Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Sneak Chicopee~k

The time has come to untie and cut into this bundle of pretties:  Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt.
I admit that these fabrics are a little outside of my comfort zone, outside of my "norm" (the purples especially) but I have enjoyed this bundle from afar for the last few weeks, and decided the time was right to whip up a whole bunch of Half Square Triangles.


I am often asked how I manage to make my half square triangle blocks looks so perfect.  The reason is simple but time consuming ....


... I over-size my blocks and trim endlessly.  It is really boring, and requires multiple cups of coffee and lots of distractions.  You try not to count, nor look at the huge  pile of un-trimmed HST, but  e v e n t u a l l y  you do get there.
3 inch x 3 inch HSTs

And then you are ready to work on a layout/design.  


I have taken a very traditional star block and up-scaled the size, much like Jeni's Giant Vintage Star Quilt and Tutorial.   I re-jigged block size and the layout by alternating white fabric in the center of the block, and I have also pieced the large triangles using HST's.  Not difficult, not original, but traditional and definitely effective.

Chicopee Giant Vintage Star
Quilt top measures 40.5 inches x 40.5 inches

And yes, I made far too many HSTs.  I think I have enough leftover HSTs to make another quilt!

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

67 comments:

  1. Wow! Looks great! Nice and bright:)

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  2. Beautifully bold, love the sharp angles and the windmill that appears in the centre from the white fabric. What a standout!

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  3. That is a truly striking design. You have amazing patience - probably assisted by the coffee - to get through that many of them.
    It looks gorgeous.

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  4. That is so awesome. Love your take on the big star and totally admire your perseverance for half square triangles. They drive me crazy!

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  5. Chicopee looks great used this way. I'm not a huge fan either but you've used the line in a wonderful way.

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  6. That is SO funny about not looking at the untrimmed hst pile. I was trimming hst's this past weekend and was so excited because the pile was nearly gone... until I stood up and saw the other pile hiding behind my sewing machine :( lol!

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  7. I love your HST! The quilt layout is awesome...
    I have the same feelings for Chicopee's purplish fabrics, but then I love the line!

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  8. WOW - that's a great idea for using HST. SOmetimes I make a bunch and don't have a project to use it in - I"ll definitely try this idea :).

    Thanks Rita for sharing such a beautiful design once again.

    -Q

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  9. Love this one! Definitely nothing wrong with having two of these quilt tops. Beautiful work as usual!

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  10. Completely fabulous! So crisp and lovely!

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  11. I love the crispness of the white with the chicopee fabrics so fresh.

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  12. Wow! Ilove this quilt - looks stunning. What a clever use of HSTs!

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  13. Holy Cow that's gorgeous!If the quilts would always come out this stunning then the extra fabric is worth it!

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  14. I love how you turned all those tiny HST into a huge star. It's gorgeous!

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  15. WOW. I had no idea I could do that with HST. That is beautiful.

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  16. Rita,
    You are simply amazing! You take a common thing and turn it to a beautiful item!

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  17. Hi Rita, a few weeks ago I got some of Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee fabric in my Quilters Take Manhattan goody bag and I haven't used it yet - I think you've just totally inspired me. Your quilt top is gorgeous :)

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  18. So striking Rita - looking forward to seeing it finished too!

    Christine xo

    p.s. I owe you are return email, apologies for the delay!

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  19. it's hard work to be so precise, huh?
    very beautiful work...

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  20. love it. this is one of my favorite traditional quilt designs by far and your's is so crisp and fresh!

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  21. Definitely fresh modern and delicious.

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  22. wow! I've been eyeing it off, but I know if I buy it i'll stash it forever with my other Denyse fabrics....

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  23. Hi Rita,
    I don't know if your interested, but I just did a tutorial on my blog on how to make half square triangles without trimming back. You can use a special ruler, but you don't need too, you can just use a normal quilting ruler :) http://www.sewlittlefabric.blogspot.com.au/

    I love your blog!
    Hugs Paula

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  24. That's just gorgeous! And I trim all my HST's too on the rare occasions I make them.

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  25. gorgeous Rita, I love it!! I have Chicopee ladder dots in charcoal, orange and what I just call dark pink, and have used them so much - have reordered all three prints.

    Save those extra HST's, they'll patiently wait another project, then sew up super quickly since they're all trimmed and ready to roll!! see you, Catherine x

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  26. Gorgeous. I just finished my second version of Jeni's pattern and really enjoyed seeing yet another version. Thanks for posting.

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  27. Good morning, by how much to you oversize your HST's before trimming?
    thanks... nancy

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  28. Can you give a lesson on the over sizing and trimming without OVER trimming to get a perfect size block?

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  29. Wow, this is so stunning! Such a striking way to show off those Chicopee colours. Your quilts are all so inspiring :)

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  30. Love your design! I also overcut my HST's and trim. It is tedious, but in the end, the accuracy is worth it.

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  31. Wow! Looks awesome. Your work is immaculate, very impressive. I love your pictures and how you explain things so all can understand. Hopefully one day I will sew like that.

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  32. Wow! Beautiful star!
    I was wondering how you take your photos so the objects have no background? They seem to float and it looks really great!

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  33. I want to thank you for your tips. This star is amazing and I think its fantastic too. It seems different from your last few quilts. I admire you very, very, much. I have started buying stripped fabric for my borders. You are my quilting hero.

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  34. OH MY GOSH RITA!! Fantastic! I was inching my way down the page and then this beautiful colorscape came into view and my eyes popped out of my head. SERIOUSLY!! I have really loved the D.S. fabrics but this quilt really displays them so nicely. swooooonnn!!

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  35. What a fabulous, colourful giant star! Love it.

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  36. Oooh!! I really, really love the aesthetic of this. It's beautiful.

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  37. That's totally how I do my half square triangle blocks.
    You end up with a bit of waste fabric, but they look so much better. :)

    Beautiful quilt, too. I'll have to try this one.

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  38. I *LOVE* this! I do the same thing with hst...they are so hard to get right if you don't make them big and then cut them down. This is a great idea for a quilt. Any chance you could post a pdf so we can download it to save? :)

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  39. I to wouldn't mind a tutorial on how to do this. I tried it once and it just didn't work out. I do not know what I did wrong. Beautiful quilt.

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  40. Your quilt is amazing! I do my hst's the same way - extra work but most definitely worth it. I like to trim them in batches (10 or 12) and take breaks in between!!

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  41. Love your choice of patterns! I can't stop staring at that fabric bundle - WANT!

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  42. Very, very nice. I especially enjoyed seeing the pile of trimmings. Somehow I always think those piles are pretty. Probably because they represent so much careful work!

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  43. Oh, I love this! I feel a bit similar about Chicopee, the colours are not ones I'd typically choose, but it's just so pretty!

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  44. It's wonderful - you did a an awesome job! :)

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  45. Love it, and I love your honest tip!

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  46. Super. Share with us; what do you do with your scraps/trimmings? I put all mine into a small pillowcase and when it's completely stuffed full, sew up the end and send it to the local animal shelter. They make great cat or small dog beds.
    The clinic staff say the animals love them and the bonus for them is that the pillows have human smell.
    Happy Sewing!

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  47. Beautiful - so clever! I just love it!

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  48. WOW you are just so very clever!! Love it to pieces

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  49. it's wonderful ! It's so bright. I love it !
    Your blog is beautiful. I'll come back !

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  50. oh what a pretty quilt design you have there!

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  51. So stunning! I love this quilt and I've pinned it to my "Quilty Goodness" board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!). Feel free to follow me if you'd like: http://pinterest.com/lipglass/quilty-goodness/

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  52. Wow! Great job! I wish I was patient enough to take the time to make my HSTs look so neat.

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  53. Yes, trimming is the way to go!

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  54. I was looking for a quick quilt to make for a friend who is undergoing a major cancer surgery when I happened upon this. I made each HST larger and added a border, and it turned out lovely. Thank you for the idea...many years later. :-)

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