Making it my own

This week I finished the quilt top for the Aurifil 2014 BOM. Kind of strange since this is only November and the Aurifil December block hasn’t even been released yet.  Allow me to explain…. (or as Ricky Ricardo would have said, I ‘have some splaining to do’. How about that for dating myself.)

In June I discovered the Aurifil block of the month and decided to go for it even though I was already half way through the year.  I quickly made the blocks for January through June.  I had a pile of wonderfully bright fabric by Malka Dubrawsky, “A Stitch in Color”, that I wanted to use. (I did need to supplement with a few additional fabrics.) I posted about this a while back which you can read here if you want.  With the first 6 or 7 blocks, I was really happy with the look that was coming go together. There were a few issues though.  First of all, and this may be my naivete showing through, but the blocks varied in size. Some of the original designs were sized for a 12″ block and others were designed to be 12.5″ blocks. What is that all about? I kept thinking it was my error but no, that is how the designs were. I think the blocks should all be the same, strange isn’t it? Also, as new blocks were released (in September and October) I kept looking at them and playing with the fabric, trying to figure out how to piece them. It wasn’t working well at all.  The blocks were fussy with little pieces.  This fabric is bold and high volume – big prints running throughout. It just didn’t look good.  I kept setting the project aside and working on something else.  (Like procrastinating would magically fix the problem.)  But then……

I had an epiphany!  Just because I started this project with the Aurifil blocks, I didn’t have to finish it that way.  Yikes, this was a huge revelation for me.  You wouldn’t know this, but I am a rule follower; I don’t veer off the path very often. I started the Aurifil BOM, therefore it should be finished with the Aurifil blocks, like the Aurifil police would come and confiscate my quilt.  Not so. I decided these fabrics really only look good (to me anyway, and it’s my project, right??) in a big, chunky looking block. I decided to finish the quilt with blocks of my choosing.  I’m such a rebel.

During this same time, I found out about the app called BlockFab-HD. If you are an iPad user and haven’t tried this, it is wonderful! There are most of the commonly used blocks in the library. The user can determine the size and quantity of the block and the app will tell you the size of the pieces and the  yardage. It may not be EQ7, but it’s FREE! Works for me. You can put in different colorways and can look at the blocks tiled, sashed or separated with solid blocks.  Yes, it is limited but it suits my needs for now.

FIrst I chose to make a pinwheel block.

20141114_2049

 

Then I made a plus block.

20141114_2046

Finally, I did a square in square block. (I like this one quite a bit!)

20141114_2048

My biggest challenge in assembling the quilt top was dealing with the variance between the 12 and 12.5″ blocks. I couldn’t cut down the 12.5″ blocks or I would lose the points and ruin the block. I ended up sashing all of them with white. Sashing hides a multitude of problems and it worked for me with this project. I had to cut the sashing wider for the 12″ blocks so everything doesn’t line up perfectly. It isn’t very noticeable though. Look at the second and fourth rows – they have wider sashing between the blocks. I bordered it with the solid orange fabric to frame everything. Here is the resulting quilt top:

20141114_2052My borders are ruffling which is a pain. I will need to work on them before I quilt this. I haven’t selected a fabric for the back yet, but for the binding I plan to piece it with the leftovers. I think that will be so cute against the orange.

Lots of learning from this one, to be sure. For me though, that is what it is all about.  Learn something from each project and improve. I am so happy with the overall look of this.  It is vivid and happy as well as being wayyy outside of my usual work.

Looking forward to this weekend. My son will be home for a visit. It rained the last day or so and the air is fresh. Yay!!  Hope you all enjoy your weekend and get to enjoy some time at your machine.

Linking to Freemotion by the River, Needle and Thread Thursday, Let’s Bee Social, Crazy Mom Quilts, & TGIFF. As always, links to each of these sites are listed at the top of the page under Link Ups.

Comments are always appreciated and inspiring. I will answer them all.  🙂

22 thoughts on “Making it my own

  1. JanineMarie

    Hurrah for you breaking the rule with a BOM project. It looks great! And such fun fabrics! It will be interesting for you to see what the intended quilt was, with those variations in block size. I wish I had access to that app. I’m trying to design a quilt with limited tech. I found a free website that sort of works, but I can’t make it do exactly what I want, so now I’m going to make a drawing, scan it and color it in Paint. Whatever works, right? Totally unrelated question: What breed(s) is your doggy? My granddoggy looks the same but with white socks. He was found abandoned on a road so no real clues to origins, just guesses.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Hi:

      Lady was a rescue dog so I don’t really know what breed she is. Definitely has some pointer in her as well as some sort of territorial breed. She is protective of our yard. Mostly a mutt tho.
      Thanks for your kind words and your visit to Needle and Foot!!

      Take care,
      Bernie

      Reply
  2. Mari

    If you keep all the rules, you miss all the fun! Love the quilt. It’s so bright and happy. Malka Dubrowsky’s fabrics are so great for this. Love the turquoise especially. And the orange border is perfect! Nice work! Have fun this weekend!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thanks Mari. It was a good exercise for me to figure this one out. I do like the end result tho. Really looking forward to piecing the binding but first have to figure out how to quilt it. Any ideas??

      B.

      Reply
  3. Kitty

    Thinking outside of the box really worked great for this project!! That’s a bit of a revelation for me, too, and might help me with some of my straggler blocks. Your choices for big and bold supplementary blocks are perfect!! Great finish!

    Reply
  4. Lorna McMahon

    I love this! The post and the quilt. (And the dog is cute, too.) You are so right about looking at each project as a learning experience. Using your own imagination and intuition paid off with this sweet quilt. It’s vibrant and fun! The colours are gorgeous and you chose awesome blocks to finish it off. Congratulations Bernie! Can’t wait to see her all quilted up!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thanks Lorna. I am curious, what are your thoughts on the two different sizes for the blocks that aurifil used? Have you seen that before? This is the first time I participated in a BOM so it is new to me. I just thought that was strange.

      Take care,
      Bernie

      Reply
  5. Elita @ Busy Needle Quilting

    They don’t usually have the blocks different sizes. That is a bit weird, and could be quite confusing for a new quilter. You’ve done a wonderful adaptation and it’s such a cheerful quilt! I’ve had a look around on your blog & think you do beautiful work. Keep it up! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thank you Elita. The different sizes did challenge me a little. It all worked out in the end though. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Glad you came by.

      Take care,
      Bernie

      Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Hi, thanks for the encouragement! If you don’t mind, can I ask for suggestions on quilting this? I would call myself a confident beginner with FMQ. I have also done a lot of straight line quilting. I love your work and have looked at many of your projects on your site. Your quilting skill is amazing. What do you think for this project? I appreciate the time!

      Warmly,
      Bernie

      Reply
  6. Tina Short

    Love this quilt! You have got to go with your feelings – it turned out great.
    I’m a Malka fan too and save even my smallest scraps, they always find a home in my quilts somewhere .

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thanks for your note! Malka’s color choices are wonderful. I do have quite a bit of scrap left from this project that will be fun to use up. Hope you have a great weekend!

      Reply
  7. Stephanie

    I love this post!! It’s such a great message to all of us who get stuck on a project that just isn’t as fulfilling as we thought it would be. The quilt is gorgeous… I love the colors sooo much. And thank you for telling me about the app!!!!! My world is about to change!!!

    Did you see my video about applying borders to avoid wrinkles? It might help you if you’re planning on re-doing them (although I bet you can work in the fullness with the quilting).

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Hi Stephanie,
      Thanks for the support! The colors on this one are really fun. I’m glad the app is helpful to you. I’ve been playing with it, trying to combine two blocks which is a little weird but does work. I will check out the video on borders tho I think I can leave these in place and deal with it when I quilt it. For the future tho, it will be good to get some help with that.

      Reply
  8. Sarah Goer

    This is such a fun, bright quilt. I’m glad you broke away from the rules and did something that works for you. It’s really great! (I feel ya on the 12″ and 12.5″ thing… that would make me crazy!)

    Reply

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