A month or two ago I made 16 patch blocks using 2 inch squares when I should have been using 2.5″ squares of fabric. I made a lot of blocks before I realised I had made an error.
Not a world ending problem at all though some rather pithy language did occur at the time. Truth be told, I like sewing together little squares of fabric. I used some of the 16 patches to make my Big & LIttle Patch Quilt but what to do with the rest?
I, of course, started cruising the web to come up with ideas on what do to do with the rest of the blocks (I made a lot of the wrong blocks). Finally I saw this quilt on the web. It’s described as alternating sawtooth stars and uneven 9 patch blocks.
That gave me inspiration and my creative juices started flowing. A dark grey background, scrappy centre sawtooth stars, scrappy centre uneven 9 patch blocks and a lighter grey corner blocks for the 9 patches. Yes that would work!
Here are my first 9 blocks:
Definite possibilities but I did not want this to be a charity baby quilt and I still had scrappy 16- patch blocks. Another row and column were added.
I liked the size better but didn’t like the fact that the corners were different on each side. That really bothered me. So it grew again Why, yes I had made that many incorrect 16 patches before realising my mistake . I added another row and column and the quilt was square:
Please excuse the craptastic picture. It’s the only one I have at this size. However, at 60″ square I had the same issue I have with all 5 foot square quilts. It’s to me, a weird, not very useful size.
So back to making 16-patch blocks as i had finally run out. A total of 10 more blocks, for a quilt that would finish 60″ x 84″. That works as a large lap quilt. Great for snuggling on the couch on cold winter days.
Laid out on the bed I liked this much more:
And finally the sewn together quilt top:
I’m really happy with this. We have obligations the next few weekends that take precedence over quilting (our wedding and honeymoon) but after that we need to find a wide backing for this. Once that’s done I’m scheduling Marc and I for a few quilting sessions on the long arm machines at Whirls & Swirls . I want this one on the couch sooner rather than later.
We’ve been playing tag on the Monday blog link ups, and I had to see what you’ve been working on. I really like that setting for the sixteen patch blocks!
Great decision to keep enlarging your quilt – it is so much more interesting with all of those blocks. And, you have the added bonus of using up all of those extra blocks.
pretty quilt and a great way to use those blocks
That’s a great design to use up your 16 patches! I love how the dark blue background makes the pretty colors pop! Have a wonderful wedding and honeymoon!
Ooh-la-la, Yvonne. That is one pretty mistake. And I’m still chortling over how many wrong sized 16-patch blocks you made originally. No wonder there was some pithy language spoken. HA! Thanks for linking up, and I’m PINing your beautiful inspiration for anyone else who may have made a mistake or purposely makes 2″ – 16-patch blocks (like me, perhaps!). ~smile~ Roseanne
Absolutely beautiful! What an awesome mistake those 2” squares turned out to be. I love the scrappy goodness in this quilt. What a great design! Pinning.
Wow! What a perfect use of your blocks, love your creative setting!
Love…love…love this quilt I have so many two inch squares that will make beautiful sixteen patch squares. I’m so glad you showed this quilt, now I know what to do with the oops I made. Would you kindly tell us the sizes of the other cuts as you can probably tell, I’m rather new to making up a pattern.thanks
Teresa
This is glorious! I smile at the thought that in the end you were making more 16 patch blocks on purpose to finish it. How good it must feel to have two amazing quilts made from this “mistake” and no spare blocks hanging around. Thanks for linking to Colour & Inspiration Tuesday
Mismatched corners bother me too and I have to force myself to move forward instead of adding to. Your’s looks so cheerful.
I made a quilt very similar to this and loved it. This would be a great pattern for me to make the little 4 patches into 16 patches and go from there. By the time I get my huge box of 2.25 inch squares into 4 patches……
Well, this is quite lovely! I had to laugh at how it grew and grew and grew! I would have been bothered by the mismatched corners as well and think you did the right thing. It’s really pretty with the dark background!
Very pretty!
Pretty scrap quilt! The bright colors for the stars really do shine!
What a lucky mistake you made! This quilt is full of life and colour and fun. Love it. And speaking of fun, have some at the upcoming nuptials.
What a fabulous use of units that were made the wrong size. Love it! Thanks for sharing the story behind it.
I hope your wedding and honeymoon are everything you ever wished them to be. Live happily ever after.
Oh I am so glad you made the wrong size blocks for the first quilt – this is amazing!! Love the dark setting – it makes your colors pop!
Of course you will be too busy to keep quilting, with your wedding and honeymoon coming up! Congratulations indeed!
It’s awesome! I love the secondary design that appears with the “4-Patch cornerstones”. Great job on using up lots of little squares. All the best for the wedding. ;^)
What a fabulous super scrappy version of Angie’s quilt! LOVE it!!!
Hello Yvonne,
I really like your stars, they just look awesome. (grins) The finished quilt will surely be gorgeous.
Have a great Saturday and love greetings the sewing enthusiastic Andrea
Oh! I do like this, even if it started out as a result of a tiny mistake. I much prefer dark backgrounds to light backgrounds, and in this case the darker colour lets the bright colours shine. Thank you for linking up to the Peacock Party.
Wow, this is the happiest of accidents! Love how this turned out and yes, I’d rush to get it quilted too so I could use it. I also adore the name. Perfect for this quilt. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.
Love how the dark background makes the colors pop! Great layout you designed – and it will fit well on your black-frame bed. Good luck with finding the perfect backing 🙂 xo Melanie
http://www.mellmeyer.de
Hello. Do you have the name of your 2 background colors? Thank you, Cindy. Nrsi2000@aol.com
The dark grey with the colors is such a great combination!
Now that’s turning lemons into lemonade! I hate it when I make an error like that (and it happens way too often), and its usually after I’ve made LOTS of blocks, too. What a gorgeous result, though — you’ll have a beautiful sofa quilt to curl up under when its cold. I LOVE the bright colors against the blacks, it really makes those blocks sing!
Congratulations on your wedding! Wishing you many, many happy & loving years together — my hubs & I have been married over 45 years now, the time has passed by SO quickly.
I love this quilt. It looks both traditional and modern at the same time. Was there a specific pattern that you used?