Saturday 15 February 2014

Nearly Insane Quilt - 1st Anniversary Review

Fabadashery - Nearly Insane Quilt , February 2014
Fabadashery - Nearly Insane Quilt , February 2014
It is exactly one year since I started my journey on the Nearly Insane quilt.   This morning I have laid out all the pieces on the floor, so I can get an overview of how I am doing.  I have done 59 blocks which represents nearly 70% of the quilt. Doing a few sums I reckon I have another 6 months to go on the quilt - so August 2014.

Red and white Nearly Insane Quilt
Red and white Nearly Insane Quilt
You would think that I would be tempted to lay it out more often, but it took ages to place all the bits and pieces.  As soon as I can, I hope to start sewing some blocks together, but at the moment there always seems to be a piece of the puzzle missing. For now, just having a photographic record will suffice - I know my photos will be the source of much contemplation over the next few weeks.  
Electric Quilt EQ5 - Nearly Insane Quilt
Glass half full? Glass half empty?
You can see from this photo how much I have left to do - all English paper pieced.  I am pretty much up to date with the sashing, but even with my 12 Days of Sewing over Christmas, I still have lots of cornerstones to do.  Part of me is pleased with the progress, the other part is frustrated with how little time I have to work on it, so I can move onto the next project.

Sashing, cornerstones and blocks - Nearly Insane Quilt
Sashing, cornerstones and blocks - Nearly Insane Quilt
Here are the statistics for the quilt so far ....
Blocks = 59
Edge blocks = 20
Cornerstones =44
Half Cornerstone = 11
Sashes = 135
Border Units = 13

And here are the sums for how many pieces I have done so far. 
Blocks and Edge Blocks = 3424
Cornerstones = 396
Half Cornerstones = 66
Sashes = 135
Border Units = 52
TOTAL = 4073
Electric Quilt EQ5 - Nearly Insane Quilt
Electric Quilt EQ5 - Nearly Insane Quilt
From the Electric Quilt image, you can see that the quilt is filling up with the blocks.  I have also spent a bit of time adjusting the borders, so that the chevron border appears less heavy. I think this stage is the hardest part. 

I can see the end in sight, but currently I feel in a hurry to get it done.  Lately my sewing time has really been curtailed by my day job, and I am eager to be working on other projects, but I am quite disciplined when it comes to finishing projects, before starting the next.  I could really do with a sewing retreat.
 

18 comments:

  1. beautiful work - I love watching it grow.

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  2. Wow! Just...wow! Don't be discouraged, you are doing great! This is really spectacular and is going to be the most amazing quilt!

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  3. Amazing!!! This will be a gorgeous quilt. Looks absolutely fantastic so far.

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  4. I really like those cornerstones. Much more interesting than a plain square.

    Barbara in MD
    www.stashoverflow.wordpress.com

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  5. Frances, you should be quite proud of your progress. It is an amazing amount of pieces that you have sew together so far. I totally understand the day job interfering with our sewing. Keep going you are almost there!!

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  6. OMG...
    First time I've heard about this quilt was in your blog.
    Yours is amazing, feel pleased, my dear new friend. :-)

    And I'm delighted to see it on EQ5.
    Did you do this project?

    I've come to your blog due to DJ tutorials. I've just begin it last week, already have 14 blocks done. Thank you so much for your tutorials and pls continue to share your beautiful work with us...

    Hugs from Brazil,
    Lia

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  7. Oh wow! You should be as pleased as punch with your progress, your quilt is just so amazing. Pity about the day job, I know exactly what you mean. Happy anniversary!

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  8. Absolutely no doubt about it - you should be thrilled!! It is a unique and very beautiful quilt and clearly a long term project - and that is part of its value . I love the way the zig zag border complements the fabric choices - great in a plain red. Thank goodness for the day job or your hands could be worn out with such detailed work.
    Hilda

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  9. I think it's exquisite, and you should definitely be happy with your progress. I think you will miss this project when it's finished. Just lovely.

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  10. this is really wonderful! truly "nearly insane" but it will be a masterpiece. the red and white is so striking!

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  11. I think you should be thrilled with your progress, Frances! I continue to be amazed at the minuteness of so many of the pieces for each block and the number of pieces in some of the blocks. And you've done so much in a year. Truly, I think you should give yourself a few pats on the back.

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  12. Worth the effort - and I don't underestimate the effort. Particularly admirable is that you have a day job as well and you have been doing other projects too! I am sure you will be both glad and sorry at the end. Glad about what you have made, but sorry that it is finished.

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  13. Nearly Insane? Appropriately named. Love seeing the progress of your beautiful quilt. Keep on plugging away. And when you are done.... You will look back on all the hours and work and you won't remember your negative feelings. You can do it!

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  14. It looks so fantastic.

    Greetings, Manuela

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  15. It's looking great! Nearly there, just a bit more to go. We are all cheering for you!

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  16. Darn those day jobs that interfere with the fun things! The quilt looks fabulous and you've really accomplished so much in the last year. Kudos to you!

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  17. It looks amazing, you're a genious!

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  18. Simply amazing. I can't imagine how many hours you have invested in that quilt.

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