Wednesday 23 January 2013

Seeing The Forest For The Trees - A Work in Progress

Seeing The Forest For The Trees top and back are together and I couldn't be more pleased! Before we get to that though, I wanted to share a quick tip about getting different sized blocks to a consistent, but unusual size.

With this piecing style, you can imagine that the finished blocks were all different sizes. I got them all roughly to 9"-9.5" by 13.9"ish for playing with the layout. However, before I pieced the top, I needed to make sure they were all a consistent size. I could have trimmed them to 8.5" by 13.5" but I wanted to maximize the size of the tree blocks, even if it's only by .25" or even .3" -- it adds up over a number of blocks!

I tried putting tape guides on my 12.5" by 12.5" ruler, but the height of my block is larger than that.

I found the smallest block, which was 8.85" by 13.8". I put masking tape on my cutting board to the size of 8.75" by 13.75", and used the cutting lines of the mat to trim the blocks. I'd line the block against the tape and cut along the mat lines.

Block lined up against the tape guide
Trim using the mat grid
This also worked perfectly for getting the sashing the right length for the blocks.

Sashing strip lined up against the tape guide
Trim using the mat grid
As these blocks didn't require centering, this technique worked beautifully and I was done much quicker than if I'd had to measure each block and sash piece using my ruler.

So, wanna see the top and back? Without further ado, this is the top I completed with Helen Howes' Twelve Trees pattern. Without flash...
Seeing the Forest For The Trees - Front - No Flash
With flash...
Front - With Flash

Detail of the Back
As you can imagine, the true colours are somewhere in between. The natural light has been terrible around here lately and I find shot cottons are tricky to photograph.

And here's the back. I took scraps leftover from the front in 2.5" and 1.5" widths and random lengths and sewed them together in one long chain and then cut them to 45" lengths (the width of the backing). Very improv, very quick, very fun! And I used up almost all of my scraps from the front. Bonus!

I played around with the layout of the rows a bit to try to balance the placement of the yellows. I then added some burgundy shot cotton to either side. I'm loving how the back turned out too!

Seeing The Forest For The Trees - Back - No Flash
Back - With Flash
The truest photo of the colour
was when my little monkey posed in front of it.
I'll spare you the sillier photos!
Now to figure out the quilting. Thoughts and ideas are always welcome!

Right Click to Save ImageWIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Hoping that you are having a wonderful Wednesday!

50 comments:

  1. It turned out perfect! I like the back too and am thinking something similar for the back of my Color My World Challenge quilt!

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  2. This is looking wonderful! I can't wait to see how you decide to quilt it :)

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  3. What a great quilt, so unusual! made more so with the little fellow in front of it!

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  4. LOVE your trees! I love shot cottons. Are these Oakshott or Kaffe F.?

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  5. This is so wonderful. Love the way it came together, and ingenious idea for squaring your blocks.

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  6. that is a very pretty quilt xxxx i love the concept xxx
    http://blog.crazyforpurple.com

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  7. Wow love this! And great tip...I always have such trouble with uneven blocks...this will help!

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  8. Thanks for the tips. I love your quilt.

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  9. It's gorgeous...love it and the wee gentleman as well:)

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  10. Just feel free to send your quilt to me with the BOM, you know my address. ;D

    Seriously gorgeous, I'd love to make one of these for myself! I'm also stumped on the quilting, looking forward to see what you choose. <3

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  11. That is so lovely. Just the thing on a cold winter's day.

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  12. Beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing your tip with uneven blocks! I can't wait to see the quilting!

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  13. I can't wait to see this one finished… It's already stunning.

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  14. Very eye-catching colors! Looks wonderful.

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  15. Love how this is coming along. I have such a hard time deciding on quilting patterns. I have a wall hanging top that has been finished for over a year and I just can't decide how to quilt it. I'll be interested to see what you decide.

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  16. Hi! Your tree quilt became really beautiful! I love how you have mixed the colours and made solids so alive! Also I like this tree pattern and the backing! I don't know why, but I see quilting where unregular lines goes diagonal, horizontal, vertical all mixed but straight lines - with different and not even space between lines. x Teje

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  17. Love, love, love! I'm waiting for a friend to get fabric and pattern, and then we are going to do ours at the same time (she is in Germany)! Thanks for the great measuring tip!

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  18. oh, these trees! :) Great idea for squaring up. The back is brilliant. Quilting. tree silhouettes?

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  19. Awesome! I love it. Such wonderful colour.

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  20. Really great quilt, front and back. An organic straight style of quilting might look nice - and of course a leaf design would be cute too. Good luck

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  21. It's beautiful--really breathtaking! Whatever quilting you do should be dense around the trees to make them pop.

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  22. It's really gorgeous. The shot cottons are used so wonderfully, and the whole thing just glows. Great idea for squaring up too.

    beaniekins84(at)gmail(dot)com

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  23. Thanks for the tips about sizing up blocks. This is such a stunning quilt!

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  24. I really love this quilt! Thanks for the cutting tips! Did you make the blocks following a pattern?

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  25. Everything about that quilt is great, and thanks for the explanation about sizing those blocks.

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  26. The back you have pieced is perfect! Can’t wait to see how you quilt this....there are soooo many possibilities!

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  27. Your trees are stunning. I love the colours you've chosen.

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  28. A stunning quilt! I'm not sure that I understood the cutting tips but, I'm glad that you got the trick because the outcome is perfect, that sashing! Nice looking son there! :).

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  29. I love all those beautiful solids! Wow!

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  30. So lovely! The back is awesome!

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  31. Beautiful! It's so hard to decide on a quilting design, isn't it?

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  32. Love love love. The back is wonderful too - it'll be reversible!

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  33. Wow! Thanks for the tip and sharing such an awesomely beautiful quilt!

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  34. This is one of the next quilts on my list, only in a queen size, so making my trees much larger. Not being able to pick the colors in person is my holdup....

    I like how you turned half the trees in the opposite direction, almost looks like the trees and their roots. Interesting.

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  35. Gorgeous! I lve it. Did you make the pattern?

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  36. It is stunning. Thanks for the great tip!

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  37. I love your layout .. can't wait to see what you do with the quilting.

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  38. it's looking fab! i don't know how the heck i would quilt that one tho! maybe something like this?
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lolabluemar/6969915972/
    i'll be interested to see what you decide on.

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  39. Tis is a very cool quilt R . Well done. LOVE the colours!

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  40. It is gorgeous! Great cutting tip, too.

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  41. Just wonderful.... !! It turned out so good!
    And, thanks for tip with the tape.
    regards from Skåne, Sweden

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  42. This looks fabulous, love the way it shines. Like your pictures with and without flash. I have a fat eighth bundle, and think this might be what I use it for.

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  43. Love that block, have never seen it before. I can see using it it lots of different ways.

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