Turnabout Patchwork - Modern Shoofly Block

Teresa's Flying Rainblow quilt on the cover of her book! 

     I am so very happy to share my version of Teresa's "Flying Rainbow" quilt, from her terrific new book, Turnabout Patchwork.  (click here to purchase, if you don't win my giveaway - details at the end of the blog!)  If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome!  I like to share the good, bad and sometimes funny aspects of making quilts, and this quilt had all of them! 

     This blog hop experience has been a delight from day one.  Teresa was very organized, and communicated often and well!  I chose to do a version of her Modern Shoofly block, the "Flying Rainbow" quilt that is on the cover of her book.  I love her version, but didn't want to copy it.  One of the things I love about quilting is how the same pattern can look so different with different fabric choices.   Give the same pattern to ten quilters, and you will get ten very different quilts! 

     Now I have a great big stash of fabrics.  I had in mind a children's "tossed" sort of print for the background, but didn't have enough of a that type of fabric in my stash.   Although I try to support my local quilt shops, I was browsing the internet, and found a  'Dear Stella Moonlight Circus Animal' print on sale (under $5 a yard!) and thought it would be perfect.  It looked like a nice blue background, which I liked a lot.   There was also what I took to  be a companion print,  'Dear Stella Moonlight Merry Go Round' also on sale.  I thought that would be perfect for the border, and the backing.    I ordered just enough of the tossed print for the background, and enough yardage of the other for the backing and border. 

     The tossed circus animals were perfect, and I had some bright chartreuse Kona solid in my stash that picked up some of the accent colors in the print.   I wasn't sure whether to use only the chartreuse for the triangles, or to also use white.  I sewed up a few small blocks to put on my wall to decide.   

Traditional Shoofly block with just chartreuse

Traditional Shoofly block with both white and chartreuse.  I like how the white made the unicorns pop! 

     I liked the energy that using both the white and chartreuse gave to the dark fabric, so worked out a plan for the shoofly block that had colors in opposite corners before doing the cutting!

     This is an easy pattern with good instructions, but my problem with easy patterns sometimes is that I forge ahead, and forget to check the details.  I wanted to make one block as a sample, and at first sewed the pieces together the wrong way. 

The triangles are pointed in the wrong directions!  

     Then when I redid that sample, I had totally messed up a corner.  In all honesty, in a bigger quilt, or on one for myself for watching TV, I'd probably let this go, but I wasn't going to have a decapitated corner on a quilt in an international blog hop!  

     Last year, I had purchased a Bloc_Loc ruler that I had used only once.  I pulled that out, and used it to square up all of the half square triangles before putting the shoofly block together.  It worked like a dream!  All my points turned out pretty well, although some are tucked under the flange.

     After those minor adjustments, the shoofly blocks came together quickly, and I just worked by way through the "turnabout process" block by block without any further problems.  

Getting started with the blocks on the design wall.  This design wall is really working out for me! 

All of the shoofly blocks done!

     I really love how the center part turned out when the blocks were all sewn together!    

     I had decided to do a border a bit wider than Teresa's instructions had indicated, because the 'Merry Go Round' fabric had two rows in its pattern, and I like a bigger border.  

     However, it turned out that the blue backgrounds in the two fabrics were NOT the same.  Arrggghhh!  The Merry Go Round fabric was slightly more muted, and a tad lighter.  I thought it still might work if I put a strip of orange in between the pieces.  I had a small amount of Tiger Lily Kona in my stash. Since I was already enlarging the border, I decided to try a flange to add a color separation without adding any more width. I had never made a flange before, but it was pretty easy. 

    While I really liked the flange, once I put the borders on, I didn't like it.  It really just didn't work for me.  The color difference, which I think is clear in the picture below, was still pronounced even with the flange divider, and I also didn't like the busy-ness of the pattern itself.    Honestly,  I was so disappointed.   

blech! 

     And, I was worried, because it was the holiday season, I was busy with family, and I needed to finish the quilt before my spring college semester started.  The tossed 'Circus Animal' print was still available online, so I ordered up some yardage, and crossed by fingers that it would arrive in time!  Luckily,  it did.

     I carefully picked off the old border, put on a new one (keeping the flange), and got the quilt all pinned and quilted.   I was much happier with this version.  

      I used a big loopy overall quilting, almost bubbles, in a yellow green Aurifil thread that went well with the chartreuse Kona.  I did have to break up the quilting between the center panel and the border to keep the flange from getting sewn.   I bound the quilt with the remainder of my Tiger Lily Kona.  The deep orange picks up the little tigers in the fabric. 

Close up of the quilting

   The 'Merry Go Round' fabric did not go to waste.  I used it for the back, and experimented with a glue stick to match the pattern when piecing the back from three separate pieces.  (Since I had cut it up for the border, I didn't have quite enough for just a two piece back!).  I cannot believe how well that technique worked. Honestly, would you see the seams if I didn't point them out?  Three pieces come together at that point!  I am unabashedly proud of this part of the quilt!  The glue appears to have washed out when I washed the quilt. 

     I love this little quilt.  What a great experience working with Teresa, experimenting with some new techniques, and ending up with a great piece!  

     I know it is hotter than blazes in Australia, where Teresa resides.  We are in the middle of the polar vortex here in the Buffalo, NY area!  

Brrrr, cold and windy!  

        GIVEAWAY!  I am able to give away a pdf copy of the book, so please leave a comment  below, and I will be picking a winner at random after the blog hop ends!  

    ETSY SALE!  Also, for the month of February, my subtly sewing themed collage art work is on sale for 30% off in my ETSY shop.  Please take a look!  

     Thank you, Teresa, for inviting me to take part in this blog hop! 

    Thank you, readers, for taking a look at my blog.  Please come back often.  I have a Snug Harbor Quilts facebook page, and can be found on Instagram @snugharborquilts!  

Here is the Blog Hop Schedule - please check them all out! 

January 30 - Quarter Snow Ball

     Arrowhead

• Jen Shaffer blog: Patterns by Jen
• Lorinda Davis blog: Laurel, Poppy and Pine

     Sweet Bows

• Kate Colleran blog: Seams like a dream
• Sandra Healy blog: Sandra Healy Designs

     Tutti-frutti

• Moira de Carvalho blog: Quilt Design Duo
• Lynn Kane blog: Puppy Girl Designs

     Sun Dunes

• Sarah Goer blog: Sarah Goer Quilts
• Tammy Silvers  blog: Tamarinis

🌟🌟🌟February 1 - Modern Shoofly

     Flying Rainbows

• Gretchen Wylegala blog:  Snug Harbor Quilts

     Flying Butterflies

• Anorina Morris blog: Samelia’s mum
• Raewyn Barge blog: Stitching Farmgirl

     Flying Flags

• Tammy Silvers blog: Tamarinis
• Becca Fenstermaker blog: Pretty Piney

     Flying Confetti

• Laura Piland blog: Slice of π Quilts
• Sarah Ruiz blog: Saroy

February 2 - Half Square Triangles (HSTs) and squares

     Rose Garden Star

• Anne Boundy blog:  Said with Love

     Swirl

• Joanne Harris blog: Quilts by Joanne
• Sarah Myers blog: The Quilted Diary

     Houndstooth

• Becca Fenstermaker blog: Pretty Piney

     Diamond Star

• Sarah Vanderburgh blog: Sew Joy Creations
• Sarah Scott blog: Piccolo Studio

February 4 - Striped Fabric Block

     Shells

• Gail Sheppard blog: Quilting Gail
• Julie Burton blog: Running Stitch Quilts

     Xs and Os

• Linda McLaren blog: The Quilting Biker
• Sarah Scott blog: Piccolo Studio

     Jaws

• Cheryl Brown blog: QuilterChic

     Arrowhead

• Stephanie Jacobson blog: Steph Jacobson Design

February 6 - Coordinated Strips

     Peaks

• Afton Warrick blog: Quilting Mod

     Diamond and Crosses

• Linda McLaren blog: The Quilting Biker
• Brandy Pettit blog: Pampered Pettit

     Knots and Crosses

• Leanne Parsons blog: Devoted Quilter
• Andy Knowlton blog: A Bright Corner

February 8 - Double Disappearing Nine-Patch

     Holiday Trellis

• Sherry Shish blog: Powered by Quilting

     Stepping Stones

• Bobbi Bridgeman blog: Snowy Days Quilting
• Anja Clyke blog: anjaquilts

     Two for One

• Mania Hatziioannidi blog: Mania for Quilts

     Cross

• Sandra Starley blog: Textile Time Travels
• Anjeanette Klinder blog: Anjeanette Klinder

Take care,

Gretchen