A Modified Y-Seam???

I am still waiting for my computer...ugh! And working on an old, slow computer is such a chore.  But I wanted to share my progress on the Coat of Many Colors quilt...

If you recall...I have long admired this Gee's Bend quilt pictured on my kitchen calendar.  I needed to figure it out!

It is much like a chevron and sort of like a french braid...but a bit different than both.  The rectangles interlock and are very tight.

  

I wanted to share with you how I went about piecing this.  Of course there may be other techniques, but this is how I worked it out.  

I cut all of my rectangles 2" X 4.5"...and using two rectangles pieced an L shape...

  

I chose to piece 4 of these L pieces to make a 'block'.  That was completely a personal choice...I just thought 4 would be a good size to work with.  

Now...I approached putting the L's together in the same manner as piecing a Y-seam.  But I suspect it is not a true Y-seam, and at the same time I don't think it is a partial seam either.  So I guess it could be called a modified Y-seam!  LOL!  If any of you have an opinion on the type of seam it is...please let me know.  

Because I treated this as a Y-seam I began stitching the 2 L's together leaving a 1/4 inch open at the beginning and end of the seam.  

         

     Once I stitched a 1/4 inch away from the V point of the seam....I did a little backstitch to secure that point and matched the next leg of the L.  At this point I was really just continuing the seam.  So much like a partial seam.  Try it out....I think you will find it much easier to complete than my explanation!

   

I pieced 4 of these L's to make one 'block'.  Then I simply stitched the blocks together.  This was really very easy....

  

Stitch each small straight edge...as you come to the end of the straight edge {again stop 1/4 inch from the end of the seam} - you will just pick up the next seam.  So it is almost like making a straight seam...no pivoting.  

  

I love the wild nature of this pattern...and using lots of Denyse Schmidt fabric keeps it in the Gee's Bend tradition.

     

Not sure how large I will make this...as usual I have so many projects going at once.

         

happy monday!

mary