One Block Wonder

Last year my friend Nat gave me a heads up on the beauty of the One Block Wonder, a unique and one of kind quilt.    I was anxious to give it a try, ordered The One Block Wonders book by Maxine Rosenthal and began studying instructions for making myself one.  I bought 6 yards of fabric with a black background and bright purple, orchid and yellow flowers.  However, the more I read about the process, the more I understood that my choice of print was not the best.  I should have chosen a print with more design in the background.

My triangle pieces

Still determined to at least give it a try I continued with my material.  I took my supplies with me to the cottage and followed instructions for lining up the six layers of fabric.  I cut the first strip of six aligned layers and then cut equilateral triangles, making little piles of them, ready for the next step.  Each set of triangles is unique and when sewn together will produce a kaleidoscopic design. Over the summer I managed to produce 12 blocks (only they were hexagons.)

Sharon's One Block Wonder quilt

I had many other projects on the go last summer so One Block was set aside and came back home unfinished.  However, I did introduce the pattern to my summer quilting friend Sharon.  She loved the idea so much that she finished hers and it hangs in her home in Saskatoon, SK.

Recently, in my attempt to clear away a few UFO's, I returned to working this project.

Sewing hexagons

Once all of my blocks were complete I couldn't wait to begin the part where I decide on the placement of my pieces, the part where my design becomes like no others.  I laid out the blocks on the floor of my room and spent the next few days studying them and tweaking them into something I was happy with.

Placement of hexagons--Final decision.

Now that I was pleased with the placement I 

began sewing pieces into strips--and that's when the FUN began!  The hexagons are sewn together in strips using just half of their blocks.  When two strips are put together they should match up with their other half making that block complete.  Just how difficult can that be if I paid very close attention?  Duh, somewhere along the way I'd lost my focus and things were just not lining up the way I'd planned them.  So "Day 2" was spent undoing what I'd done on "Day 1."   "Day 3" was less stressful and at last my One Block Wonder is coming together.

It truly is unique.
And of course there's still more to come--borders and backing.