Sewing along on Cheddarback

So far there hasn't been much quilting going on this summer.  That seems fairly typical for me.  I'm really motivated and productive in the sewing room from January through March and then.... well, things just get in the way.

But, I've kept up with the Cheddarback monthly sew along from Gay at Sentimental Stitches.  Here are months 3 and 4.

Gay is doing a wonderful job drafting patterns from her vintage quilt.  It wouldn't look exactly the same, but it is easy to see where modern piecing methods would be easier on some of the 5-inch blocks. Especially that one on the lower right. Sometimes the math just doesn't work out nicely and clearly the original was hand pieced. 

The angles on that bow tie were hard to get right by machine.  On the basket blocks I just finally hacked off the base to make it all fit.  Why not?  No quilt police at my house!

It's a fun challenge.  I can see how Gay was particularly drawn to this quilt.  The way the quilt maker balanced a large block and four smaller ones using columns and rows is so creative.  This would be such a great layout for orphan blocks - and maybe that is just what it was for the original quilt maker.