Monday, March 12, 2007

More blocks - and some NI info

Having been caught in the crossfire between a cold and a stomach bug this is what I have accomplished these last 5 days.
I will not give details, but I hope the viruses do not come anywhere near you - and I can promise I have washed my hands and am not breathing or sneezing on the screen. I guess my immune system has been a little on the compromised side already.

I now have 31 of 98 NI blocks done - almost 1/3 :-)

Some Nearly Insane info for those of you interested:
The original quilt is made by Salinda Rupp in the 1870's.
Nearly Insane is a quilt book made by Liz Lois in 2003 based on Salinda Rupp's quilt.
It is not a fancy book and other than a few quilt photos it is in black and white only, with line drawings. The paper is of the cheaper kind.
There are no sewing instructions to speak of, so all in all a book you maybe will pay little attention to in the quilt shop, unless you are a sampler quilt enthusiast, like myself :-) If you are, you will love this book too!

For me, foundation paper piecing is the preferred method.
The blocks finish 6".
The easiest blocks have less than 10 pieces, the most piece intensive block has 229 (!), and I guess it has contributed to giving the book it's name. 229, 181, 152 pieces to 6" blocks - that is nearly insane indeed.

I have done a few blocks before in other colour combinations, but when I saw Reiko's quilt I knew I wanted a red and white NI quilt too!
Reiko's site loads a little slow, but it is definitively worth waiting for.

There is a Yahoo group on this quilt as well. It is not a very active group, but you can find info and if you own EQ5 or EQ6 you can find a project file with all the blocks ready to use on your computer and print in any size.

Now it is late and time for bed - but tomorrow is another good day for doing NI blocks.
Only 2 more weeks before I can lift my fabric boxes again. I can hear some other future projects calling my name too - loud.

18 comments:

  1. After reading your post, I get it why the name NI! I don't have that kind of stamina! The blocks shown are beautiful and your piecework looks perfect. :D

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  2. Anonymous1:55 am

    I bought this book a while ago but I still haven't decided if I'm up for that challenge!

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  3. Thanks for sharing that Japanese site - Now I can see where you are headed. I like it in red and white. (I thought you were making all of those blocks for Clare''s Leukemia Quilts.)

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  4. Love your blocks and the colour combo. I know I wouldn't have the patience - my admiration to you :)

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  5. Your NI blocks continue to be beautiful, you do such lovely work.

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  6. And here I thought you were out painting the town. Sad to hear you were not well. The same thing has been going around here but so far I have avoided it.

    Your blocks are outstanding as always. You are so precise.

    It will be fun to see what you do once you can move your fabric boxes.

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  7. Your blocks are wonderful, as usual! I went to Riko's site and can see why you decided on red and white. It is magnificent! Do you need more red?

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  8. Anonymous9:17 pm

    décidemment j'aime de plus en plus tu me tentes avec tes couleurs rouge et blanc c'est magnifique!

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  9. Hanne, sorry to hear that you are a little under the weather.

    The stitcheries and blocks are turning out well. Love the red and white combo!

    I think if I were making blocks that small, with all thos pieces I would be "nearly insane" too! No doubt that is how they go the name?

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  10. Your work is perfect and you made an interesting option choosing red. Hope you get better soon.

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  11. Thanks for the link to Reiko's quilt; it is stunning and I know yours will be too. The red and white is just lovely. Hope you are feeling better!

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  12. You are a brave woman! I know I couldn't make a 6 inch block with 229 pieces!

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  13. Definitely nicer in red and white than in other color combinations I've seen. I love your blocks. The redwork on the previous message is wonderful, too. Hope you are feeling lots better now.

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  14. The blocks all look gorgeous. And Reiko´s quilt cut my breath away. Your white and red combination gave me an idea and I made a block last week-end. (feel free to have a look!)

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  15. Anonymous3:37 pm

    Hanne, I'm always in awe when seeing your blocks ! You have my full admiration ! I didn't imagine that sooo many red and white fabrics could exist... I'll certainly make a white and red quilt.... some day ! (LOL)

    Hugs & smiles !
    NADINE

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  16. Wow, those blocks are wonderful - I don't think I can do that! Well, not today anyway - might change my mind down the road.

    They're just lovely! Feel better very soon!

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  17. 229 pieces in one block!!!! How small can the pieces possibly be?

    Hope you'll feel better soon.

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  18. Hanne, I love your red and white NI blocks!. That quilt will be one incredible, insane quilt. I think the cold virus has invaded me in Michigan, too. I hope you are feeling better.

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