Going against the grain!

I've  always been rubbish at traditional patchwork partly because I came to quilting via embroidery and didn't have much idea of the basics and partly because I try to go too quickly. What amazes me after a lifetime of dressmaking and sewing is just how hard it is to sew two pieces of fabric together. I measure twice or more times before I cut, I try to get my pieces cut accurately and they look right but sew them together and they aren't!

So being a Craftsy junky and also having an eye for a bargain, I saw a Craftsy class called "Piece like a 

Pro" with Donna Lynn Thomas and it was on sale! So I signed up! I'd never heard of her, but she's written several books and is very well known and is a very good teacher. In the class Donna shows how to make four very traditional blocks, but covers a lot of basics which I can use in my rather untraditional quilts.

Apparently it's all a matter of working with the grain of the fabric and understanding how squares, triangles and other shapes can be sewn together. So I've learned the difference between half and quarter square triangles, how to make a pressing plan so the seams will butt and the block will lie flat, how to line up and cut shapes with the straight grain and how to get an accurate 1/4 inch seam.

These little squares show what Donna calls the four patch pop! When the seams are manipulated so the middle lies flat! How cool is that!

And here is the block with almost matching points and on the back

Four patch pops galore!

I've also made this

Where the middle is almost in the middle and it's lying flat well flattish.

And this, where the points almost meet

Sadly sewing two pieces of fabric together so the edges line up, the seam is straight, all the points are aligned etc isn't ever going to be my strong poin and I ask myself if it really matters in terms of my "Art". Well I think it does matter in terms od disciplining myself to take more time planning my projects and thinking them through before launching myself bull at a gate fashion. Hence the pieces in these two blocks are supposed to have the same orientation but right at the beginning I sewed the first two triangles the opposite way round without realising! Never mind.

When it's done and quilted everyone will think I planned it that way! Who am I to argue!