RCRRv2 - Kelly E's Quilt

I have been lucky enough to be passed Kelly E's fabulous quilt to work on this month, and it's another row-by-row.

Kelly started with a row of postage stamps, and then Kathryn added the on-point log cabin's. So when it came to me it looked like this:

I had a few thoughts...  I had printed out a chevron-y pattern when I was still stressing over the last round that I thought could work. Or maybe something with an Aztec-y vibe, as that was in her inspiration pic.  And then I was talking it out with Debbie and Kath when Kath presented the perfect solution: Swoons.

Kelly has done a whole swoon quilt, and so have I now, so I know that a) she likes them and b) I can make them.  Then I did a wee bit of instagram stalking, and saw the blush block that Kelly has also made and thought that's be perfect! A bit more pointy.  And then I thought, what about a carpenters star? Very similar, but something that Kelly hasn't made herself (yet - the woman is prolific!) but I have so I know I can.

I did all the quilt maths on how to make it work, going so far as to do a mock up, but once I started cutting fabric, the idea fell flat.  Really flat.  It just didn't work.  The proportion was off, the scrappy-ness was off, it felt too much of a *thing*.  It was just wrong.

And then I was lost. I sat on it... and I sat on it... And I sat on it.  But nothing was making me happy.  I had already cut a bunch of HSTs (PS - There are a couple of good tutorials for making HSTs.  This one from the Littlest Thistle gave me a genius idea to make sets of 8 at a time. It made it super quick!! ) So in hopelessness, I turned it into a simple on point square.

...and I liked it.

It's not fancy.  My points are close, but not perfect.  I feel like I'm letting the team down with such a simple block. Not to mention the internal guilt I have about doing a certain amount of work on one top and not another.  But I think with a round robin you have to let that go and focus on the vibe of the quilt and listen to what it's telling you.  And in my oh-so-very-humble opinion, this is what this quilt wanted.

So I made more. Lots more.

It's a HST diamond production line!

Kelly's quilt is 80" wide and, as you know, quilt maths is not my strongest suit, so I just kept making HSTs in the hopes that it'd all work itself out.  #liveinhope #ignoranceisbliss

I made 2 rows of these blocks and attached it to Kathryn's on point log cabins. 

In the photos the value looks a bit dark, and now I'm reconsidering it... No!! This is how it is and how it's going!! I am officially happy with my addition, and am excited to pass it on.   God these things are stressful!!!  Look at me - it's the fourth (or 5th) idea, already sewn and attached and I'm still anxious it's not quite right!! Ahhh!! Love and hate the whole process (the love definitely outweighs the hate, I promise).  I just hope Kelly likes it, and that whoever gets it next knows what to do with it! lol.

(As an aside, there are 5 log cabins - 1 is folded over the fence so I could take a photo... > that's my outtake.  there are 14 diamonds in each of my rows.)

Now to collect my next box and see what I can do with the next top.  Wish me luck! (clearly I need it)

E xx