Monday, January 19, 2015

Something on the Design Wall

Granted, it's not much of a design wall and not much on it.  I wanted to start a new leaders and enders quilt and thought I found one with this quilt pattern I found in an older book (1979).





I made the plastic templates, cut out a lot of pieces, and then tried it out.  That's when I found out it isn't a good pattern for the fairly mindless task of leaders and enders.  Piece A and B went together with no problem, but piece C had to be added just right or it didn't line up with the curve.  And that curve on piece D was too much work for leaders and enders.  Even paying close attention, my pieces A through D didn't fit the curve right.

That's when I decided this would be better suited to English paper piecing.  So I copied all the pieces over and over until I had enough to make a sheet of each, and then cut them out, sorted them into bags and then started stitching while we watched a movie Friday evening.  It worked, but there was a fold at the corner of point A that would make it hard to applique onto a block, but most of all, I just didn't want another paper piecing project.

So I did some slight redrafting of the pattern making just one template piece for A through D, and longer than actually needed, and one template piece for the combined A through D.  When the four pieces were put together, it was a simple matter to cut the right curve.  The only line that absolutely has to match up is D.



Then curved pieces D and F can go on later.


I still haven't decided how I am going to applique it to the block.  The pattern says to turn the edges but their photo looks like they did a tight zigzag around the edges and I don't care for that look.

I linked to Patchwork Times, Quilting is more than than housework, and A Quilting Chick.

18 comments:

  1. That is breath-taking beautiful. hut I didn't understand the steps - hence I don't quilt! Although there is a group at church (our old/new again church) that quilts. I may join them. No experience necessary say they!

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  2. Gosh, well done you for all that re drawing! It's a beautiful butterfly now! Maybe hand applique it onto the block? How many are you going to do? Linda

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  3. Thank you. I'm sorry the instructions weren't clear. Maybe I should do that over again.

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  4. Thank you, and thanks for visiting my blog also. I did think I'd hand applique but I can't decide on needle turn or interface. I'll probably try each and see which works better.

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  5. May not be a great leader-ender project, but it sure is a good scrap project! Great solution to the curve problem!

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  6. What a great idea to redraft the pattern. Butterflies are my favorite quilting motif. Yours are beautiful.

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  7. BTW -thanks for leaving a comment on my blog, since you are a no reply blogger I thought I'd thank you here :-)

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  8. I love your butterflies. And it sounds like you have found the best way to put it together. Good job.

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  9. Thanks. It will be work now to do the fan part as leader and ender. Not what I had in mind, but ok. I think it's an interesting block so I'll do it regardless.

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  10. Thank you. I like butterflies too and had been searching for a pattern that would use some scraps, so this was perfect.

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  11. Thanks, I think I made more scraps than I used, but maybe I can use more of them now.

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  12. Thanks for the heads-up. I changed it now. I guess I didn't change it over when I set up that new account.

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  13. Thanks. I think this will work better and look pretty much the same.

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  14. What pretty butterflies! Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

    Have you thought about finishing the edge with a blanket stitch? It might give the look of a lacey edge.

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  15. Thank you! Yes, I thought about blanket stitch if I do a stitch around it. I'm going to hand quilt this I think, so I have a couple of options.

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  16. I love it!!! Such a pretty project. Sorry I didn't come by earlier but for some reason I didn't get notified of your linkup. But I'm glad I found you because this project is gorgeous!!! :)

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  17. Thank you! I think this will be a fun quilt. Maybe the notification is just like the comment notification and blogspot just fell down on the job there.

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