A Sophisticate on Easy Street - Part 4

I'll admit that I wasn't thrilled when I saw we were doing Flying Geese again this week. I was getting a slightly later start -- Saturday morning -- as I'd worked all week knitting a sweater for my Grandson and finishing some other Christmas projects for out-of-towners, then wrapping and mailing everything Friday afternoon.  Thinking about those "geese", I decided to challenge myself to do a better job with that shape this week, and to make sure I enjoyed the process more. For me that meant not doing all the cutting and stitching assembly-line fashion. Instead I only cut out about 12 blocks at a time; then I pieced and attached them to the Week Two blocks before starting more. I enjoyed watching them come together and seeing my progress in finished units. Maybe it wasn't quite as efficient, but it was fun. I had all 64 Flying Geese units completed and joined with the others before the end of Saturday afternoon, and I think they look pretty good. I only have one plum fabric, but the large floral design gives it a lot of variety when it's pieced into blocks.

Love the way the colors look together!

The rest of that day and Sunday I finished piecing the Shaded Four Patches from Week Three that I'd left while I finished my Christmas projects. I ended up using the too-large triangles I'd cut earlier just as they were and then trimming the finished blocks down to size. It took longer, but I was happier with my results. I pieced them in smaller batches, too, and enjoyed the process so much that after I finished those I did some more sewing. First I finished the Log Cabin background of a simple winter scene I making up. It's my "For When I Can't Get the Points to Match" Wall Hanging, where I rebel against the precise piecing required in most quilts that sometimes drives me crazy. For it I deliberately made the blocks uneven and mismatched the corners. :)  Next I'm going to applique a few free-form evergreens on it, then add embroidery and maybe some beads or other fun embellishments. Finally, I cut out and pieced some blocks for a blue and white quilt I've been thinking about doing for a long time. I've decided to use the Jacob's Ladder pattern, as it's a really simple block that gives an intricate look. It has the same white-on-white background fabrics that I got for this mystery quilt -- I love the way they contrast with the strong blues. So one project leads to another, even before the first is finished. And the quilting goes on...


This post is part of Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt Week Four Link-Up.