Summer Sampler Series - Week 2

Here we are, halfway through this quilt along! This week we started to get into some more difficult things like paper piecing, and it has been fun.

Block #4 - Flower Garden Path

I actually spent all week avoiding this block because I didn't feel like making more half square triangles and I wasn't sure how I wanted to do the colors. It turns out this is one of my favorite blocks. I just love it! Having one color per quadrant looks awesome and my points are all there and things line up near perfectly. I am still sick of half square triangles though...

Block #5 - Star

This was the first paper pieced block. I did a bit of paper piecing for the urban lattice quilt, but this was a slightly more complicated design. I actually meant to have the green and blue as the background diamond but somewhere along the way I reversed it. I think it worked out for the best though, I really like it this way.

Block #6 - Arkansas Traveler

a.k.a. pure evil. This block and I were not friends. We now tolerate each other, mostly because I have finished torturing it and it looks so stinking pretty, but we had a rough day yesterday. To begin with, I didn't love cutting out the diamonds, I had a hard time getting my ruler to cooperate so I actually did the first one and then cut a cardboard template to use for the rest. That made things a bit better. Then I went to sew the diamonds together and the center seam was totally off. Like woah. So out came the seam ripper (it really takes a lot for me to rip out a seam). So I got those together and the second part was paper piecing the background which wasn't bad. Then we came to the final step where I was sewing the two completed halves together and let me tell you, that thing was a beast! It was so thick in the middle I seriously broke the thread 8-10 times and actually had my needle snap. It was bad. But I pushed through and finished it and I am happy with the result.

And this is how my quilt is shaping up. I love the bright happy colors!

I can't wait to see all 12 blocks together. This week I am trying to stay on top of the blocks since I am supposed to go to my sisters graduation party this weekend and consequently can't sew. I don't want to fall too behind!