Monday, August 24, 2015

Design Wall Monday 8/24/15--A Finished Top!

Those of you who have read my blog over the past couple of weeks have witnessed the trials and frustrations of my latest UFO. This project started with a box of 9-patch blocks left over from a couple of quilts made 12 -15 years ago. It took me a whole week of playing in EQ7 and auditioning about a hundred different fabrics to figure out a plan for how to use the blocks.

Once I had a plan, it took me just over a week to make more blocks to complete the rings of color and to get them all joined together. On Saturday I shared a little about how I assemble a quilt top like this, and there were so many interested responses that I would like to explain it further.

My quilt is laid out like the "Blooming Nine-Patch" pattern, which originated in the 1996 book Tradition with a Twist by Blanche Young and Dalene Young Stone. This is a fabulous book that I would highly recommend, and it has been in publication for almost 20 years. My only problem with the book is that this quilt is assembled by joining the blocks into diagonal rows, then sewing all of the long rows together. I find it much easier to join the blocks into groups, then sew those groups together.

The following diagram shows the EQ7 layout for my entire quilt. You can see where I drew black diagonal lines dividing the blocks into groups of 9. I started at the very center of the quilt and worked out from there. The photo after the diagram shows my blocks joined into these groups.





The next step is to join those groups into even bigger sections. Again I started at the center and made a giant 9-patch. There are two partial corner sections that attached to the center and two bigger corner sections that got joined on last.





Yes, I realize that my seam lines go the opposite way in the diagram than they do in my quilt sections. It doesn't really matter, but I hope you can see how the parts fit together. Doesn't this look easier than sewing all those long diagonal rows together? All that's left is to share the finished quilt top.


9Patch Leftovers
59" x 69.5"
It feels great to get another batch of blocks stitched up into a quilt top. Even after all of this, I still have some blocks left, and they will definitely get used in the back of the quilt. If anyone has a good idea of a name for this quilt, I am drawing a blank and welcome all suggestions.

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times and to Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt. Check them both out for lots of amazing quilting inspiration!

Julie in GA

14 comments:

  1. No ideas about a name, but that is a beautful quilt, and how clever to sew the top into sections. You're right those long seams are a pain to work with.

    Helen

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  2. What about "It's A Process Nine Patch" as a name because you had to do some plotting. Love the results BTW!!!

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  3. Gorgeous quilt! Good job putting it together. ;)

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  4. What a clever way of putting the blocks together :)) I love it!

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  5. I love it! I'm always on the lookout for gorgeous nine-patch quilts, and this one is IT!

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  6. Looking great! I love what you did. Kat @ katandcatquilts.blogspot.com

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  7. Looking great! I love what you did. Kat @ katandcatquilts.blogspot.com

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  8. Congrats on another finish. You did a beautiful job of using up all those blocks. You are probably going to think I'm nuts, but I kept thinking of all the shades that can be in iron oxides. If you look up the mineral Goethite (an iron hydroxide) it has a lot of the same colors as in your quilt. For what it's worth, Drama Teen agreed with me.

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  9. Thanks for idea of piecing an on-point quilt in sections. I really like on-point quilts but dislike sewing all those long rows. Now I won't have too.

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  10. Beautiful quilt -- it looks like autumn to me, and has a glow to it. How about Autumn Glow? Years ago I made a raffle quilt that I named that, and it always gave me a warm feeling!! Sally

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  11. I like your method of joining the blocks. I'll have to try that! It is beautiful. Those blocks were waiting for just the right time in your life to get assembled beautifully into a quilt. I like Autumn Glow......or Radiating Nine Patches....you will think of the perfect name for it. Thanks for sharing it on Design Wall Monday's.

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  12. What a neat method. Thanks for sharing and explaining so clearly.

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  13. I WISH I had found this before I just put together an on point picket fence pattern. The center rows were like a wrestling match and the quilt won many times. Your quilt is beautiful. Thanks for the great tutorial.

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  14. Great way to handle on-point blocks! Thanks for sharing on this year's H2H link up :)

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