Slow going

In common with most people, I have been very busy recently. Along with Christmas shows (attended and performed in), carol concerts, invitations, a wedding anniversary (36 years this time!), mince pies (made and consumed), shopping, cleaning and wrapping, I have done just a little sewing.
Despite having said that the pale star block in my Civil War quilt didn't bother me, it began to stand out more and more. My adage is always that once you make a mistake, if it doesn't bother you, leave it, but if it does, take it out. This one needed to come out.It's replacement isn't perfect (a patterned background fabric would have been even better) but this time it doesn't bother me and I'm hoping for a little time to layer it up. I've decided to complete it in 'quilt as you go', as I think the quilting will need to be precise, and it will be much more manageable before the borders are added. What do you think my chances are of getting it layered up before the Big Day?!

Learning all the time

Although I've been quiting for nearly 20 years, there's always something new to try. My challenge group's current block is Electric Fan, by Lynne Edwards.

This didn't look too difficult in the book, foundation pieced spokes and then templates for the rest. I decided to dip out of the curved piecing and use the Pat Deacon method of laying the plain fabric on top, securing it with invisible tape and zigzagging the pieces together. The only tricky bit would be the partial seam in the middle, but it looked straightforward in the instructions. Easy peasy. Well, it would have been had I a) squared up the sections after they were completed so that the seam lines were at right angles to each other, and b) if I had bothered to read the instructions which stated that the central square was made of the same fabric as the middle part, not a contrast. The partial seam isn't very good, and it stands out like a sore thumb since the fabric is contrasting! Oh, well, I said to myself, the next one will be much better.

And it is! The partial seam isn't much better, but with it being the same fabric as the background, you don't notice it, and the sections look nice and square. There's only one problem. I forgot to put the templates for the outer sections on the wrong side of the fabric, and the fan is going the other way! Never mind, perhaps I'll get the next one right! (Fat chance!)