Thursday, February 4, 2016

Outlined Plus - putting it all together

Sorry I'm a day late on the QAL. Our weather here yesterday was not conducive to photography. My blocks are assembled and I wanted to get a good picture!


When it comes to assembling the quilt, it's really helpful to have a design wall to arrange your blocks in a pleasing way. A design floor works great, but there seems to be something helpful about looking at your quilts on a vertical surface. If you google "quilt design wall" you'll find lots of options, including some portable ones. They're really wonderful and I don't think at this point I could quilt without mine!


You want to arrange your blocks so that the blocks that jump out at you are evenly balanced throughout the quilt. Often those are the blocks with the warmer, brighter colors like red, orange and yellow. Some people spend lots of time agonizing and rearranging blocks, sometimes for weeks and that works for many quilters. I usually try to distribute the colors as I put them up on the wall and may end up moving one or two. Then I sew them together - takes me a few minutes. 


Often the hardest part is sewing the blocks together in the order that you've come up with. I have to admit, I'm so bad at that. I know there are several tools out there for numbering your blocks and rows, and I'm sure they work great. My method is to put a pin facing up in the first block of each row, pile them in order and then try to sew them together in order. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I usually don't realize a difference until the blocks are sew together - and I seldom change anything. Do any of you have a good method?

We have about 2 weeks to go until the end of the QAL. Remember you only have to have 9 blocks completed to be entered. You can enter by:
  • Posting a photo on Instagram. Use the #outlinedplus hashtag and tag me @clammon.
  • Send a photo to me: cindy@hyacinthquiltdesigns.com
  • Send me or leave a comment here with the link to your blog or flickr account with the photo.
I will respond or comment on IG to let you know that you are entered, so if you don't hear from me be sure to try again. The deadline is February 17th!

One of the prizes is this mini Outlined Plus quilt made by me!



Cheryl is also offering one of the adorable Cathedral Window pincushions from her Etsy shop (US only) and 2 sets of 2 digital patterns each.


I also have an 8 fat quarter bundle of Day Sail (US only) to give away for 5 prizes in all. You still have time to make 9 blocks! Here's a link to the digital pattern if you need it: Outlined Plus


7 comments:

  1. Cindy, your blocks are beautiful! You and Cheryl are offering great prizes! Oh, I hope I win the mini! But first, I've got to finish my blocks!

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  2. I pile my blocks up in rows too, then attach pieces of paper with "row 1" etc to them. I also have a second set of numbers that I attach to the left block when I sew them together. I sew blocks 1 and 2 together for all rows, then add all the number 3 blocks and so on until I've done them all. I find this the best way to keep them in order, because both the sewn rows and the un-sewn piles of blocks are labelled and if I have to stop for a while I don't lose track of where I was up to. I hope that makes sense!

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  3. Looks great,Cindy. I love your mini.that striped binding really sets it off.

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  4. Because my design wall is right by my sewing machine, I just start with the first two blocks (noting the first in the row with a pin) and add from the design wall to keep everything in order... and right side up (most of the time). Your top looks lovely!

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  5. I usually take a photo on my phone of the blocks on my design wall, then working row by row I stack the blocks from left to right and sew them one row at a time, occasionally checking the photo. :)

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  6. Your quilt top is beautiful, any thoughts on how you are going to quilt it?

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  7. Beautiful! I used a portable design wall this last weekend in sewing and LOVED! it. I'd never done that. It is a piece of flannel ish fabric that was in the yard sale bin at my lqs. I brought it home and washed it up and now I love it!

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