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Monday, July 6, 2020

From PIGS to WIP: Positively Peachy

Packed away in a box labeled Work on at Retreat was a bag with some FQs and coordinating fabrics. Three of the FQs were from a Riley Blake line called Calliope dated 2013. It's rare that I use a fabric collection, but I must have acquired these at some point and kept them together. Some of the fabrics were cut into 4-1/2" squares. 

However, a couple of the FQs measured only 17-1/2". I needed the full 18". That's probably why the project was packed away. 
 
An 18" FQ should yield four rows of 4-1/2" cut squares. But 17-1/2" would yield fewer squares and a lot of waste. OK, what can I do with this? 

If I want four rows of squares from 17-1/2", the maximum size I can cut the squares is 4-3/8" which would be 3-7/8" finished. 4-1/2" cut squares would be 4" finished and ten across would be 40". Ten of the 3-7/8" finished squares would be 38-3/4".  Not a significant difference if my pattern uses only squares, but a huge PIA if my pattern is any more complex than that. 

Okay, a simple Plus quilt will work. I trimmed the previously cut squares down to 4-3/8" and cut more from the rest of the fabrics in the bag. I found a couple additional fabrics in my stash that work with the overall palette and cut enough for a baby quilt. Here it is laid out on the design wall. 

Soft mid-tone and pastel shades of peach and seafoam in a modern Plus layout. This will make a nice baby quilt for Operation Shower. And it moves this project from a PIGS to a WIP. 



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9 comments:

  1. RamonaJuly 6, 2020 at 6:21 AM

    Beautiful colors... so soft and soothing. It will be a lovely baby quilt.

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  2. Libby in TNJuly 6, 2020 at 6:50 AM

    Good save! That peach and seafoam combo was quite popular back then.

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  3. JayneJuly 6, 2020 at 7:03 AM

    I know the frustration when cutting into a fat quarter and it's just a little bit too small...But you made it work and this is a lovely Plus quilt. Soft and delicate. I'm sure it'll make some little one very happy one day!

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  4. Yvonne from Quilting JetgirlJuly 6, 2020 at 7:10 AM

    Very smart thinking. It can be frustrating to find pre-cuts smaller than needed. And it's another reason a stash is helpful: for filling in gaps for a quilt like this.

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  5. QuiltdivajulieJuly 6, 2020 at 7:24 AM

    Congrats for moving this one forward!! (and today I can comment as before - who knows!)

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  6. The Joyful QuilterJuly 6, 2020 at 1:29 PM

    Awesome rescue operation, Jan! That Plus Quilt will make a lovely donation.

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  7. Vicki in MNJuly 7, 2020 at 5:11 AM

    Sounds like a nice save to me and soon a nice finish.

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  8. LouiseJuly 8, 2020 at 1:55 AM

    This sounds very much like my process: how big can I make these pieces so I use the entire FQ? Someone gave me pre-washed flannel FQs and they were really undersized! A plus quilt might be just the ticket to use them up. The colors on your piece are really pretty. I can see why you wanted to salvage this project :)

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  9. Rebecca GraceJuly 9, 2020 at 8:50 AM

    Ooh, what a pretty plus quilt! Although I don't typically work with flannels, I did order some by mistake online once and they have been languishing away in my stash ever since. This would be a great way to make use of them!

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