Yesterday and Today

After finishing cutting out the remaining "big" pieces yesterday, I started making the individual blocks.

The first order of business is to pick the 3 1/2 inch block off the top of the pile. It is the focus piece in the center of the finished block. I gander at the coloring within the piece and match the other three piece sizes to it. If, for instance, the center piece is a medium value leaning toward the color purple, but has hues of blue, pink, and yellow in it, the next three piece sizes should compliment it. If it's a rather drab piece, I grab the color wheel my mom gave to me at for Christmas this year (thank a million mom!), and see what colors work well with the piece.

The largest block is next to be picked. It will be of a light or dark value thus creating contrast from the center medium value. If the large block I picked is a lighter value, then the 2 3/8" piece will be the opposite, or dark value.

The 2" corners will contrast in value of the 2 3/8" piece and will compliment the block as a whole.

I can piece two blocks at a time, so I repeat the above steps once again.

Once colors are selected, I have to mark a diagonal line on the reverse of each 2 3/8" piece with a fabric pencil and ruler. Two of the pieces are placed, right sides together, in opposite corners of the 4 1/4" block. I sew a 1/4" seam (as I do for all my quilting work) on either side of the diagonal mark.

I then cut the pieces apart from the line I made and pressed open. Wow...this sounds like an awfully confusing process. Let's try to speed it up.

The other two 2 3/8" blocks are put in the remaining corner and sewn like above. They are cut apart and pressed open also. Now I have four "flying geese" units ready to attach to the 3 1/2" piece. I attach a flying geese unit to one side. Press open. Repeat on the opposite side. Press.

Now I attach a 2" block to the opposite ends of the remaining two flying geese units. I then attach those to the remaining sides of the 3 1/2" block, pressing after each addition.

I now have a finished block! Hurray!

I completed 24 blocks yesterday and this evening I made 16, for a total of 40 over two days. Completed block count as of tonight is 64. Almost half way there!