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Saturday, March 22, 2014

PQ 5:6 Triangles, Flying Geese at Sunset



Whew!  It is finally the last week of Kim Lapaceck's  Project Quilting.  A week I looked forward to with equal parts excitement, sadness and dread.  Excitement, because it is always exciting to get the new challenge.  To spend time thinking about what to make and to figure out how to do it.  Sadness, because PQ is over for another year and I will miss these bi-weekly challenges and more importantly bi-weekly deadlines to get a quilt finished.  (During the 6 weeks of project quilting, I managed to finish 9 quilt projects.)

And then the dread...  As you may know, my personal challenge this season was to make large quilts.  Big enough to cover up Spud 1.

I started small with the baby-sized Snailerpark trash quilt.  The real challenge on this one was the Free Motion Quilting. 


Week 2 saw the production of a bigger but still rather smallish picnic quilt.  Stitching over all of those flat-felled seams and pockets almost did in me and my machine. 


Week 3 was larger still with the good wrap up on the couch Good N Plenty quilt. Completely fun and manageable in the time frame!


Week 4 was the 60 x 60 inch big star quilt, made of half square triangles and hand quilted.  In three days.  From start to finish.  Totally exhausted!


Week 5, the even larger, twin sized Jam and Bread quilt, again made of triangles.  This time the triangles were quarter square triangles.  I didn't think I could possibly get this one finished.  A trip out of town.  A pieced backing.  The need to go to use the tables in the multipurpose room at church to get it basted.  A wee bit of assistance on that from the spuds on Saturday night, and I managed a finish.

Thus the dread of week 6.  Was I up to the challenge of making the next size up?  A full sized quilt in keeping with the pattern of the rest of the season.  Dread.

I might have made it except for one thing. Triangles.  The week 6 challenge was triangles.  That is all.  Triangles for two weeks from a quilter who just doesn't do triangles unless she absolutely has to and now more triangles.  A giant full-sized quilt with more triangles.   Let's just say I did a wee bit of whining. For most of the week, I was pretty much convinced that this one lone triangle-shaped coaster made of chalkboard fabric was going to be my entry.

But Thursday night, I couldn't help myself.  I had to do at least a little bit better.  Since I wasn't going to be able to go large and I didn't want to go home, I decided to try and tackle paper piecing.  I've tried many times.  I've sat through the classes at least three times.  I always come up short.   Literally.  My pieces are always sewn on too short.

This was the week to conquer my fear.  I found a pattern for flying geese in a circle.  I printed out a couple patterns and I went for it.  Amazingly enough, only the very last piece of the last block was too short.  I made two blocks.  Added some coordinating fabric and called it quits.

And so you have Flying Geese at Sunset.  Sunset of time.  Sunset of the season.  Sunset colors.  It measures approximately 12 x 16 inches.  It is made from some lovely quilter's cotton I bought on my Birthday last year to make something just for me.  It has a felted poly batting and is hand quilted and hand bound.  And it is finished in time to post as my very last challenge quilt.

Be sure to check out all the other great triangle quilts made this week.  

Thank you Kim for all your hard work producing Project Quilting.  Thank you Diane Lapacek for your evil genius in coming up with the challenges.  And Kudos to the many talented quilters who produce a quilt in a week for no reason other than the challenge is there.

Because she asked so nicely, I've linked this week's post to Go Go Kim's SewJo Saturday link party.  Even more great quilts to admire!

4 comments:

  1. Stunning! I love it! So glad you gave paper piecing another try! i was just working on a dwarf this morning actually :) AND - It's a beautiful piece even if it isn't big enough to cover Spud 1...maybe a hand warmer quilt :) lol!

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  2. PS - I always love reading the stories behind your quilts!

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  3. Going through your quilts as we got closer to this challenge was so funny for me... since I knew what was coming. You had just made gorgeous, huge, triangle quilts! Gaaaah! Good for you for trying paper-piecing again and for making it a point to use up that just-for-you fabric on it. Brava.

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  4. Love your story and love all your quilts. I think this one is a winner! You know how I love sunsets!

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