Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Nearly Insane

I had two more blocks to piece to finish this row of Nearly Insane and they're done.







This is block 5.  She was easy to piece.






The last block was the block with the most pieces, #17 with 109 pieces. First I decide on the values. I wanted the star points to stand out so those were marked as dark. Fussy cut flowers would be nice so I marked which blocks they were. The other flowers were differentiated. 


After the paper was marked, I made a master copy to refer to when I put the blocks together. I don't do this for every block, only the ones with a large amount of pieces.

When the values are marked, I decide how to cut the paper apart for piecing. It broke down fairly easily, square in squares and then the outside finishing blocks.

I piece each section of blocks, then lay them out for a look. I want to make sure I have the right fabrics in the right place.


Then I turn them over to the backside and sew them together.


Topside view.


I trim the block to size and remove the paper then give her another good press.

The stars show up nicely. That is what I was hoping would happen but you never know how the block is going to look until she is finished.

I used a new fabric in this block. Aren't those little elephants cute? They make a nice change from the flowers.


The blocks are sewn into a row and attached to the body. I'm still able to get her on the display wall. She hangs off some but I enjoy looking at her.

I had been placing the blocks the way the Nearly Insane book had them but I mixed this row up. I noticed a white section was starting to form on the left bottom side. I mixed the blocks so the light and dark blocks were more evenly distributed.

Two more rows and then the center will be half way finished!


The Amaryllis have started to bloom. This one is apple blossom. The flowers are so cheery. I don't keep track of which bulb is which color so each plant is an adventure.

In November I potted 6 bulbs and took them on my family's Christmas gathering in December. I also took along 10 bulbs. The pots were all taken and half of the bulbs too. 

My sister sent a photo of her flowers. That light orange color is nice and bright in this gloomy winter we are having this year.

Linking to - Quilting is More Fun than Housework, Love Laugh Quilt, Fiber TuesdayEsther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Finished Or Not FridayCrazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict


22 comments:

Chris said...

I see why it is called "Nearly Insane". You must be a bit also after that block. Well done.

Jo said...

Just beautiful. You are an inspiration.

Lisa J. said...

I can't believe all the tiny pieces in that block! Great work!

Unknown said...

Nearly insane??? Nearly???? Surely, you must be completely insane to have attempted this block . . . and a complete genius to have pulled it off so beautifully!!! It is fantastic! (lynnstck[at]yahoo.com)

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Love the yellow and blue, and you did an excellent job on the star block! You will have another beautiful quilt when finished, now you may be insane by the time you complete the quilt! LOL. Excellent work.

Gretchen Weaver said...

Thank you. I was just thinking about how I detest word finds, cross word puzzles and puzzles but I really enjoy piecing these blocks. Everyone just enjoys different activities.

Gretchen Weaver said...

These blocks don't stress me out as much as Jane did. They're all pieced and I can do that. Jane had those nasty little itty-bitty triangles that drove me insane! That's why I switched to little circles. I do intent to hand quilt this quilt but I'll worry about that later.

Gretchen Weaver said...

If I would have pieced the block and the fabrics didn't look right, that would have made me insane. I think piecing these blocks are easier than Jane.

Gretchen Weaver said...

Thank you. When I'm piecing these blocks, I just tell myself I only need to do 1 block a day. If I try to do more than that, I get stressed.

Gretchen Weaver said...

Thank you. Paper-piecing make piecing tiny pieces doable.

TheEclecticAbuela said...

Lovely work! My amaryllis is blooming now, too.

GJ said...

This is so inspiring ... I am guessing this is hand pieced? are all the blocks hand pieced ?
Truly spectacular!!

Gretchen Weaver said...

Thank you. These blocks are all foundation paper pieced on my sewing machine. The only hand work has been to needle turn applique the hands for the basket blocks.

Gretchen Weaver said...

I just love the flowers in winter! They just brighten up the house.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Wow, that block looks like a lot of work with tiny pieces! I have an amaryllis too that is going to bloom this month for the fourth year. Mine is red, but I really love the Apple Blossom one the best. The white with pink blush is just so pretty, and I wish I had gotten another one of those last year.

Chris of UK City Crafter said...

Your block looks amazing, 109 pieces, I think I'd give up before I even started! Those amaryllis look good too - such showy flowers, they just make me smile.

TheItinerantChemist said...

Love the fussy-cuts you did for the star blocks, really beautiful work!

Teagan said...

WOW. That is going to be an amazing quilt. Beautiful!

Pamela said...

Pretty! Love the blue and yellow!

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

Nearly Insane is the word for it - wow it looks amazing all coming together!

Sue said...

Well done. I love your color scheme!

Miaismine said...

Oh My Gosh! Wow. Am totally impressed. Beautiful.