More Ts, Please

I started on two more T blocks a few weeks ago using the jungle leaf fabric I bought in Missouri. I had to put them away during Fair week and for my sister's visit, but I pulled them out this morning and had them done in no time.

I think the fabric is not ideal for this block, but oh well; I like it and certainly am not replacing it with something else.

When I had those two blocks on the "design wall" (otherwise known as a curtain) I could see that I only had six more to do to get the 20 I need.

I had a few fabrics already cut and decided it was time to get it all done--make my final choices and be done with it. This meant I also had to decide which fabric to use for the alternating blocks. After looking at everything I had bought for this quilt and measuring what I had, I thought I was going to have to buy a whole new fabric. The fabric I had planned on using now looks too girly. I no longer liked it for this quilt.

But then I found a fabric I really liked but only had one yard of. I need three. It occurred to me that I could possibly buy more. A longer-than-I-wished search on the internet found me one supplier that stilled carried it. (It was copyrighted 2008.) I went ahead and ordered the two yards while I could get it. (The price was too high for me to get the additional "one just-in-case yard" that I wanted.) Things are coming together in any case, and this quilt is starting to feel more settled. Very good.

Once I had my plans in place, I started cutting and cutting and cutting...

and making little piles of pieces for blocks.

One of the first things to do for this block is mark a bunch of squares with diagonal stitching lines. I got a new tool in Missouri for just this job:

Instead of marking a line corner to corner and then trying to sew a 1/4" on each side of it, you line up the ruler and draw on the actual sewing lines. It wasn't the exact tool I was looking for--I think the Fons and Porters one is a better design but it's very hard to find, and the one time it did see it I couldn't pay the price they wanted for it. This one was cheap and works almost as well.

After all the cutting was done, I sewed all the half square triangles. (That's what I was marking above.) Then I was done with sewing for a while. It didn't help that the next step was to mark the diagonal on 16x6 2-inch squares. What is 16x6? 96? Oh my goodness, I can't bear the thought of it!! It will be a bit of a chore to do all six blocks at once, but each step I finish, I'll never have to do again on this quilt. That is very appealing to me right now. I'm sure sometime I'll have the fortitude to face marking lines on 96 squares.

Once those are done and my fabric arrives, I'll be getting a 9.5" square ruler to size all the T blocks and cut out the alternate blocks. Then pull out the design wall (aka a flannel sheet hung over the curtain) and start playing with arrangements. Sounds like fun, don't it?