About a year ago Bonnie Hunter suggested making Shoo Fly blocks as leaders and enders. I've never been very successful with the L& E challenge, because
- I can't stop what I'm working on to cut more pieces for the L & E
- With chain piecing I use the pieces I'm working on as L & E
This year, however, I have sixty-four 4.5" blocks.
That's considerably more than I've made in the past. For a few weeks I've been thinking how I would lay them out, with which block would I combine them. While various ideas occurred, most would involve buying more fabric, while the object is too use scraps. Yesterday I saw the answer - not in my imagination, but in Bonnie Hunter's blog post! Shamelessly I'm copying her and combining the Shoo Fly blocks with 4.5" 4-patches. Yesterday I cut up almost my entire draw-full of 2.5" strips into 5" and 7.5" strips, and found a few 2.5" squares along the way.
My goal for July is to convert these strips into 4-patches and to make a top, which should measure around 50" square. A reasonable size for a lap quilt I think.
In case you're wondering what happened to the wonky log cabin table runner: yesterday evening at the bee I started hand quilting it! I think it will be finished ....
in a year's time!
I'm linking this to:
Click on the buttons to visit the links-up.
Happy Sewing
Marly.
9 comments:
I don't follow Bonnie's L&E either, for the same reason as your second one. What I call my L&E are pieces from the other project I want to make a progress on, or something simple as placemats. The placemats I am working on at the moment are at a stand still as the crumb stars (the main project) is very much its own L&E.
Good for you for making 64 blocks. Looking forward to see how it turns out. ;^)
Slow stitching is slow. :-)
I keep eyeballing L&E projects, but get son involved in whatever I'm doing, I never pursue it. You have lots of nice shoo flies, though!
Good luck on your goal. I was tempted by those Shoo Fly blocks but resisted. I see now Bonnie has a new L/E challenge. Like you, I am not a L/E gal.
Well, your hand quilting sure looks nice. Enjoy the process and before you know it it will be complete!
I always have leader-enders of some kind - lots of 6.5" log cabin variations, 4-patches, 16-patches, 25-patches, other blocks or block parts I want to put together, even vortex blocks a la Crazy Mom Quilts - it's just making a habit, and then it works well. It looks like you are getting into the habit now. Those are going to be great. I like your hand-quilting project, too. Lots of fun at your house!
Good luck on getting your shoo fly shoo blocks to the finish line. BH’s finish is pretty great isn’t it?
Pretty blocks. Every stitch brings the end in sight - good luck with the hand quilting.
Sorry it's been a while! Have loved popping across to see the lovely projects you are working on! Good luck with the four patch blocks.... shall look forward to seeing more of that project! Enjoy the rest of your week. Christine xx
Enjoy! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck on your project.
Lovely hand quilting, it's going to be a pretty table runner!
Thank you for sharing!
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