Quilters' Chat

I was making it for a QOV, smaller than my usual quilts, so it wasn't as daunting, then I discovered it was far easier than I anticipated.  Essentially, it's half a log cabin that looks like a quarter when done, with the center in one corner and the layers on two sides.  I thought it would take a lot of up and down - add a side (half a layer), trim for each block separately, but when you are doing a stack of blocks (I did 35), you can do some modified strip quilting along the way for more efficient flow and less getting up and down. 

• I made the center squares first, stacked them up next to strips for what was going to be the first side and second side (I suspected I could do that much without squaring off)
• I laid out the strip first and put the square on top to sew.  That's when I realized I could strip quilt by just leaving the strip on the sewing machine and putting the squares next to each other as I went.
• After I had sewn all the squares to the strips, then I could iron and cut them apart, squaring as I went, much faster than doing it separately for every single square.  Of course, this only works if you don't mind some repetition.  Complete repetition can be avoided with shorter strips or more different strips, mixing, and more different strips for each additional layer.
• Repeat with the next layer, ironing consistently
• Each successive layer requires more strips, and may have longer leftover "tags", which can be used for more squares later or used in some other fashion.  They can be the same or different, depending whether you want a more patterned or more scrappy look but for best effect as a corner, the center square should be a single, high contrast fabric.  It can be the same size or different than the strips that are added on as layers.
• I trimmed each side as I went then squared off the whole when I was done adding layers.
• I mixed up the direction of the blocks to maximize the scrappy appearance, but they can all be line up the same direction to good effect, too.