I recently posted this photo on my Facebook page with the rather facetious comment 'I hope this sign was not written by an ex student of mine!'
And then I got my self into a real muddle with the maths involved in some patchwork. I had put my name down for a pot-holder swap on the 'Down to Earth' forum. Obviously there are a variety of ways that a pot holder can be made; I decided to do pieced 'tops'. The swap required people to make 2 co-ordinating pot holders and I had found some 'food prints' in my stash, so I was set. I thought that I would make one with half square triangles (HST) and the other one perhaps a log cabin design with the same set of fabrics or something hand-sewn like hexagons.
First I started on the HSTs. I worked out that the squares I would be using would need 16. I cut the squares out of the fabrics and then wondered what solid colour I would use. I chose a green homespun from the stash and cut out some matching squares in the solid colour. I marked the diagonal and then started sewing pairs of squares together.
After I cut along the diagonal I went to iron all the HST...that's funny! there seemed to be so many! then the 'penny dropped'...duh! I ended up with 32 HST not just 16! :-/ This does tend to happen when you start with a total of 32 squares.
So I changed my mind about the second potholder being a different design. I used the HST left over from No 1 to make No2. But the drama did not stop there...oh no! I have sewn for many years; I have put many bindings on edges. But with these 2 small 8 inch potholders I had nothing but trouble sewing the bound edge. Eventually I wrote to my swap partner, Nicole saying that I would send one potholder and a small gift in the mail yesterday (had to be in the mail by June 30), that I would not touch the other one for a day or so and then I would unpick the binding (it's black and difficult to see stitching) and then re do it. Then I would post it to her.
This lovely lady wrote back:-
Hi Maria. Please don't worry! I Still haven't finished your potholders either! Between work being busy, staff being sick, getting organised for interstate visitors and everything else life brings up I haven't been in the right frame if mind either.
I firmly believe that gifts need to be made with love - not in a mad hurry - so we'll keep in touch & not get stressed
Xxx Nicole
Her last sentence says it all! I was getting quite stressed instead of enjoying the fun of the swap.
Now why didn't I just crochet 2 potholders? They would have taken no time at all to finish! lol
And then I got my self into a real muddle with the maths involved in some patchwork. I had put my name down for a pot-holder swap on the 'Down to Earth' forum. Obviously there are a variety of ways that a pot holder can be made; I decided to do pieced 'tops'. The swap required people to make 2 co-ordinating pot holders and I had found some 'food prints' in my stash, so I was set. I thought that I would make one with half square triangles (HST) and the other one perhaps a log cabin design with the same set of fabrics or something hand-sewn like hexagons.
First I started on the HSTs. I worked out that the squares I would be using would need 16. I cut the squares out of the fabrics and then wondered what solid colour I would use. I chose a green homespun from the stash and cut out some matching squares in the solid colour. I marked the diagonal and then started sewing pairs of squares together.
After I cut along the diagonal I went to iron all the HST...that's funny! there seemed to be so many! then the 'penny dropped'...duh! I ended up with 32 HST not just 16! :-/ This does tend to happen when you start with a total of 32 squares.
 |
| Sewing HST together |
So I changed my mind about the second potholder being a different design. I used the HST left over from No 1 to make No2. But the drama did not stop there...oh no! I have sewn for many years; I have put many bindings on edges. But with these 2 small 8 inch potholders I had nothing but trouble sewing the bound edge. Eventually I wrote to my swap partner, Nicole saying that I would send one potholder and a small gift in the mail yesterday (had to be in the mail by June 30), that I would not touch the other one for a day or so and then I would unpick the binding (it's black and difficult to see stitching) and then re do it. Then I would post it to her.
This lovely lady wrote back:-
Hi Maria. Please don't worry! I Still haven't finished your potholders either! Between work being busy, staff being sick, getting organised for interstate visitors and everything else life brings up I haven't been in the right frame if mind either.
I firmly believe that gifts need to be made with love - not in a mad hurry - so we'll keep in touch & not get stressed
Xxx Nicole
Her last sentence says it all! I was getting quite stressed instead of enjoying the fun of the swap.
 |
| So this one went in the mail and is on its way to South Australia |
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| This one is lying face down on the sewing table waiting to have the binding re done! |
Now why didn't I just crochet 2 potholders? They would have taken no time at all to finish! lol
4 comments:
I make potholders that I learned about on http://www.texasfreckles.com/2010/08/quick-and-easy-qayg-scrappy-potholder.html blog. They are so fast ans easy and turn out so lovely. I had thought about joining that swap but I never received an apron in the last one so decided against doing another swap.
I'm useless with maths. The one you did is really pretty!
I'm useless with maths,(geometry was never my thing at school!) that's why I love quilting and not patchwork. I think the potholder you mailed is lovely!
Wow, all that work and figuring out Maria - it's funny the pickle we get ourselves in sometimes... with the very best of intentions.
A lovely, warm and sympatico response from Nicole. She would be thrilled with that charming potholder you made :D)
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