A Quilty Coaster Ride

Tonight I was sewing to help melt the worries of work away. Sometimes a little sew time is all I need to lift my mood and sometimes that sew time is surprisingly  productive. I've been working with this great stripe fabric that has had me on a quilting roller coaster ride. 

I hung the fabric from a tree while I doused it with starch. It's a new technique that I think I will be adopting for future endeavors. I love how stiff and almost paper like the fabric has become. 

I was headed to the peak of the lift hill as I purchased the yardage, dreaming about how I might use it. I zoomed down the first hill to a low when I realized the fabric has too many variations to experiment with this graphic quilt design I've been playing with. I banked to the left and through a loop when I came up with a new idea, then the coaster plunged lower as I realized I was not using my fabric wisely. 

My new idea, which may become the center for a medallion style quilt. I'm still not sure.

I was following the method of making half square triangles (HST) whereby you take two squares of fabric, placing them right sides together and draw a line diagonally from one corner to another, stitching 1/4" on each side of the line and then cutting them apart. It wasn't until I had 48 of these that I realized how important it was to take note of the direction of the diagonal line when using a striped directional fabric as one the squares. As you will see in the final picture of this post I need some of these HST that have stripes that go in one direction, and other HST that have stripes in the other direction.

  

Fortunately, (if I may continue my roller coaster metaphor) I think I've reached a second lift hill in this ride and am ready for the twists and turns that will follow. I have one portion of my design complete!

I think this progress calls for a little party. I'm linking up with the WIP Wednesday Party at Freshly Pieced Modern Quilts. I really hope I make a win from Canton Village Quilt Works, the sponsor of the party.