Here is a PinWheel Quilt top that I finished up last night by sashing the blocks together and then sashing rows. I really made it up as I went along, finding left over white background fabric from the pinwheels I had actually constructed about 10 years ago and never completed.
I was sorting in my sewing room last night because I knew I need to do something methodical and creative because my brain and body were very tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Working through a project is more mentally soothing that a early bed time. Especially during the week when the next days's expectations are still hanging in the air.
Sew, as I was sorting I started reorganising the "Under Completion" project boxes into high priority and one day priorit, and came across these pinwheel blocks I had made in about 2000 from metallic multilayerd fabrics that were from a Christmas release. Because they were metallic fabrics, they were very suseptible to fraying and stretching across the grain. Disheartening! And when I laid them out on the floor last night, there turned out to be 15 blocks - just one shy of a full square of 16. So instead of making it smaller, I used what little fabric remained to make one more block to finish it off.
(I really tested my skills and memory last night trying to remember how to make a pinwheel block!)
And then when I had finished the new final block, I found it a half inch smaller than the rest of the blocks. Which means, they were all trimmed down to 11 inch squares. Then I made 11 inch x 3 inch sashing blocks and sewed the blocks into rows.
For the first time I really ignored the balance of colour across the quilt top, and I think I was rewarded quite nicely. Usually I play with the layout of the blocks, but this was all random, as it was laid out, is where it stayed.
I considered getting technical and measuring the length of each column to make the column sashing, but ended up making a big ole 3 inch sash and started sewing onto each column and then trimming and squaring off at each end.
As I sashed the top and bottom of each column, that first border was pretty much made when all the columns were sashed together. And all I needed to do was sew a sash on either side.
I've packed this quilt top away in the Finished box, but I have plans to find a complimentary fabric to sew as another bigger border. Or I could just quilt as is, and then bind with the complimentary fabric. Who knows, but so far, this one is finished!
I think in this pic you can see how the fabrics and metallic and shiny. The background fabric is a white on white fireworks burst pattern.
And here's a picture of Sol just waiting for me to leave the room so she can pounce on all the blocks and throw them around. She's a bad kitty!
