3 January 2018

Have I Bitten Off More Than I Can Chew?

One of my friends in the WI moved house recently. 
She didn't have room for her huge stash of craft items so she asked if I would like some material and wadding for making quilts for the Linus Project that our WI supports, oooh yes I thought and dived into the box and carrier bag like they were Aladdin's cave.

Me and my "Oh yes I like a challenge" 
I'm sure I 'm going to have a lot of fun designing patterns.
One good thing is that all the material is good quality cotton and all the same weight,
and a lot of it is already cut into strips or shapes.

I won't even attempt to make these though

and I'm not sure if I will be able to do anything with these single medium size blocks above.

I decided to start with these.
The large blocks in the middle and the 3 smaller ones had already been made,
so my first job was to make a fourth one.

I struggled with the star shapes but it looks ok. 
Now I had to decide how to fill the other gaps 

I made 4 more blocks for each corner 
and put some strips in-between the middle blocks to fill the gaps. 
The blocks aren't very good, I didn't want to do more star shapes so I did squares.
I'm not happy with the dimensions, but they will have to do. 
I then put some strips along the longer edges.

This is where it got tricky. 
To make it the same measurement as the other lap quilts I have made I need to add more blocks. 
I have to work out how many blocks and how many squares in each block, remembering to add enough for seams. The blanket isn't square and there are two different sizes of blocks. I've spent most of this morning trying to work out the best way to do it, I can only do very basic maths, my brain just isn't wired for it, I get confused by numbers, so right now I'm overwhelmed!! 

I feel like Scarlett in 'Gone With The Wind' when she says 
"Oh I can't think about this now 
I'll go crazy if I do
I'll think about it tomorrow
After all tomorrow is another day" 

That is one of my all time favourite films. 

To be continued!!...........

I need sustenance, time for lunch then a WI meeting this afternoon.

~Be warm and well ~
Polly x 

19 comments:

  1. I love quilts! Love anything handstitched me thinks:)

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    1. Hello Nana, ooh I couldn't do this by hand, I'm patient, but not that patient! :-)

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  2. Oh Polly! These are beautiful and I'm more than a wee tad envious of your skill with the needle. I love this project and I really admire your commitment to it. I collect quilts, mostly old ones. I appreciate the love that goes into every single stitch and the time. So, too, will the recipient of this.

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    1. Thank you Jeanie. It will go to Project Linus, a volunteer organisation that aims to provide a sense of security and comfort to sick and traumatised babies, children and teenagers through the provision of new home made patchwork quilts and knitted/crocheted blankets. As well as being a warm lap blanket they also help calm and comfort children.

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  3. Hello, the block are beautiful. I love quilts, but I am not a sewer or creative.
    Well done, looks lovely. Have a happy day and week ahead!

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    1. Thank you Eileen, I've always enjoyed sewing, I made a lot of clothes for my girls when they were little.

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  4. Oh so much patience Polly! I have a friend who like you makes incroyable quilts. I laughed out loud when you quoted Scarlett O'Hara, that is my sister's most used expression, so much so that her nickname is Scarlett 😀 one of my favourite films too. I've lost count of how many times I've seen it!

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    1. Hello Grace, me too. I have a copy of it on an old fashioned VHS tape! I just love it. I need to get a better copy on disc though, or whatever the modern medium is now!!

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  5. Well worth the brain ache, it looks amazing.

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  6. Wow!! Polly a whole lot of fabric.. and you are doing an amazing job.. quilting is very hard.. once I tried, but I couldn't do..

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    1. Thank you Krishna. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

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  7. Hello Polly,
    Please! You are totally up for the challenge...look at what you have done so far. I have never quilted, but I know you will knock it out of the park...as per usual.
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. aaww thank you Giac. I don't like to give up and usually find a way around a problem :-) xx

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  8. Polly, maybe you don't have the patience to make croissants, but I don't have the patience to make a quilt. I love quilts, so I started one many years ago, got a third of my squares put together, then ran out of steam. Had a basket full of squares and a third of a quilt top in a basket for *decades* before I passed it along. I called it my Unfinished Symphony!

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    1. Hello Jean, yes, I suppose it depends what our passion is :-)

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  9. GWTW was my mom's favorite movie, I've seen it many times and read the book 2-3 times. Lovely blocks and how nice you inherited some fabric!!!

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    1. Hi Karen, thank you for visiting. Now that I've started these lap quilts I have a feeling there will be more donations of fabric!

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  10. Wow, Polly, what a fantastic box. It must have been heaven diving in to see what's inside. I'll look forward to all your makes, the fabrics are lovely.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Hi Amalia, it was. I love rummaging around to see what gems I can find! x

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