Quiltsmart Tumbling Blocks Top

I got a little sidetracked this week--I'm sure there were a few other things that I should have been doing.  I've been wanting to try out this Quiltsmart pattern called, "Tumbling Blocks" for several months now.  I knew I wanted to use the black pin dot fabric as my background print (from a local fabric shop) and that I wanted to somehow make it rainbow style.  This week, I pulled all my most saturated fabrics (many are by Suzuko Koseki) and started working on it!  It looks almost psychedelic, doesn't it?  Heh heh. 

It was an interesting process working with the Quiltsmart pattern.  The idea behind it is that you avoid having to sew y-seams with the technique.  The technique involves sewing to a printed piece of fusible interfacing with the glue side to the inside.  You then turn it inside out and hand press it flat-now the glue side sits to the outside.  After that you sew it to the background fabric (black pin dots) and zigzag applique over the top.  I used Superior MonoPoly in a smoke color to keep it from showing up.  You can then cut away the background fabric to avoid bulk in the quilt if you desire.  I cut my background fabric out because I wanted the quilt to feel lighter.  It is all a bit of an involved process with many steps to avoid the traditional method.  The jury is still a bit out.  I've made a Tumbling block quilt before in the traditional way and I have to say, I really hated sewing the long rows together.  Even though there were many more steps involved with the Quiltsmart method there were no steps that made me give up and put it out of sight to get energy to get through the next step and it all went together fairly fast.  My main concern is that when you turn the interfacing inside out, it is extremely tricky to keep the interfacing staying towards the back side--hence occasionally you get peeks of the interfacing showing.  Not good. 

I'm wondering if English paper piecing would be the most relaxing way to sew a Tumbling Block quilt.  I might possibly try that one day as an experience!  Now, I need to think about how I will quilt this top.  It might be a while though as I have a few more urgent projects/customers that need tending to first.