It started in low. Then it started to grow...
But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!
Well, my simple ~1/2 yard Grinch panel sure has grown. Just by adding those triangles to set each block on a tilt, I increased the quilt size quite a bit. Then I added those pieced filler sashings, too. In doing all this I gave my self a real assembly challenge. I am a precision kind of gal. How I much prefer cutting my pieces exactly to size and seaming them together precisely. This wonky, random, stuff is hard for me.
I attached filler pieces and the outer side sashings to the Grinch quilt this week and trimmed them all even. Aligning the large top on the cutting table and cutting off the edges square was difficult. I had to be very careful to smooth out those multi-seamed although, well-pressed (or so I thought) wonky filler blocks and very careful not to stretch those bias outer edges for the Grinch panels. In 20-20 hindsight, I should have cut those surrounding triangles for each Grinch panel so that the long edge was on the straight of grain. Ah, live and learn.
Also, since the sashing are made from strips cut off the stack and whack rectangles they are like a keyboard border (pieced border) and all those little seams allowance add up.
I am used to measuring the center of my quilt vertically and horizontally and cutting two pair of sashings exactly those lengths either on the straight of grain or on the cross grain. Then I ease the quilt to fit those pre-cut sashings. Those sashings are stable and not at all stretchy like my pieced one above. I just hope that when I sew the pieced edges on, the quilt remains square.
And so far so good. After adding pieced filler pieces and pieced strips in about three side edge locations, I held my breath while trimming the two long vertical edges even and square. Now I just have the top and bottom sashings to piece and add. See where the pins are below.
I started auditioning binding for fabrics, narrowing it down to four choices. In the following two enlarged photos they are green or red (1st photo), then black or yellow (2nd photo).
The green swirls are quirky and do not compete or distract. I am leaning toward the red plaid with fine black lines but it may be a bit too precise looking for this quilt and so I have not ruled out the others.
The black striped dots kind of echo the line drawings and central fireplace block. The yellow seems a bit of a surprise and picks up on the two yellow bordered blocks near the top, making them appear not so out of place. Guess with quilting I am always thinking one step ahead. Gotta learn to be more in the moment! Opinions on binding choice are welcome!
After I get those top and bottom borders on, I am going to switch to something easy. I will attach the binding to those two quilts I recently got back from my longarm quilter. Relaxing while doing the hand stitching on those will give me plenty of time to ponder my choice for binding fabric for the Grinch. My ongoing statistics are changing very slowly but here they are...
Completed projects:
- Hemmed dress (see 2013/05)
Ongoing projects:
- Grinch quilt (see 2013/04) - just need to add top and bottom borders
- Color Play of the Day (see 2013/01) - awaiting binding
- Sunny Spring Frost (see small insert 2013/02) - awaiting binding
- Jack O'Lantern Trio (see 2013/02) - awaiting FMQ
- Chicken quilt - awaiting FMQ
- Overlapping square wall hanging - awaiting FMQ
- Mask quilt (see 2011/10) - hidden away awaiting inspiration for arranging hexagons
- Paper pieced block of the month (see quietplay's BOM)- downloaded/ready to print
New projects:
- Hemmed dress
Stats since last WIP:
Completed projects - 1
New projects - 1
Currently in progress - 8
I am off to check other folk's progress this week at:
As you know, I know nothing about quilting or fabrics, so my opinion doesn't mean much, but I say go for the red plaid - and definitely not the yellow (even though yellow is my favorite color!).
ReplyDeleteI know the yellow was a long shot but worth a try because of the Grinch's eyes. Not very Xmas-y either. Thanks for your input!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Red Plaid - and I love the way the Grinch is coming together! I have to say, I'm a big fan of quilts you can cuddle under, and there's very rarely a quilt that's too big for that!
ReplyDeleteYour comment on cutting (those surrounding triangles for each Grinch panel) has got me thinking about how to cut out my next quilt. The triangles had a bias edge & the Grinch when tilted becomes bias (even though it was cut on the straight of grain); and therefore you ended up sewing two bias edges together.
ReplyDeleteSo is the goal to have your block sewn, so that the straight of grain is always running vertically on all the pieces?
If I cut a bias strip & then cut a square out of that strip, then turn my square on point; does that make my square on the straight of grain?