Chequerboard

Well the chequers weren't quite as mindless as I expected. My clever wheeze of taking a colour and then combining it with other colours till I ran out meant it was hard to separate the same or similar colours. And the brighter lighter ones upset the look I was going for. So I made some darker ones in new colours from the back of the drawer though these too upset the balance. I left in three and fewer light ones and now I love it although it's much more wayward than I anticipated.

Sections laid out ready to join

Very pleased

Spring has sprung

Our garden is carpeted with primroses and I picked a bunch which will warm my heart when I go in the kitchen and when we eat our meals.
It was the day to change the bed and the wintry navy quilt was replaced by my hexagon first quilt. Although pale it is substantial and will keep us warm during these bright but chilly days.

After the rigours of Brian I am sewing chequerboard blocks. I was planning on 5 by 7 but had three extra so am now sewing more extras aiming for 6 by 7. And so it goes . .They are proving very hard to arrange.

Naughty!

Yes I am being naughty and ignoring the piles of UFO's and to do lists. I answered the siren call of two stacks of Cherrywood fabrics that I bought at QuiltCon which were out in my spare bedroom cupboard as I haven't put any of my purchases away yet (another to do) and set about making a four by four chequer blocks post haste. More haste less speed. I decided I wanted my squares to measure 2.75" and cut several 2.75"strips before it dawned on me my squares would now measure 2.25". After decades of patchwork how can I forget about the seam allowance? Easily. This was probably a bonus as it meant I had less waste. One pack was square and the other oblong which misled me into thinking the pieces were bigger - not: all FQs. So I needed to delve into previous Cherrywood scraps and cut more. However the block was suitably mindless and repetitive which is what I was looking for.

1. Four 2.75" strips x 11.5+
They will finish at 11.5" but
 I allowed extra for trimming.

2. Sew into pairs

3. Join the pairs to make a 
strip set.

4. Cut into 2.75" strip sets

5. Turn two the other way up so
colours alternate.

6. Important: feed the strip sets into the machine aligned the same way. Otherwise you will have to unpick one.

7. Sew the pairs together.

8. Done! The block measures 9,5" and finishes at 9".

For a 10" block cut 3" strips; for an 11" block cut 3.25"; for a 12" block cut 3,5" strips, that is if you trust me.

Easy Angle

Having done a session on Those Special Rulers with Quay Quilters I am doing a "corner" at Oast Quilters January meeting - four 20 min. sessions on the trot so have been sewing samples from the practice pieces Quay Quilters cut. Two birds with one stone, in fact three as I'll make a teenage Project Linus charity quilt from them. The Cherrywood fabrics give a very arty look to the finished pieces, I think. Super colours.