Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Buttercream Twist designed by Kim Diehl.....Made Bigger

Buttercream Twist, 80 inches square.
I made it bigger than the pattern called for, which was is 6 x 6 blocks:
In other words- 6 rows by 6 rows (60 inches square).   So I made mine 8 blocks in each row. 
The blocks are 10 inches square, so that makes it easy to figure out, and also, you can throw this on the bed, any way you want to, and not have to worry about which way is up.
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You can find this free pattern online,
click HERE.
Fabric Choices
I used ALL FABRICS from my 30 year + collection.
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Fabric Cut into Strips
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Scant 1/4 inch seam allowance
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Blocks in progress
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Top Finished
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I liked this pattern when I first saw it.  I thought, it looks so easy and very simple, but it didn't turn out that way.  Don't get me wrong, I like Kim D.'s designs, and I love her color schemes of fabrics.  
Here's the problems I had:
1.  The seam allowance had to be less than 1/4 inch, in fact, almost 1/8 inch, to make the unfinished block 10 1/2" inches square.  Even then, I had to trim blocks after pressing, to make them square.
2.  I tried altering the size of the cut strips to make up for this problem, but that didn't work.
3.  I just couldn't figure out the math on this one- to make the sewn unfinished block turn out to be 10 1/2" square.  I tried cutting the strips for the blocks slightly different widths, but it still would not come out right.   I finally gave up and just stayed with a consistent VERY scant 1/4 seam allowance, pressed and trimmed the blocks as necessary.
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  It helped to use the same ruler to trim the blocks.
My advice:  be as accurate and consistent as possible when cutting the fabric for this quilt, and then again when you are piecing it.  It will make a difference in how your blocks turn out.
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My Quilting Design:
I call it "Kite Tails and Doughnuts"!
It is an all-over design, and I used several different round templates to make the doughnuts.
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Last note:   I chose a High Loft 100% polyester batting!  I found out I actually like polyester batting.  It's warmer than cotton, and it gave my quilting design more definition.
I had fun making this quilt, despite the problems and was lucky to finish it before I got sick.

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