After working through what thread color(s) I wanted to use to piece the Cloudy Night Sky quilt top, I was ready to start chain piecing my curve blocks for the quilt top.
Cloudy Night Sky – Ready for Chain Piecing
I loaded up my machine with 50wt Aurifil Thread in 2785 (very dark navy) and was able to sew my quarter circle and orange peel blocks fairly quickly. I put on a podcast and the next thing I knew I was pressing my seams.
Cloudy Night Sky – Trimming Orange Peel Block on Navy OLFA Mat
When it was time to trim down the blocks, I realized I was struggling to see the Kona Nightfall against my Navy OLFA cutting mat.
Cloudy Night Sky – Trimming Orange Peel Block on Aqua OLFA Mat
So I pulled out a smaller Aqua OLFA self healing mat, which made it a lot easier to line up the edges of the Nightfall with the lines on my ruler.
Cloudy Night Sky – Seam to Fix
With all my blocks complete, I was happy to start sewing the quilt top together. I inspected each seam after I sewed it, but sometimes a seam asked to be adjusted after it was sewn into the second seam, like the top of the Nightfall star point in the image above. I knew that the hairline gap at the top of that star point was going to bother me, so I took the time to rip a bit of the horizontal seam, allowing me the opportunity to tighten the seam up.
I filmed myself repairing the seam, and it took me 10 minutes and 30 seconds. I compressed that down a bit into the time lapse video you can see above.
Cloudy Night Sky – Fixed Seam
The fix looks much better! In all, I think I went back and adjusted 6 or 7 seams as I put the quilt top together.
When it comes to seam ripping, I have a general rule of thumb that I try to honor: at most, rip twice.
Cloudy Night Sky – Piecing Thread Change Across Seam
At the beginning of the quilt top assembly, I sewed as many seams with 50wt Aurifil Thread in 2785 (very dark navy) as I could: seams that were between Nightfall and Nightfall or Nightfall and Snow. Then came a period of time when I was able to sew several seams with 50wt Aurifil Thread in 2311 (muslin) between Snow and Snow, and finally, I had several seams that were a combination of 2311 (muslin) and 2785 (very dark navy), like the seam shown above. When I stopped in the middle of the seam, I backstitched to secure the stitch before changing my thread and finishing out the seam.
Cloudy Night Sky – Pieced Quilt Top
I am thrilled with how the quilt top has come together!
Cloudy Night Sky – Design and Quilting Plan
I’ll be taking my time this week to carefully mark out my quilting plan on the quilt top. I’ll want to measure and triple check the positioning in the negative space, so I anticipate that it will take me a bit of time to keep everything aligned.
Very beautiful quilt. This pattern will be a must-have for sure.
Lovely quilt top. I like your quilting plan with the star shapes in the negative spaces.
A feel of peace with this beautiful quilt top and its planned quilting. The quilting extends the mood and draws in the viewer.
You do awesome work Yvonne! I didn’t know the Olfa mats came in colors other than green!
The quilt looks awesome!
Your precision amazes me. The top came together so quickly, and it looks fantastic! I enjoyed that reel of the fix, too!
You did a fabulous job on this top. The reel of the ripping out/sewing back together was fabulous. Your precision amazes me! Love this design and do hope QC accepts it!
What great progress. I don’t think I’ve ever sewn a seam with two colors of thread, but obviously sometimes it’s the right thing to do. Good luck with the marking this week!
Your attention to precise piecing really shows in the perfection of the finished top! Good luck executing your quilting plan. I’m sure this quilt will be show-worthy!
Your precision is amazing and I like the thoughts you share about unsewing. Now, where did you find the blue Olfa mats? I really need a light one. When I need to change colors, I have a white Fiskar mat I use. But I do not like it as much as the Olfa.
Thank you. You can find everything that OLFA offers on their website, and I think you can find them online at Joann, Fat Quarter Shop, Missouri Star Quilt Co, and Amazon.
https://olfa.com/collections/craft?pf_t_mat_type=Mat+Type_Double+Sided
Wow – your piecing has always been impressive. You are extremely precise!!
Wow…. Just wow…. All that work is totally worth the amazing overall Effect of the quilt!!!