A free day equals lots of sewing time, and I made the most of it. What you see in the photo above are 90 Long Road Home blocks. Nine stacks of ten blocks each. This quilt is a diagonal set, and I plan to get it on the design wall some time today. I need to cut out the setting triangles, but that won't take long.
I always have a few minor complaints about Bonnie Blue quilt patterns (much as I adore their designs). They never tell you how many units or even how many blocks you will end up with. I find that annoying. Yes, I can do the math, or count the blocks on my fingers, but how much trouble or room would it take to just say "Make 90 blocks" or "You should have 180 strip set units". I know, I am being petty, but I like things to be comprehensive.
One surprising thing, that I really did like, was the lack of waste in this quilt. Want to see what I had leftover after making the 90 blocks?
That's it. Now that's economical.
Some of the French General fat quarters I ordered arrived yesterday, so I plan to cut more strips today. These fabrics are mostly from the La Belle Fleur and French General Favorites collections.
I hadn't purchased either one of those groups, so I am happy to have at least gotten some of the reds for my stash. Isn't that little fleur de lis print adorable? Should have gotten a half yard of that!
In other news, have you heard about the Moda Friendship Quilt Along? It is a program sponsored by Moda where 27 designers share a free downloadable 9 inch friendship quilt block. I have been visiting daily and printing out the block patterns for myself. It would be a fun sampler quilt to make, or even a one block quilt (if you could chose a favorite block!). At any rate the block patterns may come in handy some day, and it has been fun visiting the blogs of the various designers I was not so familiar with. Let me just say Edyta Sitar (Laundry Basket Quilts) is incredible. If you aren't familiar with her, check out her blog. Her quilts are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
Added later: Hmmm. Remember when I was cutting out the strips for the Long Road Home project? I was complaining that after cutting out the required number of strips I had a ton of fabric left over? I had forgotten about that. So, what the pattern said to cut out was dead on, but what they said to buy was an over estimate. Unless the kit makers included more fabric….Not sure since I didn't measure the cuts in the kit.
34 responses to “Long Road Home Blocks All Done”
Crikey – can’t believe the tiny amount of offcuts from 90 blocks! That really is economical. It’s a good thing you are an accurate cutter!
I love French General reds too – just about to chop a quilt from Bloom Creek Quilts called The Big EZ which has lots of nice big pieces to show off the larger scale prints. I want to make quilts for my daughter’s teachers (she has 2 who jobshare so 2 quilts – argh!) so I need something nice and quick but that is still a bit different and quirky.
Crikey – can’t believe the tiny amount of offcuts from 90 blocks! That really is economical. It’s a good thing you are an accurate cutter!
I love French General reds too – just about to chop a quilt from Bloom Creek Quilts called The Big EZ which has lots of nice big pieces to show off the larger scale prints. I want to make quilts for my daughter’s teachers (she has 2 who jobshare so 2 quilts – argh!) so I need something nice and quick but that is still a bit different and quirky.
I am amazed that is all the left overs and love it when a pattern only has you cut out what you need. Can’t wait to see this go together….I wish I ordered more of that French General line and might go back and order more….
Gail
I am amazed that is all the left overs and love it when a pattern only has you cut out what you need. Can’t wait to see this go together….I wish I ordered more of that French General line and might go back and order more….
Gail
You’re almost there…Long Road Home is looking good! I adore your reds! I like the patterns that tell you what size they should end up to be. Have a great day!
You’re almost there…Long Road Home is looking good! I adore your reds! I like the patterns that tell you what size they should end up to be. Have a great day!
Great blocks and even better fabric 🙂 You have inspired me to move up my Long Road Home UFO into the current project phase. Can’t wait to see your finished quilt!
Great blocks and even better fabric 🙂 You have inspired me to move up my Long Road Home UFO into the current project phase. Can’t wait to see your finished quilt!
Love the Long Road Home blocks and cheers for all you accomplished – and with so little waste!!! Applause!!
I agree that patterns need to be complete in the information they include. The pattern I printed from a free block/tutorial site said to draw a diagonal line on the back of the blue fabric squares. NOT needed. What is needed is to draw that line on 8 of the 12 squares you’ve cut. Why was that not part of the instructions??
Am off to take AMIL to her routine cardiac appt.
Hugs!
Love the Long Road Home blocks and cheers for all you accomplished – and with so little waste!!! Applause!!
I agree that patterns need to be complete in the information they include. The pattern I printed from a free block/tutorial site said to draw a diagonal line on the back of the blue fabric squares. NOT needed. What is needed is to draw that line on 8 of the 12 squares you’ve cut. Why was that not part of the instructions??
Am off to take AMIL to her routine cardiac appt.
Hugs!
Your blocks look amazing! Love, love, love 9 Patches in any configuration.
Your blocks look amazing! Love, love, love 9 Patches in any configuration.
Love French General!! Probably my fav. You are so productive Nicole you are really inspiring. I agree with the pattern writing – making one right now by a well known designer and the instructions are poor. Third time with this person I should know better!
Love French General!! Probably my fav. You are so productive Nicole you are really inspiring. I agree with the pattern writing – making one right now by a well known designer and the instructions are poor. Third time with this person I should know better!
Hi Nicole,so what did you think of the oscars this year? I thought it wasn’t as good as years past. I was bit disappointed.
Hi Nicole,so what did you think of the oscars this year? I thought it wasn’t as good as years past. I was bit disappointed.
When I saw your post yesterday, I pulled out my Long Road Home pattern thinking to get started on it. Of course, I have other projects on the go, I can never seem to settle on one thing, but I love this quilt and will try to work on it a little at a time. Looking forward to seeing yours completed.
When I saw your post yesterday, I pulled out my Long Road Home pattern thinking to get started on it. Of course, I have other projects on the go, I can never seem to settle on one thing, but I love this quilt and will try to work on it a little at a time. Looking forward to seeing yours completed.
Lovely piles of finished blocks! I’d leave them on the table to admire as I walked by all day 🙂
I like lots of variety so tend to overcut for almost any pattern. Well, I also seem to want to always change the size of the project too, and that makes a necessity for extras!
Lovely piles of finished blocks! I’d leave them on the table to admire as I walked by all day 🙂
I like lots of variety so tend to overcut for almost any pattern. Well, I also seem to want to always change the size of the project too, and that makes a necessity for extras!
Beautiful fabrics. That shade of red is my favorite. Fleur de lis? Oh, so it is. At first, I took them to be B52 bombers.
Beautiful fabrics. That shade of red is my favorite. Fleur de lis? Oh, so it is. At first, I took them to be B52 bombers.
I think I meant B26 bombers. Anyway, some kind of old military plane.
I think I meant B26 bombers. Anyway, some kind of old military plane.
You might send an email to Bonnie Blue and suggest they put the unit numbers in. As they reprint patterns it would be an easy addition.
You might send an email to Bonnie Blue and suggest they put the unit numbers in. As they reprint patterns it would be an easy addition.
I completely agree with you about the patterns not being complete. Hello pattern makers, if we wanted to draft our own patterns we wouldn’t buy yours! We want all the darn measurements. I think most of us can look at a pattern and do the math ourselves. …..
I completely agree with you about the patterns not being complete. Hello pattern makers, if we wanted to draft our own patterns we wouldn’t buy yours! We want all the darn measurements. I think most of us can look at a pattern and do the math ourselves. …..
I agree about incomplete pattern instructions! A few of us recently made an iron ‘tote’ for retreats. The instructions s.t.o.p. before ‘how to fold’ & it’s made all of us crazy! Love your 9-patch blocks…and the reds! Yummmm!!!!
I agree about incomplete pattern instructions! A few of us recently made an iron ‘tote’ for retreats. The instructions s.t.o.p. before ‘how to fold’ & it’s made all of us crazy! Love your 9-patch blocks…and the reds! Yummmm!!!!
Love these blocks! And those reds!
Love these blocks! And those reds!
Nicole, do you pin your strips together at the match points or just nest them as you sew them? Your points appear to be matched perfectly on your nine patches…I struggle with matching points if I don’t pin but it takes so darn long and something with this many match points would take forever..
Nicole, do you pin your strips together at the match points or just nest them as you sew them? Your points appear to be matched perfectly on your nine patches…I struggle with matching points if I don’t pin but it takes so darn long and something with this many match points would take forever..