I worked on the Sister’s Choice quilt off and on today. I have a tendency to get sidetracked, so I’d work on it for a while, then get on the computer and tweak the ideas, then cut some fabric, then watch tv…

Anyway, the quilt has been modified slightly – there are only six blocks instead of 8, because the quilt really didn’t need to be 115″ long. With only six blocks (on point) and numerous borders, it is about 88″ long, which is just right. I’ve finished the six blocks (woohoo!)…

… and now I just have to decide which fabrics to use for the setting squares. Originally they were going to be a medium scale print, but I don’t have enough fabric (and I think it looked a little busy). Now I’m thinking about using two different fabrics, one in the center and another for the outer triangles. Here are a couple of options:

Original (with 6 blocks):

Small scale fabric, all the same:

Two different prints:

One print and the center white:

I’m thinking about using the pink and white polka dot for the center squares, and a smaller, more dense pink and white dot for the outer triangles. The problem is the smaller dot is a slightly different shade of pink. Where the rest of the quilt is a soft, ever-so-slightly peachy shade of pink, the other one is just a hair bluer. I think it will look okay – the difference is subtle.

By the way, the pink and white dot in the blocks was one of three options. I wasn’t sure which one to use, although I leaned toward the dot. Mom liked the other dot better because it wasn’t as light, and she thought it gave the block more substance. Thanks to the wonders of digital photography and the computer, I was able to see what each of the options would look like. It’s a neat little trick that comes in handy when you’re auditioning fabrics.

First, lay out the block, or quilt, or fabrics folded to approximate the shape of the block. Take a picture with the multiple options. Here is the block laid out over the three different fabrics:

Rugen is supervising, of course. Actually, I had to throw him out of the photo twice. He loves his quilts.

Next, crop the photo so you see only one of the fabric options. In this case, I cropped it three times – once that included the half with the larger dots, once that included the quarter with the smaller dots, and finally the quarter with the floral print. Use your handy dandy photo editing software (any old cheap software will do) and copy and paste the segment, rotating and flipping until you have what looks like a full block. Here are the three options:

(I also added some white squares and triangles to blot out the dot fabric that showed through the plain white. It was less distracting that way.)

After looking at the photos, we decided that the light dot had a fresh, retro, teen girlish feel, and that’s what I was going for.

By the way, most of the fabrics in this block are from a line by Robyn Pandolph for SSI called “Hannah Bella.” The lighter green is from the Moda Christmas line called “Maison de Noel” and the red at the center is a no-name fabric I got at JoAnn’s.

Tomorrow I’ll lay the blocks out on the potential setting fabrics and see what works. Unfortunately, I won’t have a lot of time to work on it because we have a family reunion to go to. Wait, that didn’t sound right… I’m happy to see people, I just wish I could ALSO quilt. Yeah. That’s it.