You may recall that when I set my little focus list at the beginning of January I included on that list catching up and staying up to date with the Quilt Now Magazine Mystery Block of the Month.
Well it took me a while, and another two issues of the magazine landed on my doorstep in the meantime, but as of now I am officially caught up - need to say that just before Issue 9 arrives!
Issue 6 introduced a skill I haven't tried before - reverse applique on these sweet flower shapes.
My verdict is that I need a lot more practice with the final stage of 'turn under and stitch down' to be happy with these and this shot is the only one you'll see close up. This was my first block and contrary to what I thought, I didn't improve as I went along!
Issue 7 involved a trapunto effect - extra layering of wadding - on some weeny pieced bow ties.
I hadn't tried this effect before but the piecing and layering were much more in my comfort zone.
Eight pretty bow ties later and I'm looking forward to seeing how these take effect when the quilt is eventually finished and quilted up.
It was a relief after all the itty, bitty piecing of the bows to discover that the fast flying geese of Issue 8 were created from MUCH larger fabric cuts! This was a new to me way of constructing flying geese and not only did I enjoy the technique, but I loved the pointy results.
Not a single goose beak/tip/or whatever the pointy bit is supposed to be was harmed in the making of these. Although I am so used to making flying geese a different way, I really would like to make the effort to use this fast, no-waste method again - will just need to do a bit of research on how to achieve different sizes.
So, all this catching up allowed me to add to some blocks from previous issues and complete a border -
It is so lovely to see it all coming together after weeks of storing separate block types and not knowing how Reene is planning to combine them. I'm enjoying trying new things and being challenged by some of them too. Now, I'm curious as to how the flying geese and bow ties will work in the next border round. How long until Issue 9?
Your quilt is looking great, the colours are so cheerful.
ReplyDeleteThat is looking really good! I keep meaning to try reverse applique and I have that edition of quilt now so must get onto that! I love the bow ties - they are super cute!
ReplyDeleteYour top is looking fantastic! I'm loving seeing your progress and so glad that you managed to catch up :) I need to crack on with blocks for Issue 10....eek!
ReplyDeleteThis looks lovely! Such sweet colours and interesting pattern. I followed a workshop "reverse applique" but didn't use the technique after that. It looks nice with the stripes inside!
ReplyDeleteYay, well done! I was going to make geese my next Quilt Basics post, so I'll pop different sizes in there if that helps you
ReplyDeleteWow! It's looking fab! Love how your colours are all working together too. Jxo
ReplyDeleteLove that reverse appliqué! And the quilt as a whole is very sweet!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to try something new - enough replication to get a good handle on the new skill, but not over commitment to a full quilt. Your top is looking ah-may-zing!
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous!
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