Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Getting the Pickle Dish Figured Out

So, I finally woke up and realized that I was actually stealing from the stack of fabric reserved especially for my Pickle Dish quilt!?!  When I pull a selection of fabric out of my totes THREE different times and imagine them being used in a quilt, it's time to do something about that.  Which I did.  I started the Pickle Dish Insanity project. Remember?
Melon fabric cut and ready to go.
Anyway, it seemed like a good moment to commit more fully to the project or just go ahead and let it gently lapse into oblivion one piece of stolen fabric at a time...

Does the picture of cut up fabric say it loudly enough or do I need to say the wordsI am fully committed to this project! (You know it'll be tough to back peddle now 'cuz I really, really hate to waste fabric.) The Pickle Dish quilt has been one of my favorites forever and I also want to make would love to have a New York Beauty quilt some day.  I like to view this quilt as a good warm up to a much trickier quilt.*wink
What is wrong with this picture?
It started out with a bang, with me sewing the very first piece of fabric onto the paper wrong!  Well, that piece of fabric wasn't exactly wrong, but the idea is to sew two pieces face to face.  Next I would turn the second piece of fabric (if it was sewed on where it should be) face up the in opposite direction and iron it open.  One piece of fabric after another until eventually you reach the end of the melon.  Does anybody know if you're supposed to sew left to right? or right to left?  And does it even matter?
Two pairs of melons ready to trim.
I tried both until I got into a rhythm that felt good to me.  There are 48 pairs of melon in this particular pattern from the Material Obsession 2 book, otherwise called the 'Eyelash Quilt'.  The quilt pictured in the book is absolutely gorgeous--very funky and modern.  (Unlike my quilt which will be probably be fairly mellow and somewhat old fashioned looking.)  I am such a difficult person.  Give me a antique quilt and I try to make it look new and then of course vise versa.
LOVE the scrappy ones!
Not all of my melons were planned to be scrappy, but I'm really liking the look.  Makes me wonder if I should go back through the box of cut up fabrics and mix more of the sets?  We'll see.  After today's 'oops' it did make me realize that I should plan to sew a few of these melons every single week until I get through them all.  Paper piecing isn't difficult, but it is backwards thinking in my mind.  Probably best to try and stay in good practice....

14 comments:

  1. I would love to make a pickle dish quilt someday too. For now I'll watch you make yours. Love your colors also.

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  2. I too LOVE the Pickledish & New York Beauty patterns. Your melon sets look great, and yes I agree paper piecing needs the brain to be fully engaged. Do you follow the blog willywonkyquilts.blogspot? Bill Volckening has been collecting New York Beauty quilts and has exhibited them at the Benton County Museum and at other places. He has also got a lovely little catalog of his New York Beauty quilts that you can buy online. I bought one and have drooled over the photos of the antique quilts often.

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  3. Except for 2 workshops quite some time ago I never tried paper piecing, so cannot help you regarding which way to sew. But it looks great, can't wait to see more of it, pickledish patterns are so special with their round shapes and variety of fabrics.

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  4. Audery, I just love, love, love those colours!! Maybe you have just inspired Me LOL. Dasha

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  5. Chalk me up as another Pickle Dish admirer. Great color and fabric choices! I don't do much paper piecing, but you're right, it is kind of backwards thinking. I like your idea of doing several blocks per week to keep your brain on the right track!

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  6. I always have to take my time when I start a paper piecing project. Easy to do those first few seams wrong. I can see this is going to be another beauty. Funny how some projects just all of a sudden become our priority. Have fun with it!

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  7. I can't wait to watch your progress on these. Paper piecing is my life, but I don't know if there is a right or wrong way, but my brain says go left to right. Whatever you are doing, it works!

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  8. Looks like your renewed energy and commitment will push your fantastic blocks forward.

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  9. A humorous post today. Paper piecing isn't the most fun thing to do for me but I don't mind doing arcs this way. I don't think it makes any difference which end you start on but I start on the left end. Maybe it has to do with whether you are left or right handed. I am right handed.

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  10. Uh oh ...every time I pop over here and see your pickle dish project I get closer and closer to whipping out some fabrics and making one myself....

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  11. I always make the same mistakes when I start a paper piecing session, and then I remember not to make them twice and I'm off and running! So glad you committed and will not be stealing any more fabric! LOL

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  12. I usually make that mistake at least once while paper-piecing! :) Your melons look great - love the scrappy one! I think a few scrappy ones mixed in will make the quilt more interesting.

    Are your pieces cut straight or in a wedge shape?

    Good luck. This sounds like the definiton of "long term committment". LOL!

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  13. Ahh, paper-piecing! Have been there too. Love your colour choice. Can't wait to see what you chose for background fabric.

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