I've been pretty dedicated to making serious progress on the Vintage Lily quilt this week. For starters, there was eons of trimming to do.*uggh
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| Too much trimming |
Crossing my fingers that I will
never try to do it all at once again. That just doesn't work for me anymore {wrist & finger cramps, blurry/bored vision from entering zombie state of mind, abdomen soreness from letting the mat get too far away from me.. etc., etc.} There are 233 blocks after all. What was I thinking?
At first I attempted to iron all the corner pieces to the dark side. Nope. Way too much trouble. It's not like the seams have to match up anyway. So, after all the blocks were neatly trimmed, ironed and ready to go, then it was time for the sewing. Aha! The best part of that endless trimming marathon? No pinning required!
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| Sewing the rows |
I don't have a large enough design wall, so there was lots of pre-sorting involved in an effort to get that 'random, but balanced' look. My daughter and husband both scoffed at that wordage. They said it's not possible to have both
random and balanced at the same time. I really just thought they should go find something else to do and leave me to my seriously concentrated, I'm-head-down-and-
getting things-done playtime.
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| Trying to figure out the centerpiece |
After seeing some of the snowballs up on the wall, then it was easier to determine the size for the centerpiece and how it needed to be framed. I actually think the white border area is a little too large proportion-wise, but I definitely like this appliqued sawtooth border I ended up with. It blends very well with the appliqued look of the lillies and looks a little old fashioned. Plus, the top/bottom borders are 20" and the sides are 25". Lots easier to 'fudge' measurements in applique work than it is with piecing and 5" repeats {the obvious common denominator} didn't do it for me here.
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| And maybe add a little applique? |
Of course I just had to throw some little circles up on the sawtooth borders to see if it made a difference. Oh yeah. Just can't help myself. Now I have 22 little circles to stitch down before I can sew this thing together. And maybe a couple snowball blocks to switch out too. Not that you can see those problem areas from these pictures, but you know how it is. Scrappy starts looking a little odd when the same exact fabrics end up residing side by side...
This project is going well. Love the sawtooth around the lily. Warm greetings
ReplyDeleteLove those borders around the lily block...very nice hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeleteLove the colors and your signature style - just fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI think you can have random and balanced at the same time - they just do not quite have the mind of a quilter I guess :) looking at your design space just makes me so happy though that I have my wall and so grateful to have it too!
ReplyDeleteI totally get the concept of balanced and random together -- other people look at me strangely when I try to explain it here so you are NOT alone on this one! And yes, those little circles do make a BIG difference (grin).
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking, "Yup, yup," through the whole post. I do the same with hoping it looks like I threw it all together, but nothing looks out of place. And I absolutely agree with you on the circles/dots. They need to be there. What's one or two more evenings of sewing?
ReplyDeleteThe design wall looks wonderful and I like what you're doing on the cornerstones, too!
ReplyDeleteHow can you trim that much and still be able to stand up straight?--I know I posted before, but got to thinking about your trimming...it really hurts my shoulderswhen i do it all at once, so I totally get it...take care hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeleteIt's an energetic quilt. There's always a good story behind your quilts. Trimming is never fun. I made a Lady of the Lake quilt and had to trim down all those hst. I only trimmed about 20 at a time, it took weeks. The little dots really add a lot.
ReplyDeleteRandom but balanced... LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for the smile today!
The dots and circles look great, I'd leave them. Do you usually press all seams towards the darker fabric? I have heard to always do it, and also that it is not necessary.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a happy, playful, even boisterous? quilt. Classic yet folkloric. I love so many things about it...the lilies on that cool numbers text fabric, in BLACK. The sawtooths and new little dots, the ''random'' snowballs...and how they all go together. And you don't mention it but for some reason I am charmed by that solitary concentric squares block in the upper left of the main section. So fun.
ReplyDeleteoh : lizzy at gone to the beach lizzzz.d@gmail.com
Deletelooking great - fun color scheme
ReplyDeleteIsn't random and balanced, sort of like controlled scrappy?!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of trimming tons of blocks at once either!! My hand and wrist get too sore.
The quilt is looking great!
We all understand the random/balance concept. I like the addition of the sawtooth border and the little circles add one more element of visual interest. Keep going.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw those circles on the sawtooth border, I said to myself,"She's put her signature on it now for sure!" I LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteI think most of us understand the "random-balance" thing! I had a big smile when I saw those little circles on the sawtooth border. Yup, now it is Audrey's! I love this one.
ReplyDeleteWhat great borders. The white one may seem a bit large but will shrink when sewn plus it provides a wonderful breather from the other areas. And you could use some heavy colored thread or even more applique. Another beauty in the works.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your process, I go through the same thing!
ReplyDeleteAnd I understand about going on a trimming/work binge. My back
gives me serious pain now if I don't take breaks.
Your design is beautiful and looks great, lots of applauding here.
Thanks again for your thought process sharing. I love every quilt you are making! Those circles are popping up to wave from the red sawtooth points, gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI love how this quilt is coming along; the circles are the perfect addition!
ReplyDeleteRe: "Random and balanced" Wouldn't that be zeugmatic word usage?
You're better off looking it up than me trying to (incorrectly no doubt!) explain it LOL. But zeugma or not, I think most quilters understand perfectly what you mean!
I love this...u r right how hard it is to balance borders with the medallion....mine need to stew awhile on the design wall...this on is really nice
ReplyDelete