Golden Orrery Redux

When Golden Orrery was in the planning stages, I was going to have it finished before the autumn fairs.  Then life intervened; I finished it just in time for Christmas.  In those blissful days before 2020, I planned to submit in this year's fairs... and obviously that's not going to happen. 

Plan B:  submit it online.  But the original photos were taken off our front porch, not a blank, uncluttered background that online competitions require.  So the search was on for a well lit, uniform background that could handle a nine-foot tall quilt.  That was a tall order (pun intended).  I received several offers and suggestions including contacting Greenfield Community College's art department (they were very nice, but unable to help at this time), photoshoping the original photos (thank you!) and an unexpected offer to hang it off the side of a friend's house (which was looking pretty good).

But then, Rob located a possible wall at the UMass Amherst campus.  Let the adventure begin....

Golden Orrery

My sister's quilt is done!  I think this is the most photos I've put in a single post. Which is fine - because this is also my year-in-review post for what I've quilted.  This is it! (Except for a name tag I made for a fellow dancer.)

I named it Golden Orrery (thanks, Quinn, for the idea!) because of its clockwork and stars.  No planets - is it technically an orrery without planets?  Well, I'm sticking with that.

Twelve Circles Left

Quilting has begun.  I hope to have more time this weekend to sew.

It's slow going.  The quilt is much larger than the throw quilts I've quilted lately, so it's heavy and hard to move through the sewing machine.  I'll be happy to start working towards the edges.  I won't be all wrapped up in it, literally, as I quilt.

A Few Fixes

Standard quilting delays:  my sister's quilt top is not sewn together yet.  First, we had marked several quarter circles that needed more fabric around the edge to match the edges of the rest of the circle.  I had pattern pieces to enlarge smaller circles to the largest size, but I did not have one to resize the smallest to the middle size.  I decided I didn't want to do the small-to-middle.  I shuffled around the pieces and that required only these four pieces to be up-sized.  Nice!

Then I needed to rework a piece.  The upper right corner was originally light yellow rays on the leafy tan background.  There was not enough contrast to see the rays on the quilt. The whole piece stuck out when put with others.  I had no more of the leafy tan fabric.  I carefully ripped apart the block and replaced the yellow rays with brown.  I was thrilled I could get it reassembled and keep the leafy tan.

Suns on my Sunroom Floor

Look! Look! What can this be??  Why it's my sister's quilt laid out on my sunroom floor. 

NYB Goosed B Blocks

The original B blocks looked so bland next to all the other NYB blocks I've made.  Plus I didn't like how a couple of them were pieced together.  I decided to jazz them up with some mini geese by modifying the inside strips of the E block to replace the plain B block center.

I didn't like the yellow on yellow on the first block, so I replaced the rays with rusty red, then replaced the center to match.  The second block retained its original oranges and blue with only a row of geese added to it.  I decided the last block would require too much rework, so I left it intact (lower left).  The last block was created from scratch.

These geese were tougher than the others I did.  Too much ironing caused part of the freezer paper to permanently adhere to the fabric.  I had to soak and pick it off.  I was careful after that.  The seams were thick and the whole piece was prone to shifting.  I'm glad it wasn't any smaller!  I don't think I'd attempt this with the 8-inch pattern.  I love how they look, though.  Well worth the trouble.

NYB Modified I and J Blocks

These are the last of the new NYB blocks.  The one in the upper left is an F block inside with a J block outside.  To the right of that is a C block inside with an I block outside.  (The bottom two blocks are regular J and I blocks for comparison.)

I'm going back to the B blocks next - they need to be jazzed up a bit to fit with the rest of the blocks.  One is getting a modified center, another some serious rework, and a third I'll make from scratch.  So close!

Sharing with:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict - Can I get a Whoop Whoop?
Sew Fresh Quilts - Let's Bee Social

NYB Geese & E Blocks

Another set done!  This is the last set of three I'm doing.  I'm getting close to the end (although recent events may prevent me from finishing them by the end of May as planned).

These are a modified E block (seen in the lower left).  I modified the inside ring with the dental look like the last set I completed.  Then I modified the outside ring to include a set of triangles like flying geese.  The inner triangles were simplified (single fabric instead of two-tone). 

Next up is another I block, a modified J block and reworking the three B blocks.  So close!

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My Quilt Infatuation - Needle and Thread Thursday

NYB Modified C&A Blocks

These blocks have the stripy arc from the F block that make me think of dental molding.  These have a modified C block center (dental on the rim) with a modified A block outside edge (dental and solid triangles).  The block in the lower left is an original A block, for comparison.  I really liked that dental look on the F blocks and wanted more of that in the quilt.  Forty-five pieces!  This is the most complex block of the lot.  

It's funny how the blocks fight with me.  I had wanted to do the second block with the dark and light blue for the stripy bits.  But I could not get a gold/yellow combination that worked for the triangles.  I really wanted those colors, though.  When I finally made the triangles blue, everything else fell in place.  It's a pretty block.  Hard to say which of the three is my favorite.

NYB F & Modified B Blocks

The three F&B blocks bring my finished number to 38.  Only eight left to go!  These had the F block middle and a modified B block outer rim (I doubled the number of spikes).

I really liked the dental portion of the F block (you can see in the lower left).  I'm incorporating that into a modified version another block.  I've started work on those and hope to be done by the end of the week.  Lots of little pieces!

I'm having problems as I approach the end of these blocks.  My color pallet is shrinking.  I finished off some fabrics.  Others are in pieces that are not the right shape - either too skinny or too squat to use where I want them.  With so few blocks left to go, I am loathe to start adding new fabrics to the mix.  I can't run out and buy more of the fabrics that came from my stash.  However, I did cut too many background pieces (in an effort not to get to the end and have too few).  It may be time to start cannibalizing a few of them for the colors I really want (or at least the ones I know don't look good in the background).

NYB H&D Blocks

Easter and NEFFA and life slowed down my stitching.  So I am very excited to have completed my next set of blocks.  These are the H block center and the D block outside (without the solid outside edge).  This makes them a C-size block.

My sister came over for candy making and stayed to play with her quilt.  We reviewed what I'd done so far.  She's loving it.  Yay!

She'll be back when I'm finished piecing the rounds for the final layout.  I'm up to 35 completed (although three need modifications).  Eleven left to go!

Sharing with Confessions of a Fabric Addict - Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

NYB H&B Blocks

The NYB block patterns I've been using come in three sizes (which happen to be labeled as my A, B and C blocks).  Six of the patterns were size A, two size B and two size C.  I can tack on another ring to B and C to make them larger, but I'm still hoping to use them at the size they are.  It depends on the quilt's final layout.  Therefore, of the 16 blocks I have left to make, I'm only making a few of the B and C sizes.

I made two blocks with merged patterns:  B's outer ring with H's center.  The upper two in the photo are H&B, the bottom blocks are a B and an H for comparison.

When I put the first one together, I followed the original assembly order, which caused all the seams to be ironed the same direction.  I had to deal with bulky points.  So I made notes on the paper pattern pieces to assemble B in the opposite direction.  And what did I do?  I stitched H in the opposite order, too.  So I have one block with bulky seams to the right, the other with all the bulk to the left.  Maybe if I made a third block, I'd get it right that time?

NYB J Blocks

This is the last of the NYB patterns I printed out.  I still need more blocks for my sister's quilt.  The next ones I make will be a blend of patterns.  Several of the pieces are interchangeable.  I could modify a few pieces with my own design, too.  Let's see what happens when I swap them about!

I'm making the quilt based on a couple of different designs.  I just realized the design I was using to count blocks is one row longer than my quilt.  D'oh!  So instead of 20-24 blocks remaining, I'm down to a mere 16.  Plus I found a layout that matches what I want.  Even better!

Wow - I may be done piecing in May, then quilting in June.  I've warned my sister that although it should be done this summer, I may want to submit it to the Topsfield Fair.  In which case, she may not really get it until mid-October.  I've already had a few people encouraging me to enter it in the fair.  We'll see.  First things first - I need to finish it!

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NYB I Blocks - Halftime Adjustments

I seem to say "These are my favorite blocks!" each time I finish another set of NYBs.  So for now, these are my favorites.

Don't they look like rays of the sun?  I like how they appear to be tucked behind each other.  Neat!  I puzzled over piecing the first one for a while, because of the angles.  I got the hang of it somewhere in the second block.

After laying out the first half of the quilt, I decided I don't want a whole lot of the really light yellows and blues.  I liked the bright yellows and dark golds best.  The rust red, blacks and purple do well, so I'll be sure to make more blocks with them.  My sister and I had picked a brown and a lighter fabric that had some dull green, but I just can't get those to feel right in a block.  I've set them to the side but at this point, I doubt they'll get into the quilt.

NYB H Blocks

Another set!  This is the halfway point. Well - I will probably need several extra blocks to finish this.  But as far as I'm concerned, I'm celebrating.

These blocks were a pain.  Points upon points!  Bulky seams.  Lots of matching.  I like how they look, though.

I cut some border fabric and tossed what I had on the floor.  This is roughly what the top half of the quilt will look like.  First of all:  neat!  Secondly, I can certainly see pieces I'd want to move around.  That upper left corner is crying for another circle up there, so that's three or four more blocks I need to do.  Some of the lighter blue jumps more than I thought it would.  A few of the solid blocks just aren't working for me.  It's interesting how different the big picture looks compared to the individual pieces.

NYB G Blocks

Finished these blocks over the weekend.  So simple, yet this design is one of my favorites.  They all ended up with a dark band through the middle.  I tried lighter colors on two of the blocks and it just didn't look right.  So dark it was for all of them.

The H blocks are up next.  They have some similarities to these, but with long, skinny points.  I'd like to have them done by the weekend - they'll mark the halfway point.

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NYB F Blocks

These were fun blocks to make.  There were few points to line up, so even thought this has the most pieces of all my NYB patterns, it were easy to work with.  Easy doesn't mean fast!  I noted the last one took me a good two hours to complete.

I waver back and forth between the progress on these blocks and being anxious about how they'll all fit together.  I try to envision how it will look as I pick fabrics, then take the plunge of assembling it.  I've learned not to cut the solid bands until I have the rest stitched together because my first choice is rarely what I end up with.  This is so different than most of my quilts - my angst is mostly done with by the time I start stitching stuff together.  Even a badly botched block could be ripped apart and put back together.  I'm not sure I'd attempt that with one of these blocks.

Once I get another two sets done, I'll start arranging what I have so far to get a feel, then adjust color combos for the remaining blocks, if needed.  The blocks can look so different between being up close or from across the room.  I'm sure that will change again as I line them up all together.

The next few block patterns are simpler.  We'll see how they go. Onward and upward!

NYB E Blocks

This block was surprisingly time consuming considering it had less pieces than others I've done so far.  I had difficulty keeping the curves flat and smooth.  I tore the freezer paper while peeling it off my first piece.  Had to print and fold another one.  The outer rim was problematic - I no longer had a single large swath of the fabric I wanted for this piece.  I was smart to have cut my other large pieces first; I just hadn't considered this block.  I was ironing the last block when I found a deep nick in one of the pieces.  I had to carefully remove and replace the piece.  What a pain.

Aren't they pretty, though?

I Like Thursday: Fabric, Music

Ryco's big sale was on Saturday.  The place was packed with happy people (even a husband patiently working with his wife picking colors for a quilt seemed engaged - he was pleasant to talk to).  It took me a lot longer than usual to get my fabric cut and checked out.  But what a festive atmosphere!

I was there half for myself, half for my sister's quilt.  I was disappointed not to find some lovely bolt in the Bargain Hunter's Cove.  The inexpensive stuff was long gone by the time I got there.  But I found fat quarters that begged to come home with me.

NYB C Blocks & D Blocks

Six more blocks done!  First the C blocks - I included the A block in the photo because I didn't want a blank corner.

I'm partial to the high-contrast ones.  On the other hand, I think the blended blocks will keep the quilt from being too busy.

I've been taping these all to the wall.  This is the first time I wished I had an honest-to-goodness design wall.  Normally I cut everything out, lay it out in my design floor, arrange it, then pin it together and pick it up.  It's transient.  These, though... I want to see all of them to help me choose what colors to make the next one.  I could use something a bit more permanent than the floor.  The tape isn't holding so well, so I'm cobbling something together with string and mini clothespins.  It's holding so far....