Antelope Canyon quilt progress

It's very slow...

It's a log cabin quilt. How hard can it be? Very hard and confusing if I don't pay close attention to it.

I try to set myself up with every quilt I make with a plan to be more efficient in my piecing. A big part of that is organizing the blocks into stacks that can be chain pieced. Again, it's a log cabin block...but a very big block! Each block finishes at 37", and that's 47 logs plus the center square. And the majority of those logs each have two pieces. 

I stacked up the blocks, counting all the pieces to make sure I had the correct number for each of the sides. What I failed to do was pay attention to the orientation of the log to make sure it was sewn on in the proper direction. By the time I had approximately 14 logs sewn together in each of the four blocks, I realized my mistake. I spent a lot of time week before last frogging those blocks. I didn't have to frog all the way to the beginning, but I did have to remove 11 logs from each block. 

It was at this point that I decided it might be better to work on one block at a time. It seemed to go more smoothly but, once again, as my first block grew and grew, I got my logs turned around. I finally finished that block Sunday afternoon, and briefly thought about ending the project right then and there.

BLOCK 1: Please forgive the appearance of my arm; it's really tight quarters here.

But no, I need to move forward and get this done. I'm not on any timeline for it--I just want it done. And I do like it, and can't wait to see the semi-circles form when all of the blocks are joined together. 

I am doing this in reproduction and primitive fabrics, because that is what is prevalent in my stash and I need to use it up. If I'm willing to do another quilt of this pattern, I want to do it in batiks. I also have a great stash of those that largely goes untouched, and it's time to do something with them. This would be perfect.

The second block went more smoothly than the first. I was thinking I could churn out a block a day, but since I typically don't make it into the sewing room until early afternoon and accounting for interruptions, I'm grateful if I get one done in two days. I finished the second block on Wednesday...

BLOCK 2: The lighting wasn't the same for this shot as the first one and, again, tight quarters

...and immediately set out to work on the third block. Saturday was National Quilting Day, and I was determined to spend the day quilting. I cannot think of a year when I was able to actually quilt on National Quilting Day, and here we are! Here's Block 3:

BLOCK 3: This one saw some improvement

As soon as I finished the third block, I moved on to the fourth and final block. But during the piecing progress Saturday, I started getting a little weary of this quilt. A headache was creeping in and I still want to see it through, but I think I have focused so much on it over the last two weeks that I am just not feeling it right now. I sewed four logs onto the block this afternoon, and decided to quit for the day. I have a lot on my plate this week so I'm setting a tiny goal of attaching two or four logs each day I'm in the sewing room. 

Part of the sluggishness I believe is due in no great part to recently receiving my homework assignment from Lisa Shaw for the Embrilliance StitchArtist workshop I’m taking in mid-April. I wanted to finish the Antelope Canyon blocks prior to starting homework, but the assignment is due March 31 and that gives me nine days to get it together. Seems like a while, but since I overthink this stuff I will be working right up to the deadline. And this quilt also may be the subject of my assignment. I saw a quilting design that was specifically made for it and while I wouldn't want that exact design on my quilt, it has given me ideas for how I can quilt it, and it may done in quilt-as-you-go style. 

And another thing...the piecing on the third block was so much better than the first and second block that I am seriously considering taking those two blocks apart and restitching. The horror! But I honestly think it may be for the best. We'll see. 

Spring is here! Actually, it was here for most of late February and early March, but we had a dip back into the low 30s last week just to remind us that Mother Nature does not give a flip how much has already budded and how green is the grass. Saturday our high was 86°. Today’s high is 90°.

Onward and upward! Go make!