Creative Eye Thursday-Book Review for Fun-Size Quilts

 

Martingale, 2014; used by permission. Photos by Brent Kane. All rights reserved

When I first opened this book, I scanned through the pages to find the one quilt that I knew I had to make.  I found a bunch of quilts that I thought would be fun to work with.  The closer I looked, I realized, these really are fun size quilts.  Like tiny quilts.  If you are looking for a small project, or a small area that needs a little brightening, this may be the book for you to check out.

White Stars, Julie Herman, Martingale, 2014; used by permission. Photos by Brent Kane. All rights reserved

Fox in a Box, Jeni Baker, Martingale, 2014; used by permission. Photos by Brent Kane. All rights reserved

Quiltilicious, Melissa Corry, Martingale, 2014; used by permission. Photos by Brent Kane. All rights reserved

size 18 1/2" X 18 1/2"

I finally decided on this little quilt.  I am definitely drawn to patterns, I often look past color, and fabric choices to find the pattern I enjoy.  This quilt was perfect for that.  I generally am not drawn to purples and pinks, its just not my deal.   But, the pattern, was pretty interesting.

Making it- Pros and Cons
Getting to work was pretty fun.  I loved the instructions for cutting this quilt pattern.  I am a total nut, but I love it when I am cutting out fabric, and all the parts of the strips are used up.  Efficiency is like crack for me (well, maybe, I've never tried crack).  But, I did get kinda giddy that the fabric usage was so nice. (And conversely, I get kinda grumpy when I cut a strip and use less that a 1/4 of the strip).

Piecing it was pretty fun too.  Easy, and delightful.  But, when I started piecing the blocks together, I realized something.  The instructions call for making the half-square triangles, and then trimming them to the correct size.  I completely understand why the author wants to do that, it makes for perfect half-square triangles, and yet....I'm me.  That takes extra time.  I have limited time, and extra cutting isn't on my agenda.  I would rather spend the time stitching carefully and precisely, and have the half-square triangle be the right size after sewing, than have to trim later.  ****this is totally personal preference.


After I battled trimming (I know, my life is pretty tough).  I pieced this together in no time.  I loved the instructions for seam pressing, and putting the quilt together to make it come together nicely.  I could tell there was a lot of attention to the little details.

Now let's compare....Here's my version, navy blue, turquoise, red, and whites.  That's a little more me.  And that's what I love about good quilt patterns.  They work for everyone, with different preferences.  If you gave this quilt pattern to 20 different people, with only shaded portions (so they don't already see a color, and duplicate it), they would come up with 20 different variations.  Creativity is the best, and I love seeing what people come up with.

Want to check out the rest of the book?  Go here.