grabbed my Triangles on a Roll. I utilized the 3.5" strip of solid that I cut for last week's block, so I didn't have to wrangle with a larger piece. I also had a smaller scrap that I trimmed to the required 1.5" square. For the print pieces, I cut a 3.5" strip from the fat quarter and used that for the piece I needed for the HSTs and the rectangles.

Before assembling, I double-checked the finished size on my HSTs. Since last week's block came out a hair large, I don't think I'm hitting precisely the right spot on the line when trimming my paper. The HSTs were a tiny bit larger than the 3" size the pattern called for, so I trimmed it off.

Sewing this block together was a breeze since there weren't many seams to match. Trimming it was also relatively easy, and the block ended up closer to 6.5" than last week's.

It was nice to have a quick block after the more complex first block, almost like a palette cleanser. It also leaves me extra time to work on the other projects on my list...and there are many. I'm hoping that I'll have a few things to share after this weekend (or over the weekend).

Tiny Little HSTs

When the July 2020 Sew Sampler Box arrived last month, I opened it excitedly, like I always do. The past few boxes haven't been my thing pattern-wise, but that's okay. I'm signed up to expand my skills, receive interesting notions and fabric, and honest, open the mailbox to something fun. This box, though there was something about it that appealed to me. I don't know if it was the color combination, the overall appearance, or all of it, but I wanted to make it.

As I usually do, I added all of the products needed to finish the larger size to my cart on Fat Quarter Shop and walked away. I do this a lot. It saves me from over-impulse-buying and keeps me from purchasing too much that I don't need. I checked the next day, and many of the fabrics I needed were now out of stock. I got a little annoyed but then decided I liked it enough to make the smaller version, so I purchased the finishing kit.

Boy, am I glad I made that choice! Not because I'm sad I would've missed out. I would've survived if I had, but now that I've started the teeny, tiny little half-square triangles, I'm so glad that I only had to make just over 100 versus MANY more.

Even using the Triangles on a Roll for 1" finished HSTs, it has been quite the project. I was hoping that I could get it done in a week, but with work and all of the other projects I'm working on, that didn't happen.

I'm about 1/3 of the way done with the small 9-patch blocks, and even though they're small and a bit fiddly, I do get excited every time I finish sewing, press them, and square them.