Pattern Review: "Plan C" by Carrie Nelson

I'm so disappointed!!  I've been putting off posting my two Schnibbles quilts reviews because I couldn't find the photos we took of the finished quilts.  After searching every computer, zip drive, and camera card in the house, I think I just have to accept the pictures were accidentally deleted somewhere along the line.  I can't tell you how bummed I am because I was so pleased with the way the turned out.  So, here are my pattern reviews anyways, and if by some miracle, I can find the original pictures, I'll post those too.

Pattern: “Plan C” in Schnibbles Times Two, by Carrie Nelson, of Miss Rosie’s Quilt Co.

(Carrie Nelson's version)

Quality of Pattern: I was just as happy with this pattern as I was with the “X-Rated” pattern – everything was clear and concise. I really only used the cutting instructions and then referenced the assembly diagram to lay everything out on my floor. I did have to do some planning before I cut into my stash so I could create a bit of a pattern

Difficulty Level & Technique: This pattern is fairly easy, although much like “X-Rated,” I would say that it’s better suited to quilters who have a little bit of experience under their belts.

From this pattern, I learned a new technique for assembling the flying geese blocks 4 at a time – the process is also outlined on this great blog. This method requires some prep-work, but works great – however … you have to be very careful to reshape and straighten your flying geese units as you press them to make sure that the fabric doesn’t bow out of shape. I obviously wasn’t paying very close attention as I ironed, as I had a bit of problems with wonky blocks. I was able to get them to work with a bit of steam and some starch, but I would have been a bit happier if I had just done things better from the get-go.

Adaptability: I didn’t really change very much on my version of this pattern. Because I unexpectedly had to go out of town for a couple of days, I opted to leave off the piano-key border and used the time for some free motion quilting instead.

You could easily replace the piano-key border with a pattern of your own choosing, thanks to the middle “white” border between the body of the quilt and the border. With a little math, the middle border could be increased or decreased to the specifications of your new border.

Speed: Like the “X-rated” quilt, I feel like this one took me awhile. The quilt is assembled row by row, rather than block by block, so maybe that’s why it feels like it takes quite awhile. I also worked on various stages of this quilt while starting and completing a bunch of other projects, so maybe it just seemed like this one took forever, when in reality, I only worked on bits and pieces here and there.

That being said, this pattern is more of a “commitment” pattern than a quick “weekend” pattern.

Would I make this pattern again?: Probably some day, but not any time soon. I absolutely adore the way this quilt turned out and I love the Martinique line, but I’m not in any hurry to do it again (at least right now).