It Takes 5 hours to Make One of these Paper-Pieced Snowman Blocks

 I know that because I just finished sewing for 5 straight hours to complete one--not even a coffee  break  (If anyone is considering buying this pattern from Paper Panache, I thought you might like to get an idea of the time involved). This guy is so darn cute that I think he is worth every minute.

 Now I have two somewhat different snowmen.
Of course I made a few time-consuming errors, like having to redo this piece because I did not leave a seam allowance.  I did not discover the error until I was sewing all the sections together and this one did not quite fit.

I could not believe I did that!  I also missed the same arm piece I messed up on the first block and had to do a little picking out and resewing.  I think I could complete a block in an hour less if I did not have to fix any errors.

I like scarf #2 way better than #1. Right from the pattern picture I did not like the scarf with that contrasting band through the middle, so this time I made everything blend in.  I also like the darker brown arms on #2. 

I plan to make them all slightly different. It's much more fun than making the exact same block six times.  I think the gift will be the blue/green polka dot fabric of the tree in #2.  Maybe #3 will have a purple hat and scarf and a red bow on the gift...if I use some of the same fabrics then they will all go together when placed around the table.  I will have to make at least one more with the lighter arms, so he does not stick out from all the others. 

My challenge to myself is to make the next one without having to redo any of the 20 units!  (I thought there were only 19 sections, but I just counted and there are 20) I probably won't show any more until I get them all done.  I am hoping to have them done by the end of January. If I don't do them all right away, I will end up using the fabric I need for something else.  Been there, done that--way too many times!

Comments

Mary-Frances said…
The snowmen look adorable Zoey!
Heather said…
they are both gorgeous. I love the idea of seat back covers. I could do something like that on my chairs. We have 2 different types of kitchen chairs as we each have out preference and we get annoyed when they get mixed up. It would be great to have covers personalized and they we would always know our chairs.
Sarah said…
This is one of the cutest patterns I've seen. I admire that you are making these time consuming squares. I'll be eager to see the finished quilt. Each one is really cute, so I can image all of these across each row. Good luck!
I love them both. And it really makes me furious too when I chop off the seam allowance. I've done it plenty of times!
Patti