It's time to evaluate another UFO.
These Hourglass blocks are inspired by a c 1860 - 1890 vintage quilt made by Clarissa White Alford that I first read about at Kathy's Quilts blog in July 2016.
Almost exactly a year later in July 2017 I made another block. (Hey, each block has 144 pieces cut from 1.5 inch width strips!)
Fast forward to 2020 and I still have five blocks and a baggie with parts for another one.
Time to evaluate this UFO.
Do I still want to continue? Yes.
How many blocks do I need for a quilt? 36 blocks. I will set them 6 x 6 with a 2 inch (finished) sashing for an 86 x 86 quilt.
Ok, so...let's get on with it.
I've found that making blocks like these get tedious if I work on them for too long. And I've found that I do well to work on blocks like these for just 15-20 minutes each day. That includes time for cutting pieces, sewing, ironing and trimming.
So now this is my new 20 minute challenge project. I make these blocks from the center out so decided to make all the remaining block centers I need (31) to get me started. That let me see what I think is a lot of progress. (Unfortunately it made me also see that a quilt of Hourglass foursies would be awesome too. New Rainbow Scrap Challenge project? )
My March OMG (One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts) is to work on these blocks 20 minutes a day. That's not a very specific or measurable goal so I will declare my goal to be at least five finished blocks by month end. That will double my current block total and I'll be more than a quarter of the way to my goal of 36 blocks.
My last 20 minute challenge was Flying Geese Sashing for Blind Man's Fancy Tea in the Rose Garden. I started making the Flying Geese for 20 minutes a day back on January 28 and had a finished top on February 26. .
I'm also trying to get better at scrap management. I had several 2 1/8 inch width pieces left after making the Flying Geese sashing.
I trimmed some pieces to 2 inches and made a few little Ticky Tacky houses for my collection.
The low volume pieces went into a box for a low volume string quilt I've been working on.
The rest of the strips were trimmed to 2 inches and I put those into the 2 inch scrap bin. I had only a couple of 3 3/4 inch pieces left and I trimmed those to 3.5 inches and put the pieces into the 3.5 inch scrap bin. Those little pieces at the top will be trimmed to 1.5 inch squares to be used in my Plus Postage blocks, a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project.
All of this is so great! I love the hourglass blocks, and your scrap management is inspiring. No wonder you get so much done! Good luck on the blocks, they are worth it!
ReplyDeleteLots of pretty fabrics there, and there will surely be lots of "hours" there, even at 20 minutes a day! I have a difficult time getting started, but then I don't want to quit after 20 minutes. Maybe that's why I can't get started! Your hour glass blocks will make a very pretty quilt for sure! ---"Love"
ReplyDeleteLove your hourglasses--what a neat project...I find that 20 minutes on chain piecing or repetitive sewing is my limit--unless
ReplyDeletei want everything to go wonky on me!!
Love those little flower houses--so pretty hugs, Julierose
You are so organised, Cathy! Those blocks would defeat me, 144 pieces! Your new RSC idea is great. I always love your Tick6 Tacky houses, these are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to read you are continuing the hourglass quilt. I loved Kathy's.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with Oh Scrap!
15-20 minutes a day working on your hourglass blocks is such a good idea. It's nice that you are continuing the project!
ReplyDelete20 minutes a day sounds doable...even for me! :)
ReplyDeleteReally like those hourglass blocks and the way you are setting them!
ReplyDeleteI clicked on the link to the original Alford quilt. Yes, it's sashed. That is a good thing because nesting all those seams would be a major pain. I can imagine the hourglass units made larger -- even much larger in a modern style (like 4", so the blocks would be 24"). So many ideas!
ReplyDeleteAwesome that you are working on more Clarissa blocks!
ReplyDeleteI do love my quilt top and wish I would finish it.
I'm trying to decide on borders, which is often where my projects get stalled.
At first I thought I was looking at Quilter Kathy's blog and I thought she had at least got hers to the flimsy stage. I forgot (or didn't know) that you were making these hourglass blocks, too. When I get home, I have to review all my WIPs and figure out a (flexible) plan for getting some done.
ReplyDeletePat
Great inspiration for getting to a finish with out getting worn out by doing the same thing over and over and over and over... Hour after hour after... I've got many quilt parts in Time Out that need to come out to play that I just need to use your idea there and get at them! Bit by bit.
ReplyDeleteI loved watching Kathy make her hourglass blocks, and now I'll love watching yours, too! (It's a quilt on my to-do list, but I'm not likely to get to it any time soon.)
ReplyDeleteLove all your WIPs, and that 20-min sprint looks like a wonderful idea. I get bogged down in that kind of repetitive sewing too, so I'll be giving this a try!
(And what's that wonderful planning sheet you're showing with your low-vol scraps?)
Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck on your project.
ReplyDelete