Excuses, Excuses

I meant to post on Friday evening.  I meant to post yesterday as well.  Somehow, I just didn't get to it.  And this is a big reason why it didn't happen as I intended.  I've been wanting to make a Spiderweb quilt for some time.  Then I saw one at the Mingei Museum--scrappy and stunning. 

Synchronicity was at work when I picked up Material Obsession 2 for an inspirational color jolt.  I saw it there as well.  And knowing that it pays to listen to these things, especially when it comes to all things creative, I started my own scrappy Sis Boom Spiderweb.

If you want to join along, I'm providing a guide to my "method".  I've chosen a solid white background but you are not limited to solids.  Your own imagination is the limit.  (I think pin dots would be one stunning alternative.)  Gather up your scraps and cut them into varying widths and lengths.  I have widths between 2 1/4 inch and 1 1/4 inch.  Lengths range from 2 inches to 8 1/2 inches. 

Cut squares of the background fabric 14 3/4 inches.  Cut into two half square triangles by cutting diagonally across the square.  You can certainly make your squares smaller.  I chose to go a bit large because I want my strips to be wide enough to show off design details.  Wider strips need a bigger square to maintain a pleasing proportion.

Mark each triangle 4 1/2 inches from right angle along each side.  (That's 4 1/2 inches from the pointy top down to the right and down to the left.)  Find the center of the hypotenuse.  (That would be the center of the long base of the triangle.)  Mark 1/4 inch from each side of center.  Draw a line from left side mark to left of center mark.  Draw line from right side mark to right of center mark. 

Lay first fabric strip face down on right side of background.  Line up edge of strip with your marked line.  Sew a 1/4 inch seam.  Flip and gently press.

Select second strip.  With right sides together sew strips.  Do not sew through background. 

Flip and press new strip.  Move on to successive strips following the same process.  Each section should have six or seven strips.  Strips do not align for the final assembly so you are free to vary strip widths as you please.

Once you have a side completed, spray with sizing and press.

Turn it over and trim edges.

Carefully trim off the background portion beneath the strips that has been acting as your guide.

Repeat for the other side of the triangle.  To assemble, sew half squares triangles together to form blocks.  Sew blocks together to form quilt top.  Proceed with quilting and binding. 

I hope you'll try this one.  It's an enormous amount of fun.  And it's never a bad thing to work on projects that eat into your scrap bins.   You'll have to excuse me, there are more scrappy strips waiting for their transformation.