Radio Windmill

i used background fabric inside this block in lieu of contrasting fabric. this places attention on the red and yellow blades. a contrasting fabric would have placed attention on the square of the block. does that make sense. i placed my blocks over some fat quarters not using in this quilt. i would like to use these yellow polka dots in the green and mauve colorways in another project. i love the blue. but i couldn't pass up getting the others while they were available.here's my progress on the Hope of Hartford quilt. on a cooler night this would have been a snap to finish. but each puff of the iron throws unnecessary heat on the hands. hands which are crying out to wait for another day.i have to say i continue to learn new things taking this class. and the book fully explains each step in detail. for example. to make the above blocks. using two squares right sides together. we first mark with an "x". then sew on the left side to the middle. pivot across center. then sew on the right side. then rotate and do it again. when you cut on your marked "x" lines. you get 4 pieced triangles. which you sew to a full triangle. the top row are for my blocks. the bottom row are for my ribbon border. my teacher recommends not cutting your squares into triangles until you are ready so they don't pull out of shape. normally when i am in class i listen to the teacher and then just do it the way i want to. because there is always more than one way. but in exchange for my time and money i have vowed to try new techniques hoping that "they will be good for me". last month i found myself telling everyone that they weren't using the right ruler to trim their blocks. that would have been me before. using whatever ruler i wanted. next month we use the mini flying geese ruler. it sometimes takes me the entire three hours of class to complete my block. but i like to think that i am attending "quilt school".