The pattern I am using has six blocks in different colors so now I have chain pieced triangle squares for the next two colors (green and orange).

I use a scrap of fabric and start in the middle of the scrap piece to start my chain. It keeps first triangle square block from getting distorted. Then I kept my pieces pretty close together and all pinned and lined up the same way. I have the colorful fabric pressed over itself so it won’t show thru on the white.

Crazy, but the challenge is really fun! I am getting addicted to the little triangle pieces and it helps to not be in a big hurry.  I can’t wait to work on it every week!

See more about Passion 48 here.

See my January blog here.

See my February blog here.

Here’s a detail of that quilt, an adaptation of an antique log cabin quilt.

I immediately incorporated these narrower strips with 21/2”-wide strips I’ve been using for paper-foundation-piecing the colorful wheels of Under the Big Top. The narrower strips work well IF I am paying attention to what I’m doing. If I’m chatting with a co-worker while sewing, and not watching the placement of the fabrics, I need to keep my ripper handy. The short stitch-length I’m using for the foundation piecing will pay off when I’m ready to remove the paper behind each block, but it makes ripping tedious and time consuming. Lesson learned! First hour of sewing with the narrower strips yielded only two completed sections for Under The Big Top quilt…but the sections are colorful and I like them. This is a yearlong project, right? Might as well slow down and savor the process.

Read about Passion 48 here.

See my January blog here.

See my February blog here.

See my March blog here.

In order to slow down the quilting process, I decided to add some hand quilting around the Dresden plates. I thought the black embroidery thread would help the shapes pop off the strong print background, as well as add a decorative embellishment to what is otherwise a simple design. I decided to do three echo lines around each shape.

I’ve found the quilting extremely relaxing. I find myself stressing a little bit when a sewing machine is involved in the process (I’m getting better as I go, but I still worry about destroying my hard work with a wrong stitch!). It’s a nice hour to spend each week just sewing in silence. Hopefully by the time I have all my quilting done, I’ll know what I’m doing for the border.

If you’ve missed my first blogs, read my January, February, and March blogs. Are you following along with our staff’s projects? See details about Passion 48 here and keep coming back every week to see everyone’s progress.

Here’s the bracket (click once and then again on the next page to enlarge):

Round 1 Winner: Cabin Tracks (buy the pattern here)

Round 2 Winner: Buggy Wheels (buy the pattern here)

Round 3 Winner: Hearthside Memories (buy the pattern here)

Round 17 Winner: Buggy Wheels (buy the pattern here)

I added six new fat quarters to my stash of Marcia Derse fabrics, so I cut and sewed blocks with shades of purple.

I have completed the 70 pieced blocks needed for my bed-size quilt. I organized them by color. It reminds me of a colorful rainbow.

I can’t wait to start auditioning the blocks and setting rectangles on the flannel design wall.

Read about month #1- January

Read about month #2- February

I’m glad I chose to use paper foundation piecing instead of cutting and sewing small wedges to make the 40-segment circles. I am certain I’d still be cutting the required forty pieces per block (times 12 blocks…480 wedges total) if I hadn’t decided to use this quick-and-precise piecing method.

Finding a copy machine that would feed the foundation paper successfully was tricky. My co-worker Lisa went on a (successful) hunt for a copy machine that would accommodate the
lightweight paper and print true-to-size after we tried three other machines that either pleated the paper or printed an image that wasn’t 100% of the original size. The lightweight paper will be easy to remove after each circle is stitched. Copy machine weight paper is much heavier and more challenging to remove.

Each time I look at the photo of Tamara Barfels’ Under the Big Top quilt I’m inspired to keep sewing. This quilt makes me feel happy.

Read my January blog here.

Read my February blog here.

See details about Passion 48 here.

The throw features three Dresden plates. I’ll trim one so it falls off the corner of the quilt and the one on top is a little smaller than the other two. I like the look of having the flowers placed randomly so they look like they’re growing up the quilt.

This past week, I spent almost my entire hour looking at the colors and patterns of the fabric and laying them out in a way that looks visually pleasing. It’s been a challenge while making this quilt to balance the strong colors and prints that this fabric line has. Right from the beginning I was very strategic about which fabrics I picked and how they were arranged. Since I knew the background print featured a lot of black, I made sure that the flower petals didn’t contain very much black so they would pop off the quilt.

When arranging the petals on the Dresden plate, I would lay the pieces out on a cutting board, making sure that none of the same pattern type were touching. Then I would stand above it and lose focus on the fabric so it had a slightly blurred look (see below). That would let me focus on color placement. The strong colors like red, yellow, and green stand out and I could figure out how to better balance the colors.

In the example above, I thought there was too much red on the left side. So, I switched around some of the pieces and decided on the finished design (below). It’s much more balanced and still has a separation of prints.

Do you have any tricks on color placement? I’d love to hear them!

Are you following along with our staff’s projects? See details about Passion 48 here and keep coming back every week to see everyone’s progress. If you’re interested in making this quilt along with me, you can buy the pattern here.

Happy Quilting,

Lindsay

I cut patterns C and D from template plastic, then used a 28mm rotary cutter (instead of scissors) to cut the C and D pieces. I was just too impatient to use scissors and I think I can be more accurate with the small rotary cutter and a ruler (along the straight edges).

Here’s a snapshot of all the pieces I’ve cut so far.

When I was trying to decide what colors I wanted to use in my version of Points of Pride, I used colored pencils to fill in a blank quilt assembly diagram. So even though I haven’t sewn a stitch yet, I can refer to my coloring diagram if I need a little re-inspiration!

The most exciting part of my progress? I should be able to start sewing in the next week or two. If you want to make your own version of Points of Pride, purchase the pattern on from APQShop.com and start today!

See my first blog here.

I am enjoying the process and slowing down to improve on some of my skills with this project.  I‘m sure next week when I sew some more of these triangle blocks together I’ll be feeling much more confidant and, of course, they will be perfectly square. I have at least half of the fabric cut out and I can’t wait to get more sewn together.

See more about Passion 48 here.

See my first blog here.