Harry Potter Quilt

I love all things Harry Potter, and when I saw @onelaststitch creating these foundation paper pieced blocks on Instagram, I knew that a Harry Potter quilt was in my future.  I am so NOT a fan of paper piecing (it verges on torture to me,) but for once, the effort seemed like it would be worth it.  I purchased the pattern almost immediately when it was finished, but it took a sew-along for me to actually get started.

If the world hadn't seemed so messed up, I might not have even started this project at all, but the concentration required keeps my mind off things, and keeps my hands busy keeps me off social media and the news.  

I almost wish I hadn't started with Harry and Ron, because my paper piecing skills were rusty to say the least.  I may have to go back and fix Ron's neck.

And I might have been a bit more creative with fabrics if it hadn't been so early in the process.  But they turrned out OK, after all, and I will be happy to have them in my quilt.

By the time I got to Hermione, I was feeling a bit more confident.  I used a scrap I found in the scrap bin for her hair, and I love it.  I might have done more with the books, but all those little pieces intimidated me somewhat.

 Dobby and his sock were pretty easy.

 I really dug deep in the scrap basket for the sorting hat, and I'm not sure I made great choices, although some were fabulous, but you can't deny he has personality.

The Whomping Willow was an absolute beast, and I thought I would pull my hair out before it was done.

 Snape was kind of fun, although his potions were tricky.

 And I loved making the Fat Lady.  Her dress is Liberty lawn, which I totally copied from someone in the quilt along (of course I used a different fabric.). But I'm really happy with the fabric choices here. 

 Hedwig was fun, too, and I'm not sure I like the cream "feathers" but she has personality too, I think.

 Draco obviously.

I knew I had this piece of fairy frost in my stash somewhere, and it took a regular sleuthing session to find it.  Ironically, it turned out on a comic book card on the shelf, right where it was supposed to be.

The Merperson was fun, and again I used a piece of fairy frost.  (I knew right where it was this time. Haha!).  She's pretty similar to Dumbledore in fact, but I like her pretty well.). One thing is that I notice the mistakes in the photos more than I do IRL so once I noticed, I fixed her tail but haven't taken another photo of her.

The Whomping Willow was an absolute beast.  And I had made some fabric choices that just didn't work, so I had to take it apart a couple of times.  I also lost a piece on my sewing table and had the darnedest time figuring out why it didn't come out rectangular.  This piece is 10" x 24", so it is huge!!!  I'm glad this one is behind me.

 The Goblin.  This is another one where I didn't notice the mistake until I saw the photo.  I had put "hair" where there should have been background.  I have fixed it now, but it will be another blog post before I take new pictures.

I used a piece of variegated blue for the flames in the Goblet of Fire, and I do like it, although it might have been better if it had been a bolder color throughout.  Still, I think it works.

Moaning Myrtle was so fun to make, although I had a lot of difficulty finding the right. fabrics.  I didn't have any light blue in my supplies, but finally found a piece in the scrap basket.  The same was true for the magenta-ish background.  But her toilet makes me laugh.  It reminds me of her telling Harry, "Harry, if you die down there, you can share my toilet.
 

 Once again, I noticed that I had made a mistake with Sirius' facial hair, and had to go back and fix him once I took the picture.  These blocks are all scheduled for a new photo session when they are all done.  LOL

Hagrid is gigantic measures 16x16.  I didn't realize the photo was so wonky until I cropped it, but again, these blocks will all get a photo session when they are finished.  I really struggled with colors on this one, but I'm so glad this little piece of green was in my stash, as it was just perfect for Norbert (Norberta?) the dragon.  And one of the darker dots was perfectly placed to be an eye, I thought.


So that's it so far.  Seventeen of 25 blocks finished.  And maybe some extras.  Husband is demanding that I include a 9-3/4 block, which means I will need several to finish out a row.  We'll see if I can keep it up.

I'm glad the start of school is delayed so maybe I can finish this before I go back to work.  It has really served to keep my mind busy, although all the paper piecing is getting a bit tedious and its starting to be kind of a slog to get these blocks done.  I made 3 quilts in a week a couple of weeks ago, and I've been working on this one since July 16.  The best I can do is 3 blocks in a day, more often two.  And there are, of course, interruptions by chores and real life, but it has been a great diversion.

Here's to getting the next 8 (or 13) blocks finished soon!