Continuing on the black and white theme..... I've decided to work with prints with a black background for my upcoming retreat project.
If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know that where patchwork is concerned I prefer to do most, if not all, my cutting and arranging of the patches on my design wall before sewing. Many quilters successfully chain piece with amazing speed. I'm a slow poke....often taking only two or 4 patches to the machine, sew their seams, press, and reposition back on the design wall. Maybe it's my age or a control issue, but I get too easily mixed up any other way!
However, that decision will wait until the entire 60" x 60" top is pieced. I may not even do squares or circles or squares and circles together. Time will tell....but for now I'll cut the nearly 600 black and white patches, pull some solid fabrics, and get the rest of my supplies ready to pack. When I tell you this event isn't until mid March you'll really be shaking your head....YES.....I am an A+ type.....I'd have been a good Girl Scout as I do like to 'Be Prepared'.
6 comments:
Those small sparks of color really add to the interest in this! I know what you mean about mixing up the elements on the way to the machine- my best plans sometimes get foiled that way. My brain doesn't keep good track of things like that for some reason.
Honestly, I have abotu 2 steps from my design wall to my machine......but still!!! Glad to know I'm not alone!
Hoping the small pops of square color stay in the mix. I'm really liking this background you are building. 600 squares? Oh my!
As for keeping track, I use a method I may have learned from Eleanor Burns, which tells you how long I've been using it. It's a stacking method as you pull the pairs in sequence off the wall. You can still mess it up but I've had good luck and it does allow me to do that chain stitching (and the chains aren't cut, you just start at the top and keep adding to the right). Too complicated to explain here really, but really, you just go with what works best for you and ditch the apologies!
Wow...this is stunning!!!! You know I love black and white and this is wonderful! 60 x 60!!! double wow!!!!
Some of the old ways like Eleanor Burn's technique are still valid today......I USED to be able to stack and keep track but not so much anymore. I will admit I often sew more than just one 2 patch set......to make rows..... but I do put the finished row back on my wall after pressing. One way I have adapted to help me keep track of the layout is to photograph it before I begin sewing...that way I can have that image on my computer screen which is handily near by!
You know, every time I see that suggestion to photograph (whether as reminder of the order settled upon or of different orders when trying out alternate placements), I think, gee, that's a great idea. But do I remember in the heat of the moment? Seldom - lol. Thanks for the reminder!
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