Log Beauties: 2026 Sew-Along, Part 3

I have recently rediscovered that quilt blogs are a fabulous way to procrastinate. Sure, the posts are all ten years old, but I’ve never read them before, so I’m learning all sorts of new techniques that are now unfashionable, which use products that have been discontinued. Heh.

Meanwhile, all the piecing of the blocks is finished. Don’t forget to read Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them. Lots of pictures.

City Sunset

I was excited to start this one, because I was hoping to learn a way to make curved seams. After going through the directions with my freezer paper, glue, and the zipper foot(!!) three times and getting nothing that even closely resembled a pieced seam, I chucked it all and did a reverse-applique with a straight stitch on the machine to create the semiovate segments.

That was almost fun, so I decided to use the same technique on the dots so I could complete the whole block right away instead of waiting until I re-thread my machine with white thread.

They could be rounder. Perfect/good, etc etc.

Two days later, I’m chugging along, feeling good as I assemble the Log Cabin all the interim measurements are correct, everything is the correct size without needing to be ripped apart and re-sewn.

And then I looked at the directions again.

“Im Ausbessern zeigt sich die Meisterin” I mutter darkly as I rip the whole thing apart.

The finished block looks kinda cool, although I’m not sure about the placement of the dots (I have been living inside the Internet for more than thirty years and my brain has been rewired).

Addendum: About a week later I found a blog post from 2017 that shows the reverse-applique circle technique I invented for myself here. Have at it, guys!

Vampire

A simple FPP block, possibly Hedgehog in a different configuration but after Punky Beauty I’m not complaining. At this point in the project, I have learned enough from the previous blocks to work on multiple segments simultaneously.

I guess these are teeth? Two rows, more a Nephilim than a vampire, amirite?

The important thing is they have their seam allowances. I do not repeat mistakes, I make new ones.

Finished block ready for grading, in the “shave down the edges” sense; I already know I’m getting a B- for Punky Beauty.

Twelve blocks are fully complete and four require some applique. Stay tuned for Part 4, which will probably be in October.