Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

[sassygranny]

I fell in love with the Magical Meadow quilt featured in a McCalls quilt magazine earlier this year. I have gathered the fabrics and am now gathering my courage! Here's the deal....

The blocks are six inches finished! That means that the fourteen blocks surrounding the center have umpteen little pieces with corners that need matching...that are under an inch wide. Maybe a half inch??? They're tiny. And there are lots of them. I'm attaching the picture of the quilt as designed. Plus the block we're talking about. It's six inches square, remember.

I've done a workaround that gives me slightly bigger pieces and fewer points to deal with. I have worked this up into a foundation piecing pattern, but have not yet sewn it. I don't know that I want to. The substitute block is definitely not as pretty...but it also might actually get DONE by me! I see now that don't have the sample blocks done up in the right colors, so that may be a distraction. Sorry!

What do you think? Should I forge ahead with the quilt as designed, fearing certain disaster? Or do you think the workaround block will do? I also considered just making the fourteen blocks out of solid fabric, as I ended up with an extra panel and MIGHT have enough to do solids in those squares. I don't want to do that...but it's a possibility. Here are the photos.

I'd love to know if anyone else has made this quilt. And what your gut reaction is to my workaround.

Thanks for taking the time to look.

[kensington]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

Maybe if you just snowball the square after you make it the second way? I wouldn't attempt that block at all, but after you make the star, it is a bit plain. So, snowballing those blocks might work. Using the same fabric they made the flying geese corners with?

[bubba]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

I have done a block like that, I think that exact one. It really isn't too hard.

[Hulamoon]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

That's going to be pretty! How about a block like this?

limone star.jpg

[kensington]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

That's going to be pretty! How about a block like this?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]73556[/ATTACH]

That is what I was talking about. I think it works.

[Auntpiggylpn]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

How do you feel about paper piecing? You could easily turn that block into a PP block instead of regular piecing!

if someone has EQ 7 they could draw it up and then convert it to paper piecing foundations. I do have EQ 7 but I wouldn't be able to try and work it up for you until later this week.

[Hulamoon]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

That is what I was talking about. I think it works.

Oh that's what you meant by snowballing. I just looked up star blocks. I never snowballed before. lol

[kensington]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

Oh that's what you meant by snowballing. I just looked up star blocks. I never snowballed before. lol

Oh wait... it's not the same. Sorry... I meant the corner idea, but she has a different star, smaller...

[Doloris]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

I really think you should try to do the block from the pattern. There is a lot going on in those corners of that block. if you take it slow and not try to rush through making them it shouldn't be too hard. The block might look "flat" without those corners.

[DeniseSm]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

I think you are very wise to realize how challenging the originally done block would be as a 6" finished squares. The smaller the pieces the less room you have to fudge in your errors. And the seam build-up at the intersections would be a horror! IMHO all those tiny corner triangles aren't even really adding anything to the design. The beauty is coming from the wonderful fabric, which you already have. I think your work around block is fine. You always have the options off adding those tiny triangles back with quilting or how about using a Shiva Paint stick equivalent.

[sassygranny]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

Thanks for the responses. My initial reaction to the workaround block was that it was plain, so adding the bit of color in the corners might work.

I do have EQ7. And I've made paper piecing templates for the workaround. I actually found the original block in EQ7, and the paper piecing templates it produced were daunting. Maybe I should draw them myself and not rely on EQ7 to figure it out. It seemed to have made much more of a big deal out of it than needed. I really love this quilt and want to love it when I'm done. If it kicks my behind...I won't love it. If I mess it up...I won't love it. If it's not that pretty...I won't love it. Sometimes I wish I had never seen it!

[kensington]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

I would love to see this when you are done.

[Sandy Navas]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

And sometimes we go with our gut and LOVE the fact that we did something we thought we couldn't!!!!

[DMac]

Re: Magical Meadow - A possible workaround?

If you were that drawn to the original and are already not really liking your "fix" I think you should take a deep breath and try the original. If you hate it give yourself permission to move on and try your fix. I think if you try and it works out you'll love it more cause you did it when thought you couldn't. That would be a great woohoo moment.