Seashells, Cascade, and "Take Three"

Elizabeth felt her round 2 row was a big improvement, but thought she might do even better with a third try.  Along with the fish screens, we had also created two sea shell screens.  So she decided to do a third row with those images.

Elizabeth writes:

I had some hand dyed fabric that I used with the crackle screen and Cascade Dishwasher detergent to discharge (the Cascade includes a mild bleach) the color from the blue fabric. After washing the fabric with Dawn and Clorox 2 to stop the bleaching I screened the two seashells on top in white.  Some batiks from my stash were used to go around the blocks.  I wanted to use four different fabrics but after making two blocks realized that there was not really enough space in the 9.5 blocks for that many rounds of fabric so in the last two blocks I only used 3 fabrics. I'm happy with how this row turned out.

Below is a close-up.

Lastly, some REALLY Good Advice from the tutorial that I didn’t follow:    

• Just remember, don't ever cut a log so severely that any part of it becomes less than .5" in width...you will risk losing that part of your log in the seam allowance.

No more time for playing around right now, it's time to wrap up the school year, pack up Super Baby, and head north for the summer.  Quilt camp - here I come!

Wonky Is Easier When You Read the Directions

Does practice make "perfect"?  Maybe not, but definitely better!  Luckily Elizabeth had enough fabric for a round two!  Thank you Judy.  Off she went again, trying to pay better attention to the trimming this time after having thoroughly read through the tutorial once again.  Her second attempt is definitely better but this is a technique she says she needs to practice again to master.

Elizabeth's tips and lessons learned/advice she did not follow:

• Wonky isn’t severe.  Don’t make those cuts too severe or they will grow out of your control.
• Measure as you go so you will end up with a block you can cut into a square and not end up with a rectangle.
• Don’t make the inner rounds too wide or you will reach the 9.5 inch block size limit before you get as many rounds of fabric on it as you want.
• When horizontal doesn’t work, try vertical.

It’s not that I am unhappy with my blocks, I just think they don’t have the feel that Judy was looking for in a sample for her shop row.  I am fortunate that Artistic Artifacts and the creative minds that run and frequent the shop embrace the “do something different” and the “make it your own” mindset.

On another note, with this second row, Elizabeth was able to try out a new tool that a friend bought at a recent quilt show - the cutting templates that Martelli makes.  These 2 photos show using the frame of the template to choose placement of the 9.5" square, and then using the square insert to make the actual cuts.

 So, lessons learned and a new tool tried, both make for a worthwhile learning experience!

When Wonky Goes Wacky and Isn’t What You Wanted.

Judy Gula of Artistic Artifacts gave Sue and Elizabeth each a selection of some beautiful batik fabrics to create our versions of the store’s Row by Row Experience block for this year’s shop hop.

Elizabeth decided to use the crackle screen on the lightest green batik to give some background texture using a Jacquard fabric paint called Lumiere in the color Citrine. 

Then she added another thermofax layer of the fish screens with transparent hunter green and navy paints from ProChem.

Judy had posted on her blog saying how the shop’s row was going to be a wonky block with a tutorial included.  Well, Elizabeth just glanced at the tutorial and went off to make her blocks.  Unlike Sue, she is not very precise with her piecing and quilting, but still couldn't believe she ended up with some very “un”wonky blocks!  They are really wacky blocks!  After squaring them up to 9.5 inches she sewed them in a horizontal line and really did not like them, so unstitched them and resewed them vertically which is slightly better.

But still not a row she was willing to share with the shop as a sample.  In the next post, see what round 2 of wonky piecing brings!

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial

So how do you make those wonky blocks used for the fish rows?  We made ours with improvisational piecing, but if you want a more specific tutorial, Judy followed this one by Quilt Dad. The best thing is that you don't have to measure, you can sew and trim as you go.  It helps to have a few tools handy - a cutting mat near your machine, a ruler and rotary cutter for trimming, and a wooden "iron" or finger press - whatever you choose to call it.  Once you've assembled these tools and cut some strips (I used 1.5" strips), you're ready to start.

My center fish block was wonky to start with, a slight slant on the left and a strong slant on the bottom.  You may prefer just a slight angle on each side.  I added the logs starting on the bottom and working clockwise around the block; you can start on any side and go in either direction, as long as you are consistent all the way around.  After adding the bottom log, I trimmed it at an angle to give a "squarer" shape to the block, then added the next side and did the same.

Continue adding logs and trimming to complete the round.  I tended to create opposites as I trimmed; if the end of the previous piece was wide, I trimmed the next one at that end to be narrower.

The angle doesn't have to be large, and be aware of not trimming too close so you still have room for your 1/4" seam allowance.

I used the wooden finger iron to press each seam before sewing on the next log.

In the Quilt Dad tutorial, he adds all the logs for a round and then trims them wonky; I trimmed each as I went around the block.  Either way will work.

Continue with the second round the same way.

Stitch, press, trim.

I had a little slip in trimming the piece on the left, but that will be inside the seam allowance.

Round 3 has been added.  You can see that even though the logs are angled, it is becoming more rectangular over all.

Round 4 is added.  I came up a little short on the overall dimensions (the block needs to be squared up at 9.5"), so I added another strip of the round 4 fabric at the bottom.

Using a 9.5" square ruler, position it on the block to square it up.  You can see that this adds the wonky angles on the last round.

And there you have a finished block!  Four 9.5" blocks stitched together make your row, and you could choose to make it horizontal or vertical.