APPLIQUE PAINTBOX-I LOVE APPLIQUE

COLOR THAT ACCOMPLISHED!!!

The quilt is in 4 sections which I will quilt separately and then joint together.  I placed the border fabric by the side of the quilt so you can see something of what I have in mind for this.  How to keep 143 blocks in proper order one the way to the sewing machine. This was the challenge and I gave it considerable thought as to the best way to translate the order decided upon into reality.  Very tricky!  

I solved the problem by numbering the columns across the top and then again in the midsection.  You can see the number pined to the blocks in the photo above. This made it easy to sew the top in four sections and keep everyone straight.  This worked pretty well though i did notice when I took this photograph that the beach block is upside down and will have to be fixed.  Everything seems to be okay.

Here is the last section-lower right hand corner to be sown:

Rows and columns all set!  You can see the column numbers pinned to the top row.  I connected each column by using a microtech tool.  You can see the columns all joined with the little plastic staple.  No worry about pins falling out! And each column is still numbered.

You can see the number on the top block so I know I will sew the columns in the right order. 

Pin them together and line up these little soldiers:

I used the compensating foot which came with my Juki for the first time and what a difference!  All the seams are the same size and the blocks lined up like they knew what they were doing.

This is not a very good photo-I am still learning to put the focus in the correct place-you can see the focus is behind the compensating foot.  You can still see what a great tool this foot is.

Miss Blossom helped by keeping track of columns yet to be sown so they did not get out of whack: 

Her look says she knows how much I appreciate her help and caring.

I posted the center block briefly

 but I want to show it again because I like it.  Chuck, Susan and me.  I ordered some nice fabric with letters I was going to applique but unfortunately no S, K or M were printed on the fabric.  Back to the drawing board.

Over the next couple of week, i will make quilt sandwiches of the 4 sections and hang them on the design wall to look at and think about how to quilt.  I ordered a new book Fill Harmonics by Sue Heinz.  i am looking at this quilt as a bit of a sampler at this point and each block an opportunity to do something interesting.  Margaret Gunn Solomon also has a book coming out this month.  I like modern sorts of quilting like graffiti quilting. I'm not much of a feather person.

While Chuck, Susan, and Me is percolating on the design wall, I will be back appliqueing (my favorite activity) blocks for Sweet Surrender.  Gretchen of Gretchen's Little Corner blog also made this quilt.  She says the name reminds her of a racy romance novel.  Hear, Hear!  So I amuse my self my thinking up other names like suffering succotash, salty seas, smelly socks-you get the idea.  Any of these names I like better.  But I love the quilt with its angles and curving applique.

NEW VISITORS: Taiwan and Guatemala.  Hello to these two diverse countries.  Flags have been added to the growing list of inter-nationality. 

So long and talk to you next week.  Hope you enjoy the wonderful, fabulous October weather and do what you want to do this week!  Also........

HAPPY QUILTING!

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TO SEE SOME GREAT QUILTS!