Back to Piecing

We returned from our family reunion trip this past Thursday and aside from some extra laundry, all is back to normal. We had a great time! My husband was able to come this year and our kids were old enough that I wasn't completely exhausted from the mother hen routine. I even got to snuggle my cousin's 5 week-old daughter. This was the first reunion in ages where there was a little baby there and I wasn't completely tied up with my own babies.


We took the kids swimming and for a boat ride into a cave. The cave was blissfully cool!


I'm working on my sampler quilt again and while I thought this block would be the last pieced block, I'm not entirely sure. The center block will be an applique block. I haven't quite decided what though. Maybe a butterfly.


 I did a lot of unsewing and resewing on this block. After I took this picture, I see another spot that needs to be fixed. I always thought that the accurate cutting, preciseness, and attention to alignment of the patches was what turned this "free-spirit" off of piecing, but maybe it's just that the bit of perfectionism in me can't tolerate my mistakes.


But I'm sticking with this project and refusing to be defeated by my points; and there are a lot of them! I played around with the layout and swapped a few blocks around, but there's still one that I don't like.


I'm going to work on the applique block now, before I start a replacement block. In the meantime, look at the above layout and tell me if you think one of these blocks just doesn't work for you. For clarity purposes, let's number them 1-8 starting with the top left block and going clockwise.

15 comments:

  1. They all look good to me! If I had to pick one thing to change, it would not be the one you highlighted, it is #7. All the other blocks are two colors, with the orange distributed nicely, and the rest have the teal color. The one in the lower left corner would look more balanced if part of it was the teal (maybe the four squares not on point). Just my 2 cents. I am sure the final quilt will be lovely, your quilts always are!!

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  2. Yes I agree, number 7 is too dark. But I would make that one my center block and make another with those light blues.

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  3. Number 7 is more solid than the rest; I wouldn't be happy with that one. It could be the start of another project: blue and white.

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  4. It's all been said either put number 7 in the centre or replace it.

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  5. I like block 7, but it would fit better if it included some teal. Block 8 sticks out to me because the blue outer edge is too thick and makes the block heavy. Your piecing is just fine. I'm a perfectionist to and sometimes you kust have to let it go.

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    1. Yep, block #8 bugs me more than block #7. I'm working on a replacement for it and then the applique block before I decide what to do with #7. It looks lighter in person with the navy and turquoise print.

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  6. I also am not a fan of number 8. I agree the darker blue is too thick. Block 7 would make a good center block.

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    1. I am so glad somebody mentioned #8! I don’t like that block. It’s getting replaced for sure. Not sure about 7, it’s not as dark in person.

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  7. It is a nice block, just not in this quilt... #7 just doesn't seem to fit. It should have some color.
    Hope this helps you out.
    Hugs

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  8. Well, before I even read the comments, I also picked #7 that doesn't really blend in with the rest. :-)

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  9. Looking at the blocks on your design wall, I can see why several people feel like Block 7 sticks out. However, I see that you have the blocks on point and I don't know what fabric you'll use for the setting triangles. That fabric can make a huge difference in unifying the different blocks, and you may find that all of the blocks look fantastic together once the setting triangles have been added. As far as sampler quilts go in general, I find that the fewer blocks in the quilt, the more difficult it is to choose block designs and fabrics that balance one another. When you see a sampler quilt that has a hundred or more blocks, such as Dear Jane or the Farmer's Wife or something like that, those quilts can tolerate a lot more variation between blocks because there are so many of them. As for your points being off in your piecing -- I'd say your seam ripping has been worth it, because those blocks look VERY precise to me!

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  10. Love your blocks, #7 stands out at the moment but I would like to see how it's looks once you have finihsed more blocks with a little more orange in them.

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  11. #7 stands out to me, not so much that it is all dark, but that it is all one color plus background. I think if some part of it were one of the lighter colors (I'm thinking the dark squares in the center), it would go a long way to balance it out. *Unless* you were going to have more blocks that are a single color plus background?

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  12. Thanks everybody! At this point, I'm replacing block #8 but I'll think about replacing #7. I want to see how 7 looks once I replace 8 and get the center applique block done. That leaves 4 blocks around the center which will be solid white so I can put some cool quilting in them.

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