The cutting (and cutting...and cutting...)

The block I'm using for this particular quilt is a scrappy block featured in one of Bonnie Hunter's articles of Quiltmaker magazine. The name of the block is called, "Princess Crown". My goal, and for lack of better resources at current (currency), was to make a quilt without having to purchase outside fabrics--utilizing only those in my stash; mainly the fabrics held in what I call my 16-cube. These are smaller pieces that have no yardage value to them used primarily in my foundation paper-pieced quilts. I'm initially thinking I want to make this quilt 10 blocks wide by 14 blocks high.

There are four basic piece sizes needed for each block. So, once the fabrics are washed, dried, and ironed (did I fail to mention that before? After drying the 100% cottons, you need to iron them immediately or you'll have permanent wrinkles in them later), it's time to start cutting.

They have a new fangled machine out there called an Accu-cutter or some other such thing. I don't own one of those and instead, do it the latest way before just scissors and templates. I use a self-healing mat, see-thru rulers, and a rotary cutter-which looks like a pizza cutter. Each piece for each block will need to be individually cut and given I want to make the quilt 10x14 blocks (which is 140) and each block has ten pieces I have to cut about 1,400 pieces by hand. Whew!

The piece sizes needed for this block are: 2", 2 3/8", 3 1/2" and 4 1/4". I need four each of the two smaller squares, and one each of the two bigger squares.

I started initially grabbing fabrics out of my stash and just starting putting together blocks. But then I thought about this after three days and wondered how I was going to keep track of what I had already used in what block. It was already becoming rather puzzling at only 24 blocks completed, so decided I had better just start with the whites and work my way through the blacks and just cut what I needed cutting.

Whatever dimension I could derive from whatever fabric I grabbed off the top of the color pile is what I cut. I did eliminate all the bright fabrics from this quilt. I wanted a more muted, not so jumpy quilt this time around so I would set aside any of my bright valued fabrics.

This will be day five of the initial piece cutting and hopefully the last?! I only have three more 3 1/2" and about 18 4 1/2" to cut, which should only take a few hours. Then on to matching/sewing them all together.