As the month is nearing a close and work is starting to ramp up, I knew I needed to get these blocks done or they would be late! The blocks are for Knottygnome. She wanted small buildings and city themed houses, trees, etc. She's looking to make a similar quilt to this one. I made small blocks, but didn't add as much white space around each one as she will need. I figure that she can add her own white space depending on how she wants to fit them together.
I ended up making her three blocks. I usually just stick with making two blocks, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with my first two blocks, so I made a third.
The first two blocks, I just fussy cut and sewed together, piecing as I went. I had to backtrack a bit on the house, but it still came together. I realized after a bit that the roof and sides of the house would need to be y-seams and I don't know how to do y-seams. I tried and it didn't come out right. I ended up sewing a bit of white on the end of the house and cutting the roof a bit; my original had more overhang.
This one is supposed to be a skyscraper with traffic and a store front. It didn't come out as well as I imagined it would. It seems really busy. Of course the entire block is 8", so it's a lot going on in a small area.
The tree came out well. I decided to paper piece it and drew up my own template, which I didn't photograph until I was done with each segment. It took a bit of trial and error to get the template just right. The sections needed to be drawn in such a way that allowed me piece it together. In a way, I had to backward map the sections.
One thing to remember about paper piecing is that what you draw will actually be a mirror image of what you get. I forgot about that until I was done and the tree was opposite. It's not a big deal, since it's a tree, but other things could be more important.
The other point to remember is that you need to have a 1/4" seam allowance in all areas. I remember to do that with this block, but I could see myself easily forgetting the seam allowance.
I paper piece a couple times a year, but it seems I always need a refresher on how to start. It took me a couple tried on the first seam to get it right. After that, though, the block went together quickly.
This is the first time that I'd designed my own paper piece template. It was challenging, but not beyond my skill-set. I can see myself trying it again, sometime.
I can't wait to see everyone else's blocks and the quilt when it comes together!
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