Black and White Jobby Inspiration

[rubywishes]

Oooooo I did like Ims' Twist and Twirl quilt so, with the yuck quilt finally finished and banished to a house far far away (well, at least 40 minutes drive anyway) I decided to have a play with Ims' May block of the Month. As luck would have it I scored a few metres of some different brown and cream fabrics from the local Op shop for about $5.00 and after much pencil chewing and finger and toe counting reckoned I' have enough to give this a whirl. I consulted Im on some measurements, poured myself a glass of red and set to cutting fabric with gusto. Yep, I needed gusto 'cause by my reckonings I'm going to need 216 blocks to do my quilt. And....oh no......it's going to involve getting up close and personal with........insert drum roll and gasps of horror.........triangles. And many of you may remember the anguish I have suffered in the past over these little wretches...yes indeedy. But it's okay...I've bought a few extra bottles of Merlot to see me through so I should be good...or at the least...pleasantly numb!
So here's where I am up to: All my pieces are cut out and as per instructions dumped into either the A tub or the B tub. My feature squares have all been cut out, and cut into triangles (yeuk..I'm shaking like someone has made me eat brussel sprouts). I am now halfway through chain piecing all my triangles to all my A's and B's. And for a bit of a boredom breaker I've stopped and squared some of the little suckers up as I go and they get to go into a pizza box.
I've got 3 days of work coming up now so it'll be a few days before I get back into it.

[Iminei]

I am most impressed Rubes ..... organisation and planning ...

Neither of which is particularly evident in anything I do!

Are you getting back to it as soon as your work is up ??
Only asking because I find I am apt to 'lose' components if I have to pack things away for any period of time!

I'm still searching for that 10 foot of fencing plus opening gate that I packed away somewhere safe before we went on holiday   

[rubywishes]

Gate AND fencing misplaced , dear oh dear, now that takes skill! Nup, don't have to tidy anything away...I just shut the door to that room...I'll actually be locking it as I have little grandchildren coming over on the weekend. Haha, might lock myself in there as well for the duration of their visit!!! Oooooo, bad, cranky old Nanpups aren't I?

[rubywishes]

So here's where I am with my "Imspiration" or alternatively my "Imineispiration" quilt.
I discovered I had woefully miscalculated how much background fabric I had so I have had several serious sessions with the calculator, the tape measure and my whiteboard (geez, I love my whiteboard ) and am on design number 5,892...sigh.....
Subsequently, my background columns in between the twist and twirl columns can only be 1" wide with a 2" border all around when all together. I have sewn half the top together. I'm quite happy with it except I am getting some puckering when joining the background columns to the pieced columns. I'm wondering if this is just because the width of the background columns is quite narrow and they seem to be "rolling up" despite being pressed. Now, if I smooth them outwards simulating how it would be when basted it seems to not look so bad.  Or, as it only seems to occur on my background triangles could this just be a "flippin-bias-triangle-edge" thing  Am I right in my thinking or is there another reason why I am getting this puckering? Should I not worry about it? I'm reluctant to persist if it's going to be a problem...particularly seeing I have been given a loan of a gorgeous paper pieced wall hanging that I am dead set keen to have a go at.
Oh, and excuse my "yeti" slippers

[fajita]

@rubywishes  would those puckers disappear when stuffed with and stretched over wadding?

-have you missed a white column out?-

-runs away just in case-

[rubywishes]

@Fajita  come out from behind the sofa my fine feathered duck I have indeed missed a background column....in fact, I will be missing 2 when I've finished. Ahem, let's call it a design element, (an essential part of design plan 5,982 in fact)....aka "bummer, I don't have enough fabric" 

Yep, I'm wondering if it will smooth out when basted and after quilting.....do you think so?

[BrendaP]

Press the whole thing now, to within an inch of its life, before the wadding and backing get anywhere near to it.  That should flatten it.

[Lowena]

Looking great Rubes 

[Iminei]

Go Girl!!!!

[rubywishes]

@BrendaP    pressing seems to have done nothing to remedy it....what about a starch? The more I look at it the more I am thinking it is to do with the bias edges of the background triangles.......triangles....again ..my nemesis sigh.

[BrendaP]

Have you used 100% cotton fabric?

[rubywishes]

@BrendaP yes, 100% cotton....quilting. When I press it it all flattens quite nicely but as it cools it returns to as before. I'm not overly stressed now....it's been a "first go" on the new sewing machine so "it is what it is"....may not look too bad once quilted.

[Iminei]

It will be fine Hon ....

Have you read the Clapper thread ????

To keep seams pressed

[rubywishes]

Finally I have the top finished. I miscalculated my background fabric, I totally lost (yes lost as in "where did I put it?" ) a fabric I was planning to use in my borders.....hence the single border instead of the planned gorgeous, wonderful "first-attempt-at-mitred-corners-on-a-border" multiple borders........and then as a final salute to my arithmetical numptiness, I magically added a half inch in length to each of the top and bottom borders thus causing more waves than the ocean on a windy day. I spent an hour or so yesterday unpicking the wretched things, re-measuring and trimming and then re-atttaching.  So here's a pic of it laid out on my bed..excuse the triangle quilt underneath it poking out at the top (yes for those of you who know my triangle terrors of the past, yes I did make it )

In keeping with my determination to use up all my fabric leftovers I have managed to piece a backing together (there is no photo of it....it's in the other room folded up ready for basting and I'm comfy sitting here in my chair with a glass of red so I'm not getting up to find it and take a pic), and I've also pieced my batting out of 3 pieces of off cuts.

Tomorrow I hope to baste it but the quilting will have to wait a few days as I'm doing extra shifts at work this week....not quite sure why I agreed to do them, it's been 4 weeks of weary, weary, aching everything!

[Kenora]

@rubywishes - it's looking stunning, and it's certainly lying nice and flat now. Your perseverance has definitely paid off. You must be so pleased.