Edyta Sitar Meets Becky Sharp.

So... Sweet Sixteen phase II. I guess Phase I was that I acquired the kit, pattern, fabric, etc... Already traced and cut out most of the templates to freezer paper (wondering now if that was a wasted step...)

Phase TWO, I've decided, is that I have cut into fabric. Not only did I boldly cut out a 17x17" square of background fabric, but later that same day I also (still boldly) cut into a lovely green batik, and then a blue, and then a blue print -- and before you know it I was tearing into pinks and buying (ahem) more reds... I put my new "perfect circles" to the test and voila! a delightful little pile of perfect circles... If only this whole quilt was made of circles instead of a bunch of complicated pointy objects... Oh, I also enlarged the first block. Starting with #15. Ummm. I know this will be a dumb ? to applique-ers, but how are you supposed to enlarge those layout patterns? Setting the "copy" feature on my printer to 150% (which, btw, despite this being a pretty high tech printer, i have to manually hit the button on the screen 50x to get it up to 150 - it does not allow you to just enter the number. It holds your customized setting for a couple minutes only so if you're not quick about it, you have to hit it 50x (nee nee nee nee nee) each and every time you reposition the pattern to enlarge it - about 6x per block times 16 blocks. Calgon. Take me away! Kinkos? How is this accomplished? And then there's the pattern transfer. Light table? You can tell this is all new to me. I so co-fused.

While working on this I was watching Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon. I've seen other versions of the story, never read the book... Took me all those viewings though, and 'til the next morning to realize the Crawleys are creepy crawl-y, Stayne is a stain, and Miss Rebecca Sharp is sharp as a tack. Call me oblivious, but there it is. The production design was awesome - the vivid colors and Indian influences brought things around full circle with this beautiful project.

My little set up. Starch-in-a-cap, raw-cut
circles, my purple whoseywhatsit thingy, etc.

yoyo-ating around the disc.

Cinch it, starch it and press it.

Let it dry, then pry out the disc.

Push the mangled pleats back down and press.

fini.

a wee collection of circles and the perfect
circle discs on a handy ring.