Where did January go?

Where has the month gone? I've been very busy and in the process kind of lost my blogging momentum.  I taught two English paper piecing classes last week. The workshops were organized by the Rouge Valley Quilters' Guild and they were held at Log Cabin Yardage. It was fun to teach in a shop because I was able to pull bolts of fabric to demonstrate ideas. I think everyone had a great time and came away inspired to create. Many of us also came away with some new fabrics for our stashes!

I have a two week break until my next trunk show so hopefully I can get caught up on some projects including my QAL. I've got many of the components made and they just need to come together, Here is a sneak peek at some of the bits and pieces! It doesn't look like much right now but stay tuned because it is going to change and evolve. Part of the reason for the delay is that I am working from the outside edge of the quilt in towards the middle and that makes the math a little challenging but I'm getting there.

I've also managed to put together the rows of hexagon blocks for my Road 66 quilt. I'm really happy with how this quilt is turning out and can't wait to get some borders added to it. The quilt is made with 1 1/4" hexagons. The path that connects them is made with diamonds and triangles.

Now that the top is put together I need to get an accurate measurement of the quilt top. The quilt top design was featured in Di Ford's book Primarily Quilts and while there are measurements provided I never entirely trust them so I'm going to take my own measurements. Let me explain how I do this.

I have removed all of the papers from my quilt top except for those all around the outside edges. I keep them in the quilt until I'm ready to add the border. The paper stabilizes the hexagons and prevents stretching so I can get accurate measurements.

I place my ruler on the quilt top so that the left side lines up with the innermost V where the hexagons are stitched together (red arrows). I line up the 1/4" mark on the edge of the innermost hexagon along the top edge (green arrow). I measure each of the four sides. The top and bottom measurements should be the same and the side measurements should be the same. If there are any differences I measure again. If the variance is 1/4"ish I will either add that number to the opposite side or omit it from the side with the extra. I figure I can ease in 1/4" along the edge of the quilt. These measurements include the seam allowance.

Once I have my quilt top measurements I can position my ruler in the same way as shown above and any parts that are beyond the ruler are trimmed away to produce a straight edge. The last step is to release the seam allowances of the hexagons on the top edge (they are still basted to the paper). This will provide a long straight edge so I can add the border.

I've been hiding away my scraps and leftover bits in baskets and they are overflowing. Sometimes I cut them up and make 3" nine patches but I had lots of leftover hexagon papers so I've been chopping up the scraps and basting hexagons when I'm out and need something to keep my hands busy. They will all be tossed into a bag and when the inspiration to create hits I'll have them ready and waiting to be turned into something new!

Time for a cuppa and maybe some borders! Until I post again happy sewing.

Karen