I had a back up of things to press so I only got 8 of the fabrics for the 16 patch blocks pressed and sewn into 4 strip sets.
Some of the fabrics to press were light fabrics to continue my TV sewing project. Then I cut 40 triangles and sewed the pairs. I now have sewn enough for 17 twelve inch blocks and I will need at least 20 or 24 blocks.
On today's line up: pressing the rest of the fabrics for 16 patch blocks and cutting the strips. Hopefully they will get sewn tonight. Also cutting for another project. When people ask how long does it take to make a quilt I think they envision already pressed fabric cut into shapes and appearing on the sewing table ready to proceed. Choosing fabrics, pressing and cutting is probably anywhere from a quarter to a third of the time for making a quilt top. (And of course I'm not figuring preselected bundled groups and precut fabric purchases in this estimation.)
9 comments:
That is always such a difficult question to answer: How long does it take? Days, Weeks, months, and even years (!) - it just depends! Do I have a deadline? Do I like the fabric? Is the pattern working out? Am I bored with making a zillion blocks of the same thing? Am I distracted by a new project? Same goes for knitting, and probably just about any project.
Kathy
You are moving right along with your projects...it takes as long as it tkes, right?
hugs, Julierose
Last year (CY 2020) I "made a quilt" — start to finish — in 6 months. This was one of my faster projects, as it had a deadline: it was a donation for a church auction (which, thanks to Covid, was an on-line auction. Things helping to speed the process: back in February, I had seen and ordered a paper pattern that I liked from Missouri Star. I'd also ordered a "layer cake", coordinating focus fabric, fabric for backing, and I'd scoured my fairly extensive stash for a light neutral background for the many HSTs. So when I actually "started", it was with most of the fabric choices determined.
The sewing/piecing was fairly routine, though how many HSRs can one sew at a time without going slightly bonkers?? So, there were sanity breaks. Thanks to Covid lockdown, though, it went pretty quickly. And even through the design was predestined by the pattern, there's still placement, arranging, ensuring color distribution throughout the quilt. This piece, really took most of the summer. I'd decide the original layer cake needed a few extra fabrics for variety, so found, and cut from, about a half-dozen congenial stash scraps to sprinkle in.
One of the most time-consuming (and boring) phases, IMO, is the part when you have sewn large sections and then have to get all these big pieces, which given my less-than-precise piecing skills do not always exactly line up, wrestled into the quilt top. There were 3 borders (one pieced, 2 not) in this quilt, and that is just tedious. There's some satisfaction is getting all these obstreperous little components working together, but takes (me) lots of patience.
The almost-finished quilt, in segments, went to my long-arm quilter in August, It came back, beautifully quilted, after Labor Day. I got the binding sewn to the front before having hip-replacement surgery (Oct 1), and during recovery hand-sewed said binding to the back, just in time to deliver the finished quilt for the auction. Bidding was vigorous, and I was pleased.
Another "finish" last year was a long-time UFO — actually my very first quilt, begun in 1995. Long story. But now, it's done.
Choosing fabrics for a new project is one of my favorite parts of the entire process. Using precut bundles may save time, but it takes out much of the fun.
AMEN - the gestation process can happen in a flash or it can take months for an idea to evolve to the "beginning point." And the preparation is absolutely at least 1/3 of the actual hands on time (if not more). Pressing is so necessary but, like you, I learning to batch press instead of leaping up and down so often.
I always hate that question. I’m sure they are shocked when I reply “sometimes years”! Looks like you made good progress for a quiet day.
I find the cutting part of the process to take more time than I think it should (I don't have a cutting machine like an Acuquilt), especially when using multiple fabrics such as your sixteen patch blocks. I once did a pineapple block quilt for a little girl whose house burned down and finished it in less than two weeks, which amazed me, but I had a genuine purpose and I think that spurred me on.
Pat
I was working on the Moda Winter quilt and really got bogged down in the fabric pulling. It happens more when I'm using a collection. I also found many wrong directions and spent too much time finding short-cuts. It all adds up that's for sure!
I like those fabrics! I sometimes think I will time all the actual time I spend on a quilt, so I will know. Then I think again and decide I really don't want to know!
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