Instead of QUILTING Along with Leah Day, Week 19 has us PIECING along with Leah Day to create a "modern" quilt block. This was a challenge of a different sort for me. Precision piecing is something I LOVE to do. Leah recommends her wonky block method because no precision is needed. She requests that we gather 15 or so approximately 7" square fabric scraps and some solid coordinating yardage. Clearly, Leah buys and cuts her fabric differently than I do.
I usually buy half yard lengths and cut selvedge to selvedge strips to create the various squares, rectangles and triangles that make up the majority of my quilts. If I have scraps they are strips and small geometric shapes. So, my scraps were pretty much useless for this project and I didn't want to cut 7" squares out of multiple fabrics. Instead I devised a way to create square scraps from strips.
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| A Section of the 8.5" Ribbon |
I selected approximately 10 similar fabrics from my stash. Most of these fabrics were purchased back in my early days of fabric collecting. In other words they are 20 to 25 years old. I cut multiple 2.5" selvedge to selvedge (or the longest length possible) strips from each fabric. Next I sewed the 2.5" ends to each other, making yards and yards and yards of "ribbon." I divided the sewn strip in half and seamed those 2 pieces lengthwise. Divided it in half again and sewed those 2 portions together lengthwise. This resulted in an 8.5" wide by very long ribbon.
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| A Single Wonky Block After the Unifying Solid Fabric "L" Has Been Added |
In Leah's example she created the wonkiness by skewing the squares under the strip they were to be attached to. Since my squares had seams and I didn't want to inadvertently force the seam in the opposite direction it had been press towards, I opted to cut "wonky" squares using my 9 degree ruler. Then I could line up the wonky edge of my pieced square on top, versus underneath my strip and keep my eye on the seams while still achieving skewed squares. It worked for me.
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| Finally, I Played With A Possible Layout |
I didn't do mine the same either. I chose to do wonky stars. Leah always says " It's YOUR quilt. Make it the way you want." I have been dying to make the wonky stars, so that is what I did:)
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say? We are both a couple of renegades.
DeleteFantastic! I love how everyone has their own take on this. I think Leah gives us the inspiration and then we go with it in our own direction. My blocks were all nice and straight - no wonkiness here, but it was very Modern and so it accomplished the purposes that I wanted it to.
ReplyDeleteChrista, I picked your piece out of the "lineup" as one I gravitated to. I was actually very tempted to go a similar route. I am always looking for ways to get out of my comfort zone, though. Random wonkiness with no formal plan was quite the stretch. Like you, I am enjoying watching everyone fly with the assignments - doing what works for them.
DeleteVery interesting take on the project. I used Leah's inspiring nature to make my first wonky block quilt too, although it really isn't what she had intended it did come from following this 'quilt along'.
ReplyDeleteIsn't fun to see how we each read/watch the assignment and come up with projects that are uniquely our own? I am so grateful that Leah nurtures this in us.
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