Dear Jane C-5 Eye of the Cyclone - My Way!

I just love this block; there is only one problem - I made it all wrong!  The outer edges of the block are supposed to be all white.  For some reason, I got it into my head that the ground was a pinwheel and started from there.  I even marked my pattern incorrectly.  And you know what?  I like my block better than the original.  Sorry Jane, but this is a neat variation and I am glad I did it this way, though I do think the batiks looks more like a celestial vortex than the eye of a cyclone.

C-5  Eye of the Cyclone

This block is almost completely hand-pieced.  The only seams that are done by machine are the ones between the brown and white on the applique.  I made this block on the road, and even though the sewing machine was in the trunk, it did not make it into the hotel in Memphis where I made the pinwheel.  I am a very novice hand-piecer, so I was very impressed by how well the points came together on the pinwheel.  Maybe there is something to this hand-piecing after all!

The applique on this block looks like harlequin smiley faces to me. They were a little tricky to do.  The points were sharp, and I had never done curves quite like this before.  They came out only OK, not great.  It did turn out to be a good idea to baste the center of the pattern onto the center of the pinwheel as a guide.  I do not think I could have gotten the appliqued bits to form a circle without it.

Happy quilting!
Susan in Texas