Clarissa Quilt Top

Clarissa was started in 2016 as a leader-ender challenge by Bonnie Hunter. The challenge was to make a quilt using hourglass blocks. It was the perfect incentive to make a quilt similar to one I had seen at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. The original quilt was made by Clarissa White Alford circa 1880. She raised her own 9 children, plus 6 children from her husband's first marriage, and after surviving that, Clarissa made her famous quilt completely by hand. That's right... no rotary cutter, no rulers and mats, no sewing machine, just scissors, needle and thread!

Almost 140 years later I used all the modern quilting tools to construct my copycat quilt top. Each block has 144 triangles, and my version of the quilt with 20 blocks has a total of 2,880 triangles plus the 48 sashing triangles for a grand total of...2,928 triangles in this quilt!
I did meet my May UFO goal of getting these blocks to quilt top status, but I'm still undecided about a final border. I'm thinking of a white border with the quarter square triangle (QST) cornerstones, then maybe another border of a million more QSTs. I haven't had the time to make a stack of blocks to see if I would like that, but that is the plan of the moment!
To see more Monthly Goals postings, hop over to the link up.

Clarissa is on the design wall

It's the last week of May and I'm fairly close to meeting my UFO goal this month. The final Clarissa block was made and the layout decided. There was a lot of moving blocks around and you know how that goes... fix one thing you don't like and create another problem you don't like even more. So finally, with the end of month deadline looming, I just started sewing the sashing to the blocks.
The quarter square triangle blocks are the cornerstones of the white sashing, but I'm not sure about what to do around the outside? A plain white border? With or without QST cornerstones? The decision making agony process will be dramatically shortened due to the end of month OMG deadline, which is probably a good thing.
Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts.

Clarissa on the Design Wall

Here it is... drum roll please... the last block has been made for my Clarissa quilt top. It was fun sewing this block knowing that it's the last one. I used up many odd triangles sitting in the project box. This is a classic Clarissa block, with a pinwheel in the centre, surrounded by a dark round of QSTs, and around the outside of the block are light QSTs.
The next step is to finalize a layout (first I have to find the other blocks in storage), cut out the sashings, and sew it all together. 
To see more design wall postings, hop over to Small Quilts. 

Also, today is the start of the Wish Upon a Star blog hop... prepare to be inspired!  I am still working on finishing my quilt... my day to post my star quilt is Thursday. Here is the line up of blogs to visit today...

May 21

Moose Stash Quilting

Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

Quilt In A Not-Shell

What About Rheema?

Clever Chameleon Quilting

Sunlight in Winter Quilts

Life in the Scrapatch

Sew Many Yarns
Hazel’s Daughter

Midmonth UFO Update

My UFO goal this month is to finish the Clarissa quilt top. The first step is to make the 20th and final block. Each block has 144 triangles, so the cutting takes a while. The pieces at the top are leftover triangles I found in the project box. In true Clarissa style I wanted the last block to be scrappy and use up the extras. I cut the triangles with Bonnie Hunter's Essential Triangle Tool. 

Then I got out Charity (my adorable 1952 Featherweight) to sew the hourglass blocks. These old machines really need to be able to sew regularly to keep them in good shape. She's old and although she sews beautifully, she doesn't have any seam markings. I just put a piece of tape on the bed of the machine where the edge of 1/4" seam allowance should be, but it's not perfect.

That's okay... all the blocks need to be squared down anyway using the Bloc-Loc ruler. As you can see, not much needed to be trimmed away... I guess the accuracy was better than I thought!

Linking up to Let's Be Social over at Lorna's.

What's up with Clarissa!?!

There hasn't been a Clarissa sighting on the blog for a long time with the previous post being in December last year! This kind of time delay is usually a sign that there is either a problem/"challenge" with the project, or there is a big decision pending (and not being made!)

With Clarissa, the hold up was the debate about how big to make my version of the quilt. The original quilt was 6 blocks by 7 blocks for a total of 42 blocks. My Clarissa has 19 blocks so far. With adding one more block, it would be a layout of 4 blocks by 5 blocks. I like the rectangular shape for this quilt, so if I were to make mine bigger, that would mean making at least 4 more blocks for a layout of 4 blocks by 6 blocks, or 10 more blocks for a layout of 5 blocks by 6 blocks. 
Realistically, that isn't going to happen. I have loved making these blocks but it's time to move on to new projects and wrap this one up.
So my UFO goal this month is to make the final block, figure out the sashing and borders and get this to quilt top status by the end of May. To see more quilty goals, hop over to the One Monthly Goal link up.

Clarissa is back!

block #19

We haven't seen a new Clarissa block for a long time. I got caught up in the mysteries going on now and had so many pieces to use as leader/enders that I didn't even think about Clarissa. 
But here is the next block that was finished this week. It is block #19. 







And here are all the Clarissa blocks on the design wall. Each block has 144 triangles so there are 2,736 triangles in this project so far!
One more block to go!

Linking up to Sew Fresh Quilts.

A New Clarissa Block

Clarissa #18

Clarissa is my hourglass leader-ender challenge that started with the quiltalong last summer at Quiltville. There is a new leader-ender challenge for this year, but I'm still working on this one. This project is inspired by a quilt from the 1800's made by Clarissa White Alford - see the quilt here. I just finished block #18.

And here are all the blocks on the design wall. There are tons of little scraps in these blocks!  I try to make each block a little different from all the others.
My friend Cathy who blogs over at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting is also making a Clarissa quilt and you can see some of her blocks here.
Hop over to the link up at Oh Scrap!

Clarissa is on the design wall!

This is block #17 made for my version of the Clarissa quilt. I wanted to include more of the dotted butterscotch fabric in the quilt since it does seem to draw attention to itself when all the blocks are together. The key to dealing with "attention seeking" fabrics is to sprinkle more of them around the quilt. 

This block collection has outgrown my design wall, so I just put up a few more blocks to surround this new one. You can see the first 16 blocks here.

I think I'll make 3 more blocks for this quilt for a total of 20, with a layout of 4 across and 5 down.

To see more quilts being designed, hop over to Small Quilts.

Clarissa is on the Design Wall!

Block #16 for the Clarissa quilt is finished. Because this is a leader-ender project, some blocks are made quickly and others take a while depending on how much piecing I'm doing. This block progressed faster once the machine quilting on the Bear quilt was finished. This block has a darker pinwheel centre, with a light teal and white inner border, followed by a darker outside border. I think the outside border has 4 different brown scraps... plus my favourite plaid.
Here are all the blocks on the design wall.
Yummalicious!

























Total number of pieces in this quilt so far = 2,304!!

It is so exciting to have another quiltmaker inspired by the original Clarissa quilt. Cathy who blogs at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting is making these hourglass blocks too - click here to see her blocks.

Linking up to Design Wall Monday over at Small Quilts.

Design Wall Monday

Clarissa is on the design wall this morning.
This is block #15.
I try to make each block a little bit different and I like how a few well placed hourglass blocks give this one a diagonal emphasis.

Here are all the blocks together on the design wall. I wanted to see what they would look like all smushed together with no sashing space.
I miss the sashing space!
I think my goal is to make 5 more blocks.
Total # of pieces = 2,160
To see more design walls, hop over to the link up at Small Quilts.

Clarissa Design Wall

Clarissa block #14

I have been away and missed my regular design wall posting yesterday, so here it is today. Clarissa is on the design wall!
This is block #14 and is quite pale compared to most of the others. I think it will provide a some contrast and interest in the overall quilt. The dark brown and the Sweetwater text fabrics were both given to me by my friend Debby. They are from her Aunt's stash of fabric, which she recently inherited. I promised her they would be put to good use and here they are already in a block! 

This is my Clarissa block collection so far.

Total number of pieces in the quilt blocks so far = 2,016

To see more design wall postings this week, hop over to the link up at Small Quilts.

Clarissa #13

Clarissa block #13

This is the next block to join the Clarissa block collection (you can see the other blocks here).

This one has more dark red triangles than the other blocks. The project seemed to need this kind of a block.
I like the unique (inspired by a mistake) corner hourglass blocks with 3 dark triangles and 1 light.

This is how block #13 looks from the back. I have tried many ways to press the seams as I made each block, and have settled on this as the best so far. My favourite thing is spinning the centre seams on the hourglass blocks to make them lay nice and flat.
Total number of pieces in the quilt so far is 1,872!

Clarissa is on the Design Wall

Here is the 12th block for my "Clarissa was a Superstar" quilt. There are 36 hourglass blocks in one 12" Clarissa block. This one is really scrappy and used up a lot of small pieces. Up close the block really is a bit of a scrappy mishmash, but far away, it's fantastic!





Here are all 12 blocks on the design wall. 
Total # of triangles = 1,728!
I wasn't sure how many blocks the quilt would be when I started this leader-ender hourglass challenge. I'm still not certain, but I do know it will be more than 12, because I'm still having fun and want to keep going with this project. The original Clarissa quilt has 42 blocks! That's probably not going to happen, but 20 blocks is looking like a reasonable goal at the moment. 
To see more design wall posts, hop over to Patchwork Times. So sad to read that Judy has discontinued Design Wall Mondays. This has been a part of my routine for a long time. I looked forward to Monday mornings to see what the quilters were designing each week. Thank you Judy for hosting the fun Monday link up for so many years!

Clarissa is on the design wall

Here is block #11, fresh from the ironing board!
I cut into one of my brother's shirts to get that rich dark brown fabric. It was quite an emotional task to cut into the shirt, but I really do want to use these fabrics in quilts. Right now his shirts sit in a bag in the closet, and that's not what I want. So I took a deep breath and started cutting. 



Here are all 11 of the Clarissa blocks on the design wall.
It's totally intriguing to study the effect of value and how each block looks so different.
I know I say this every time I post a new block, but I LOVE this quilting project!!!

Total number of triangles in these 11 blocks is 1,584!

Linking up to Patchwork Times and Sew Fresh Quilts.

Clarissa is on the design wall

My leader-ender project is growing by one more block this week . This is block #10 for my Clarissa was a Superstar quilt.
I really enjoy playing with value in each of these blocks, trying to make each one just a little different from the others.
Each block is made of 36 hourglass units containing 144 triangles. This is the 10th block, so the project how contains a grand total of 1,440 triangles!
Here are 9 of the blocks on the design wall... the photo just didn't look right with all 10 of them up there!

To see more design wall postings, hop over to Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday - Clarissa

Happy Monday

Happy Monday! 
It's going to snow here today and into tomorrow, and I'm supposed to be speaking tonight at the meeting of the Erin Village Quilters. I hope the driving will be manageable for all of us. I am really looking forward to seeing some of my old friends and meeting some new ones. 



I have been busy sewing scrappy quarter square triangle blocks and have finished my 9th block for the Clarissa was a Superstar quilt. This is my leader-ender challenge project, but I like it so much that it sometimes demands to be the primary project. I remind it that it is a leader-ender project and must wait it's turn to be slowly built in between other quilts! Yes, I do talk out loud in my sewing room, and yes there are interesting conversations between me and my quilts!

Here are the 9 blocks on the design wall... wow I love this project! Total triangle tally is 1,296!

To see more design wall posts, hop over to Patchwork Times.

Clarissa Design Wall

Another Clarissa block is already finished! This block was finished in record time due to all the piecing I've been doing (which means lots of opportunities for leader-ender piecing). 

This is the block centre made of 4 QST blocks. It measures 4.5" and includes one of my favourite plaids.







Here is the growing block with the next round of brown homespun and tiny dot QSTs. It measures 8.5"

The last round of QSTs with an argyle print and a light tan stripe. The finished block measures 12.5"

I really enjoyed working on it, but when I put it on the design wall, it looked quite pale. And when it was put beside all it's friends, well it's a totally blah block.  That's okay... not every block needs to draw attention to itself.

Total triangle tally: 1,152!

To see more design wall posts, hop over to Patchwork Times.

New Clarissa Block

Clarissa was a Superstar is my favourite quilt at the moment! I just love cutting up 1.5" strips using Bonnie Hunter's new Essential Triangle ruler (you can see the ruler in this post). And sewing these hourglass blocks together is so fun.
This is the newly finished block #7.

And here is the collection of blocks so far. Delicious!

For those who like math, each block has 144 triangles, so this quilt project already has more than 1,000 triangles! 
This project was inspired by the Quiltville leader/ender challenge and we have until the summer to finish it. At this rate of making approximately one block a month, I think my quilt will likely be 12 blocks (plus a 2" sashing and border).



Of course, block #8 has already been started. Here is the centre pinwheel block. 

Happy Friday!

My "Clarissa was a Superstar" block collection made a brief appearance on the design wall yesterday. I just had to see how the colours were going to work together (or not!)

I am very happy with how all the colours are playing together with the addition of a dark red (lower left block). I especially like how each block is so different and feel excited about how the next ones will come together. I have many hourglass units made and will have time this weekend to play with some layouts. I'm thinking the next block might be all aqua pieces.

I'm teaching a beading class today, so will be in my happy place all day long! Look for a full report about the class on the Slow Sunday Stitching blog post. Have a great Friday!

Clarissa Update

Agnes Gru

I cannot believe it is Friday!
I haven't written a blog post all week, which is most unusual for me. No blogging usually means not much quilting time, which means I feel quite miserable and depleted by Friday. 
But today is the first Friday Night Sew In of 2017 and I have quilting friends coming over, so very soon I will start to feel much better! You can click here to sign up, or you can just join in wherever you are and make some progress on your sewing projects. 

Block #6 Clarissa

I did finish the 6th block for "Clarissa was a Superstar" quilt. This is my leader ender project for Bonnie Hunter's challenge this year (you can read more about the challenge here). The Clarissa quilt is inspired by a quilt from the 1800s which you can read about here. 
I used the light triangles as the centre pinwheel for this block. I like it and think I'll do more block centres like this one has.
It's funny that whenever I post another Clarissa block that people think I am making HST (half square triangle) blocks. These are not HST blocks, they really are QST (quarter square triangles) which are more commonly called hourglass blocks. They are cut and sewn differently using the Companion Angle ruler, or you could use Bonnie Hunter's new ruler.
Here is how I cut the 1.5" strips to get the 144 quarter square triangles I need for each 12" block. I cut two or four strips together and place the pieces ready to sew by the machine. I have learned that I have to put two pieces through the machine with the dark fabric on top and oriented in this way or else the block just doesn't work out.

This is my machine set up, showing that I am piecing a block for the En Provence mystery quilt. And my Clarissa triangles are sitting on the right side of the machine bed waiting to be a leader/ender between sewing sections of the mystery. I love that it doesn't waste any thread! And I love that I am making progress on 2 quilts at once.
I can't show you all the Clarissa blocks together because En Provence pieces are on the design wall. I can't wait to see all the blocks together and find out if I like the addition of the dark red colour in this block.