March 16, 2017

Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along | Piecing HSTs

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It's time for the next step in the Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along!  You have two weeks to piece your half-square triangles and link them up here to qualify for a prize.  Don't worry about pressing and trimming - that's the next step.

Aren't the triangles just so pretty all laid out?!?


To make a king size, which is 19 x 17 rows of 6" finished HSTs, I created a blank quilt plan in EQ7, copying the original layout of the quilt.  Then I wrote the fabric numbers inside the triangles, once again referring to the original quilt design colors.  In the new columns I added, as well as the bottom of rows that I added to, I continued the color scheme that was already established - adding blues to areas that already had it and focusing on reds in areas that were already red.  I didn't want to change the overall effect of the two opposite corners being blue/green and the other corners being red, pink, and orange.  

Here is a quilt plan for the 12 x 15 layout shown in the Postcard From Sweden quilt pattern.  If you'd like to print this out to plan your quilt, you'll find it here. 


In this instance it would be an unnecessary step to put the triangles on a design wall.  Instead, I laid out each row on a design board (a.k.a., a box), referring to the chart and starting on the right side of the diagram so that the block on the top of the stack of the design board was the first block in that row.  If a block was made of fabrics 1 and 3 (this I read left to right on the diagram), I placed fabric 3 on top of fabric 1.  


After the blocks were sewn, I stacked them in the order they came off the machine, so the block on the top is the first block in that row.  I labeled them to know which row was which.  Here are my 323 HSTs sewn and ready to press and trim.  Nope, with an Accuquilt, the half-square triangles don't need trimmed, so I won't be trimming!!


Link-Up Your Pieced HSTs


Today's link-up is for the Piecing step.  It might be squares if you're using the two-at-a-time method, or it might be triangles if you're cutting squares in half or using an Accuquilt fabric cutter.  Show us your delicious fabrics sewn and ready to press/trim!  There's no need to press and trim for this step.

Link up your sewn blocks here.  This link-up closes on Wednesday, March 29th at 5:00 PM Pacific time.  A random entry will receive a PDF pattern from my pattern shop.



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Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along @ Busy Hands Quilts

4 comments :

Kathy E. said...

Hi Myra! I finally found a few hours yesterday to get my fabric cut into squares, but didn't get to cut them all into triangles in time to post to the link up. Today, I will get that done and maybe start figuring out the layout. Is it possible for you to share your blank grid for labeling the colors? I'm using solids from my stash...both Bella and Kona solids and will be making the smaller version of the quilt. I think figuring out the layout will be the hardest part!

Gretchen Weaver said...

Your fabrics are so bright and cheerful. She's going to be lovely. I'm not participating, too many projects, not enough time. Happy sewing!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

I missed the first link up due to poor planning. So I'm linking up early this time. Not all my HST's are pieced, but they are in progress. I've been trimming as I go along to make sure I get up from the machine.

Andree G. Faubert said...

Thanks Myra for your email (or comment). I've now linked up. It's actually taken me over a year, of mostly off and then on, to get this far. It's a long process (especially if you don't really like cutting!)