AMQG Block of the Month

For the winter AMQG retreat I decided to bring all my UFOs. I got so much done it was great. As always it was a great time...even though I could not participate in 'boobin' drinking game!

Finally got my (2011) AMQG block of the month blocks (left) done! Woo hoo!!! I also got a couple more Summer Sample blocks done (right). Even though it's now winter, I was still happy to have time to work on them! Can't wait to finish the rest.

Disappearing 9-patch

I've never done a block of the month before, so when my cohort Bobbi at AMGQ suggested doing one, I thought I would give it a try.  One of the blocks, the disappearing 9-patch, I quickly decided I wanted to make a whole quilt top out of.  I liked the look of using only two fabric in the disappearing 9-patch, so I wanted to stick with that.  I was so excited that I started piecing right away.  Then.....

...I realized I did not have enough fabric from the print.  And not only did I not have enough fabric, but the fabric I bought was OUT OF PRINT!  Yikes.  I did manage to find some on ebay, but not enough to make the size top that I wanted.  So, plan B.  I bought a complimentary fabric from the same line, Pillow and Maxfield.  

  

The second print fabric is also out of print, but, again, I was able to find some on ebay.  It was enough to make the top I wanted.  The only question was, how to arrange it, now that I already had pieced and cut the first print.  Here were some options that I thought would work, but wasn't 100% happy with.

My husband liked the left one better.  I had been leaning towards the right one (yes, i realize there are two pieces turned wrong in the middle on the left side).  What I didn't like about the left was that I my eyes didn't know where to rest when looking at it.  The left layout just seemed a little chaotic, and as an engineer, I prefer structure!  But, there also seemed to be something about the right layout that did not convince me to start piecing it.

So I kept at it and finally settled on this..

There is movement, yet my eyes don't hurt when I look at it!  Now, onto piecing....

AMQG BOM - Block 6

I put off doing this block for so long because I was dreading circles.  The only circles I've ever pieced were appli-pieced rather than the traditional way of sewing wrong sides together.  I did ok with this technique from 'This and That', however, I must say, it's really bothering me that the finished product is not a true circle because of the 1/4" seam when attaching the quarter pieces together!

Well, amazingly, I'm caught up on all the Block-of-the-Month blocks.  Can't wait to see what's next!

AMQG BOM - Block 4 & 5

Block 4: January - Scrappy Hedgerow Block

Block 5: February - Double Four Patch

Here are all the finished blocks so far:

For more info on the BOM - click here!

AMQG BOM - Block 3

Block 3 - December - Modern Plaid

Ok, so I didn't really do this in December either.  Actually, I decided I was going to save the remaining blocks of the month for my trip to Japan.  Since I couldn't take my sewing machine with me, though it would have fit nicely in the over-hear compartment, I decided I would try hand piecing for the very first time.  Yikes!  What a disaster.  Not only did I HATE hand piecing, but one thing failed to occur to me:  If you hand piece rows together only to cut the rows into smaller pieces, the rows will fall apart because hand piecing is not as secure as machine piecing.

Check-out below for what I mean.  I pieced rows of white and green together.  Then I needed to rotary cut the entire thing into strips.  After cutting into strips, the white and green did not stay stitched together because the stitching with hand piecing is much too loose.  Lesson learned.  I don't know why that did not occur to me in the first place!

So hand piecing in Tokyo was a bust!  When I got back, I re-sewed the block with my sewing machine. Much better!

For more info on the Block-of-the-Month, click here!

AMQG BOM - Block 2

Block 2:  November - Disappearing 9 patch

Ok, I didn't really do this in November.  But I got it done, so give me some slack!

This is my new favorite block.  I could make these all day.  You just make a 9-patch, then cut it in quarters and re-arrange.  Fantastic!

For more info on the quilt-a-long, click here.

AMQG Block of the Month

I am participating in my very first Block-of-the-Month.  Very exciting!  I picked some fabrics that I've had in my stash for a while - you know, the ones that you like to look at every once in a while but don't dare use because they are just too pretty.  Yes, I've decided to start cutting them up.  They will be in a better place, shortly!

Block 1: October - Friendship Star

I've made Friendship Stars before, so this time I decided I was going to do an inside out Friendship Star - I used white fabric, which would typically be used as the background fabric, for the star fabric instead.

For more info on the quilt-a-long, click here.