Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Diamonds again..........

I am anxious to get this one off the design wall and sewn together.  I finished sewing all of the rectangles, trimmed them and cut into triangles.  Then I rearranged some of the triangles on the design wall and started sewing them.  One of my students alerted me to a seam allowance problem because the angle is so steep.
The seam allowance is closer to 1/2" at the tops of the triangles when sewn together.
  At the sides where they join to make diamonds, the seam allowance is less than 1/4" unless that seam is sewn at 1/2".
We pressed all seams open to reduce bulk.  I used 1/4" seams to sew the diagonal seam and to sew 2 rectangles together.  Then I changed to 1/2" seam for the center seam on the diamond.
Here is one that has the center seam sewn at 1/2" flipped over so you can see right and wrong sides of it.  Now it has a quarter in seam allowance at the sides.
I usually sew everything in rows but I think I am going to sew each diamond separately on this one and then sew them together in rows.

As a reminder, the inspiration quilt came from Kaffe Fassett's book "Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts".  None of his books give very detailed instructions but if you have been quilting awhile you can figure out most of it.

21 comments:

Plum Cox said...

I'm glad that you spotted the problem with the seam allowances early! This looks wonderful!

HollyM said...

It definitely is spectacular! I probably would have had trouble witht the seam allowances.

Unknown said...

It is looking just fantastic!! I can see why you are anxious to get it all together too. Thanks for the heads up on the seam allowances as this is one on my to do list.

Ellen said...

It's wonderful! Thanks for the tip on the seam alowances - I was just sketching a quilt (inspired by a buffet table drawer front!) with horizontal diamonds & I will keep this in mind when I go to do the math.

Your eye for color & value is great! I'm new to your blog & happy to have found you. :)

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I love it!! I would have pressed those seams open too even though it takes more time - it sure helps when quilting I do that sometimes depending on the quilt.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

Totally amazing! Glad that the seam allowance glitch was caught early.

patty a. said...

So beautiful! I like that you added a third road.

*karendianne. said...

Huh. Interesting on the seam allowances. I have heard that his books don't give a lot of info on pulling together your quilt but if you've been quilting it's really not that difficult. Still - this situation I personally would have missed. It's good to file in the "someday" file. We know my C.W. stash wouldn't make it for this layout now would it? hee.

Debbie said...

What a difference that 1/2" seam makes. Without it, the quilt would have had all kinds of humps. I like the way to solved the mystery and thanks for sharing the info. I really think the colors and design are beautiful.

Brita said...

Great info, thanks! I'm going to put a note in my Simple Shapes book as a reminder for the time when, if, I make that quilt. It's sensational. Wonder how many miles of thread are going to be in there!!

CharlotteP said...

It's certainly goingtgo live up to its 'spectacular' claim!

Browndirtcottage said...

WOW..WOW..oh yes..I.LIKE...I.LIKE.

Thanks for the heads up on the seam allowance prob-blem-o...I have that book and I have penciled in a notation and earmarked this post!!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Amazing ... your careful, thoughtful attention to detail is truly visible in this striking quilt.

p.s. I love looking at the photos in the KF books, but his directions make me light-headed.

Vicki W said...

Love, love, love, love, love, love it!

Cathi said...

Absolutely stunning. Again I find myself wanting to just stare at the photo and drink in all the different fabrics!

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

Absolutely gorgeous. This one, however, is so far beyond my comfort level that I can't see myself doing it anytime in the foreseeable future. LOL What a master you are to have figured out that "fix" for the seam allowance. You amaze me!

Sara said...

It's really beautiful!!
I myself love the one I made to but didn't really enjoy making it and was happy when I got it off the quilt wall too. Maybe it was just too advanced for me, and, yes, I have lots of untidy and lumpy seams.

Dan said...

It's fantastic! I love how you use light and dark. Very cool.

colorquilter said...

Just beautiful, Wanda. Since I am cutting out strips for this now, I am thankful for the seam tip!!!

Anonymous said...

Great post today Wanda. Love your layout. And tutorial is always a bonus. Thank you.

J~MT

michele babcock said...

Yours is the first blog that I check (nearly) daily. Your color sense (and, especially, your output!) constantly inspires me. This quilt made me go straight to the library and get Kaffe's book, mainly to find out the size of the beginning rectangles. Thanks for the notes on seam allowances -- I suspect it will be some time before I get to that point, but I will keep it in mind for the future.