AndreeBergeron wrote: Thanks for the math. I worked on them yesterday and its just the right size. With Margo's hints from last month it is going smoothly. Of course I haven't put the strips together yet. One step at a time.

denise

Mary Ellen,
you are right, it feels awkward to be working on the sashing first. For me, it's not too bad since I changed only the orange/red for different yellows, and put in more greens, and the bleu will be turquoise. I played safe... Good luck with all of this, don't get too behind, there is a lot of work in the sashings!

Andree, thanks for the suggestion about background color. I am fairly certain what that will be, but it still feels as though I am working backwards. I have never made sashing before I made the main blocks. Since I work intuitively and in a scrappy fashion, I really need to have the main blocks done before I decide on sashing. It appears that will be next month, so I can wait. The last time I made a TQS BOM, it wasn't finished for two years anyway.

Also, you might want to take a look at my video about how to test your seam allowance for accuracy: [url]learn/classrooms/[/url][/quote]


Excellent video Margo.

To make sure my pieced center would be accurate to an inch, I paper-pieced them on graph paper Maybe I went overboard with this, but it worked...
Regarding the math for this sashing, I used paper-piecing method (with vellum) for the small triangle, with 3/8 of seam allowance around the template. It required 7 yellow (orange on the kit) strips (1 3/4 inch wide) to get 176 triangles and 32 half triangles, and 7 green strips, to get 192 triangles. I kept 1/4 inch seam allowance with the add-a-quarter ruler when I assembled the triangles - I did not find it made too much bulk - I want to make sure it remains stable - I was affraid 1/8 would be too thin.

Andrée

Maybe try to find your "main" background color that other colors will be up against?

I bought the Tri-Recs rulers years ago and never used them. Thanks for the tip to use them for this project. I am going to hang back and lurk a bit until we get to the month with the New York Beauty blocks. I am just spinning my wheels in trying to decide on appropriate colors. Everything I have tried looks very circus-y. Of course, if you look at the designers' colors at this point, they don't look real promising, either, but they know where they are going on this and I don't. It is counter-intuitive for me to select sashing fabrics before the main blocks are done and given the amount of work involved, I would prefer to wait. It looks as though March may have instructions for the arced blocks, so I may not get too far behind. So, for now, the project is going into the "time out" box unless inspiration strikes before March.

Great idea HarleyDood1!

Here is a link to the Tri-Recs: http://www.joann.com/wrights-ez-tri-recs-tools-quilt-ruler/prd1080/

Please check with your local quilt shop or ask them to order it for you. We need to help these folks stay in business!

If you are paper piecing these borders I have discovered the TRI-RECS TOOLS are wonderful for cutting the template pieces. They are just the right angles for the triangles in the sashing. I believe I will cut 2" strips for this set and then cut individual triangle templates using the Tri-Recs Tools. I just wish I had discovered this before I paper pieced the first set of sashing.

Elaine53 wrote:
OH!! But....it WOULD be a great alternative!

Margo, thank you for suggesting the video. All of your videos are so well executed and easy to follow.

Also, I didn't get creative with my strips, but thank you! They're just all stacked up alternating colors so I can document they're all done.

Elaine, I like the way you changed the narrow border!

Also, you might want to take a look at my video about how to test your seam allowance for accuracy: [url]learn/classrooms/[/url]

I finished my strips for month 2 sashing. I know that's the easy part, but I didn't have time to really get into the triangles today. I did check my widths as I went and when I finished. I used a prior comment about sewing a scant 1/4" seam and it worked perfectly! Thank you to whomever posted that hint.

I am probably going to leave the green, although I am considering your critique, too. Here is a photo of the month 1 sashing, which may make it clearer. I may take the orange out at this point and make the sashing similar in color, but different fabrics, from month 1.