Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Orb-ing along

Now that my duffle bag is complete, I've come back to the Octagonal Orb blocks.  If you remember, I've been agonizing (yes, that's just how indecisive I am!) over background fabric choices and in the end I decided to go with Kona Natural.  It's a nice creamy neutral colour with little flecks of...I don't know what it is....nature??  haha  So it's not quite solid, which I like.  Part of the reason I chose this shade is that a) I had a little bit of it on hand, which meant I didn't have to order as much and b) I was able to cut up what I already have to complete a few of the blocks while I wait for the rest of the fabric.  One block down....


On this next photo you can see a few of the flecks I was talking about in the Kona Natural......


I had a little bit of a problem with my plastic template in that only the top seam line is marked on the template (between the neutral centre and the first ring of print) as a reference point for trimming, and I found that if it wasn't lined up absolutely perfect (or even if I thought it was perfect) I was ending up with some wedges in which the seam lines of the next two rings were not matching up.  So after cutting a few and realizing this, I altered my template to include all 3 seam lines for reference which has made trimming much easier and way more accurate.  But hey, these fabrics are so crazy busy that being a little bit off at the points will never be noticeable, not even to me!

My next batch of wedges, all ready for timming!


Edited to add block #2:


Hope you're all enjoying your week, sewing and otherwise!

I will be linking up to WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

19 comments:

Alisa said...

Looking good, Heather! I made 1 of those blocks for my bee last year and that was quite time consuming. I imagine doing many of them will take a lot of time. But it will be worth it! It's a fabulous looking block.

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Beautiful block and I like the flecks of nature!

Susan said...

The backing is perfect. You've picked up the creaminess that is in both the background of the warm and cool coloured fabrics. And don't stress about a couple of mismatched points. Once it's quilted you won't see them! It's going to be "orb-some"!!!

Kirsten said...

These blocks are beautiful Heather - I love the solid you have used too!

Patti said...

Wow! They are looking fabulous, Heather...flecks and all!

M-R Charbonneau said...

I love those blocks. Gonna have to give them a try someday. Great fabric choices, Heather.

Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts said...

They look amazing!

Erica said...

These look great. I think that these colors and prints are perfect for this block!

Adrienne said...

Gorgeous! I just made two of these blocks for a Bee. I used a paper template, folded the seam line so that I could snug it up to the top seam and then pinned in place before cutting. Mind you, this was just for two blocks, if I go for more I will make a proper template and follow your advice about multiple points of reference :)

Debbie said...

I still really love this block and am enjoying your dialogue about it. Glad you finally chose that background - and a nice one it is! ;-)

Kleep said...

Those are lovely! And I love the mix of colours you have. Look forward to seeing what they become.

hydeeannsews said...

it's so pretty! what great fabric choices, including your agonizing kona natural selection. =)

Jessica Kelly said...

Wow Heather! These blocks are amazing! Sure to make a beautiful quilt!!

Erin @ Why Not Sew? Quilts said...

"flecks of nature" are great aren't they? love your background choice. the blocks are beautiful!

nicole said...

Just gorgeous! Can't wait to see more!

Anonymous said...

Great blocks! Love your fabrics - even the kona natural :)

Toni said...

Heather, these blocks are beautiful! Such a fun mix of colors and I like the "nature" in your solid!

Kelsey said...

Ooo lovely Heather. Both blocks turned out great! How many are you going to make for your quilt?

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Looks beautiful! I made a block with that pattern a while ago. It was fun.