Stripes

Today D went down to visit his dad by himself to give me a little time to do some sewing.  My plan was to work on making some of the pineapple blocks that we learned how to do yesterday, but I happened to see a UFO on the table looking at me reproachfully.  Remember the ghastly time I had with my projects during the last Quilt Camp?  I finally had some luck when I made a purse and then went on to a miniature project I had had in mind for some time.  The purse was completed, but I didn't have time to finish the miniature,  After that our crazy schedule set in, and there was no more sewing until class yesterday (which is why D left me home - craziness sets in again, soon).  On top of that there is a quilt I have started as a gift that needs attention before the pineapple one.

Deciding to put first started first (what an unusual plan - well, it is sometimes, for me), I pulled out the miniature project which consists of 4" whirligigs (the correct name will come to me sooner or later).  Looking at them delighted me because I know exactly how I will set them . . . delighted me until I saw -

Now to me, there are two correct ways to make this block, but this isn't one of them.  Look at the striped fabric in the upper left.  Now compare it to the other striped pieces.  Oops, is right!  Now I love stripes and use them often; they do such wonderful things for a quilt whether they are straight, wonky, or diagonal.  BUT I had forgotten what happens to stripes when you cut a square and then sub-cut it into two triangles.  All seven of the blocks with this fabric had to be unsewn and then re-sewed.  And so did the seven with a different stripe (those might have been okay because the stripe is so subtle, but I knew it was there). 

Here is another one of the blocks, but this one is, to me, one of the two correct ways to make the block - pinwheel, that's its name! - Look at the stripes and see if you can tell what they do that has a positive effect.

You're right.  Alternating the stripes in this manner makes the pinwheel seem to move.  I really like this effect.  So often we look for fabric that adds a sense of motion and here, by alternating stripes, we can make a pinwheel turn without wind!   But by this time, the stripes were making me dizzy so I went for the stodgy approach,

(Sorry about the color in this one; I took it just now in artificial light.)  Fourteen blocks later, all of my stripes are prim and proper, and I'm much happier.  Now I can finish the other 6 sets of seven blocks.  Odd number?  Yes, I'm hoping to be happy with 8 sets of five blocks. 

I know, Mary Ellen, Karen, and Mardi, it's another of my quilts on steroids.  Well, it was supposed to be a miniature!