Frog Stitching Away

I decided this summer to enter my first fabric challenge. It was the Northcott's Quest for a Cure Block Challenge. You had to make a 12" block using a specific line of fabrics, which they will then use for future fundraising events (I liked this because it was the block that keeps on giving). My local quilt shop was participating and they also had extra prizes as well. I figured if I was going to enter, I might as well try to win a prize. My goal: the block with the most pieces.

I english paper pieced my block by hand - which I really enjoyed and would recommend to anyone to do. It's a great techinque to get precise piecing, and you can take it anywhere. I was also going to put on a fancy mitered border with the border fabric in the line - this was where it got complicated.

Melissa's suggestions for mitered corners
1) Don't do this unless it will make your quilt (the concept is simple but achieving some form of accuracy is difficult - I had to try a couple of times).

2) If you choose to ignore the first suggestion (I did). I highly recommend that you sew the seams that are at a 45 degree angle from the block by hand - you get the precision, and this seam isn't usually all that big. I did the four seams in about half an hour.

3) Make sure you account for the fact that your border will go around your entire block. After completing my block, taking a picture and filling out the entry form, I decided to measure my block - 13.5 inches!!!! (I only accounted for a 1 inch border on one side). This meant I had to frog stitch my entire border, trim down my block (and loose 8 pieces in the mean time) and sew it back on again. The second time was much easier I will admit.

The end result? 191 pieces in a 12.5" unfinshed block.