Page Buttons

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

A Cautionary Tale and NTT

Hey there quilty peeps!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  Sooo...no matter how practiced you think you might be, apparently quilt math is best done when one is not distracted in any way.  And with that advice in mind, let me tell you my cautionary tale.


That's a whole stack of gorgeous blocks; enough for a queen size quilt, in fact.  And yet, I still have many, many more blocks to piece.  How is that possible?  Well, when I was planning this quilt, somehow I figured out the block layout for 8" blocks (which would be a really weird size for a Greek Cross block anyway, but again, distractions).  A 10x12 layout  of 8" blocks would yield 120 blocks for a nice 80" x 96" quilt.  Awesome.  I remember thinking while I was pulling and cutting fabric that this queen size quilt seemed to be taking a ton of fabric, but since I was determined to get back into my groove, I just kept plowing through.

And again yesterday, as I had been piecing for two days, I kept thinking it was taking longer than usual.  And then it dawned on me.  These were not 8" blocks at all, but instead were 12" ones! (facepalm)  Y'all, a 10 x 12 layout of 12 inch blocks would make a 120" x 144" quilt, which is just comically enormous, and way too big to fold at the end of the queen size bed in my guest room.  just to put it all in perspective, that's enough blocks for a larger queen size quilt measuring 96" x 108" (72 blocks), which is what I'm doing, PLUS ANOTHER 72" x 96" twin size quilt (48 blocks).  No wonder this quilt is taking forever.  I'm actually making two large quilts in tandem.

Lesson learned.  Even if I can cut and sew easy blocks on autopilot, during the actual planning stage, my mind needs to be 100% focused on the task at hand.  Needless to say, I still have more of these blocks left to piece (about 40), and then I'll be putting together TWO quilt tops from them.

So, let's get to the highlights from last week's party, shall we?  Linda at Flourishing Palms shared her finished 2019 temperature quilt.  I just love these.  I am mesmerized by the color gradient through the year, and I always think about making one, but just haven't yet.


I love this cute mini from Jayne at Twiggy and Opal-


This pretty floral quilt by Sew Preeti Quilts is just a perfect pick-me-up for all of the rainy weather we've had lately-


Sophie at Luna Lovequilts shared this super cool, modern quilt-


And Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty linked up this gorgeous, graphic heart quilt-


I just have one more thing to mention before we party.  It's not related to quilting, but it's been a pretty big thing around here.  Y'all know I'm a Louisiana girl, Baton Rouge born and raised, and an LSU grad, and I just have to give a shout out to my team.  It was a magical season for us, and we're all pretty excited in the Young household.  Geaux Tigers!  :)

Okay, friends!  It's time to party.  Y'all keep bringing the awesomeness, and I'll be over here ogling your work (and piecing, and piecing...)   ;)

1You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)





15 comments:

  1. oh what a mistake - but you are getting two quilts without realizing it

    ReplyDelete
  2. That would have been a GINORMOUS quilt, but how wonderful that you have enough blocks to now make two good size quilts. The colours of your blocks are just so bright and happy. I look forward to seeing your quilts all put together. Happy Sewing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oops! It looks like you'll have two bright and cheerful quilts when all is said and done, though :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Two wonderful quilts won't be a bad thing at all. Cannot wait to see them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hopefully you can use the blocks anyway! Thank you for sharing my Horizon quilt Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
  6. A fortuitous mistake leads to two quilts instead of one. Now that is a mistake I don't mind making :-D I am sure you will end up with two gorgeous quilts. Thank you for featuring Rainy Day. I feel so warm and fuzzy :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm not even going to pretend that this has never happened to me!! Two for one is the best way to look at it, although I would have loved to see you wrangle a 122"x 144" quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  8. At least you get a two for one with your pretty blocks

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yeah for LSU!. A good friend of the family had their daughter graduate from there. My son served in the Army at Fort Polk for 6 years and now lives near Natchitoches. So I understand. Thanks for always having this linky party. I do admire all the wonderful things you make.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my. I dislike repetitive piecing, so I can't imagine how you must have felt, sewing and sewing forever and ever! Two quilts though! Maybe you can just make it reversible. Thanks for sharing my temperature quilt. I can't believe how happy I am with it, and how much better it's getting with quilting. I'm taking my time to quilt it "right," and should have a finish in a couple weeks. That's a long time, I know, but I can't work on it ONLY. I have to bounce around among projects... too easily bored!

    ReplyDelete
  11. At least you have the hard part done, and your mistake didn't leave you short on fabric. The best part is that you have a quilt to keep and a quilt to share!

    ReplyDelete
  12. At least you don't have to cut and piece more because you underestimated. Two quilts is better than none. Linda's quilt is one of my all time favorite temperature quilts. I love the graphic quality of the drunkards path blocks and the colors.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, your super duper "larger than expected" stack of 12" blocks look so yummy. Great photography! I recognize some of those prints too!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I had to smile while reading about your "math error." I can't tell you how many times I've done something similar! Including making the blocks too small which resulted in the need for more blocks, after I'd used up all of my focus fabric.... What is it carpenters and builders say, "Measure twice, cut once" - We should take that to heart for qulting! Your stack of blocks is really pretty; I'm sure your TWO quilts will turn out lovely. Looking forward to seeing them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sorry about your mistake, but the bonus is that you'll now have two quilts. LOL Happy sewing.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

09 10 11 12
Blogging tips