Daylilies

You might remember that sometime in the last month or so that I wrote a blog post asking if any of you had ever made every quilt in a quilt book.  The idea has stuck with me and that’s exactly what I’m going to attempt.  I’m even giving myself a goal….that means I am serious.  If you missed that post it’s here.

Here’s my plan.  I am taking Bonnie Hunter’s String Fling book and am making EVERY quilt in the book.  Here’s where I was at the last tally.
There are 13 quilts in the book.
I have 8 completely finished.
I have the 2 Zuckerwatte quilts done now
I have Pineapple Crazy pretty far along.
I have three not started.

That has since changed.  The two Zuckerwatte quilts are almost finished….and the other three formerly not started quilts have some progress….not a lot but some.  Today I’m going to tell you a little bit about my experience with the quilt Daylilies from the book.  The quilt has had me a little intimidated….correction.  A lot intimidated.

I decided one block…if I hate it, I can have a pass on this quilt.

I like quilting for ease.  I don’t pick quilts with in-set seams.  I don’t pick quilts with applique.  I decided that I would make one block.  If I hated it, I wouldn’t make it but I had to give one block a fair try….here’s what happened.

I cut out one block and sewed it when Connie, Jody and Kelli came for a quilting day.  I figured I might need a little moral support…It turns out I didn’t have a problem sewing the inset seams at all…BUT I did have another problem that I overcame.   I was using batiks so it’s harder to orient the blocks the right way as with batiks there is no right or wrong side.  I had to rip once but got the pieces turned the right way.  Then I ended up with a different problem.

There is an incorrect measurement listed in the directions.  The corner block with the flowers needs to be cut at 2 1/2″ not the 2″  I tried and tried but there is no way the 2″ piece works in the corner of the flower block.  You might want to make that correction in your book.

Once I got that figured out I was in business and working on the block making the other matching flower blocks needed to make the large flower block.  I felt really comfortable with the inset seams and was not longer worried about that part of the block at all.  I set that all aside happy that I might be about to tackle this quilt.

Next up on a day in the future I planned to tackle the applique.  That day came the next day during nap time.  I had dug around, sure that I had some applique bars that would help me make the stems.  I had bought them YEARS ago and didn’t remember using them.

I figured out that I wanted the strips to be 3/8″ wide.  That left me cutting bias strips 1 1/4″ wide.

I put the rod in and manipulated the fabric so the seam was in the back.

I pressed and then pulled the rod out and pressed again.

Now it was time to figure out how to place the applique pieces on the fabric.  I ironed my fabric on the diagonal.  That left me with a guide of where to place the main stem.

I ended up making a dot 5 1/2″ up from the bottom corner.  That left me with a place to start the curved stem at.

Then I checked…I and measured 2 1/4″ down from the upper corner.  This is necessary so that I can have the stem in the right place when it meets up the the flower part of the block.

In the end I pinned the pieces in place like this.

From there I made a master block so that if in case I want to make this whole quilt of these blocks, I’ll have a guide.

The next day over nap time…I stitched it all in place.  Then that night, I got brave and sewed it all together!!  Here’s how my block looks.

The process of making this block wasn’t too bad.  I did it and it didn’t kill me!  I still have to add the leaves but that’s doable.  I think I am going to go for it and tackle this quilt.  I can work on the applique during nap time if I want.  As you can see I’m going to do it in batiks…can you believe I’ve already got a project box started for it.

I’m not rushing through this one but hope to get some prep work done so that I can stitch them in the evenings once Hubby’s done with harvest and we watch television a few evenings if I decide not to do it during nap time.  So with that, it looks like I started another project!!