Well, I guess that I gave my blog an appropriate name because this anniversary post is all about learning about quilting math the hard way - like having to make half-square triangles (HST) three times before getting it right! To be precise, it wasn't the making that was difficult, it was making them fit.
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| Version 1.0 - Loved-to-death quilt |
I guess I should start at the beginning.
My first goal for 2020 is to re-make my son's loved-to-death quilt made by his grandmother (my Mom). Here is the original, version 1.0.
A few years ago, my son asked me to remake it. He drew it out on graph paper for me (his math skills are excellent). The fabric was bought and ironed. I was quite anxious about starting this project. but tonight after work, I decided to start.
Working from his draft and the original quilt, I decided to start with some of the smaller pieces.
Why was I anxious? Well, my mother made the quilt based on a picture in a calendar. That means not pattern. Although she had made a few quilts, her piecing doesn't follow standard quilting block style. She didn't use HST and frankly I'm not sure how she constructed the quilt but lets just say that her MacGyver skills were excellent 😊
Step 1 - the top left corner
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| Step 1 - top left corner |
Working from his draft and the original quilt, I decided to start with some of the smaller pieces.
Why was I anxious? Well, my mother made the quilt based on a picture in a calendar. That means not pattern. Although she had made a few quilts, her piecing doesn't follow standard quilting block style. She didn't use HST and frankly I'm not sure how she constructed the quilt but lets just say that her MacGyver skills were excellent 😊
Step 1 - the top left corner
I wanted to make the first two strips in the top left corner of the quilt. I measured everything, wrote down the dimensions, added the seam allowances and started cutting fabric.
The first strip consists of a blue-gray and a red piece that is cut at an angle. That's where the HST came in. In my first attempt at the HST, I cut 2 - 2½" squares in each colour (mistakes number 1 and 2). After making the HST, I realised that one 2½" square in each colour would make 2 HST. Also, it turns out that making HST with 2½" square makes a block only slightly bigger than 2". Oops.
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| 2 strips and 4 HST that are too small (and too many) |
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| 2½" squares for HST didn't work |
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| Many attempts at HSTs |
Then, since my mother's quilt really only needed HST that were 2"x 1¾", I decided to try with blocks of 3" x 2½". Did you know that you have to use a square to make a Half Square Triangle??? Yup. Mistake number 3. Those are the funny looking blocks at the bottom of this image.
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| 2 strips done - roughly the same |
Finally 3" squares ended up making 2½" blocks that went with the strips. So a couple of hours later, I have two strips of about 30" done!
Version 2.0 is not going to be exactly the same as version 1.0 but it will be close.
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| Part 1 of the quilt re-make |
I'm not sure how many steps Part 1 of the quilt re-make will take. I've circled what I hope to be Part 1 in the image.
I'm not going to bother with my What I learned section for this post because it was ALL a learning experience. Since there will be many more HST to make for this quilt, at least I've learned a valuable lesson!
What's on this week
I don't have any deadlines looming so I'm going to keep working on this quilt as well as my two book blocks, which are my un-official OMG since I forgot to link up!.
Related links
- Happy New Year and Finishing up stuff - PHD in 2020, January 2020
- 2020 Planning Party, December 21, 2019
I'll be linking up to Free Motion Mavericks with Muv, since it's her week to host the party. Let's go see what everyone is up to!
Monday Making, Colour and Inspiration Tuesday, Midweek Makers, To-do Tuesday, Needle & Thread Thursday, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?, Finished or Not Finished Friday, Friday Foto Fun, as well as PHD in 2020.
Hi Andree! 350th post?!! That is VERY cool. Yes. Quilting math. There is SO much of it in quilting that it is unbelievable. I did know that you need two squares for an HST . . . only because there are HRTs or half-rectangle triangle blocks. I love that you're calling your Mom MacGyver. The reference is just SO fitting for her, and yet that's exactly what makes it impossible for you to replicate her quilt. I am certain that your son will not care one bit! BUT, be sure you take notes so that in 10 years when your quilt has been loved to death, you can make another. Or maybe one for his son - you just never know. Thanks for linking up, and I'm looking forward to hearing about the next installment on the quilt remake. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteThanks Roseanne! You'll be happy to hear that I spent quite a lovely evening yesterday doing step 2 of the quilt remake. After everything that I learned, it was so much easier :-)
DeleteCongrats on the 350th post! What fun to be doing a remake of your Mom's quilt -- I'll bet it all made complete sense to her while she was sewing it together. Look at it this way -- you can keep all your oops blocks and sew them into a fun improv piece. A twofer! Anyway--looking forward to seeing your finish on this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy, I am accumulating quite a few oops blocks - there is definitely going to be an improv quilt eventually! I'm happy to say that my second sewing session went much better after having learned all those lessons!
DeleteWell, I feel your pain. So many "obvious" things sometimes run in the obvious direction when I am working on my "own" pattern. Your son will love this, good luck as you continue!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathleen. It actually went much better during my second session, so I did learn. My son is following me every step of the way - since I show him all of my progress :-)
DeleteYAY for 350!! and good for you for trying to replicate it!! Especially when there is no pattern! I know it will be loved tho!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alycia! I'm sure that it will be loved and it's getting a little easier, so that's very good :-)
DeleteCongrats on your 350th post! That quilt sounds like a real challenge. Good luck with it. It is certainly destined to be much loved :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Janine. It's a real challenge but so far it's slowly getting easier and my stress level is getting lower! I think that I'm going to enjoy the process now :-)
DeleteCongrats on 350!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Susan.
DeleteIf nothing else you a certainly dedicated. I'd wish you luck but it looks like "you got this". Thank you for linking up to Put your foot down. Looking forward to part 1 completion.
ReplyDeleteHi Denise, I think that I finally "have it"! I worked on it a bit and it did get easier. Thanks, as always for hosting :-)
DeleteHilarious! I am a disaster with maths. This is just the sort of tangle I would end up in.
ReplyDeleteHi Muv, yes it was certainly an adventure. However, I'm glad to report that I did learn and that the next part was much easier. Of course, now it's been a few weeks and I will have forgotten it all - so I will have to re-read my post :-)
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