Drumroll Please: The Jelly Roll Quilt Along Quilt is Finished

Pieced and bound by me, directions from Konda Luckau and her guest contributors, variations all my own, fabric from my stash, quilted by Pam Hammer and now in the hands of my mother-in-law who received it as a birthday gift today.

The Finished Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt

I’m proud of this one.

The Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along Quilt Top is Done!

I have a houseguest coming to stay in a few weeks and I wanted her to have a reasonably uncluttered space to be in as the sewing room is also the guest room. I hit the accelerator hard this weekend and got moving on finishing up the Moose Quilts Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along. I still have the back to sew together but after that it will be ready to deliver to the long arm quilter.

Completed Quilt Top

Those of you who have been following along on this blog will know that this top does not 100% contain blocks from the quilt along’s guest designers. I really appreciate their contribution and the effort they went to to design their blocks, but in the end I wanted to be true to my own creative vision. Besides, there were a few blocks, card trick being one example, that I have been wanting to try for a while now. It’s a good thing I wasn’t working with a purchased jelly roll or that wouldn’t have been an option.

A big thanks to Konda at Moose on the Porch Quilts for organising this quilt along. It has been a lot of fun.

Jelly Roll Quilt Along Block 8: Card Trick and Block 11, too

I am still trying to catch up on the Moose Quilts Jelly Roll Quilt Along. Block 8 is one of the ones I decided to replace. I had been intrigued by the Card Trick block for quite a while, as it looked complex and difficult to make. After a particularly frustrating day at work I felt that making this block would either give me a sense of accomplishment or just add to my sense of frustration.

I used the cutting instructions in 501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks book but they are also available at Quilt.com’s Directions for the Card Trick Quilt Block. I prefer to work from pictures rather than the step by step written instructions, so for me the book was enough.

Block 11 on the left and card trick on the right (my block 8)

And the conclusion? I found the card trick block difficult to make. It was no problem working out how to organise the components but getting my points aligned and the block to the exact right size was challenging. I have to confess I cheated by resewing part seams to improve the ‘pointiness’ of my points. Oh well. It’s a good thing the reverse of my blocks will be nicely sandwiched and quilted, never to be seen again.

I also did Konda’s Block 11 which was a lot of fun to make. I’d been wanting to do a woven look for a while and even posted a message on the quilting board asking for instructions. I didn’t get any replies on the board so was happy when Konda posted the instructions for her block.

Jelly Roll Quilt Along Blocks 9 and 10

I was struggling with motivation for a few weeks after I got back from my long vacation in the almost perpetual daylight of nordic summer. Sweden really is the land of the midnight sun and people there do their utmost to utlise that precious time when they can enjoy the warmth and light that summer brings, as the winters are long, cold and dark.

Back in Melbourne this winter seems long, cold and dark too, though at least I won’t be shovelling snow at any stage. We had a week or so of record low temperatures and grey days which made it hard to work at either cutting or piecing, or even to take photos for this blog. I prefer to work in natural light when I can.

I have finally managed to get back to work. As a start I asked my beloved to change the blade on my Olfa 45mm rotary cutter. He questioned whether it was really necessary, seeing I’d ‘only’ been cutting fabric and with a cutting mat, too. But I reported that the cutting had been getting more difficult all the time and that I was getting ragged cuts that left a few threads uncut. A fresh blade was a good move. After changing it, my cutting zipped along and I was ready to start piecing quite soon.

In case you’re wondering why I asked my beloved to change the blade, it’s not because I couldn’t manage it without him, it’s just that tools and blades and sharpening are more his thing.

Jelly Roll Quilt Along Block 9

Here is the result. I decided to try a creative approach that might still let me retain the block that had been troubling me, by not using my standard background fabric in block 9 and by using my last strip of pink paisley fabric within the diamond. Not sure if I’m making the design better or worse, but I’m still enjoying the journey.

Jelly Roll Quilt Along Block 10

There are still a few quilt along blocks to do, but I’ll catch up eventually. And I’ve decided where the sampler quilt will go when it’s done. There’s a special 40th birthday party coming up in January 2011 and the birthday girl is not into consumer products so will hopefully appreciate a handmade gift.