Monday, May 23, 2011

New Progress on My Kool Kaleidoscope Quilt

I had a chance over the weekend to work on my Kool Kaleidoscope.  If you remember, this was my first round:


Now, this is the strata for round 2:


I chose a couple of the same fabrics from the first strata to give the piece some consistency.  I had a couple of problems with this strata though.  Even though I do not stretch the fabric as I sew the strips together, I ended up with a curved strata when all the pieces were sewn together.  Actually, as I added each strip, the curve got curvier and curvier.  I don't remember this being a problem the first time around.

I did hear somewhere that if I sew one strip on from one end and then start the next strip from the other end, I will not have this curing problem.  Does anyone know if this is true??

The second problem was self inflicted and is a major no-no.  I cut out the first two pie-shaped pieces and could not get the rows to match up when I laid them on top of each other (fabric front facing) to click the seams together.  Then I realized that the orange dot fabric on the one strata was wider than the orange dot on the second strata!!  Oh No!!!  I am not sure how I managed that because I THOUGHT I had followed Ricky's directions on cutting.  Guess not.  So, I had to unpick the one row, cut the 1/4" off it, sew it together and start again.

Thankfully, I found the problem out before I cut more than two pieces - otherwise I would not have had enough fabric left to make the 6 pie-shaped pieces!!!

So, even though I do not have a design wall in place to give you the perfect look, here is the results of the first two sections:


I am not thrilled with the two reds that touch each other on the outside side of the purple piece, but I am hoping that after it is sewn together the reds will not touch each other.  Also, I am going to try sewing one row from one end and then sewing the next row from the opposite end!!  I'll let you know if it works better!!

I am going to get my design wall in place this week so that the next row will fit in the picture!!  :--))

8 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Yes - you should sew long strips from opposite directions - helps with the stretching and wonkies. Use some starch mist when pressing each strip (and press not iron). Check your measurement after each sew/press step as sometimes your seam is a little more/little less and you get a little 'bump' out that can be trimmed so the next seam is smooth.

I like the color placement and settings - very nicely done.

Chris said...

WOW!!! The black really makes it all pop. I love it :)

Carol G said...

I like the black too. Glad you caught your measuring error early on. You will like it more with each round you add!

Linda said...

Im nearly finished with mine. Doing some applique in the corners. Not too thrilled with my fabric choices.

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

Oh wow! That's beautiful! I haven't made anything that complicated in a really long time. Good for you!
xx, shell

Pauline said...

Kris, that looks fabulous! My mind boggles at the details of the cutting and colour placement.

Sherrill said...

Ooo, that looks BEAUTIFUL! It's gonna be fantastic when you're done.

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Looks so effective with those bright colours!