Crazy Fun 9-Patch Quilt Question

A question came up in a discussion about making a quilt top with Crazy Fun 9-Patch blocks—would it make any difference if one of the blocks was made incorrectly—ie: not having the three diagonal patches the same pattern?

Here are samples of the two blocks:

Correct:

Incorrect:

 In general it could be said that there isn’t really a right or wrong in making them, but according to the instructions in the creator's tutorial, doing it the “right way” results in three diagonal patches matching patterns (the yellow in the correct image).

 Granted, the blocks are scrappy in design, and none of them match another in colors or patterns, but they do have a directional matching in those three patches.

When you assemble them all together they can create any number of overall patterns, like the one below:

This is 20 blocks( 4 x 5) oriented in 5 chevron rows, every other row mirrored on the one before it

















This is the look when all the blocks are oriented the same way, using incorrect blocks:

 This pattern is at least as attractive as the “correct” one.





The Crazy Fun 9-Patch Quilts don’t turn out quite this even in reality, because all the blocks are unique in their cutting and sewing patterns, but they do have the visible diagonals in each one that does show in the overall quilt top.









Here is what one might look like with one off block done in the incorrect way:

The upper left is obviously not right, and there is no way to orient it to make it fit. Some may not care, since it’s a scrappy look overall, but it can drive some people crazy...and not in a fun way.

Shadowbox Quilt: Color-block Layout

There on the left is the printout of the color-block layout, so I rearranged the blocks and am now ready to sew on the sashings

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Shadowbox Quilt: Steps 7 & 8

    Step 7: Sew on all the longer black and white strips, making sure the black ends meet at the corner.  This makes the shadow.

 

Step 8:  I have them lined up in five stacks of six blocks, so I can keep the original color-block layout. 

Of course, that got mixed up when I had to rip out a couple of seams and add those blocks back in out of order.  Fortunately, I had taken a picture early on of the order, and enlarged it and printed it out so I could see how they were supposed to go, once I had all these seams pressed open.

Shadowbox Quilt: Step 6

All the parts sorted and ready to assemble. On the far right my the photo copy of the finished quilt top.

The white strips are the WOF x 2" strips for the rest of the sashing, and some to be cut into 2" squares.

Thirty each of  black and white  9 1/2" x 1 1/2" , and 10 1/2" x 1 /12" shadow strips.
Thirty 9 1/2" color print squares--5 rows of 6 squares, two from each fat quarter.

I still have to cut the outer border--it's black in the pattern I'm following, but you can do it any color, and the backing is going to be the same white print, I think, because I have a lot of it.  We'll see when the time comes for that part of it.  I'll wait to do the border till when I see how big the top is once assembled and go from there.

Shadowbox Quilt: Step 5

Pressed and clipped

Shadowbox Quilt: Step 4

Pressing to the dark side

Shadowbox Quilt: Step 3

All in a line ready to press to the dark side and clip apart.  You can use  the rotary cutter, but since its all on the ironing board, I just used my scissors.

Shadowbox Quilt: Step 2

  
This pic is of the 9 1/2" x 1 1/2" black strips being sewn onto the WOF (Width of Fabric) 1 1/2" white print strip  I'm sewing them with a scant 1/4" seam allowance.

Shadowbox Quilt: Step 1...

Step 1 cutting shadow: thirty 9 1/2" x 1 1/2", thirty 8 1/2" x 1 1/2" black;
 and WOF x 1 1/2" white print fabric--sashing strips.

 Actually, step 1a was purchasing, washing and ironing the 30 fat quarters for the focal blocks. You can see them in Step six.

I'm re-doing  the posting of this quilt notes as a tutorial, so check back later.

This is the quilt pattern image from http://madanquilting.blogspot.com/search/label/Tutorials:

Bike Storage

All the storage ideas I see on Pinterest for hanging your bike up in apartments, etc show men's bikes. I have a Woman's bike with the down-swooping bar, originally designed to make room for skirts and modesty, but it does make it easier to get on and off!

I need to store it indoors in my new apartment, which means basically up off the floor somehow, so I finally designed my own hangers--nothing special, just rods that will hang from the studs and hold the bike in appropriate spaces in the pipes.

They can be regular rubber coated utility/bike hooks, or pieces of dowel or long bolts covered with pipe insulation.

Since we have 10-12 ft. ceilings, I'd love to put it on a pulley to get it really out of the way.  We'll see.

Houseplants safe for our cats

Since moving into our new apartment, and away from the unlimited garden of the old place, I miss greenery and have been looking for houseplants to fill that void.  The only problem is our two cats who love to chew on anything green we bring in.  I've made them their own pot of wheatgrass, which they love, and mow down as if they were a pair of grey sheep, but it isn't what I've been looking for as far as attractive and interesting greens for me!

Searching Pinterest and Google, I've found quite a few:
from  http://www.thegardenglove.com/easy-care-houseplants/ I found a nice list of safe, practically unkillable plants

Watermelon Begonia,Peperomia argyreia



                       

 










Spider Plant, Chlorophytum comosum









Grape Ivy, cissus














Cast Iron Plant, Aspidistra elatior






















Chocolate Soldier,Lace Flower Vine, episcia dianthiflora

Not so good:




Norfolk Pine















Schefflera



For best results, check out the full list on the ASPCA website: 
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants