What a rigmarole ...

... and a Bramble Blooms Pt 3 Update

I'm calling on the Gods to thank the IT guy that I engaged to help me solve my Google and Blogspot problems.  He came to see me this morning, and it was a few dollars well spent to relieve my anxiety, and get me back into my blog.  

Google help/support/community etc, including the bot - called Bard of all things, which makes me wonder if this is a nod to The Great Bard (Shakespeare) himself - couldn't resolve my issues.  Google Bard is still learning and wasn't helpful. It turns out that I had created the problem, but it took us a long time to sort it out.  Hopefully all is now resolved, as I have a lot to talk about!

Adding the second border

Rambling in the brambles in more ways than one

Audrey's update for Bramble Blooms was to create the next border with repeat applique motifs and to add quarter-triangle style cornerstone blocks.  I read her really informative post several times, but I still managed to make a mistake - more on that below. 

I decided that I did want a coping border and dug out a very bright piece of fabric that has been in my stash for aeons.  I really like it, but have never found a use for it.  Now I have, and I'm happy.  I added cornerstones too.

Next came the applique border.  I had nothing in stash that was suitable, so I went to my local quilt store to browse.  I came back with 14 fat quarters (none of which I paid more than $5 for), 3 metres of yardage that were $10 each AND a brand new sewing machine.  

I rarely buy large amounts of fabric, never mind a sewing machine.

Anyhoo, I'd already decided I wanted to make the chunky cross blocks, and I made these from old fabrics.  I had no idea how to make them, and couldn't find a block tutorial on the Internet (I've never made quarter square triangles before).  So I experimented, and photographed each step.  This was mainly because Audrey advised us to keep good notes if we liked what we ended up with because a version of the block will be in future Bramble Bloom quilts.  

With apologies for the photo quality, as it was late at night, here is how I made them.  It's a reference for me too.

My block, unfinished, is 6.5" for a finished block at 6.0".  My fabric is only 7" wide, and it is all I have, so I cut the block 7.0" square.  I advise cutting at least 1" bigger than your unfinished block so that there is a bit more wiggle room to square up.  I was playing 'square up chicken' if there is such a thing.

Then I cut the block corner to corner, and I put pins in each triangle to remind me how they go back together.

Next, I cut four floral strips 1" wide and 7" long to finish at 0.5" wide.  I cut my little centre stone at 1" square.

I took two quarter triangles and sewed the floral strip to each with a quarter inch seam, and pressed the seams towards the strips as I wanted the strips to pop out and not 'float' behind the triangles.

Then I sewed a floral strip onto each end of the centre stone, pressing the centre stone seams out so that the strips nestled, and sewed the strip to the other quarter-square triangles with the floral strips. 

I pressed these seams inwards.

After this, I trimmed the block to 6.5" square.  

I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Applique border

I decided on a green border and used two of the striped fat quarters that came home with me the day before.  Of course, they were too short, so I added in the polka dot blocks to fix the length. 

And here's where I misread Audrey's post!  I thought the brief was to create twigs and berries for the applique.  I couldn't marry up twigs and berries with daisies (in my mind) so I spent hours drawing and redrawing something that I could include.  I came up with 'funky twigs and berries', and finally drew up a practice block.

And a practice 'piece' that gave me an idea of how to place this in the polka dot blocks.

 I also decided that I wanted to have daisies sort of twirling through the air in the striped border, and went back to my original drawings to create a kind of daisy.  Then I made a practice block for a daisy on a scrap piece of cotton, and cut around it so that I can pick it up and move it around on the border to get a feel for where I will place the final applique.

I went to my knitting group yesterday with hand sewing instead of knitting, and my friends said:

"That looks like a propeller, not a daisy." "Maybe you should round out the top of each petal?" "Have you thought about making the daisies different sizes?" None of my knitting group friends quilt by the way, but I appreciated their comments.  

So, I think it is back to the drawing board with the daisy, as I also think that my practice daisy looks too much like a propeller.  

I've come up with an idea to fix that blue flower which is still bothering me, and the blank space in the top left corner of my centrepiece which is also bothering me. 

All-in-all this project is growing like Topsy.

A twig by any other name (apologies to the real Bard)

Having sewn down two twigs and berries blocks, I re-read Audrey's post and realised that I didn't have to do twigs and berries at all! But I've started now, and so I'll finish.

I've already made all of the circles (berries) and getting the twigs down to 1/4" was so difficult that I can't bear to abandon them now.

So, a lot of stitching going on, and a lot ahead!  I seem to have made this a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be, but I am learning so much.

Which makes me think that I will make the next Bramble Blooms quilt simpler than this one has been so far.

And a pieced border with minimal applique for the final part of this quilt may be in the offing.