I started out this week’s three blocks with Family Affair by Janice Ryan.  This was the first paper-pieced block that was offered on the Splendid Sampler, Block 15.  And I skipped right over it!  Oh so many tiny bits and pieces for this one.

When I finally learned paper-piecing I started out with the two easiest that I posted about last Thursday.  Wise move on my part!  If I had started on Family Affair first I never would have stuck with it.  This block probably took me over three hours to make.  It’s really pretty.  I love the colors and the variety, but it was SO difficult.

Next I did Block 22, Goose on the Loose by Amy Smart.  I’ve been following Amy’s blog for a few years.  Her quilts are beautiful.  This block was easier than the first that I did this week but paper-piecing definitely takes longer than regular piecing.  The points are very nice and sharp–maybe worth the extra effort.

All these blocks are supposed to be 6 1/2″ so when the final quilt is stitched together, they’ll all be 6″.  This one ended up as 6 1/4″. I have a few other blocks like that and will have to take that into consideration when start putting the quilt together. But that will be months from now!

My next missing block was number 26, Dreaming of Dresdens by Jane Davidson.  Like last week, I thought this was paper-piecing and skipped right over it.  It just looked really hard but it’s piecing and applique.  I like both.  The instructions give a different method of applique that looks tricky involving starch and hand basting and glue and …..just stuff that I didn’t think was necessary.  So I just did the applique like I usually do with Heat ‘n Bond Lite.  The directions also said to glue the dresden plate down then stitch around the circles.  That was supposed to hold the plate onto the block.  I also stitched around all of the blades because I thought once I washed the quilt, those blades would be loose and just plain ugly.

So I got it finished and really loved it.  Trimmed it down to a 6 1/2″ block put it on my design wall and then realized that the Dresden Plate wasn’t centered.  OMG!  All that sewing and I messed up on trimming.  Guess I need to take that into account at some point.  Thought I was progressing and two of the three blocks I did this week are just plain wrong!

Sine I started doing the Splendid Sampler I’ve been forced to try different methods because I WILL DO ALL OF THESE BLOCKS!  That’s a good thing because I never would have tried these Dresden “blades”, or the pointy triangles on “Hand in Hand” that I made last week or any paper-piecing.  Learning new stuff is good.