Test First!

I finished quilting the previously orphaned blocks / quilted sleeping bag / whatever project.

I know, I'm impressed with my restraint too.




I sorted my charm squares into piles (will use, might use/duplicate, and won't use)

Then I started testing how to make flying geese.

First, I tried a four in one approach that uses four background blocks.

The results don't look bad in the picture, but one of the four (bottom right) doesn't have enough allowance to use (user error, not tutorial error) and one of the two (top left) has an odd piece of another block's background in it (another user error). The process wasn't ideal, but it could be done and the results might be better next time through...

Next, I tried a four in one approach that uses a single, larger, background block.

Once again, one of the four doesn't have enough allowance to use. The other three need squaring up -- and my first attempt at doing so made them too tight to really use too. So much user error.

They look nice all lined up... but they just won't work how I need them to!

The tutorials were easy enough to follow, with good instructions and simple math. But I did not enjoy the process either way. And I need to make around 120 triangles.

Honestly, that sounds dismal.

And since I've already bought my fabric -- and can't justify buying a layer cake at this point -- I'm rethinking the plan.

Can I make triangles? Yes. Was it awful? No. But do I want to make 100-120 of them? No. And am I going to be able to do it in the amount of time I have to do this quilt? Probably not...

So, I'm rethinking -- and quickly. I need to be making blocks as quickly as I can!