Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Prep Work on Quarter Circles Round #2

I expected this part of the Quarter Circles Round #2 project to go quickly, but alas, I was very mistaken. The circles were previously hand appliqued and then cut apart, so it was important to reinforce the outside edge of each seam.
Quarter Circles Round #2
At first I tried to backstitch at the seams while I was sewing the skinny sashing on, but then I realized that when I added the next quarter circle, I always sewed with the sashing on top. That made it difficult to to backstitch at the precise spot that needed reinforcement. Efficiency has not exactly been a by-word around here this week.
All stacked up...
But finally, I got it all reinforced, sewn together and in a lovely little stack. Lots of stray threads though. Wowsers, was I picking them off of me forever! My husband will probably complain that he's finding them everywhere, even in his just washed clothing, as I was running to answer the phone and doing laundry etc. while I was trying to sew.

It was an easy process to iron them flat and then cut away the protruding ends of the sashing. The fabric/color combination is still making me very, very happy which is a lot of fun. I often wonder why certain combinations are so much more lovable than others and why there isn't an obvious formula for making it happen every time!
Trimming off the excess....
I doubt that you can see from these pictures, but the circles do not come out all 'even steven' on these blocks. I deliberately cut out the circles less than perfectly round before the initial stitching, hoping I would end up with some 'wonk'. Some blocks have more wonkiness than others which {I confess} at first I found a bit alarming and then, after that initial shock of  'did I do that?', very charming. It reminds me of that wonderfully antique make-do look that is actually quite difficult to reproduce in our current era of abundance.
Ready for the hand applique
I also wanted to link up my latest finish with Julie's Binding Blitz! More details about this quilt over here. I'm kind of a slow poke about getting to a true-blue finish so I didn't think to wait for Julie's linky party!
Imagine a Quilt
Not sure when I will actually do the applique for the Quarter Circles, but it's nice to know they are all prepped and ready to go. It's always good to have some smaller pieces of hand work sitting around waiting for an opportune moment. Those larger pieces are just plain awkward to work on in a car or sitting on the bleachers etc.....

15 comments:

  1. I don't know what it is about these circles but seeing them makes me want to make some for myself. I love the previous quilt done with the circles. It was so lovely. I guess we just feed off of each other. What would we do without the online quilting community?

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  2. Loving your wonky made by me look! That is why I needleturn applique and hand quilt...............unique and pleasing to the eye!

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  3. I don't remember seeing these appliqued circles in a previous post, so I went back through your blog for several months and still didn't see them. But they are amazing and original and fun - kinda remind me of a bulls eye quilt I made years ago - quilts from Aunt Amy - Country Threads maybe? Love them!

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  4. I wouldn't say you're running in circles. You continue to spin forward.

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  5. OH you know I love your finish!! But those circles just draw me...I love them! It is like potential energy...just waiting to be fulfilled. Thank you for linking with me!!

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  6. I love your antique made do circles! Very charming indeed.

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  7. That looks like a very satisfying stack of circles to me. Makes me want to start another scrappy quilt :)

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  8. Love your stack of circles! It's very appealing. And some wonky is good. You're so right - it's hard to get that antique make-do look with all of our awesome tools. Your stack reminds me pancakes!

    I'm curious - what is the whole quote around your "Imagine a Quilt" quilt? I can't quite make it out in the photos. And congrats on that wonderful finish! I love it! Very folk-art and cozy. Your hand-quilting is wonderful.

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  9. Those wonky circles are great, can't wait to see the next stage of this quilt.

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  10. Well the circles are wonderful, so it looks like they were worth the effort. In hindsight I wonder if it would have been easier to reinforce the stitches before cutting. Hmmm? Now I am wondering if it would work with a double needle (Have never used mine) and then just cut down the center? You have me inspired to try it. I just LOVE these blocks!

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  11. I loved your first Quarter Circle quilt and this one is going to be wonderful too! I am going to add this one to my list of quilts to make!

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  12. I love these wonky circles - somehow makes me feel cheerful just looking at them. And I am a little bit in love with your colour combination; it's not one I'd necessarily have thought of, but works so well I want to try it out.

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  13. How fun to watch your progress.

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