Saturday, September 29, 2012

Saturday ritual


Every Saturday I look forward to a new blog post from Barabara Brackman on the Grandmother's Choice QAL blog.  I love her QAL because she combines American history (my fav subject!) and quilting.  Last year she did a Civil War QAL in honor of the anniversary of the start of the war.  I loved the history and will definitely buy the book when it comes out, but I did not make it past the 9th block.  Life got busy and I stupidly tried to make each 8" block as a 12".  I have enough for a quilt but would have loved to do the whole quilt.  So this year she is doing a shorter quilt along with a focus on women's suffrage   I'm doing great so far but last week's block was a b@#$%.  
This is the basket of civil war era repro prints that I am pulling from to make these blocks.  

Below are my blocks so far.  Click on the name of the block to read the history that goes with it.




I hated sewing the curves on this block and it is a mess!  Those are not artful tucks!

Block #5 - New Jersey-Suffrage Pioneer
This block was a JOY to piece!  
First I selected 4 fabrics.

I pulled out a 3' hst Marti Mitchell template to trim the corners.  It makes piecing triangles much more accurate.



 



And here are all five so far!  Not bad!


keep dreaming...Colleen
Stretching after run.  Doing 4th No boundaries!





5 comments:

Ray said...

Loved this post. I often forget to use the Marti Mitchell templates to trim those corners, but you are right they do help make everything line up and then more accurate. Lovely work!

Diane Wild said...

You aren't kidding about Block #4. I can't get it to work for a 6" block. I may have to abandon that one and do a different version. Hope the blocks get better from here on in. Yours look great. I like the fabrics you've chosen.

Carrie P. said...

great looking blocks. so used to seeing modern stuff from you.

StitchinByTheLake said...

Colleen I started Barbara's quilt last year and didn't finish it either. I kept all the blocks so maybe some day. The ones you've made this time are gorgeous - great fabric choices. blessings, marlene

Lexilooo said...

I'm so bad at QALs! I've tried a few, but never gotten very far! I like this idea though, the blocks, maybe using modern fabrics? Hmmm...