I Fall To Pieces

My quilting lessons with Care of Obsessively Stitching continue with a lesson in in block assembly. Do I sound nervous? Because I sure was! Previously, this is as far as I'd ever gotten with a quilt. I'd start to sew the pieces together, nothing would match up, and I'd get discouraged/throw a tantrum/take a break and never pick it up again. Take your pick.

First, a question before I even began. What color thread are you supposed to use when the blocks are all different colors? The predominant color? White? Doesn't matter? I thought of my mom, who uses a beige thread with many different colors when she's making doll clothes. There's one particular shade she likes, because it blends in well. I figured I'd be safe using a neutral, but a cool neutral to go with my purples and pinks, so I used a light grey. I already had a nice, fat bobbin wound, too, which might have influenced my decision a tiny bit.

The first "ah ha" moment in the piecing tutorial came when I read these words: "Begin sewing again with your fabric right in front of your presser foot. The feed dogs will draw your squares under the presser foot and you can continue sewing." I don't have to raise and lower the foot every time? Revolutionary! Why didn't anyone ever tell me that before?

Oh, the shame. Despite my best efforts, a few of my blocks were just not coming out perfectly. I emailed Care to ask if this was going to be a problem. Thank GOODNESS she said no, I would be able to fudge it. I was blaming myself, figuring I screwed up when I was cutting, but she said, no, this sometimes happens due to...well, it's a long explanation. Maybe she'll chime in with the explanation or maybe not. I was just happy to hear that I am not as inept as I'd feared, and I wouldn't have to do it over!

Party time! This makes me want to sew one of those buntings you see EVERYWHERE on the blogs.

.

Boy howdy, did I feel a ridiculous sense of excitement when I started to see the fabrics and patterns coming together. I'm not always so good at doing things randomly, but sewing these strips and then making the blocks of nine wasn't a problem. I think the key here is, as Care said, loving all the fabrics you choose. I kept catching myself thinking things like, "Oh, yeah, that neat blue!" or "This zebra will really look punchy!" Seeing them start to combine and play off against each other was just so much fun!

And there's my pile, waiting for Block Assembly, Part Two. Will my luck hold out? What will happen when I have so many corners to line up? Will I crumble under the pressure? Come back soon for the next installment of First! Quilt! Ever!