And I'm ready for the day to be OVER! I've decided to tackle my very first quilt using a pattern and fabric from my little stash. I washed my fat quarters and pressed and spent an hour yesterday cutting all my quarters to length so that I can start piecing tonight when Amelia is in bed for the night.
Today, I have some time during Amelia's nap so I decided to sit down and start on the first couple piecing steps. All my strips are 2 inches too short length wise! WAH!! Okay, it can't be me. I could not have precisely cut all my fat quarters two inches too short! So either my fat quarters shrunk in the wash OR they weren't cut right to begin with. I can't say for sure because I didn't measure them beforehand to begin with.
Someone tell me not to panic and all will be well! The pattern I'm working from is "Yellow Brick Road" by Atkinson Designs and I'm supposed to have strip pieces that are 21 inches long. Mine are all 19 inches.
I should get two 6.5 inch units and two 3.5 inch units from each strip... and my ultimate block size should be 9.5x9.5. I'm thinking of cutting off the 1/2 inch everywhere and get two 6 inch units and two 3 inch units from each strip and whatever my block size will be... I don't know. I'm very bad at math. But I don't want to scrap this fabric as I love it and bought it for my Punkie Girl and it's already cut for this pattern.
Please, please, please... someone tell me it's going to be fine and what I'm thinking of doing is okay! I'm not a seasoned quilter so it's hard for me to think outside the box when I'm following a pattern.
Big Sigh.
Jen :(
Burst Tomato, Hot Honey & Ricotta Tart.
14 hours ago
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I think it will be fine Jen. You will end up with 8" finished blocks if my math serves me correctly. (8-1/2" after you sew a 6 inch unit to a 3 inch unit The quilt will end up smaller but with such a forgiving pattern should wind up well in the end.
ReplyDeleteIt's too late in the day for me to try to figure out the math. But I am finding many of the fabrics I have bought shrink significantly. I would wash before cutting, is that what you did?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see a photo of the finished quilt!
i'm sorry that you are having quilt troubles. that stinks! i don't pre-wash, so my fabric doesn't shrink until afterwards. if you are making just a lap quilt, making all the blocks slightly smaller shouldn't be a problem. good luck!
ReplyDeleteI don't prewash anymore either, I use shout color catchers to wash for the first time. Seems to be this should be fine. I made this quilt and thought it was a generous size, it should be okay a bit smaller. Love your patriotic runner, btw.
ReplyDelete