After the easy diamond in the square block, I was ready to tackle another one of those complicated nine-patch blocks again. In addition to the rematch challenge of four striped squares, this block also has a tiny nine-patch in the center square. The squares in the center are a teeny-weeny half inch apiece.
I learned my lesson after the disaster that was that striped nine-patch block. This time, I re-measured after sewing each seam, and adjusted accordingly. That way, if I was a little off on one seam, I could correct it before I went too far down the wrong path.
The effort was worth it. There was altogether less ripping out of seams, and hair, on this block. I think I only ended up redoing one short seam. The block also went together in about half the time (seam ripping is very time-consuming).
To add to the difficulty level, the green fabric used in this block was more tightly woven than typical quilting cotton. It was tough to get the needle through at times.
It felt extra weird trying to sew it to the more loosely-woven red fabric. I experimented with having the green fabric on top while sewing, then with the red fabric on top, but the results were inconclusive. I’m not sure it makes a difference as far as ease of stitching.
The main advantage I found to having the red fabric on top is that the pencil markings for the seam lines did not show up as well on the green fabric.
I’ve been using two different marking pencils on this project: a turquoise blue that is easy to see on the back of the red fabric, and a bright pink that shows up nicely on most of the green (and cream) fabrics.
For some reason, the pencil marks just didn’t want to stick to this particular green fabric. I don’t know if it’s related to the tight weave of the fabric, or just an unhappy coincidence, but most of the marks rubbed off in the few seconds it took me to line up and pin the pieces together. Very frustrating.
The good news is that Paulette only had this particular fabric earmarked for a couple of blocks, so I don’t have to deal with it much.
Despite the green fabric challenges, this block was overall much more successful than the previous one of this style. I feel like I’ve gained some great experience with miniature blocks, and I’m ready to tackle more of those teeny-weeny pieces.