Mariner's Compass Project

Today I worked on the quilt and I am quite pleased with the results so far.   What do you think?  I have completed 2 compasses so far (without the centers and the background which will be added after all the compasses are done). 

The process to put together this quilt is much more time consuming than other quilts I have made but it really helps in the accuracy.  Using the freezer paper method also helps keep the bias seams from stretching.   Here is all that has to get done....

First I cut freezer paper to size - one piece for each of the 72 pieces in the quilt square. I then cut the pattern of the piece out of the freezer paper. By stacking 4 pieces of freezer paper together, I can cut 4 pattern pieces at once. That makes 18 cuts.  I iron each piece on to a piece of fabric.  Next I cut the fabric allowing for 1/4" seams.   Once I have cut out all 72 pieces of fabric with the freezer paper still intact, I can start assembling the compass and sewing (See previous pictures for assembly process).  That's a total of 162 cuts for each compass! 

Lesson learned:  I can make 2 compasses with the same freezer paper pieces if I am careful not to rip or sew through the freezer paper.  I am being careful!

Mariner's Compass Project

Only a few hours later but I took some pictures so I thought I would include the first day's progress.  Here is the array of colors.  I've started with the blues.

The templates were cut from freezer paper and ironed on the fabrics.

Then the cutting.  Each compass will have 77 pieces.  72 are points, 1 center and 4 background pieces. 

Hopefully I'll start sewing tomorrow!

Preparing for my most difficult quilt yet....

Hi! Today I decided to start this blog to track my progress on the most challenging of quilting projects to date.
I started quilting back in 1996, finishing my first 2 quilts for wedding presents. My first quilt was a log cabin quilt pattern and the second was a double Irish chain. I continued quilting making each of my daughters quilts, many more wedding presents, baby gifts and others. I learned new techniques along the way, perfecting my piecing and quilting. I follow patterns, changing sizes, layout, borders, etc. Pretty straightforward. I am basically a self taught quilter.
Now for the challenge...
My husband has never received one of my quilts. You see, my husband loves maritime. He grew up in Norway and loves any thing that happens to do with boats, ships, the ocean....consequently he would like a Mariner's Compass quilt. That scares me to death. This is not a simple quilt made from squares, triangles, or even half square triangles. This involves many points jutting out from a center circle with many bias edges. Thinking of ways to deter him, I even made him take a weekend trip down to Hancock's of Paducah with me to pick out the fabrics for his quilt. Didn't work. The fabrics are all prewashed and pressed and it is time to get started!
I will be using the freezer paper method. There are three different color groups, blues, greens and yellows. The goal: four compasses in each color.
That's all for now. I will posts pictures of my progress!