I'm having fun trying to get caught up in the Piece and Quilt sew-along, based on the Celebrate with Quilts book by Susan Ache and Lissa Alexander. The gigantic block near the center is actually the same four blocks arranged together to form a star/flower design. It is quite bold, so I have to make sure I make more with that same intensity to balance it out. Or I could remake it...Do you think it would fit in better if the center floral print had a lighter background?
I think I might like this better with the light grey background. I'll have to get out my seam ripper and make the change.
So, speaking of remaking blocks:
A remake is just what I did with block 5 in the Summer in the Country sew-along. Remember that was the one with the templates? I thought my printer was off and my templates weren't the right size, causing the block to be too big. I checked and the printed shapes of the templates were just what they should have been. You may recall that my first attempt at this block was a full 3/4" larger than it was supposed to be. Perfect, but not the right size. Ugh.
So, this is what I did. I cut down the templates just a skosh. I trimmed off just inside the tracing line my Sharpie made. It didn't seem like was taking much off, but it must have been what I needed. My second block (shown above) came out exactly 12 1/2"! Isn't it amazing that the tracing line (which of course was just outside the actual shape of the template) was enough to throw off the whole size of the block? I need to remember this for the future if I am working with homemade templates.
You can see the size difference in the photo above. Crazy. I had just enough of that ladybug fabric for the second block! It was close.
Looking at my design walls you would think I only make red white and blue quilts. Good grief, I've been having a moment.
In other news, Sara and I have a new podcast up with our latest book reviews. Give us a listen by clicking the "Reeding Between the Lines" link on the right. Or you can watch us on YouTube!