Trial and Error

Thirty years ago I was making miniature quilts, thinking that by making small quilts, I could try out all kinds of designs faster than making them in standard size.  

Today I am making lap quilts with the same rationale--trying out new ideas while using up fabric scraps, leftovers and stash fabrics.

Several months ago I met a lady who asked if I would help her to make her first quilt.  Happy to start someone on her way to being hooked on quilting, I said "sure".  

During our first meeting, I learned that she does have a sewing background and already owns some of the basic tools.  She showed me the pattern that she wants to make:  "New Shoos" by Jenny Kae Parks, found in the Mar/April 2021 issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine.  I could see why she was attracted to it...the model in the magazine was made from Kaffe Fassett fabrics and was bright and cheery. 

I congratulated her for choosing a fairly simple-to-piece design and a quilt that will turn out not too large.  This quilt will be a great one for her to learn some of the basic techniques--rotary cutting in general, construction of half-square triangles, precise piecing, etc.

Her first "job" was to get the necessary fabrics.  The pattern called for a layer cake for the main fabrics in the blocks and I showed her some ideas on Missouri Star's website.

It would take her a few weeks to gather up her fabrics so I decided to try out the pattern with some fabrics I had on hand--beginning with some 10" squares, charm squares and yardage from a friend, plus pieces from my stash.  The pattern makes 9" finished blocks, so 16 of them will make a lap quilt measuring ~36" square.  

Each block requires two pairs of the same 5" squares to make four identical Half Square Triangle squares.  These are trimmed to 4 1/2" square. The center rectangles are cut 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" and the center square is cut 1 1/2" square. 

After my 5" squares were cut, I marked the diagonal on ALL of them...hadn't yet paired them up. Then I paired them up, stitched both sides of the diagonal line, and cut them apart on the line.  Because I'd marked the line on both squares, I had to be careful about the line on which I was cutting--had to make sure it was between my lines of stitching.  My head must have been somewhere else in cutting one of them--I cut on the line, but this line crossed the lines of stitching!  Now what?  

I still had some of that particular fabric, so after taking the "oops" apart, I pieced together enough fabric to make two 5" squares.  (Just like our quilting foremothers did with their scraps!!!)  I then used those to make more HST squares.  That fabric is a busy enough print that it isn't that noticeable.

 

This lap quilt was easy to make and mine turned out bright and cheery too!  After making this, I now know exactly how to guide my new quilting friend in making hers.  :)