Hail Good Fellow! A Challenge Well Met

Last few days I've been working on more blocks.  Since my woebegone post where I complained whined bitterly wept over waxed poetic about many of the cuts being in 16th of an inch, Deb from The Threadgatherer offered a bit of sage advice.  She told me I should just cut the pieces a little bit bigger and then cut them down to size when done.  I know this will really make me sound stupid, but you have to remember, math is NOT my first language.  I actually have to LOOK at a ruler to remember that 2-16ths are an eighth of an inch.  DUH!  When I was finally able to wrap my head around "bigger might be better" I realized that we're only talking about an additional 1/16th of an inch - scissor width as I said.  Well, Deb was right - I have been doing much better since.

I knocked out these:

Criss Cross 1

Criss Cross 2

Economy

Wandering Lover

The "Economy" block is just like the blocks that I was doing for my own quilt "Julia's Ribbons" (still unfinished).  Wandering Lover was made easier by making speedy half square triangles.

Then I moved on to:

Bear Claw

Dog

House

Drunkard's Path

Dog is applique.  The ear was supposed to be down, on the head, but I thought it looked better up where it is.  House was not easy.  And I made an cutting error that is bugging the heck out of me.  I may yet replace that piece.  I have never successfully done a Drunkard's Path block.  Curved piecing!!!  I actually cut these pieces using a rotary cutter and then practiced sewing a few together.  I was in the right church, but not exactly the right pew.  So, I watched a Fons & Porter video on their website.  Seeing the video made it much easier to understand where I was going wrong.  From then on out, I was definitely sitting in the front pew.  I like to call this one "Rosey Path".  Ha!  Like that's probably never been done before! 

Then there was Album.  The directions were to cut out a bazillion fussy little 1/16th whatever triangles.  And I said, oh *&^% NO!  I remembered Deb's advice - make big and cut down.  So, Instead of triangles, I cut out squares.  And the required rectangles, of course.  Then sewed them all up and here's what I had -

A huge block!  And then I cut it down to size -

And got all those fussy little triangles without any sweat.  Easy peesy!  Thanks so much Deb, I really appreciated the help - and the confidence building.

With these blocks I've completed Chapters 1832 and 1850.  I've made more progress on the Opus Magnusson border, but no picture because it's just the same old, same old.  Off to get started on the 1852 blocks now!  Hope you enjoyed.