The Birchen Quilt with Recollection

Sitting here, on a gorgeous day with the warm sun beaming on this beautiful quilt.

Okay... so.. I kinda promised myself I wasn't going to do another blog post until I finished The Birchen Quilt that was started weeks ago. (Hence, the reason I haven't been around.) But here it is today in its vibrant & glorious self. I couldn't be more ecstatic with the way this project turned out. I instantly knew I wanted to make this quilt awhile back when my Instagram feed exploded with variations of The Fat Quarter Shop's Birchen Quilt. I especially adored the quilts that featured Katarina Roccella's Recollection line from Art Gallery. So the fabric choice was simple for me. I had to have one for myself!

For starters, the pattern was fairly simple to follow. And, the YouTube video came in handy just to make sure I was doing everything correct, (since this was the first time I was actually following a pattern). The triangles on a roll are genius! I think I've said that in other posts but seriously, this invention is unbelievably helpful! And... I'm not the kind a gal that minds leftover pattern pieces. I know I'll eventually make 500 more blocks;) I still can't believe how much time was saved using that paper roll as a template!

But I do gotta mention one thing. The pattern is listed 'simple enough for a beginner' & even though it appears easy to understand ~ I don't feel that it was for beginners. As wonderful as the triangles on a roll are; the pinning and pressing can become quite overwhelming, especially when something doesn't align properly and out comes that seam ripper. (I'd be lying if I said it only happened once.) There's a total of 336 half square triangles you will end up pressing open, 16 of which won't be used. 320 multiplied by 4 means that there are 1,280 dog ears you will end up trimming. Oh dear! Not to mention the pinning of each piece to make sure it's arranged correctly. And every single seam you stitch has to be pressed open. Also, no matter how many pins you use, fabric on a bias is going to pull because it can stretch. This means two things. The good, you have leeway to make sure everything lines up straight. The bad, where it should line up, it might not.

In the end.... it's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close! I love this quilt so much.... literally love it. I'm up in the air about the finishes. Should I wait till I'm done learning the long arm & take a go at some free hand stitching myself? Or, do I keep it at the home machine with some straight lines? Decisions, decisions...

On another note... The Etno Blog Tour has turned out amazing!!! I'm so happy I got to take part in it & meet some wonderful souls! The projects have been so inspiring & enlightening. If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely need to. Here's the link.

Happy Trails to beautiful things we can create!

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