I used the tube cutting method and it went pretty quickly. One thing I have learned from working with the flannel is the different weights can really make a difference in how much stretch you get in the triangle. I was careful not to press too much and kept the handling to a minimum so the whole thing came out pretty flat. The individual HST blocks are about 5 1/2 inches square.
Layout # 1: Diagonal lines with alternating the plaids. Not very inspiring but I was just getting started.
Layout # 2: Friendship Stars - again, rather typical and a bit dull. Plus I didn't have enough white to fill in the background.
Layout #3: This is one below I just loved! I didn't have all the HSTs made so you kind of have to imagine where it was going. I added some of the charms from a flannel charm pack of flannels that my mother had given me. It just brightened up the whole layout. I think I've got one of these layouts in my future with different fabrics from my stash.
Layout #4: I decided to add the charms to the white corners of the HST blocks and ended up with this combination. I just cut the charms into 4 equal squares and sewed them on "snowball" style. Then I laid them out on the design board and mixed them around until I like the way they came together in the middle of each 4 patch. I'm pretty sure this block has a name but I can't remember it right now.
Anyway, the final layout looks like this. It's really nice! I'm probably going to add a narrow border just so the points don't get lost when I put the binding on.
The top is all together and measures 31" wide by 41" long. A nice size for a lap quilt. Since I don't have any big pieces of flannel for the backing I'll be heading up to my sister Dutchy's house to see what she's got in her stash. It's like shopping but it's FREE!
Stay tuned for the finish at the end of this week.
