As I haven't posted here for some time I thought an update on my Overlapping Octagons was due. This is a lap quilt inspired by a photo in the book "Unconventional and Unexpected, quilts below the radar" by Roderick Kirakofe The original quilt was made around 1950 in New York by someone associated with the garment trade who used off-cuts of shirt fabric. It was pieced by hand. In line with the invitation to use "red as the new neutral" I used red for the block centres, and neutral, as any other colour in the frames to the red squares.
This is the last photo of my Overlapping Octagons before the final Y-seams to bring it all together.
This has certainly been a challenge reproducing a historic quilt but using a sewing machine. The challenge is not yet over! Because a photo is flat it's difficult to show how the triangle sections between four red squares are refusing to lie flat.
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| bubbly triangles! |
Much as I like the effect of the vertical white fissures in the first photo, they are not a design feature; my next task is to join columns 1 and 2, and then to join that section to columns 3 and 4. Lastly I'll be joining the seams between columns 4 and 5. Somewhere along the line I see I need to add a couple of small triangles in the edges, and to add triangles to three of the four corners. I haven't yet decided whether or not this quilt is calling for a border. What do you think?
Happy sewing
Marly.
5 comments:
I think I would only put a border on it if you want to make it bigger. It's very nostalgic. It's turning out great but I don't envy you having to sew those wavy seams.
Your quilt in progress is fabulous, great piecing and color!
Border? That's a good question, I'll stay tuned to see what you decide.
I love the colours in this, though I don't envy you those wavy seams. I think you are right, though, that hand sewing may give you greater control and you can always quilt over any little blips. I can't decide about a border, but I'm sure you'll figure it out.
I have a suggestion: I recently discovered misbehaving Y seams behave better if I fold the seam allowances and press them so that they just barely touch. Then sew the seam together using the fold as a guide for the stitches. This way you can shift any excess or make one seam allowance just a hair smaller so that the fabrics meet. For me the seams don't always meet directly in the center, but it helps in eliminating puckers. However, that was for a small quilt with only a few Y seams. Your lovely quilt has many more. It's going to be stunning no matter how you handle the seams.
You did a really wonderful job...It is beautiful
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