Fabric.com Check before cutting....

I ordered this...


received this....

The Mini Flag Quilt No.1 - beginning quilt blunders

In Color Order posted about this Mini Flag Quilt, this will be my first serious quilting effort. I am hoping that this will be an easy enough project to complete this year, and will motivate me to tackle the other projects in the pipeline.  I want to make this quilt and I run out and buy fabric.

This is a Kaffe Fassett 15 piece fat quarter pack in Neutral.

Love Kaffe Fassett, like this pack.... except I have two strays in there. 

 

 I don't know how they made it in but they will not be joining the rest of the pack. 

That's better, although there's something about this that doesn't look right.

 Looking at them on white, I realize, the blogger uses quite a few prints that have white in them, also they are smaller prints. Mine don't look anything like that cute bright flag quilt in the blog. This is fine really, it's all a learning process, and learning to see fabrics through the eyes of a quilter instead of apparel designer, will take some practice, and that's what I'm ready for. I put the fabrics next to the white, and it looks ok, but it won't look like the original inspiration. I go and buy another background color and I think this will more appropriate.

BLUNDER NO. 1 - USE PRINTS IN SAME SCALE AND WITH WHITE ACCENTS FOR WHITE GROUND.


So here's what happened, fabric.com had a different picture posted than what actually shipped.  I was supposed to get this.


BLUNDER 2 - CHECK PHOTO AGAINST PACK RECEIVED.

 Unfortunately I've already cut them all... Grrrrr!!! So out to the quilt store to see if I can fix the palette with peppier colors. Funny the salewoman said, "Ewww I think you got all the ugly colors", "yes" I said, "I got the ugly color pack". Don't know why I didn't notice it sooner, I really don't like a lot of orange.

 

So after another $10, and a trip to 2 quilt shops, I feel better about this assortment.

They are all cut now.





BLUNDER 3 - DO NOT SATURATE FABRIC AFTER CUTTING WITH SPRAY STARCH. THE WHITE SHRUNK ABOUT 1/4" .
NOW THERE ARE TWO PIECES THAT ARE EFFECTIVELY PRE - SHRUNK.

Wow, I hope to get all of these mistakes done with on the first quilt.  I will name this one blunder buster.



This worked out pretty well, don't see any issues with just marking the dividing line and using the foot width for my 1/4" seam allowance.



BLUNDER 4 - DOUBLE CHECK THE COUNT ON THE BLOCKS.

Thought I had 24 white blocks but only have 20, need to go buy some more white to finish the blocks.
Missing blocks


Hanging on the flannel sheet


New layout

BLUNDER 5 - True up blocks with rotary cutter, not embroidery scissors or you may cut into quilt.

Quilt Inspiration Timeline 1980's to today

Maybe Kaffe Fassett was not really the first quilt that I fell in love with.  I think the first would have been a Baltimore Quilt with appliques, not this exact quilt but one very much like it, then every once in a while, I would see something else.

1980's in NYC Baltimore Quilt circa 1849

1980's Then there was a crazy quilt circa 1885

1980's The Amish Quilt 1900-1910

1995 Then the watercolor quilts 

I buy fabric (Liberty of London)

I go to London and buy... more fabric

And the ever important

The years go by.....

1995 Postage Stamp quilt - Kaffe Fassett

1997  A new addition to the family, I buy fabric an try to make a whole cloth quilt.
I never finish.


1998 Stuck at the airport for an overseas assignment I purchase a magazine that is silly with lovely quilts (The Quilt Sampler Better Homes and Gardens) I don't know which one I like better, and am seriously considering starting a quilt despite studying for my MBA and having a full time job that involves travel.

1999 The Gee's Bend quilts (1930's - 1980's)

2001 Still travelling I find a Traditional Quiltworks magazine with the zig zag log cabin quilt pattern.

I buy fabric.

 

2012 I decide that in order to make the zig zag quilt, I should start with a simple pattern.
In Color Order, posts about a flag quilt using half rectangle triangles.... I think I can manage this.
I buy fabric.

All of this inspiration slowly percolating.
If I don't start quilting, I'm going to run out of space.

If you haven't been accosted by quilt inspiration ....

Here are a few links to sites that work for me.
 The Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC, Quilt Collections.
Or you could google the Modern Quilt Guild Images.

iNTRODUCTION Kaffe Fassett

This is a blog about quilts.  New to quilting but not to sewing, looking for another vehicle to express myself through textiles.

This is the only quilting I have done successfully.

Aside from some trapunto in design school which involved poly crepe de chine and poly batting.

It was a slippery mess which required massive amounts of basting to get the channels of quilting to sit without  twisting.

The first ever quilt that struck me dumb, was in a Kaffe Fassett book called Glorious Interiors.  There was no pattern included in the book, but it served as a back drop to some knitting pillows.

Here are some of his other projects from more recent publications.

You can see all of his creations spanning from painting to quilting, this man lives a colorful life.

Kaffe Fassett  I love his socks!!