Friday, July 04, 2014

Murder and Mayhem -- Update!

I got up this morning determined to work with the Quick Curve Ruler.  I was the lucky winner of a give-away that Thelma had a month or so ago.  I know myself well enough to know that I'd best do a learning block first.  So I grabbed some fabric out of the scrap bin.

Cutting wasn't bad once I read the instructions 6,743 times and watched the video 2,917 times. 

I pressed my fabric and headed to the cutting table.  No matter how I laid down that ruler, I could not figure out how to make the cut.  Heck, I couldn't even see the fabric.  Okay, time for a break.  Walked Penny, took a deep breath, and cautiously approached my cutting table only to find this:


Nowhere -- and I mean nowhere -- in the instructions was I told to take the paper off the ruler.  Honest to Pete, I'm as dumb as a fence post sometimes! 

Okay, I had to laugh at myself on that one!  You have my permission to laugh, too!!

I managed to get the two colored fabrics cut okay.  The background, not so much.


This was my first attempt.  Public service announcement here ... only ONE fat quarter was murdered in the commission of this crime!  Grabbed another fat quarter and cut that one with no further problems.

I wanted to make one component part just to see if I could manage the curves.  I can see chain piecing these further down the line but not now for this newbie.

Then to square up that puppy took me the longest time, another couple of readings of the instructions, another look at the video.

Ta dah ... my first part that I've affectionately named the "4-Hour Part."

 
 
Oh, and if you see anything wrong with it, DO NOT TELL ME!  Sometimes I'm happy just to wallow in my own ignorance!
 
And just so I don't scare anyone off who was thinking about getting this ruler, sewing the curves wasn't difficult at all.  The squaring wasn't hard.  It's just different.  The rest of them will go much faster and better.  Thank you again, Thelma, for the ruler and insisting that I learn how to use it!!  :)

My brain cells feel like they're about to explode.  Seriously, I don't think I've thought about and studied anything so much in years.  But I am determined to make one complete block if it takes me the whole holiday weekend.

Speaking of that -- HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Back to the torture chamber my sewing room!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another three hours and I completed the block.  Wow, it went so quickly after that first component.  I had to piece together scraps for the center gold, but, hey, it worked!  I'm hooked on this ruler now.  I'm going to quilt up this block and use it in the fall on my little black round table in the kitchen in Louisiana!

19 comments:

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

LOL I love your sense of humor~ and adventure! ;-) Your block looks great from where I'm sitting! Happy 4th to you too!

Darlene said...

Love the story! Are you back in the 'torture chamber'? LOL

Marlene said...

Sorry Vicky but this make me laugh. I know what you mean about the paper-I got my ruler in the post this week and looked at it for awhile before realising it peeled off. Hope my first attempt is not a 4 hour block!!! Good luck with the rest.

Mary said...

Thanks for making me smile, and the block looks great!

Karen said...

I like quilt blocks with curves. I will take your word for it that it was not hard but it looks like it would be.

karen @ badlandsquilts said...

Great looking block! Looks like you have it mastered!

Thelma said...

Vicky!! Congratulations, your Metro Scope block looks perfect! The brown paper on the back of the ruler, I guess I should have removed it before mailing it, LOL!

You described the process perfectly, it's not hard, but it is different.

Hope you have a fun 4th of July weekend.

mascanlon said...

What a great job Vicky! You are not the first person to miss that trick with paper on the back of the ruler! This is a perfect Fall topper, I can see it with a vase of lovely bronze mums and some branches full of burnt orange berries.

antique quilter said...

looks great, love the block. your tempting me to buy the ruler now . I bet the second one went together quick and easy! its going to be a great table topper.
Kathie

Kyle said...

What a great story. Thanks for confessing, because we've all done similar things. Your block turned out very nice. Are you stopping at one?

AnnieO said...

That's a pretty block! Glad the time invested resulted in something you like :)

julieQ said...

OH girl...you are braver than I am...it turned out so wonderfully! And only one fat quarter murdered!

Kristy said...

You are so funny! Love your learning process being shared with us. Especially the part about reading the directions! :-) (and of course the paper part..) So glad you stuck with it and finished the whole block! Very cute. Great job. Thanks for the laugh but also for the encouragement to keep at it. K-

Nini said...

I'm impressed!!!

Lisa D. said...

I'm laughing at the cutest story ever! Glad you got the paper off and are in the swing of things. Your blocks look amazing!

Judy Laquidara said...

I love the story and really like that block!

Deb said...

Okay, I fess up I did laugh because I would probably do the same thing and miss the paper on the back! The block is beautiful!

Sarah said...

I love the sense of humour with which you write about yourself. I would have to read the instructions and watch the video that many times too. I probably would leave the paper on the back too. I haven't sewn a quilt with curves, but I'd be looking for the quickest way to do it and chain piecing if I could find a way too. It's just how I operate! Your finished block looks really good. I think you can call that success, maybe even mastery of the ruler.

Beth said...

Thanks for the advice. I am getting ready to use the quick curve ruler for the first time.