HST Palooza . . . .

I have to admit to being a little pleasantly surprised by this finish.  I had no vision, pattern or even much direction when I started piecing this quilt top.  I just knew I was in the mood to make blocks made up of 16 half square triangles using only two pieces of fabric, I started with large blocks first.  Size didn't really matter, in the beginning, I just made pleasing looking blocks and threw them on my design wall.  As I progressed I had to adjust sizes to fit the holes.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 287

I've named it Only HSTs Need Apply

It finished at 72" x 72", my favorite size

The vast majority of the fabric is by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda

It has approximately 2,338 pieces.

The largest block is 18", the smallest is 4", there are 72 sixteen hst blocks. 

My goal was to fill the top with nothing but 16 hst block squares, and I did get close, but I refused to make hsts with measurements smaller than 1/4" or blocks smaller than 4", so I did need to fill in 5 places with just a row of hsts.  Now that it's done I think maybe the top would have been more interesting if I had added more random hsts to the mix, maybe next time.

Out of the 72 blocks I pieced 4 did not make the cut, not a bad average.  The block in the upper left annoyed me the entire time it was on my design wall.  I like the pattern and the fabric combo but in the end I think it's the granny roses in that print that did not appeal to me.  I'm a very picky floral person, it's a shame because when I was piecing it I was focussing on the butterflies, which I liked,  but after it was pieced all I saw were those blooms.  Upper right just didn't pop, the green was too muted, I like the fabric and the pattern but it just got lost with the other colors when it was on my design wall.  Lower left, I like the fabric but not the fabric combo and lower right, that block is 4 1/2" and I just couldn't live with the lack of cohesiveness with the fabric, it just doesn't match up well, looks sloppy.

I have not been able to concentrate while in my sewing room these last two weeks.  That's a very unusual occurrence for me, my sewing room is my happy place and I did enjoy piecing all these blocks, but some days I was lucky to piece just one block.  My husband is working from home, and does have his own office, but it still throws off the rhythm of the house and my routine.  I'm hoping next week will be better, or he'll go back to the office, either works for me.  SANTY NOW, please.

My heart breaks daily with all the sad news being reported, my thoughts are with the healthcare workers and other folks doing their jobs to keep us fed and safe, and of course prayers to all the people infected with the virus.  I'm cutting myself some slack on my lack of productivity, being kind to others starts with me.  Please be kind to yourself too, and be safe.

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Hope Chest, a finish . . . . . .

When I use a fat quarter bundle for a project, the first thing I do is remove all the low volume prints.  I then use a plain background fabric with all the remaining colorful prints.  Since I've been quilting quite a while, I have accumulated a pretty large stack of low volume prints.  I decided to use a few of those prints on my next project. 

I selected the pattern by A Quilting Life, Hope Chest,  to use of some of low volume prints. 

This is the first block I pieced and I immediately thought, what a pretty block, why have I been avoiding my low volume prints.

The pattern calls for 4 rows of three blocks, but I like a square quilt so I pieced 16 blocks, 4 rows of of 4 blocks.

I enjoyed piecing these blocks and loved the look so much I decided to make my quilt even bigger, 5 rows of 5 blocks.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 246 - Hope Chest

The pattern is by Sherri at a Quilting Life

The fabric is an assortment from Sherri and Chelsea for Moda

It finished at 83" x 83"

It has approximately 985 pieces.  

I still have a stack of low volume fat quarters, but I don't think they'll be growing at quite the fast pace as they have in the past, after this beautiful finish I plan to use them more often. 

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Sunkissed

I was very curious about the blocks in this Sunkissed pattern by Margot Languedoc Designs for the Pattern Basket.  I had never seen this pieced block before, I was so curious I immediately bought the pattern to see how these blocks were pieced.  Then I pieced one.

And once I pieced one, I couldn't stop.

The pattern calls for 10 rows of 6 blocks, I went with 11 rows of 8 blocks.

This is my favorite block, 

one of those happy accidents. 

These blocks are a breeze to piece and go really fast.  They are also very forgiving with no seams to line up or match.

So once I got the center of the quilt finished it was time to add the outer border.  I rarely add a plain outer border to my quilts, sometimes I go with a pieced border but normally I just call it quits when the blocks are pieced.

I picked out my two favorite prints then decided that I liked the bold orange best and chose that for my outer border.

And ended up with this.  Which just did not suit me, and I can't even explain why.  I left it on my design wall overnight, and still didn't like it the next day.

So I trimmed it down and added a plain outer border, to get this, which I do like, a lot.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 202

The pattern is Sunkissed by the Pattern Basket

It finished at 56" x 58"

The fabric is a mix of Desert Bloom and Creekside, both by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda

It has 645 pieces.

I'm not sure what to start next. . . . . .  . . but I'm sure I'll think of something.

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