So I'm not all that...

OK, so here's the reason I wanted to learn how to set in blocks: I'm lazy. And impatient.

I thought it would be easier (and faster) to set this red block in than piece the bottom part of this backing and worry about matching up stripes.

I can hear you snickering already.

And I really did want to try something new. It's always good to have another tool in the box just in case.

It probably would have been much easier if it hadn't been such a big block, and if I had more experience with it -- but my practice was limited to what I did in my last post, plus another slightly bigger version. Those turned out OK, so I plunged right in.

Improv backing, ready for fusing

It took a little maneuvering -- I got three sides set in really well, but despite heavy starch, the slightly biased edges stretched the block a little out of shape and the fourth seam was a bear. As a result, the last two corners were pinched a little, but not enough that the quilting can't hide it.

So there ends my adventure in setting in...for now. I'm happy that I didn't have to break up the lines of the fabric with seaming, I achieved the look I was going for and didn't manage to destroy the entire backing in the process, and I now have a better idea of how to execute this better should I ever try to do it again. On a ten-point scale, I'd give it a success rating a six and a half. And I'm OK with that.

It's always good to challenge yourself every once in a while and remind yourself that you're not so much the cat's pajamas as, say, the cat's underwear.

If he wore any.