Tumbling Leaves Quilt

I've been working on my quilt that was inspired by the autumn colors. Here is what I have learned so far.

It started with a plan and supplies.  Pictured below my straight edge ruler, rotary cutter, 60 degree diamond template, a cutting mat, fabric and thread.  Not in the photo, but equally important are the sewing machine, iron and ironing board.  The iron and I are spending a lot of time together on this project. First I cut all of the pieces.  That took a while and I have to admit I started it before Thanksgiving.  Then I sewed the diamonds into hexagon blocks, but that was as far as I had gone. I think it is safe to say that I got the pieces cut in a week and sewed the blocks in the next week.  

Tools and Supplies

After cutting out the pieces, I made color combination selections, trying not to have any duplicate blocks.  It is possible that when sewing the blocks together, reverse blocks may look exactly like another block. I am working through the blocks trying to make sure this does not happen.

Block before sewn together.

As you can see from this this pre-pieced block, there will be "Y" seams.  Experienced quilters would probably advise not to choose this kind of pattern, however, I have always been a fan of Charm quilts. Charm quilts have pieces that are all cut from the same shape.

Matched Points

I have discovered for best results to get the points to match like this, it is necessary to start sewing the block matching it first to the point where there are six intersections.  This means the first block sewn on each row is not in the position of the first block of a row. To line up the block, I place it above the "valley" between two other blocks.  See below.  

Block Placement 

I have also changed thread for each seam, matching the thread to the diamond pieces.  For example if the top fabric is gold, but the bottom fabric is green then the needle color is gold and the bobbin color is green.  Because all of the seams are small I have used thread on bobbins for both sides.  It makes constant thread changes easier.  Thankfully my machine will thread its own needle.  Otherwise I would probably be using clear nylon thread, which I really do not like.  I will keep you posted as this quilt top progresses.