When we found out we were moving from St Louis to Phoenix back in 2020, I was in the middle of piecing a round robin style project. It was during Covid, so it was a self-directed stay-at-home round robin. With a definite move date locked in, the project was no longer a priority, so it got packed up and put away.
I pulled it out to work on at retreat in April. It took a bit of figuring out to remember where I was at with it and what it still needed. Fortunately I had an outline drawing of the concept, and some partial pieces.
It started with an orphan block. The block was supposed to be "a la Jen Kingwell," but I didn't like the color choices nor the value placement and contrast, so it sat in the orphan block drawer for awhile. Here's the block with the first border added.
I had inherited a funky no-name set of templates for piecing curved blocks, an odd size and I had never used them, so I wanted to do something with them. I used them to make corner blocks for the second border. The border was actually constructed in strata to match the corner blocks.
The next border involved points that echoed the angle of the wedge shapes in the center block. The pointed strips had been pieced, and were packed up along with the center as shown above. The rest of the fabrics were packed in the same project box.
When I started working on the project again at retreat, I added the pointed borders.
The next part of the plan, according to the drawing and some cut pieces in the box, was another curved-corner border like the earlier one. It involved remembering and re-figuring how to make the corner blocks. I wanted the black strip to be wider in this border than it was in the earlier one.
The black print is actually directional, with stripes in it. In the first round of the curved corner border, I had made mitered squares for the corner units, so I had to recreate them for this border.
Finally it was ready for the outer border, a repeat of the very first border, again slightly wider.
Now it's a finished top. In all, there are six borders, and the size is 54" square. It's big enough for a comfort quilt for a tween or teen girl so I'll donate it to the local family services agency when it's finished. Meanwhile, it feels good to have moved a UFO along toward a finish.
To further move it along, I have a plan for a pieced backing. Stay tuned!
Link Ups: Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Alycia Quilts, Wendy's Quilts and More, My Quilt Infatuation
Wow! Sometimes a project has to age to perfection, as this did. Thanks for sharing the design evolution. And now that you have found those curve templates will you use them again?
ReplyDeleteOh, my! I'm so glad you persevered. I'm especially impressed with the mitered corners in the black -- no easy task under any circumstances. So you!
ReplyDeleteOh, My! I'm so glad you persevered. I'm especially impressed with the mitered corners in the black border. Not an easy task under any circumstances.
ReplyDeleteJan, it's awesome! I really like the curved corners that echo the round piecing in your orphan block and LOVE the red/white triangle round.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting a long standing project pieced. I like how the rows tie back into elements of the center block. How do you think you will quilt this one; at home or on the longarm?
ReplyDeleteTurned out great!! I'm doing a SAHRR, too. It's taken out the stress of participating in a round robin for me. No pressure to get it done in a month. Blessings,
ReplyDeleteVery vivid and bold! The red, black and yellow really shine. Congrats on getting another project to the finished flimsy state.
ReplyDeleteGreat quilt!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! You turned that into a Beauty!!! We had a lecture last night - and the speaker said the more borders the quilt has the more it is worth - so look at you!! A million dollar quilt!! I Love it!
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