A Snarky Sharky Quilt

In case you don’t know, my last name is Finn. My father was dubbed with a very apt knickname early in his career and is still referred to by family and friends as ‘Sharky’. With this in mind, I knew I would be making Elizabeth Hartman’s “Social Sharks” when I first saw it on a YouTube video in 2021 (or somewhere around that time).

This quilt has been a real challenge for me. The instructions were a little overwhelming at first for what appeared to be a rather straightforward quilt compared to many of Elizabeth’s amazing designs. The blocks were made using the connected corner method where you stitch squares onto larger units and cut away the excess to make triangle corner patches. I find this method tedious at the best of times and can’t help thinking it wastes fabric at the same time creating a pile of smaller HSTs that I then need to find a use for! This is only my opinion as I know almost everyone else I talk to loves the easy cutting and easy stitching (and accuracy) that this method offers over more traditional methods.

So, with a grumbling attitude and a not-so-positive attitude I set out to make my first block…

It was hard!

Then I made my second block…

It was still hard!

Then I made my 7th Block…

And, it was a bit easier. You see, it takes a bit of patience, and a bit of practice, to master something new.

Elizabeth’s instructions are EXCEPTIONALLY good. If I had have had a little more trust in the first place my first 6 blocks would have been a breeze! I hope someone reading this can learn from my mistakes.

The final quilt? You guessed it…I LOVE it! I have been looking for a really cool idea for making quilts for many of the men in my family, particularly my nephews and my five brothers. I am not sure if I will be fast in making a few more Social Sharks quilt tops but I will see how it goes. I know that my Dad will really like this one as a new couch quilt for sure.

The quilting was done on my Long Arm machine using an edge to edge design that I felt gave a feeling of water. It is fairly spaced out and perfect for a utility quilt which is unusual for an Elizabeth Harman quilt as I usually see them on proud display as wall hangings…and now I know why hahaha…

That a wrap from me for this week. Have a great day, if you haven’t tried a block or pattern you love because you think it will be difficult, why not give it a go this week? Have a great week and most of all — happy quilting!