I had a webinar this morning… the kind where you really only get to listen, but you don’t really get to participate. So I took my laptop back to my sewing room and sewed the curvy blocks that I cut out last night. It was just enough time to finish all four blocks.
These will be made into another bag, but I’m feeling a little inspired to make something bigger with these blocks. Maybe a wall hanging for my sewing room.
I had enough time during my webinar to look at the template I made last night for the curvy blocks. I did a little drawing on it to represent the actual pieces once they are cut
To make these curved pieces fit together, after you cut one curved piece you need to cut off 1/2 inch of the remaining pile of fabric on the bottom and left side of the template. If you didn’t do this, your block would be more triangle shaped.
Cutting off these edges not only makes your block more square, but it makes each piece fit the one before it. If you didn’t cut 1/2 inch off of each side after cutting a curved piece, it would be impossible to make the pieces fit together.
Since I really like this template and will cut it to pieces soon, I decided to trace another one so I’d have it on hand when I need to recreate another one after the current one wears out.
Denise commented on last nights blog post and suggested some templates that would save me all this frustration. But the funny thing is that I don’t find this process frustrating. I really enjoy it! I think figuring out how to make something like this is really fun and challenging in a good way. It’s like doing engineering or geometry without having any actual education or skills to back it up. It’s very freeing to me and very rewarding when I actually figure it out. Even if it is just an 8 inch quilt block!
I was going to make these blocks into a couple of bag panels tonight, but I realized that I don’t have enough fabric! And I don’t have the variety of blue Aboriginal fabrics I want for this project. So I went online and bought a few pieces and I’ll set these blocks aside for a few days until that new fabric arrives to replenish my depleted stash. I always feel happy when I know new fabric is on its way to me.
So instead of sitting here and just waiting for fabric to arrive, I put together a few KFC and Aboriginal fabrics to do a bag similar to the blue and orange one. Here’s a couple of options I put together that include Aboriginal designs and a couple of Brandon Mably’s designs and Philip Jacobs’ coleus in lavender.
I prefer the second one, and here’s why. The two fabrics I added do a couple of things for me. First, they have more white in them and offer more sparkle. That sparkle is one of the things I really like about that blue and orange bag. This second group also adds a few pops of color that the first set doesn’t have. Those little pops of color are really powerful in a group of fabrics.
I’ll look at these a few more times before I start cutting. I will likely start working with these fabrics tomorrow night.
It rained most of the day today but we got out and took a walk mid afternoon. It was raining but not bad. If you live in Portland and are afraid to walk in the rain, you’re not going to get much walking done. There’s a saying here: there’s no such thing as bad weather. Just inappropriate clothing.
And here’s something terribly exciting! Early on in the pandemic I thought my microwave was going out so I ordered one from Costco and had it delivered. And than my old one decided that it was not yet ready to die.
Well, it died a couple days ago. So I pulled that new one out of the box today and got it set up.
It did a beautiful job of heating my dinner this evening.
And I have tulips. More tulips than I’ve ever had here and in more colors. The funny thing is that when I first bought this house I had one red tulip. And now, in my 13th spring, I have a bunch of tulips in with my daffodils. Red. Yellow. Purple. Orange. And this gorgeous pair of pink ones.
Those blooms are nearly the size of my hand! Isn’t it interesting that I have more of them and in more colors and haven’t planted one bulb. it’s a puzzle.
Another rainy day coming up tomorrow. Looks like we’ll have another damp walk.
agilejack 
Thanks for the template idea š
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I have a new appreciation for the curved templates that I purchased. I don’t have your patience to create the templates, but your blocks are looking good.
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I almost purchased the oval curve template the other day. But decided to try it on my own first.
Anne
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loving the ‘straight curve’ look of the inner pieces. which looks more like a square box and interesting to the eye!
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Yeah, I noticed that too. All kinds of things to play with in these blocks! Stuff that a specific ruler doesn’t give you.
Anne
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Squirrels will replant your spring bulbs for you! We planted a specific design of red, black and white ones for a spring wedding and when they came up, they were all over the place and definitely not in the planned design! And, like yours, there were colors we did not even plant!
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Well, I have plenty of squirrels! I have seen daffodil bulbs come up in the flower box on the front of my house. Surely, it was the squirrels who were responsible for that!
Anne
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Love the blue/orange curved block and the Kaffe/Aboriginal combo. I’m hooked on Dresden Plates AGAIN and will try this combo of fabrics.
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I’m glad you’re making Dresden plates so I don’t have to!!!
Anne
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I also like to figure out the process. Oh itās easy to purchase a template but not as much fun. Have you ever used Pelion fusible in any of your bags?
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I use pelon fusible fleece to quilt my bag panels. And I use a med weight fusible interfacing on the lining and pockets. I need to update my tutorials on these changes (and more!).
Anne
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I would love to know what that plum-purple fabric is, with the dots and circles at the bottom of your photo. Is it Australian?
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I bought that in blue and purple a few years ago. There isn’t any info on the selvedge. It’s either an Australian Aboriginal fabric or the store where I bought it had it displayed with their Aboriginal fabrics.
Sorry I’m not more help. I haven’t seen it in stores or online for ages.
Anne
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I actually was able to find it on Etsy! Itās called Walkabout 2ā Medallions in violet. I also saw the blue. Was able to get a couple yards. I used Google Image Search which was a new one for me! Woohoo! Thanks for the inspiration to keep learning new things!
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Oh cool! I’ll look for it again. I really like it!
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Hi Anne,
I just loved what you said:
“I think figuring out how to make something like this is really fun and challenging in a good way. It’s like doing engineering or geometry without having any actual education or skills to back it up. It’s very freeing to me and very rewarding when I actually figure it out.”
That’s the fun part for me too. I almost never use a pattern, literally, but like reverse-engineering an idea I’ve seen. That, and the actual picking out of fabrics is the most pleasurable part of the whole process. I mostly make quilts, but I really appreciate your process and aesthetic.
Marjorie
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Haha! YOu sound exactly like me. My favoriite part of making a quilt is gathering and combining ideas for a pattern, then selecting fabrics and colors. And I love making the first few blocks and putting them together on the design wall. And that’s when I lose interest!!! Hahaha!
But that’s why I’m enjoying making these bags. It’s not that I’m a freak about bags. They allowe me to explore an idea or technique or color/fabric combo without committing to a huge project that I’ll never finish!!!
Anne
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I usually finish them and can sustain my interest moving the blocks around on the design wall, but then I donate most of them. That’s a rewarding end…..rather than have things stack up around here. They do that too though!
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Oh lord. I hate the design wall part! I nearly lose my mind moving things around and just causing more problems until I throw up my arms and say, “GOOD ENOUGH!”
Anne
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I love your curved blocks, but can you explain how to sew a curve. Love your blog.
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There are lots of video on YouTube on how to sew curved seams. Here’s one that explains a simple drunkards path block. It would give you the basics for what I’m doing with my curved blocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfc2UpucsA
Go to Youtube and search for “curved piecing” or “how to sew curved quilt blocks.” You’ll get lots of videos showing you all kinds of techniques.
Anne
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What is the size of fabric you start with. I thought it was 12 x 14. Is that right?
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I think I started with a 10×10 Inch square. But I’m not following the Blue Onion pattern. I just used that to riff off of. My blocks ended up 8×8.
Anne
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