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| My six blocks for November! |
Directions:
http://blocklotto.blogspot.com/2010/11/november-is-quilters-choice-in-purple.html
Examples are here:
http://blocklotto.blogspot.com/search/label/nov%202010%20photos
Nov 11 Notes:
This is going to be a huge block - 12.5 inches unfinished! If I can find my large square ruler then this will be fun and unstressful to do... That's a big if... I'm not sure what she means by "You can confirm that your center sampler block is oriented correctly by checking the measurement from the point/corner to the adjacent side–it should be 6 1/4 inches." But I'm guessing that will be clearer once I get going on these blocks. Getting a late start as distracted with conference this month.
Nov 19 Notes:
This month the challenge has two parts (or at least the way I'm interpreting it!). First make 8.5 inch centers (must use tones of purple and white) - this will then be set on point and surrounded with strips to then be cut at 12.5 inches.
I've really been enjoying the liberated quilting patterns Sophie has set up for us - and voted that she continue with that for next year. Now though I'm remembering that I really haven't done a lot of this so it would be good to do some traditional blocks too...
I just moved my sewing area to this new room so will have to find the strips that I already have cut out... or it will just be silly and I will be cutting up fabric just to make the borders....
Nov 21 Notes:
Got my strips in order and finished up the blocks. Someone posted their blocks on the blocklotto blog and I had an Ah! Ha! moment as I finally saw the secondary pattern that develops when the blocks are put together. For me that's where the action is! I especially liked it when I picked a different color for each corner. I think it would really be fun to use this idea of putting blocks on point and then adding the colored strips for the corners.
Also, the new sewing room setup is working well. Easy to use and to clean up.
Ended up these were fun to make. I can see the secondary design that develops when the blocks are put together - the pattern especially looks good when the points are each of a different color - but the entire point is the same color family. I'm also liking the middle and dark tones the best.
You can see in the center bottom block I experimented with cutting strips at an angle - I don't think this adds - or takes away from the effect. The different sized strips are effective though.
I also experimented with framing the block with narrow strips all in the same color - yellow. This didn't add anything to the effect.
Sophie wrote that she thinks this could be a method to use when one has different sized blocks to put together in a quilt.
Earlier this month I went to a lecture by Sharon Craig - she is now all about selling her patterns and rulers - but she was talking about the settings. (Back when I was first experimenting with piecing I was in a strip exchange and we made the half log cabin using notes from Sharon - what a fun way to make a block! and a terrific way to get precut strips in a variety of colors!) One of her ideas was to but the corner off blocks and then using them in the next blocks so they are oriented in a different way - or adding new fabric to replace the corners cut off. Then there is a nice secondary pattern that develops. Got me thinking how sometimes when I've been working on a setting I start to think that I am slowing myself down by spending too much time on the sashing and borders - but really since that's part of the over all pattern it's a valid thing to spend time on. But in the end the most important thing is to make progress and to finish a project!
