Saturday, January 9, 2021

I thought today would be an easy day. I’d get my Alias Grace block finished and stitch together a few squares for half-square triangles. I knew the block I was making wasn’t a common one; it took me a long time to find a pattern than I could copy as there was no way I could figure the pattern out from the photo on the chapter cover.

The pattern I found had both templates and paper piecing instructions and I decided on the paper piecing method. The pattern called for several different colours but I was doing mine in only two colours so that complicated things. Some of the units had to be larger so the coloured bits and the background bits worked with the photo in the book.

When I was ready to start paper piecing I realized I could take the sizes from the pattern and piece the various parts of the block together. That worked but when I came to put the blocks together I wasn’t getting the pattern right. My spools in the corner just weren’t working out.

I had to add some coloured edges onto the centre. My flying geese weren’t the size they should have been but, because I didn’t paper piece them, I probably had the measurements wrong. I ripped apart a corner piece but when I finally figured out how it all fit together I needed to make another one – the way I did it in the first place was correct.

The block is done now although it isn’t the right size and I may lose some points when I stitch it to the other blocks.

Those half-square triangles should be easy work for the rest of the afternoon.