Something new

Yesterday just wasn't my day for crafting. I set aside the bookmark. I haven't given up on it yet, but I also haven't figured out where I went wrong.

I tried piecing a pinwheel block from memory, and it did not turn out. I was able to salvage it and find the correct way to put it together. 

I tried a second time. It went together easily, but I wasn't happy with either block. The seams pucker and the centers don't lie flat. I'm pretty sure that the problem is with the printed fabrics. They were very inexpensive, from Temu, and they are coarser and stiffer than the solid fabric.

Feeling like a crafting failure, I decided to sit and read for a while. Then, daughter Joanne called and we started talking about rag quilts. I know that rag quilts have been around for a long time. They just never appealed to me. However, Joanne's daughters decided they wanted to try making rag quilts. 

I ordered pre-cut kits for both girls and for myself. Since they live so far away, I need to work on the same project so that I can answer questions over the phone. The kits won't arrive until next week. In the meantime, I've been watching lots of YouTube videos on rag quilting. Everyone has "the best way" to make a rag quilt, and each person seems to have their own spin on the process.

Since nothing else seemed to be going my way, I decided to shift to trying rag quilting.

Using pre-cut fabrics, I put the fabric from Temu on the top and flannel blocks on the back. I don't think it matters that the colorful fabric isn't quite 10" square. Putting the fabric back to back, I simply sewed a big X. I have a total of 30 blocks, so this will be 5 blocks by 6 blocks, lap throw size. I was able to sew all of the blocks in about an hour and a half, and that included pressing each piece of fabric to get the wrinkles out. Before dinner, I spent about ten minutes figuring out the layout for the quilt. They were all stacked in order for sewing in no time.

After dinner, Dave went outside to take care of the chickens and cats. I decided to see how much I could accomplish while he did chores and cleaned up. Using 1" seams, I had all of the blocks sewn into rows in less than half an hour. 

I also managed to clip the rows together in pairs. I'm ready to sew today!