I have two blocks finished this week.

#37 Flower Pot

Kona solids used are Lupine, Dahlia, Dark Violet, and Tulip.

This was a hard block to do. I had some difficulty with the basting of the pieces of the flowers. Then I realized that in order to get my tails going in the right direction that I needed to lift the end of the first edge in order to insert the end of my last edge. Then my tails were all facing in the same direction. You don’t need to do that with 90 degree triangles, but these odd shaped pieces require it.

Another thing about this block that had me concerned was that I had to ease quite a bit of length on the seams joining the central flower pieces. Something must have gotten off kilter earlier in the construction. I made the ease work. Then it looked as if I was going to have too much bulk in the seam joining the top half of the flower pot to the bottom half. However, it eased up just fine with the bottom half. I was sweating it though. I’ve really gotten good at this easing.

#27 Darting Birds

Kona solids used are Cerise and Berry.

There are 52 pieces in this block. She would have benefited from my having a darker spool of violet thread. That’s for sure. I could have waited and ordered another spool, but I really wanted to move on and I chose to accept the fact that there would be stitches showing. They show much more in the sunlight than they will on the finished quilt. I’m human. It’s okay.

In addition to my finished blocks I got really far along on another block which I am holding off on finishing. I’ve pressed the nine units which make up the block. Below you will see them arranged as designed with all of the light triangles pointing in the same direction.

Below you will see the triangles pointing in two different directions. I’m waiting to decide how I am going to finish this one off.

A note on Process:

I think it is a good idea to assemble the blocks in units when possible and press those units before assembly.

I’m doing that with this block.

I’ve got one quarter done. This is the famous 64 piece block.

I did not press smaller units on #27 Darting Birds. This is what the back looked like before pressing.

And an angled shot for dimensionality.

It is hard to press those central tails. Of course you start from the outside flattening as you go, but it is still hard.

You can really see the nesting tails on the middle bottom edge here.

The blocks you have seen for this week are from the Violet area of the quilt. I’ll be finishing up different color segments and joining them. I’ve got all of my blocks for the Violet section in a bag with labels attached.

I am hoping to have at least three blocks done for next week, and maybe even the first two rows of the Violet section joined.

When I was at the retreat last weekend I took a photo of the last half of row five. That photo suffered from too strong a light, so I took a photo of both halves of row five in my usual staging area. Here they are.

I just happened to be wearing the right socks. That’s one bright second half of row five anyway.