"It takes ages to finish a quilt you're not working on!"

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Skill Builder Sampler blocks

While reading Jane's blog over the weekend, I was admiring her photos of two patchwork blocks she had just completed. She explained that she had followed the tutorials on a blog called "Sewn by Leila", whose creator had recently introduced online tutorials for quilt blocks. So I jumped over to have a look, and decided immediately I would join this group, as I am still very much a novice in the field of quilting, especially when it comes to those intricate blocks! Jane had done her blocks over a few days, so I thought I would try to do the same. Thanks to Leila's excellent Skill Builder Sampler tutorials, it took me just 24 hours to complete these two blocks! If you are reading this and you are an experienced quilter, you probably won't be interested in all this, but if you are a novice like me, go over to my sidebar and click on Leila's Skill Builder button. It's well worth a visit!
As always for me, there were lessons to be learned: again, the importance of measuring and cutting accurately, pressing as you go, and trimming the small blocks as you go. But what I learnt this time around was not in the instructions; indeed, it was a matter of my own stupidity. I learned NOT to combine stretchy fabrics with non-stretch cottons! Duh, I know...common sense, right? But when I am using whatever is in my stash, I don't look too closely at the fabric, other than to check if the colours don't clash. Well, that light pink gingham was just a little stretchy. Enough to pull the other pieces out of line. Ah well, I'm not making a quilt, so I've left it alone, but it was another one of those senior blonde moments that I will put down to experience ;-) Other than that, I am very happy with my first Nine patch block and Log cabin block.

5 comments:

Jane said...

You've done really well with these blocks, didn't take you long at all. Look forward to seeing next weeks

Sharon said...

Oh G.. I do have a quiet giffle to myself when I see you so enthusastic about this quilting stuff... Now do I remember someone saying that they didn't think they would ever do that... Well you are making a very good job of it all...Next will be a quilt... :)

Sharon said...

*giggle* or though giffle sounds good... Perhaps a giggle with the siffles...

Gina E. said...

Thanks Jane - I'll be looking forward to seeing yours too, next week.
LOL Sharon! Your memory is too long by far....you remember me saying I wouldn't have a blog, and that I wouldn't do patchwork and quilting. All I can say in my defence is that people change!
I like giffle. I might add it to my personalised dictionary - ha ha!

Lyndel said...

hi Gina, re you comment about Leo's. The Open Drawer is in Toorak Rd, just as you go under the railway bridge there is a strip of shops. Leo's is just across that empty block...around the corner in SummerHill Rd. where the traffic lights are.
enjoy your new found passion for quilting!