It seemed like this ball of leftovers from cutting purple triangles from my scraps would be all I would have to show for my progress with the purple portion of the Rainbow Scraps Challenge. 
. . . until I got inspired last night and sewed together 8 more blocks for my very scrappy quilt. I kept seeing the star in this block and didn't realize–until I looked it up in Brackman's Encyclopedia this morning–that the block is Broken Dishes. It was first published by Ruby McKim in One Hundred and One Patchwork Patterns in 1931 (and republished by Dover in 1962)
I am really liking this variation, where the placement of dark and medium triangles create the star.
I was chatting with a friend last night and mentioned that I have NEVER cut all the fabrics for a quilt before I begin sewing--she is making a quilt using a kit and did all her cutting up front.
The quilt I will make from these blocks is my best example of why not. There will be more than THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED triangles in this thing when it's done . . . and there's no way I could ever have endured that much cutting, cutting, cutting.
Do you cut everything you need for a quilt before you begin? Am I a quilting odd-ball because I like to mix up the cutting and sewing (and leave myself options if I change my mind along the way?)
After I finished these purple blocks this morning, I couldn't resist combining them with some of the blue, red and green blocks.
I'm not sure if I will arrange them in an organized way, but am thinking that if I decide to do so, it would be a good idea to work on the layout so I know before I get there, how many of each color I'll need.
What do you think? Trip Around the Broken Dishes?
Check out the links at the bottom of this post to see what other quilters are sewing for their rainbow scrap challenge.
14 comments:
I love this variation!! So subtle yet elegant. Sarah
Loving your purple blocks! All the colors are quite stunning when you put them together that way. I can see why cutting all the blocks out at once would have been a bit much.
I love it with the other colors together. Beautiful. I cut up everything before I begin however making one like yours I think you went the best way. Do you plan on making it larger.
Your quilt looks very nice. It will be great when it´s finished! I like cutting-sewing-cutting-sewing, too. It wuld be very boring only cutting cuttin cutting and cutting again.
I LOVE your project! I am making some scrappy broken dishes blocks but they are not nearly as pretty as yours!
I never do all the cutting first...too boring!
Your blocks are all looking so good together. Sometimes I do tend to do all the cutting up front and other times I cut as I go. Depends on the mood I am in.
The 3500 triangles is based on making a quilt that will be 80 x 88 inches, made of 110 of the 8 inch blocks ... actually 3520 triangles ;-)
If I decide to go with the trip-around-the-world setting, I will likely make it 88 inches square, to keep it symmetric, which would be 121 blocks (or 3872 triangles ... yikes!)
The photo shows 25 of 40 blocks I've made--about 1/3 of the total number I plan to make.
I LOVE the trip around the broken dishes setting!
For most of the quilts I've made, I have cut out everything first. That said, I don't make quilts with thousands of pieces. No way I would cut out all those at one time.
These blocks are coming out wonderfully!
Gail in Vegas
Awesome blocks! Sometimes I cut up front and sometimes I don't. Just depends on what the project is and if I have all the ingredients when I start.
Trip around the Broken Dishes sounds great! I like the way it looks laid out like that, too. It sparkles! I never cut out everything up front. I can't stand to do that. It's too boring.
I have a couple of quilts in progress and they have been in progress for yearsssssssssssss. I think one of the reasons this one will actually get finished that I am working on is becuase, it's all cut. All I have to do is sew. I like your stars or broken plates, whatever they are.
I generally cut as I go. I kind of like to improvise and make "liberated" quilts, so I never really know where I'm going. I have a mystery quilt all cut--except I was a little short with one fabric, and it's been sitting, waiting for a solution. I think if I'd been sewing it all along, I wouldn't have the pieces just hanging around--I'd want to finish it.
I thought your purple blocks looked fabulous and then I saw them mixed with other blocks - wow! You will have a gorgeous quilt when done. I try to cut as much as I can at the beginning because once I start sewing it all together I just don't want to stop.
I wanted to say how much I love this project, Sophie! the color mixed in seem to make the purples stand out more. I'm like you, I hate to cut it all out unless I feel real strong about the project. How many times do we cut all the fabric piece into the required size, and then want to go another direction (hey, that's an artist's prerogative!!). It probably saves time to cut first, but I like to be able to change my mind.
:-}pokey
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