Decadence Stitch-Along - Month 7- La Pass - Block 9 September 15 2019
It is September, and Fall is beginning. As I've mentioned before, I am so very much looking forward to the Fall and Winter seasons. This Round, however, I was not looking forward to. I have always been terrified of the La Passacaglia from Willyne Hammerstein's first book, Millefiori One. I have the papers but was too intimidated to give it a whirl. And choosing colors for the Rounds can be daunting. If you are not familiar with the quilt, check out one of my favorite quilts made from this pattern, the quilt made by Wendy Welsh, pictured below. Her color choices are spectacular.
Now that I have made this Round, I have found that, although there are a large amount of pieces, it went together quite simply. Taking it one row at a time is all I needed to do.
TIP FOR TODAY:
When selecting fabric for the La Passacaglia Round, I avoided using too many busy prints, particularly for the stars. You want to make sure they stand out from the rest of the pieces.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some of you may have a pattern with errors on page 3, templates. The shapes are drawn correctly; however the following corrections are necessary:
- The one-inch 36 degree diamond at the top right is actually a one-inch 45 degree diamond. And, it requires a total of 25 pieces, not 15.
Let's get started!
FABRICS USED IN THIS MONTH'S ROUND ARE:
- Black and White Stripe
- Turquoise with Birds
- Peacock Feathers
- Hot Pink Marble
- Cream with Black Dots
- Black with Large Floral
- Black with Green Border Print
- Background Fabric
FABRIC CHOICES AND FUSSY CUTS:
(1) The center star is comprised of five Pentagons cut from the Black and White Stripe fabric. A black stripe should be placed vertically down the center of the Pentagon. The picture below shows the placement of the template on the fabric.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT FIVE Pentagons. Sew them into a star shape. Take note of how the lines match at the seams.
(2) Around the center star are five 36 degree Diamonds cut from the Cream with Black Dots fabric. The picture below depicts this cut.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT FIVE. Then sew them around the center star. Refer to the diagram on page 2 of your pattern.
(3) The next surround is comprised of ten Pentagon's cut from the Turquoise with Birds fabric. The cut should include ONLY the green ferns. The picture below shows the placement of the template on this fabric.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT TEN. Then sew them together into a circle with one open seam. Sew this circle around the center. Some stitchers like to sew these pieces individually to the center; then sew the seams between the Pentagons. This is a fine alternative.
(4) The next surround is comprised of ten 45 degree Diamonds alternating with ten stars. The 45 degree Diamonds are fussy cut from the Peacock Feathers fabric encompassing the heart shape, as depicted in the picture below.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT TEN. Set these aside until the completion of item #5.
(5) Each of the next ten stars is comprised of five 36 degree Jewel shapes cut from the Hot Pink Marble fabric, as depicted in the picture below.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT FIFTY (50) 36 degree Jewels. Sew these into sets of five connecting the short sides. They make the most perfect star. (The next time you need to appliqué a five pointed star, consider making it with EPP papers.) I found it easiest to sew one star to one Peacock Feather Diamond from item #4. Sew all your pieces into sets like this. Be careful of the direction in which the Peacock feather goes. Then connect half of them into a half circle and sew the two bottoms of each star to the center. Attach the next five in the same manner, sewing them to the center. Sew the seams between the two half circles. Attaching half at a time leaves less bulk to work around. Refer to the diagram on page 2 of your pattern.
(6) The next surround is comprised of twenty Pentagons cut from the Black and White Stripe fabric. Notice the placement of a black stripe along one side of the Pentagon and how both pieces of a set mirror each other, as pictured below.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT TWENTY. These will be sewn together in sets of two, one with a black stripe on the upper left side and one with a black stripe on the upper right side of the Pentagon set, matching the stripes in the seam. These sets can now be sewn between two hot pink stars. Refer to the diagram on page 2 of your pattern.
(7) The next surround is comprised of ten 45 degree Diamonds alternating with ten 45 degree Diamonds. First make ten 45 degree Diamonds from the Turquoise with Birds fabric, fussy cut from only the green ferns. The picture below depicts this cut.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT TEN. Then sew these to the circle directly above each hot pink star. Refer to the diagram on page 2 of your pattern.
(8) The second part of the surround is comprised of ten 36 degree Diamonds cut from the Cream Black Dots fabric. The picture below depicts this cut.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT TEN. Then sew the long sides above the pairs of striped Pentagons. Refer to the diagram on page 2 of your pattern.
(9) The outside surround is comprised of pairs of Pentagons and stars. Twenty Pentagons are cut from the Black w/Large Floral fabric. Notice in the picture of my completed La Passacaglia Round, the cuts are made with mostly pink areas BUT ALSO other areas of the fabric. Sample pictures are shown below.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT TWENTY. Then sew them together in pairs. These pairs are sewn to the long 36 Degree Diamonds of the Round, mirroring the striped pairs of Pentagons. Refer to the diagram on page 2 of your pattern.
(10) Finally, make ten stars, each comprising of five 36 degree Jewels. Fifty Jewels are cut from the Black with Green Border Print fabric with the black stripe running down the center of each Jewel.
YOU WILL NEED TO LOCATE THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL IRON THE INTERFACE TO THIS SPOT ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC.
YOU WILL CUT WITH A SEAM ALLOWANCE APPROXIMATELY 1/4" BEYOND THE INTERFACE.
CUT FIFTY Jewels, carefully centering a black stripe down the center length of each Jewel as pictured below. Sew these in sets of five connecting the short sides. These stars will be sewn above the green fern 45 degree Diamonds. And then are connected on both sides to the Black w/ Large Floral Pentagons.
WE ARE NOW FINISHED WITH OUR LA PASSACAGLIA MEDALLION. Despite the fact that there were a whole lot of pieces, when broken down, this is not a difficult Round.
Next month we will be working with traditional EPP papers rather than the iron on shapes for a change. Don't forget to post your progress on Facebook and/or Instagram using hashtag #DecadenceSAL for a chance to win a monthly prize!