Bits and Pieces

Be Still My Heart

2012-01-30T09:38:00.001-07:00

Or, More Bang for the Buck

It helps to really hate your carpet, and have hated it for a really, really long time. When our living room carpet and I first met (twenty years ago), it was a simple case of dislike on my part. Over the years, dislike grew into antipathy. Antipathy grew into virulent hatred.

If it weren’t against laws of both state and common decency, I’d take the carpet we just tore out, throw it into a bonfire in the back yard and dance around it. Naked.

You will be spared pictures of that.

Instead, you get this. First, my hero, a manly man with power tools.

The first boards down. Oh, really – be still my heart. It is love, love, love.

And more love.

Working hard under watchful eyes:

(Are those stair railings a dead giveaway that this house was built in the seventies or what?)

We’re not there yet, but this is making me very very happy.

Why “more bang for the buck”? I’m thinking there are people that take their wood floors for granted. Ho hum. Not me. Who says you can’t buy love?

Last Days

2012-01-15T15:19:00.001-07:00

Of freedom, that is. The semester officially starts on Tuesday. My classes begin on Wednesday. I’ve been doing a lot of work this last week on preparing syllabi and assignments, but I’ve had a goodly amount of sewing time as well. Though I can hear the count down . . . Tick-tock!

Still . . .

How about a new Kindle Touch sleeve?

I wrote up pdf directions for the tutorial on making these that I posted on the blog a few weeks ago. You can get it for free over at PatternSpot.

I made up a couple more sleeves as well. Like this:

Pretty fabric and a vintage button. I made two of these, so at least one of them is headed over to the Etsy shop.

And, hey! I sold a Kindle Touch sleeve! My first sale! For all I know it might be my only sale. Still, very exciting. And here it is a Sunday, with a federal holiday tomorrow. I was all set to show what a good Etsy provider I would be by rushing over to the post office to get it in the mail – alas, it will have to wait till Tuesday morning.

And now that I’ve spent the better part of the day sewing up the sleeve, taking pictures, and writing up the new set of directions, I do believe it is time for me to get back to finishing up those syllabi.

Whew!

2012-01-09T17:02:00.001-07:00

Once again stocked with fusible fleece – meltdown averted. Due thanks to Hobby Lobby and 40% off coupons. And aren’t they just perfectly ghastly?

I think this has to be one of the best fabric lines ever. Now here it is, my latest iPad 2 sleeve. Like I mentioned in another post, I don’t even own an iPad, though I’m warming up to the idea, and when I get one, the Ghastlies might just be the cover I need. In fact, I see a new Kindle cover in my future. Meanwhile, here’s more of the iPad version. From the inside:

For those of you getting tired of my posting things that are going in the Daisy Fair Etsy shop, not to worry – the semester starts next week, so my fool around sewing time is going to take a major hit. (It always does – alas). But meanwhile, here it is, in all its ghastly glory – my newest addition to the shop.

And, I’m pleased to say, I’ve added three rows to my Asian Pyramids, so progress is being made. Yeah, me!

The 11 Project Progress Plan

2012-01-08T12:51:00.001-07:00

Doesn’t that sound official? Downright corporate. But it’s only just us – us being my Kindred Spirits quilt group (or whatever we are calling ourselves these days – Quiltie Buddies Extraordinaire).

So, here’s the deal: since we all have a few (ahem) unfinished projects stuffed here and there, we decided on a plan to work on them this coming year. We each made a list of 11 projects, making sure to number them. At the first meeting of the month, we pull a number at random. That’s the project we work on some during the month.

We’re a user friendly bunch. You don’t have to finish the project. You can work on other projects, too. (Well, of course). Just a little progress. That’s the plan.

The number for January? #9

For me, that is the Asian Pyramid Triangles, a project I worked on with a friend quite a while ago. Last year this time, perhaps? In any case, Vickie, who is approximately a gazillion times more efficient than I am, finished hers. I got the top assembled as far as you see in the photo above. But I also had these bits ready to go.

And these:

So, more rows to the top. That’s the plan.

Meanwhile, I made up another iPad 2 sleeve using the pattern I posted over on Pattern Spot. I posted it in my Etsy Shop. I’m really impressed with how the button for closing the flap lined up with the circles on the fabric – pure serendipity.

And because I love making these (and I don’t even own an iPad!), I’ve got another ready to make up. Because who doesn’t love the Ghastlies?

I’m getting held up because I am out of fusible fleece.

Really. This is unheard of.

Our local Joann’s is moving to a bigger store – and I’m all for that. But it’s meant months of them not having anything left in stock (as they went into clearance mode months ago). I really underestimated how much of certain things I would need. Which leaves me out of my favorite linen and out of fusible fleece.

I could drive to the next town over and visit their JoAnn’s. In fact, I know I’m going to have to. Meanwhile? I’m just whining.

But it’s not like I don’t have anything to do in my sewing room, right? I mean, there is the 11 Project Progess Plan!

Tally Ho!

2012-01-06T08:37:00.001-07:00

I did it. I finally put together an Etsy shop – Daisy Fair. I have NO idea how that is going to go, so it’s a bit of an adventure. (I live a quiet life. It qualifies as an adventure for me).

What’s in it? Well, for starters, some of those Kindle Sleeve covers I got addicted to making over break (still there on that).

Then I made up some more linen bookmarks – vintage lace and vintage buttons:

Also in hot red:

Some with pictures:

A little about the shop name –

One of my absolute favorite books is Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald. LOVE this book. A little bit of perfection. In it, our lovely young heroine, Daisy Saunders, meets our loveable young hero, Fred Fairly. Daisy Fair. Also, the name conjures up hints of a Renaissance fair – I see potters and wood carvers; I hear wooden flutes; I’m pretty sure there are jugglers. And fire eaters. In my imagination, I’m almost certainly twenty years younger and twenty pounds lighter. So, there it is.

Because we all can use a little magic in the air.

What’s Next?

2012-01-02T15:32:00.001-07:00

That’s a quote from one of my favorite West Wing episodes, but it seems a good thought for the day, looking forward to this new year.

So, first off, I have a new pattern for sale at PatternSpot. Jeff wanted me to make a case for his iPad 2, so that came first.

With a front pocket to hold his stylus.

I really liked it and decided it could be pretty, too. With a little GO! applique – because, why not?

And, as I look at the coming year, well . . . I have plans, which, as Jennifer Cruise says on her wonderful blog Argh Ink, are far better than goals.

And I have quilt groups to help me out because my groups have plans, too.

In one group, there’s the 11 Project Progess Plan. Of course, there are twelve months in a year, but we considered it and said, “December? Really? Let’s be serious.” So 11 it is. More on that later.

That same quilt group has declared this the year of the pineapple, so we’re each going to make a quiltie pineapple something. It could be big. It could be little. It could be several pineapple projects or just one. (I’m thinking if I make up a pineapple pincushion over break here I can slide through the rest of the year and not do any more pineapples unless I’m really inspired).

Another quilt group is starting up a block of the month sampler. Here’s my first block:

It’s a good thing this first block had that ever so forgiving outer border. After making up a bunch of little projects where absolute accuracy isn’t a concern, it’s always a bit of a shocker when I come back to precision piecing. Which, as I think of it, is exactly what I was writing one year ago. Points for consistency?

And my plan for this week? To have an Etsy shop up and running by the end of the week. We’ll see . . .

Meanwhile, I hope you are all enjoying a good start to the New Year – be it with goals, plans, or crossed fingers hopin’ and wishin’.

Manly Linen Bookmarks – A Tutorial, Too

2011-12-23T22:57:00.001-07:00

I wanted easy and easy they were. I wanted them to be simple enough that they wouldn’t be too fussy for the men in my life. Just in case anyone else is looking for some easy peasy bookmarks, here’s directions.

1) First, I searched the internet for vintage images that reflected my guys – so, vintage race cars, bicycles, owls, hedgehogs, rhinos. I think the bookmarks would be fun with family photos as well.

2) I created a page of images in Word, sized the images at 1 1/2" wide, and printed them off – I used Electric Quilt’s pre-treated printable fabric.

3) I was aiming for speed, so I just took a sheet of Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite and fused it onto linen. You could cut rectangles of the linen and the fusible separately, but this way was nice and fast.

4) From the fused linen, cut rectangles 2 1/4" by 8".

5) Trim 1/4" around the image and then measure the size of the image itself (not counting the quarter-inch seam allowance).

6) Draw the image size onto the back of a linen rectangle (paper still on). I finger pressed a fold in it to help me center the rectangle.

7) Cut out the window.

8) Peel the paper off the linen with the window and a non-window linen rectangle as well. Lay the uncut (no window) linen rectangle on an ironing surface with the fused side up. Lay the rectangle with the window on top with the fused side down. After they are neatly lined up, carefully peel back the window area so that you can line up your image. Then iron to fuse them together.

9) Stitch around the window. Then stitch 1/4" in around the outer edges of the bookmark.

10) Use a rotary cutter with a wave blade to trim the edges. Line up the 1/8" inch mark on the ruler with the stitching that is 1/4" in from the outer edges of the bookmark.

11) Trim around all four edges and you’re done.

Gosh, I love quick little projects!

I’m not done with my Christmas sewing yet. Are you? I’m still burning up my Bernina finishing up another couple projects.

You might be smarter than that.

I’m considering it part of my yearly Christmas tradition.

So, whatever your traditions, I wish the best of Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Linen Bookmarks – A Tutorial

2011-12-23T12:14:00.001-07:00

Two ways, no less. The slightly more involved and the pleasingly easy. This:

Or this:

Because either way you have linen, vintage lace, and vintage buttons. What’s not to love?

Supplies

linen
bits of lace and pretty buttons
fusible interfacing – I used Décor Bond or Craft Bond or something like that. You could probably go lighter and that would be fine, too. With hindsight, if I was making more of these up, I’d go for a lighter interfacing – just enough to add a little body and to curtail linen’s inclination to stretch like mad.
For the easier version: Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite or other fusible product

Slightly More Involved First

I rooted through my button box and my bits of lace to create a little pile to play with. You could always use new, of course. If you want to create a vintage look, you can tea die the lace (buttons, too, for that matter).

1. Cut your interfacing 2" by 8" – one for each bookmark.

2. Cut two linen rectangles 2 1/2" by 8 1/2"

3. Fuse the interfacing onto the back of one of your rectangles, leaving a quarter inch seam allowance on all four sides of the fusible.

4. Try out a couple bits of lace across the right side of the interfaced rectangle.

5. Sew the lace down along the top and bottom.

6. Add a button to the top. (oops – forgot to take a picture).

7. Place the two linen rectangles right sides together and sew along all four edges, leave an opening along the top edge for turning (the arrows indicate how far in I sewed along the top edge). Trim the four corners.

7. Turn inside out. This can be a bit tricky. You can push in the top edge and then grap it with forceps. I used the Dritz Quick Turn tool (because I love my gadgets).

Started. It’s a little stiff but it’s working.

Still going.

8. Once it’s all turned right side out, push out the corners, and press, folding in the top edges.

9. I put the edge foot on my sewing machine and top stitch all around.

10. And it’s done! Isn’t that pretty?

The Easy Version

Very pretty, but I’ll grant, the turning inside out business does slow things down. So if you want to avoid that step, try this instead.

Cut

two linen rectangles 2" by 8"
one fusible interfacing 2" by 8"
one Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite 2" by 8"

Directions

1. Fuse the interfacing and the Steam-a-Seam to the linen pieces.

2. Once again, sew the lace and button onto the linen piece with the fused interfacing.

3. Place the two linen rectangles with right sides out and fuse them together.

4. Stitch 1/4" around all four sides. If you want, you could stop there. It would look like this.

5. I trimmed the edges with my wave blade rotary cutter. I put the 1/8 inch mark of the ruler on the stitching and trimmed the wee excess.

6. Easy and still very pretty.

A close-up.

Is that not enough?

Well, no. A while back a quilt buddy of mine gave me a bag of batik scraps, leftovers from a quilt she had made for a grand-daughter. For an added bonus, some of those leftovers were from border strips that included piecing. So I took those border strips and using this tutorial, made these guys. The only difference is that I fused mine together.

And I’m not quite done. Because all of these strike me as fairly feminine and I’ve got a husband, two sons, and a brother-in-law to account for as well. So, just a handful more – and I have to say, I’m getting a little bookmarked out, so I see sew easy in my future.

Huffin and Puffin and Almost There

2011-12-18T22:00:00.001-07:00

Grading, grading, grading . . . keep those finals moving . . . (think theme to Rawhide, for those of you – ahem – vintage enough to remember the theme to Rawhide). I wound up with finals on Thursday and Friday of finals week, so it’s been a grading weekend. Still, if I can get my brain (“this is your brain on vacation; this is your brain during finals” – sizzle . . .) to cohere long enough, I just might finish it all up tomorrow.

Just in time to make a bunch of bookmarks for Christmas. I hope.

Meanwhile, Shez has won the GO! ornaments. Congratulations!

Earlier in the week, as I was waiting for the finals to roll around, I made up a few more Kindle sleeves. I really will put some up on Etsy. (I’ve been trying to come up with a shop name. Daisy Fair is my latest thought). Making them has been kind of addictive – kind of? – and I don’t really need a lifetime supply. But, really, aren’t they sweet?

Using the leaves from AccuQuilt GO! Rose of Sharon die:

And the leaves and flowers from the Rose of Sharon die:

And while the red, black, and whites are out, another spotted puppy:

With pretty inside fabric, too:

For anyone who missed, I have the tutorial for making up these sleeves here.

I also have an Xmas table runner to finish which really has to be done this week, so I should have pictures soon.

GO! Ornaments Tutorial and Giveaway

2011-12-14T08:13:00.002-07:00

Last year I made up a snowflake ornament using snippets and the GO! Holiday die. This year, I decided I needed more than just one! And a number of dies work well for these pretty ornaments.

The Holiday die is good for both the tree and the snowflake.

The Dove die is also very pretty.

I’m sure other dies would work well also – the cardinal, the snowflakes, the deer . . . .

Supplies – makes up 4 ornaments

Eight cream and gold fabrics cut 7 inches square (I like a little holiday glitter so I made sure half of my fabrics included gold metallic)
One 11" square of backing fabric
One 11" square of batiste or lightweight muslin
Eight 7" squares of Steam-a-Seam or other fusible
One 11" square of Steam-a-Seam or other fusible
One 11" square of heavier fusible interfacing, such as Décor Bond
Four buttons
Ribbon – four pieces, approximately 7 inches each
gold metallic thread

Making the Snippet Fabric and Ornament

1. Fuse the Steam-a-Seam onto the backs of the 7" square fabrics

(I was having a Goldilocks moment: the picture shows ten fabrics that were 5 inch squares. That was just a little shy of what I needed. With my next set I used 8 fabrics 8 inch square, which was more than I needed, so this number is the final thought. The lesson here is that you have wiggle room: if you want more fabrics, cut a few more and just use a smaller size square).

2. Peel the paper off the fusible and lay the fabric square (one at a time) right side up on a cutting mat. Free cut narrow strips across the square.

3. Then cross cut more strips so that you wind up with little squares. Repeat with all your 7" squares and fill a bowl with little fused snippets.

4. Layout the 11" square of batiste. Begin to randomly place snippets (fused side down). (Tip: I like to work on an ironing surface so that I don’t have to move the layered snippets in order to stabilize them).

5. Keep going until you have all of the batiste covered. You will do a lot of layering as you go.

Tip: It helps to place a pressing sheet over your snippets before you iron them in place – just in case any of those snippets got placed fused side up instead of down. You don’t want little pieces fused to your iron!

Tip: to ensure that you have fully covered the batiste, iron and then hold your fused fabric up to a light source. Any snippet free spots will show right up.

6. Fuse the 11" square of heavier interfacing to the back of the fused snippet section. First, free motion quilt fairly densely using a cream colored thread. Secondly, free motion more lightly using the gold metallic thread. (Using a metallic needle will help but, honestly, even with a metallic needle, I had a fair amount of thread ravel and breakage. Patience helps).

A close-up of the stitching:

7. Fuse the 11" square of Steam-a-Seam onto the wrong side of the backing fabric. Then fuse the backing fabric onto the back on the snippet fabric square.

8. Cut the 11" square into four 5 1/2" squares.

9. I like to mark my dies with a quarter inch line around the outer edge of the cutting blade so that I can line up my fabric easily.

10. Run the snippet fabric through the GO!

11. Use the button to attach the ribbon to the ornament and you’re done. Now, aren't they pretty?

And Let’s Not Forget the Giveaway!

In order to be eligible for these two ornaments, just leave a comment here (be sure you are not a Do Not Reply blogger). I’ll use our old friend the random number generator to choose a winner on Sunday, December 18.

Remember to visit these other bloggers in our AccuQuilt Christmas Theme Blog Hop. AccuQuilt is giving away a GO! Baby so visit SewCalGal for more on that!

Monday, December 12th
SewCalGal

Tuesday, December 13th
Leona’s Quilting Adventure

Cherry (Cherry Bossoms)

Wednesday, December 14th
Terrie (Bits & Pieces)
Nancy (Tattered Garden)

Thursday, December 15th
Katrina (Sunflower Quilts)

Jacque (Lily Pad Quilting)

Friday, December 16th
SewCalGal
Paulette (Sweet P Quilting and Creations)

GO! Kindle Touch Sleeve Tutorial

2011-11-28T12:44:00.001-07:00

I finally succumbed and bought a Kindle – the latest ever-so-nifty Kindle Touch. Love. Love. Love. Which means some coddling is in order. Definitely. Like a padded sleeve (or two or . . . . )

A word of warning: I made my sleeves to be a nice snug fit for the Kindle Touch. If you have another ereader, you will need to change the dimensions.

The first sleeve I made, I created a flap. Then I switched over to using just a little strip of elastic and a button at the top. I actually liked that better since the Kindle still seemed secure but was easier to slide in and out. (Just so you know).

Supplies and Cutting Directions:

Front fabric:

top piece: 2 1/2" by 6 1/8"
bottom piece: 6" by 6 1/8"

Back fabric: one piece 6 1/8" by 8"

Lining fabric: two pieces 5 7/8" by 7 3/4"

Applique: scraps

Batting: two pieces 6 1/2" by 8 1/2"

Fusible fleece: two pieces 5 1/4" by 7 1/4"

Thin elastic (I used 1/8") – 2 3/4" length

decorative button

Assembly

1. Join the top and bottom front pieces.

2. Place the front and back pieces over batting and loosely quilt. After quilting, trim the excess batting away.

3. For the applique: fuse Steam-a-Seam or other fusible product to the back of your chosen fabric and run through the GO! Happily, there are a lot of dies that will work with this size project. In these directions, I am using the Rose of Sharon die.

After creating your fused applique shapes, center them on the bottom section of the sleeve front.

4. After fusing, stitch down the raw edges.

5. Center a button at the top of the sleeve. You can decide how far down you want the button to go. I placed mine fairly close to the top, making sure to account for the quarter inch seam allowance. (If you decide to place your button lower, be sure to add length to the elastic).

6. Take your piece of elastic, fold it in half, and stitch it down at the top center of the back piece.

7. Place the front and back right sides together and sew the side and bottom edges. Trim the bottom corners after sewing.

8. Turn the sleeve right side out. Be sure to poke out the corners and press.

9. Iron the fusible fleece on to the wrong sides of the lining fabric, leaving a quarter inch surrounding all four edges of the fleece.

10. Join the lining pieces right sides together and sew the side and bottom edges – leave a three inch gap along the bottom unsewn (to turn the sleeve inside out in a later step). Once again, after sewing, trim the bottom corners just as you did with the outer fabrics.

11. Place the outer sleeve inside the lining so that the right sides are together. Match the side seams. Pin and sew a quarter inch seam along the top.

12. Turn right side out through the opening at the bottom of the lining.

13. Sew the opening in the lining closed.

14. Tuck the lining inside the bag and top stitch along the upper edge of the bag.

Now, how cute is that?

Here are a couple versions that use the GO! bird die. I love how cheeky that little bird looks!

How about the GO! puppy die? The flap uses a velcro closure with a vintage button for decoration. (In case you are interested in making the flap: if you make the length 3 1/4", it will reach to the seam that joins the top and bottom pieces. I cut my flap 3 1/4" by 4" and trimmed off the bottom corners at a 30 degree angle).

And, of course, you can forego the applique entirely and just use really pretty fabric!

These little sleeves are meant for when my wee Kindle is hanging out at home. I’m planning another version that encloses it entirely for when it leaves the house with me. Next week.

Meanwhile, all these versions were to offer ideas on how to use the GO! dies with these. I don’t actually need this many, so I’m going to be posting my extras a little later this week on Etsy – just in case any one would prefer to just buy one and be done with it!

Interlocked Crosses

2011-10-01T16:01:00.001-06:00

As I noted in an earlier blog entry, when I’m headed cross country to teach a workshop from Miniatures in Minutes, I like to play with some new design options for the foundation I’m teaching. In about a week and a half, I’ll be in Santa Barbara teaching the 13-Square foundation. So . . . .

I still had some one-inch strips from the Spider Web block table runner I made up for the “For the Love of Color – A Modern Swap.” I cut them down to 5 1/2" and put them on the Go! one inch strip die.

And mere moments later was happily (seriously) eyeing little piles of one inch squares.

I knew I wanted to play with the idea of interlocking crosses so I just started laying out squares.

And laid out more squares.

And finally finished with too many squares. (That’s a 13 by 14 grid I created there – oops!)

But I peeled off the extra row and made up a cute little pouch. Here it is from the front.

With a little bit of inside showing.

And from the back.

Cute.

And, for the Halloween Mug Rug Giveaway:

So, JJ is the lucky winner. Congrats!

Go! Halloween

2011-09-26T22:28:00.002-06:00

Or, the Charm Pack Challenge

With a Giveaway

I’m still thinking about those little trees I mentioned a couple blog entries back, but meanwhile, I got distracted. I saw this cute little charm pack of Deb Strain’s Trick or Treat fabric line.

I thought, I could have some fun with those. I decided I would cut all the charms with one die on the Go! and that I’d use my good friend –Pellon Fusible Stabilizer 1" Quilters Grid – to sew things up.

Now, there really wasn’t any reason to this challenge. Just a little sewing room “Well, why not?” moment. Here’s what followed.

First, I decided to use the 2 inch square die. Which, of course, I have marked for convenience.

I laid the charm squares so that the edges of the charms were right up against the marked cutting lines.

After running the die through the Go!, I wound up with 4 two inch squares, 1 one inch by five inch rectangle, and 2 one inch by two inch rectangles. (Of course, that’s per charm – since I’m running four to six charms through at a time, the total number is much higher).

When I set up for the second stack of charms, I added the long strip to the die. Like this:

That means that strip will be cut into 2 one inch by two inch rectangles and 1 one inch square.

As a side note: when I run my dies through the Go!, I place a piece of scrap paper on top.

That way, when I remove the cutting mat after the die has been run through the Go!, the only thing that sticks to the mat is paper.

I set a few of the charms aside since I though they’d be better off fussy cut, but the rest I ran through the AccuQuilt Go! – and in just a few minutes, I had this.

So, now it was time to pull out the Pellon. I like to lay it on top of white paper and mark the corner dimensions of the size I want with washable ink. Then it is easy for me to see and cut.

After I cut the interfacing, I place it (fusible side up!) on my Cut n’ Press. I like that I can line up the grid lines of the fusible with the Cut n’ Press. That makes adding patches in line super easy and it’s ready to press as is once I’m happy with the design.

Time to start playing with patches. For this one, I started with the larger squares set in place. Then I added the surrounding rectangles and put in the little one inch squares last.

When I iron, I like to put a cloth over the patches to hold everything down until they are securely in place.

I thought about different options as I went. The above block became a mini quilt and one based on a similar grid became a mug rug. I also did some basic mug rugs.

And baskets. If you haven’t come across Pink Penguin’s fabric basket tutorial, then you’ve been missing out on one of the best sewing tutorials on the web. Check it out here!

I like to use Pellon’s fusible grid to make the patchwork. For one – fast, easy, and super accurate (what’s not to like?). For two – the interfacing gives the basket a little more body. Even though I will need to separate sections, I think it’s fastest to work with a single piece of the Quilter’s Grid. Like this:

I sew the short seams first.

Then cut it in half.

And finally sew the long seams to finish the sections off.

You may wonder just how I’m sewing these together! If you haven’t worked with the Pellon grid before, I have directions given in earlier tutorials. You can find the tutorial for using the straight grid like I’m using with these projects here. And you can find a tutorial for using Pellon’s on-point fusible grid here.

ANYHOO – this went on for a while. Till I had this leftover.

Truth be told, I wasn’t really in love with the whites in this collection. They are seriously cute, don’t get me wrong, but generally speaking, I don’t prefer white with high contrast fabrics. Given another charm pack with more muted options, I probably would have kept on going. I’d have been down to coasters and pin cushions but those pieces would have found a home. But that’s hypothetical. With this charm pack, I decided to call it good.

And here’s what I got for my labors.

Two fabric baskets:

Four mug rugs:

And a mini quilt:

Whew!

But aren’t they just fun?

And, hey, are you still with me? Because here’s the Giveaway! These two mug rugs are looking for a home. Would you like them in yours? If so, just leave a comment. I’ll leave the drawing open until the end of our AccuQuilt Go! Fall Blog Hop – I’ll visit our old friend the random number generator on Saturday morning.

And for more AccuQuilt blog hop fun, check out these blogs this week:

Monday, September 26th
Darlene (SewCalGal) - www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 27th
Terrie (Bits & Pieces) www.terriesandelin.blogspot.com (you are here!)
Sharon (Craizee Corners) www.craizeecorner.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 28th
Katrina (Sunshower Quilts) www.sunshowerquilts.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 29th
Connie (Quilting by the River) http://www.conniekresin.blogspot.com
Mary (the Tulip Patch) http://www.tulip-patch.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 30th
Polly (Polly's Porch) http://www.auntpollysporch.blogspot.com

Thank you, Darlene, for putting this together!! I’m so looking forward to seeing what everyone has come up with!

Sizzix Big Shot or Cricut?

2011-09-19T08:40:00.001-06:00

As anyone who visits here knows, I love my AccuQuilt Go! Regular visitors also know that I am most definitely a gadget girl (though, in my case, “girl” seems a little overly optimistic).

I’ve been loving how I can cut applique shapes with the Go! and a blogger browser can’t help but notice that quilters are also using the Sizzix and the Cricut to cut fabric shapes as well.

So, my question is: how do each of these work with fabric? Which would you think is the better choice to supplement the magic of the Go!

My first impression seemed liked the Sizzix might be a better choice, but perhaps that’s just because I’m so used to the idea of die shapes.

Anyone? Suggestions? Advice? Opinions?

Possibilities

2011-09-17T14:47:00.001-06:00

The For the Love of Color Modern Swap is done. There’s still the MiniQT Halloween swap to finish up before the end of the month. But before that is the AccuQuilt Fall Blog Hop. That’s in about a week and a half, so in the spirit of working to deadline, that’s what I’m up to. At least thinking about it.

So. A Fall themed project. Where to begin?

Well, I decided to begin with how each and every Fall out here in Colorado, I miss New Jersey. NJ is where I grew up and it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been back there. And it’s true that a mountain side ablaze with golden Aspen is a thing of beauty. But here in town? Honestly, it doesn’t amount to much. Certainly not the brilliant wash of color I remember from childhood.

All of which is to say I’ve been thinking that for my blog project, I’d like something that is about color. Trees and leaves.

These dies could make trees, right?

First off, fusing some trees and trunks.

On the die.

There they are. Little trees.

And sewing rooms being what they are, before I knew it, I had the start of my very own orchard!

Aren’t they cute? Of course, now I need to come up with something to do with them. A bunch more put over a loosely pieced background? Put together over subtly shaded blocks – perhaps theme related? Put into their own little blocks? Lined up to make a table runner? Placemats?

Geez. I just don’t know. Ideas anyone?

But is it Modern?

2011-09-16T09:55:00.001-06:00

The latest swap was the For the Love of Color Modern Swap. I was lucky and my partner posted a color palette on her blog and while the table runner I made isn’t exact to her palette, it’s got a fair amount of it. So, here it is sitting outside on the deck.

And here it is on my dining room table.

I have to say that I just love how this came out. It would be really painful to have mailed it away except that, honestly, those purples really don’t go with my orange walls. Still. This one just made me really happy. The spider block is one of my favorites and using Fold and Sew, it is just so easy to get those rounds to match up!

I just might make up another one and do up a pattern. Surely I can find colors that would work with my dining room.

Meanwhile, I also received my modern swap quilt. This came to me from dduncan713 (over on Flickr). The colors on this are absolutely incredible. They are so vibrant, they glow! It’s a little hard to see from the photo, but it is hand quilted as well. (I always admire the effort it takes to do that!)

And how about a house pillow to go along?

So, here’s my package! Thank you, Deirdre. The package is awesome!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2011-09-10T13:48:00.001-06:00

We liked the book, and we liked the movie. But what we loved was the book cover.

And the bird girl.

Which brings me to the tradition my own true love and I started some years ago. When it’s our anniversary, instead of buying each other a present, we buy something for us. And this year, the bird girl is it.

So, the landscapers came in and pulled out the old mulch and landscape fabric for us, then laid down a combination of mulch, stone, and breeze. Now the bird girl has a place of her own.

Okay, so it’s not a beautiful cemetery in Savannah, and “Early Morning in the Sandelin Backyard” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” On the other hand, this one is ours.

The next step is to get some pots for flowers to add some color to the breeze area where the bench sits.

Isn’t she lovely? Oh, yes. She makes us very happy, indeed.

Rainbows, Rainbows

2011-09-06T09:01:00.001-06:00

Here’s the lovely rainbow themed S.T.U.D. quilt I received from Frieda.

I love how she quilted the colorful circle in the center!

Here’s the package with the really cute card, a sweet bit of fabric, and a cool needle pack. I just love those bears!

Meanwhile, I’ve been doing a little more fun with the rainbow patches and the thirteen square foundation. Once again I decided that instead of using the foundation to make a whole quilt, I’d use it to make blocks.

First, I laid out patches.

I marked and folded the foundation. (I made three sets of blocks and one of those times, I’ll admit, I made the ultimate Fold and Sew oopsie – I forgot to fold the foundation before adding all the patches. I eyeballed the folds though and it still worked out, but . . . sometimes I just have to shake my head).

Some things to notice if you decide to try this one yourself:

1) I’m only using ten rows. I cut off the bottom three and set them aside as good for little nine patch blocks some day or other.

2) I didn’t draw red seam allowance lines after each square. I’m only doing ten patches across as well, so I only marked those that would be useful.

3) The two blue arrows at the top indicate where I add the first patch for the second block in the row and also which seam line to sew first.

4) The blue squiggle between row 5 and row 1 is to remind me that once I start joining the rows, I should NOT sew those two rows together.

In the photo above you can see where I put the first glue dots as well. Now, here it is with the first patch set added.

And here it is from the back, with the first seam (of the second set of blocks) sewn.

All the patches on.

I made up three foundations for a total of 12 little blocks. Then I laid them out and used white sashing with more rainbow squares for the cornerstones.

I’m calling this one “Fiesta.”

It’s just so bright and happy; it makes me smile to look at it! I’m thinking some rainbow multicolored thread for the border quilting and simple in the ditch for the blocks. I’d like to get that done this week.

And, just one last little thing: part of the added little something to go with the solid colored modern quilt swap. My partner is a biker and loves these colors. I’m hoping this will do the trick for her.

Go! Rainbows

2011-09-01T22:10:00.001-06:00

Miniatures in Minutes Revisited

There was a convergence of event here. One, I’m doing a lecture and workshop in Santa Barbara in October – and whenever I’ve got a workshop ahead, I like to come up with a few new ideas using that foundation. Two, the challenge for S.T.U.D. (Swap Till You Drop) this last time was using a single shape in rainbow colors.

When I’m making up a mini, there are times I cut out exactly the number of patches that I need. Other times I just cut out a bunch and see what I come up with. That’s what I did this time and the AccuQuilt Go! is perfect for that. I use the 1 inch strip die. First I cut fabric squares at about 5 1/4" to 5 1/2" and lay them on the die.

They cut up into such nice clean strips!

I just peel away the little side strips that are no good and then lay the 1" strips crosswise across the die.

After that is run through the die, I’ll have a whole bunch of little one inch squares. I’ve only shown one set in the photo but I can actually fit four sets of squares on the die. Given that each 5" square yields 25 patches and I can layer those squares four to six deep – that means I can cut 400 to 600 little squares in just two passes through the die cutter. Yeow!

I played with the patches and didn’t use a couple of the yellows shown above. Before I head out to Santa Barbara I’ll make up a Quilt Layout Diagram for this pattern, but I just laid them out and sewed them as is.

I’ve got a bunch more of those patches cut out, so there is time to play. Plus, I mailed this one out for the swap. I’ll be making another one for myself as well.

I’ll have pictures soon of the pretty little quilt I received today, too. I just have to wait till tomorrow when I’ve got better light.

Meanwhile, wishing everyone lots of rainbows (and no more rain than you want).

Doll Quilt Swap 11

2011-08-24T10:16:00.001-06:00

Look at the beautiful doll quilt I received from TLC Stitches!

It’s just so bright and happy. The stars all have fussy cut centers which show off the fabric. I always loved to swing when I was a little girl. I could do it for hours! I just love this little block.

And you know I wouldn’t think any home was really complete without a canine companion.

She also sent me a couple of very pretty Civil War reproduction fabrics. (And you know how I love those).

Even the card she sent is a work of art!

Isn’t it just beautiful?

I am just so happy with my doll quilt! Thank you, Trisha!

Go! Hexagons and Triangles

2011-08-16T20:59:00.001-06:00

The Doll Quilt Swap is one of my favorite swaps. It’s so fun to see the creativity of all the quilts being made. And it’s fun to watch all the photos being posted wondering which once of them will be coming to you! I really loved making up the one I just mailed out today. (And sure hope my partner likes it – she wanted bright and fun and contemporary, so I hope this fits the bill!)

I got the idea from two quilts I saw posted on line. First, there’s the full size Moda Bake Shop tutorial posted here. And a slight variation that was here. I just made it up doll quilt size. I think it measures about 14" by 16 1/2".

Of course, just as it is supposed to, the AccuQuilt Go! made this much easier. I used the Hexagon and Triangles dies.

The triangle points are trimmed which makes sewing this up a breeze. Here’s adding the triangles to a hexagon.

And sewing the hexagon/triangle units together.

Which makes for very nice seam intersections.

This was just a fun little quilt to make up!

I also made up another one of the cute pincushions that use these dies as well.

I included something else in the package that got mailed today, but just on the off chance my swappee might stumble by here, I can’t show it since it would likely give the surprise away.

So, there it is. One swap quilt out the door and headed across the deep blue seas. Another to begin.

Rainbows, rainbows, rainbows.

So-o-o-o-o Happy!

2011-08-11T20:55:00.001-06:00

Which must be my mother’s genes coming through. Or perhaps vigorous childhood training. A good cleaning makes me happy. Which I presume makes my mother happy, even in the afterlife (what she thinks about the state of my kitchen we won’t go into).

So, what’s the fuss? This:

Ahh. A newly painted and cleaned office. I know: it’s not going to win any home decorating awards, but it is clean and functional and organized. (So-o-o-o-o happy!)

The colors in the photo above are a bit off; the walls are actually a soft green (an upcoming photo is closer). All because of the new table mat, which meant I needed (needed) to paint the room. It’s very close to the color it was, just a little purer in tone and a hint of teal. I stayed close to the original because the soft green walls make for a very soothing and non-distracting place to read and work.

Instead of making up a new quilt for the wall, like I originally thought I would, I put up a couple of my little minis and the wonderful quilt I received for Doll Quilt Swap 10. The photo doesn’t really do this justice. They look very sweet hanging out there.

Since I took out all the books and files and knick-knacks to paint the room, I made my mother proud and sorted through everything before it went back in. I purged some books (these are my quilting and writing books so not a whole lot) and some of the knick-knacks as well. I was a little more ruthless going through my files. I took a big old stack of paper to recycle. The result: my file drawers are thoroughly organized and I actually have (a little) bookshelf room to grow.

I made new curtains for the windows, bought frames for the art work (finally).

That wall color is much closer to the green it is. I found this great tutorial from A Spoonful of Sugar and sewed up this cute little basket to hold my keys. (Notice Jane Austen hanging out in the photo above: she’s there to offer inspiration, support, and the occasional satiric comment).

And then, that felt so good, the purging gathered momentum. I finally tackled my downstairs bookshelves. These are where all my general reading books are, fiction, non-fiction, literature, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, drama. Some of those books go wa-a-ay back. I was ruthless and purged hundreds of books. Two carloads of books went to Goodwill – one trunkload in the Accord and another in the Civic -- with the back seat down, it was stuffed with bags. Wow.

The result. I have empty book shelves. I still have a lot of filled book shelves, too, of course. But still. Empty book shelves (four of them). I don’t remember the last time I had empty book shelves. Many many years. Decades.

I felt a pang getting rid of some of the books since there is a lot of history connected to them: the college age immersion in Beat literature, my twenties fascination with diaries and autobiographies, my thirties exploration of the short story and contemporary literary novel.

Looking at all those books on the shelves was a little like looking at a diary; there was so much personal history on display there. But, hey, the fact is, I keep a diary and have for closing in on forty years now. Now those books can go become part of someone else’s history and be read and alive again. (I don’t see me reading The Dharma Bums again).

Of course, there are certain books that are sacrosanct and going nowhere without me. Those Georgette Heyers may be in shady shape, with yellowed pages and broken bindings, but they are dear friends. Some authors just have to remain purge proof (Barbara Michaels, Jayne Ann Krentz, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Raymond Carver, Pat Barker, Michael Ondaatje . . . ).

AND, today I tackled another job I put off for months – hooking up my printer as a wireless instead of using the usb. Now, the nice sales clerk in Best Buy told us way back in April when we bought the printer that it would be super easy to engage the wireless. Uh-huh. I’m glad I waited. It took me three hours this afternoon, forty minutes of that spent with on line chat with technical support. But, hey, the support really was terrific and got the job done.

So, yup, step one of getting ready for the start of the semester is done: my office is ready to go.

Now? It’s back to working on the Doll Quilt Swap 11 quilt which got neglected as I went into my paint and purge frenzy. Since it has to go in the mail early next week, I’d say it’s time I get back to it. Don’t you think? Pictures forthcoming.

Look What I Got!

2011-08-06T10:58:00.001-06:00

I received my Pretty Little Pouch Swap package and aren’t I just the lucky one?

Once again, I received not one but two great little pouches. Isn’t the little snap pouch perfection? I love it. It is exactly to my taste!

The larger pouch is because BeachGirl Sews read my blog where I said I wanted to make a larger pouch for myself to carry papers – so she made one for me! How sweet is that?

I love the fabrics she chose and the linen with hand stitching. It’s all perfection, really.

The snap pouch is even perfect on the back. Look at this:

She even mailed it more creatively than I’ve ever seen. I’ve blocked off the addresses but look at the envelope she made!

Seriously. How cool is that?

So, thank you BeachGirlSews. I love what you sent!

Meanwhile, the pouch I made has been mailed off. I found a great tutorial on using the AccuQuilt Go! hexagon and equilateral triangle dies to make up a pincushion, so I dashed off one of those and included it in the package. I believe I have to make a few more of these, I think.

I’m so impressed by everyone who comes up with such creative uses for the Go! dies.

Meanwhile, I’ve got more stuff coming up. Remember how I mentioned last post (or so) that I needed to paint the office. I did. The color is so close to the previous wall color you probably won’t notice much difference, though it is a little purer in color and a little more teal. What it mostly is though is a whole lot less dingy! (Yeah!) I want to make up new wall quilts to go up there, so I’ll have new projects to show soon (I hope).

Meanwhile, today my own true love and I are off to his company picnic – and it’s going to be hot! Think cool thoughts . . .

One Year Anniversary

2011-07-27T22:35:00.001-06:00

It’s been a while since Mom’s had me do a guest blog but today seemed the right day for it since it’s my one year anniversary. So, greetings all!

It’s been an eventful year for me.

I’ve gone to a lot of classes: Puppy Class (Mom said I was “the Star”), Beginning Obedience (the teacher told Mom I was “a catch”!), Intermediate Obedience (Mom said I passed only because the teacher graded on the curve – just because I thought it was more fun to socialize than stay in heel position – Jeez!), and now I am in Agility. Agility is a lot of fun: I get to run through tunnels, climb ramps, and jump over fences. I’m not real hot on the teeter but Mom tells me I’m going to be a champ at it in no time, so we’ll see.

I’ve been to see the Vet a bunch over the last year though I really don’t want to talk about what happened one of those times.

I did some work re-landscaping the backyard which Mom and Dad don’t appreciate as much as they should. They are hiring someone to come in and do it all over again!

Mostly though I just hang out with Mom and Dad and that’s fine. We go for a walk every morning – though Mom is usually lagging a bit behind!

I wait up for her though.

I get to meet lots of other dogs. They aren’t always as happy to see me as I am to see them. Mom tells me that when a dog is lunging at the end of his owner’s leash and is snarling and barking at me, it means he doesn’t really want to play with me. But playing is so much fun, why wouldn’t he? I just don’t get it.

Mom tells me it’s important to be polite, so whenever someone else is on the trail she steps off to the side and I know to go and sit right by her side until they pass. I like that she is always teaching me new commands but sometimes it is a bit confusing. Right now she’s teaching me to move from one side to another and back again. That can be confusing but Mom says I’m doing just fine and we’ll just keep practicing till I get it. (Practicing means lots of treats so, you know, that’s a good thing).

We don’t really disagree about much. Still, I think that if someone bends over to say hello to me they want me to jump up and say hi. That way they don’t have to bend over, right? Mom doesn’t think so. I have tried to convince her that sometimes we can just agree to disagree, but she hasn’t come around yet. She still thinks everything has to be her way. Of course, doing things her way usually means that I get more treats and praise and lots of pets. So mostly I listen.

Once we get home from our walk, I am ready for a rest!

(Mom calls me the anti-Aussie because I am so mellow.)

I could say more but I guess the big thing is that Mom and Dad say they are really lucky they chose me, and I feel lucky they chose me, too.

And now Dad is waving a night time biscuit at me and that means it’s bed time. I need to rest because Mom needs me to take her for that walk first thing in the morning. (Usually she’s pretty good about getting up but it’s my job to make sure. If she doesn’t get up in time, I jump up on the bed and look at her until she gets the message. Don’t tell her I said this, but I’ve done a fair amount of people training this last year. Mom may grumble but in the face of the look, she listens every single time!)

So, that’s it. It’s been a good year. Mom and Dad say that every day I make them smile. Mom says that not everyone is a dog person. (Really?) She says that people who are though are very lucky because being loved by a dog is special. So, that’s my job. One year and counting.

Go! Drunkard’s Path

2011-07-24T21:24:00.001-06:00

Or, How I Fought the Curves and I Won

Though winning took some perseverance, bullheadedness, and a slightly weird relationship to inanimate objects. To begin, I had always thought that the name of the Drunkard’s Path block was a humorous description of the staggering steps of a drunk.

After a couple of hours in my sewing room, it occurred to me that the block got its name from its ability to drive an otherwise sober quilter to drink . . . hard drink . . . staggering blind drunk kind of drink.

It goes like this . . .

Since I just added the 3 1//2" finished Drunkard’s Path to my Go! die collection, I pulled out a charm pack I’ve been saving and ran it (lickedy spit) through the Go! (Very nice the way this die works perfectly with 5 inch charms leaving only a little waste.)

I did a little online browsing and came across a few different tutorials on making the block. A number suggested using only three pins: one in the middle and then one on each end. Sure, I thought, I can do this. And, honestly, I was already composing a blog entry in my head about how this block was so much easier than I thought it would be. Etc. Etc.

Oh, I wish. The three pin method and I were not user friendly. I would sew ever so carefully, with the L-shape on top and using a stiletto to help things along. No. That little quarter circle on the bottom was quite gleefully living a life of its own. There were so many pleats, puckers, and fold overs, you’d think I was sewing a christening gown.

I don’t remember ever using a seam ripper as often as I did sewing up those blocks. Let’s say two out of every three needed a little redo. Holy moly. I was not a happy camper.

I was feeling a wee bit stubborn, however. I kept trying. I thought, A little practice, that’s all I need. Any block now, it will all just come together.

Uh-huh. Rip. Rip. Rip.

Still, I think anyone trying this little block should give the three pin method a try. It looked good. It clearly works for lots of sewers. I may simply be Drunkard’s Path challenged.

But this is where that slightly weird relationship to inanimate objects I mentioned comes in. It began to be personal, between me and the those curved patches. I gritted my teeth. No little scrap of fabric is going to get the better of me! Seriously. Not a pretty picture.

In any case, I finally gave up the three pin goal. I decided to use more pins and finally those little blocks started sewing up like the little dream I just knew they could be. This is what worked for me:

The Go! die very nicely has a little notch in the curve for lining up the two pieces. I used that and first lined up the blocks from the reverse side, so that I could see that the quarter circle was centered.

Then I flipped the patches over and pinned the holy heck out of it. I pinned the center first, then the two sides, and then a couple pins to each side of the center. Like this:

And then I went over and sewed the seam. Things just moved right along, no puckers, no seam ripper. A very happy quilter. And finally, a nice little stack of blocks to play with!

There was a purpose behind all this madness. The chest in my office has a table topper that is at least ten years old. Perhaps older. It is pretty enough but hardly au courant!

I wanted something new. So I played with my little quarter circles, trying out different layouts till I finally got the one that made my heart say Ah!

Or, from this angle:

Oh, yes. Now that makes me happy.

I have more plans for that little Go! die – particularly now that I have a method that works for me.

I’ll see tomorrow if I can get a better picture of the mat. And because one thing leads to another . . . I’m about to paint the office and then make another wall quilt (because that wall quilt, while quite nice, has been up there for quite a while . . . I’m thinking something new is in order).

So, here’s to perseverance. And, boy, do I love what short work the Go! made of cutting those curves!!

Little Things

2011-07-20T15:01:00.001-06:00

Nothing big has been going on in my sewing room – though I have plenty of motivation to hang out down there since the downstairs is much cooler than the upstairs (which is much cooler than the outside – currently at 93 degrees and climbing).

First, to show off this incredible mini I receive from Milliemorgan, my MiniQT swap with the “A True Mini” theme. This qualifies, don’t you think?

How lucky am I? The detail on this is just amazing, and it is only 8 1/2" by 11 1/2". And I’ve always wanted a Storm at Sea quilt, so how fortuitous is that?

I’m in the Pretty Little Pouch Swap over on Flickr. My swappee said her favorite fabric designer is Fig Tree so I found a little charm pack over at my local quilt shop (called the Fig Leaf) and had more fun running charms through the Go! using the equilateral triangles die (blog showing how here). I’m hoping she’ll like it:

I have to admit: I like it enough that I think I’m going to make up another one for myself. It is coming onto school time again and perhaps I can make something up that would be big enough to slide papers in?

I played around with making a Dilly Bag, and cleverly managed, even though I was trying to pay attention, to orient the zipper wrong. Still, a cute pattern from Keyka Lou.

And finally, a couple pouches made up for friends (who make sure I get where I’m going) using the Pellon Fusible grid method I blogged on, Part One and Part Two.

And now, since I was foolish enough to gain back too much of that weight I lost a year and a half ago and I am once again on a diet, and a nutritionist has told me to switch to non-fat plain Greek yogurt which I add a little honey and fruit to, I am off to readjust my taste buds – which still, stubbornly yet truthfully, believe that a chocolate bar would make me much happier – though clearly not any thinner. ( Bummer about that).

Thank God fat quarters aren’t fattening.

AccuQuilt Go! Miniatures in Minutes

2011-07-04T14:46:00.001-06:00

Or, Be Still My Heart!

How did I miss noticing this for so long? The Equilateral Triangle die for the AccuQuilt Go! has the size I need for the Pyramid Triangle foundation from Miniatures in Minutes. (Well, actually, it is a smidge large but not so much that it matters).

Here’s a little swap quilt to be. In process:

And finished:

I used a charm pack and they cut up beautifully. I picked three charms at a time, folded them in half, and laid them on the Go! die.

After the die was run through, I opened up the fabric and was able to run the scrap through one more time.

That method gave me six triangles per charm. But then it occurred to me I could reorient the second run through and get even more. With this next orientation, I got eight triangles a charm. Very little waste!

In no time at all, I had a nice little grouping of perfectly cut pyramid triangles.

I decided to see how the Go! handled linen as well. It handled it perfectly. I cut strips 2 1/2" by 13 1/2". I was able to fold the strip into quarters and run it through the die, then open it up and run it through a second time to catch the open spaces. I got 11 triangles per strip.

And with that combination made up a little mug rug.

Both little quilts here used the Pyramid Triangle foundation from Miniatures in Minutes and the project variation that can be found on the Projects 2009 of my website.

I see a bunch more little pyramid quilts in my future. Thank you Go!

Hey, hey, hey!

2011-06-12T13:16:00.001-06:00

I am finally all caught up on the Barbara Brackman Civil War Sampler blocks! The Flickr group dedicated to this project is a great source of inspiration. I followed the lead of some other quilters and used a Blockbase variation on the Blockade block with a serpentine fabric to mimic the Anaconda strategy of the North closing off the South.

And I followed the lead again in using some of Barbara Brackman’s “Union” reproduction fabric when making the Union Square block.

I really love the Missouri Star design.

And, finally, the Ladies’ Aid Album block which was posted yesterday. I used a Blockbase variation on this one which emphasized the cross effect (cause I liked it better).

And all this means I am really truly all caught up. Yeah, Terrie!

How Not to Sew

2011-06-07T16:15:00.001-06:00

Well, there are days my head is elsewhere. Sucked into the virtual void. Left mindlessly but happily entertained. But first . . .

I did sew. I planned to sew and I did sew.

Another very pretty block from the Barbara Brackman Civil War Sampler using some of my old favorite reproduction fabrics.

And then it was lunch time. And I opened the MacBook. And I remembered that I was curious about what was happening over with Britain’s Got Talent.

My curiosity began a week or so ago when I stumbled across these two videos(coming up) on YouTube. Two very different singers but I loved them both.

First, Jai McDowall. He’s got stage fright so bad his knees are shaking but then he goes on to powerhouse a song like this.

And then Michael Collings. Another young man, sweet and likeable as can be, with a completely different kind of voice, but what a voice! Here he is at the audition. And here he is at the final. He didn’t win, but he’s probably opened more than a few doors for himself.

And a little more from Jai McDowall – who no doubt has them on their feet in Scotland. Here he is at the semi-final. (Can I just say “wow”?) And the final performance.

So, that’s why I only got one block done this afternoon. But, hey, it is a very pretty block.

Catch Up Begins

2011-06-06T12:06:00.001-06:00

At a certain point during the semester I realized I was just not going to get much sewing done, and the Barbara Brackman Civil War Sampler blocks were one of the casualties. But now it’s summer break and time to get back on track.

I do love working with reproduction fabrics!

One of the things I’m realizing is that I am pickier than I’d thought. There are a number of the blocks that with the cutting directions given would finish either an eighth of an inch smaller or larger than eight inches. And there it is: I can’t do it. I know that an eighth of an inch can be worked in easily enough when finally assembling the blocks. Still, I can’t do it. I modify the directions so that I’ll get a block that finishes at exactly eight inches square.

Like with the Lincoln’s Platform block below right. I added an eighth of an inch to the measurements on the cross.

Or with the basket block where I changed it up entirely and picked another basket block that is built on a eight patch grid.

Some cutting directions were fine as given, of course.

And I am a gadget girl, so I liked how the block below left gave me an opportunity to play with the Eleanor Burns flying geese method and ruler – which worked perfectly, by the by.

So, there it is. Ten blocks down. Four blocks more and I’ll be caught up. And, really, I don’t mind that I’m anal and have to modify those directions on occasion. I’m just grateful Barbara Brackman is putting together the sampler – and each week I look forward to the history that she provides to the chosen block. Wonderful stuff.

Think I can get those final four blocks done this week?

AccuQuilt Go! Dresden Plates, Part One

2011-06-03T13:45:00.001-06:00

For my Bee Pieceful block exchange I decided to use my Go! to cut out Dresden Plates. I’ve seen mixed commentary on making these from various blogs online, some saying the plates come out perfect, some saying that they needed 21 blades to make the circle rather than twenty.

I sewed up a test block and sure enough, the sizing was a little off. I should have taken a picture of my before and after, just as a testament to what a spritzer bottle, a hot iron, and determination can accomplish! Nevertheless, it was clear: modifications needed to be made.

So, what worked for me was to use a precise quarter inch seam at the top of the blade and edge it into just a couple thread widths wider at the bottom of the blade. Playing with my seam allowance just that little bit meant my second plate came out perfect, flat as a pancake. You’ll see . . .

Shape the Blades

1. To begin, take a blade and fold it in half lengthwise. Lightly press. Then, using a quarter inch seam allowance, sew across the wide end. You will need 20 blades for a single plate.

You can chain piece these and they will zip right along.

2. Trim the seam allowance to about 1/8" at the fold.

3. Turn the blade right side out. As you turn, finger press the seam so that it is open.

4. Press the point out so that it is sharp. Line up the seam with the fold line you created when you first pressed the blade in half.

5. Press.

Assemble the Plate

1. Lay out 20 blades in a circle.

2. Line up two of the blades, fabrics right sides together. Be sure the top pointed edges are perfectly aligned. (There’s a little wiggle room at the bottom of the blade since that will later be covered by an appliqued circle.

3. Begin stitching at the pointed part of the blade. Back stitch a few stitches (see white arrow below for placement). As you begin, your seam allowance should be a perfect 1/4" seam. Gradually widen the seam allowance so that it is just a wee bit larger (the width of a couple threads) as you reach the bottom of the blade.

4. Press the seam allowance open. You can see in the picture how the bottom seam is just a little wider than the top seam.

5. Sew five blades together. One advantage to sewing in groups of five is that you can lay your blades to see if they are squaring up correctly to make an exact quarter circle.

6. Here it is with the four groupings sewn.

7. Sew the groupings into halves and then sew the halves together to make a full circle. Here it is from the back:

And here it is from the front:

Flat as can be and isn’t that a pretty sight!

Part Two of the tutorial will come later, probably a couple months from now after I have my bee blocks arrive. I’m waiting to choose the background fabric and the circles until I have more blocks so I can really see the effect. I already bought a white fabric with little blue dots but now that I have a couple plates made up, I’m thinking I might possibly go for a dark brown background. We’ll see.

Not A Pretty Picture

2011-05-13T12:52:00.001-06:00

Literally. And I am so trying for one.

C&T Publishing is launching a new pattern site (PatternSpot) coming very soon (more on that later) and I am finishing up a pattern to post on their new site. I loved how my Circle Game quilt came out, so I thought I would write up directions.

The directions, I am pleased to say, I am quite happy with. But now I need a picture of the whole quilt. A pretty picture. A pattern cover kind of picture.

Well. Let’s just say there is absolutely no danger I am going to become a professional photographer soon (or late, for that matter).

How about a pretty little photo showing the lilacs in bloom?

Shadows?

Yes, it’s true. This is me trying to get a photo of the quilt on my lawn with me blindly holding the camera up in the air. And I didn’t notice the shadow till after I took the shot?

This, sad to say, is the best photo I got. Size distorted and colors way off. Honestly, you would never know the colors on this quilt are so bright and fresh and springy.

Bloody but unbowed. I snap another. This one, cleverly, looks as if I live on a steep hill. (I don’t).

Time for a tactical retreat.

So, how about this then? I participated in the pretty pouch swap and received these TWO wonderful pouches from SewCraftyJess.

The froggie pincushion is mine. One of my treasures. He’s standing here all nice and polite because in addition to the pouches, Jess also send me those really cute pin toppers. A full meal!

I’ve got a pouch ready to go and I’m putting together a couple little extras to go with.

And now? Well, I’ve been so incommunicado here lately because it’s been end of the semester madness. Madness that is at fever pitch at the moment. So I am off to grade more final exams. And when I can’t take that any longer, it’s me, a quilt, a camera, and the great outdoors (or my backyard corner of it, anyway). A few prayers would not be amiss.

Wish me luck. (Feel free to snicker).

Little Red Baskets Go! and a Giveaway

2011-04-13T07:38:00.002-06:00

I’m still working on creating a little assembly of red and white quilts to put on the wall, my homage to the most amazing quilt show in just about forever that I didn’t get to attend. So, with that spirit in mind, here’s my run at the AccuQuilt Spring Theme Blog Hop.

I used two dies in making this quilt: Bountiful Baskets and Rose of Sharon.

First off, an errata correction: both the website and the packaging say that this die makes up a 4" finished basket. Actually, it makes up a 4 1/2" finished basket. (The pattern that comes with the die says it makes up a 36" square finished quilt: it makes up a 39 1/2" quilt.)

Yardage: I combined a store jaunt and what I had in my stash. I think I used about a yard of the white and a yard and a quarter of the red (figuring using the red for single fold binding as well).

Finished Size: 27" by 32 1/2"

Cutting Directions

Red Baskets: twelve 5" by 5" squares
White Backgrounds: twelve 4 1/2" by 6 1/4" rectangles
White Alternate Blocks
- Six 5" squares
- Side setting triangles (quarter-square) : Three fat 7 1/2" squares, cut diagonally twice to create 12 triangles (though you only need 10)
- Corner setting triangles (half-square): Two scant 4" squares, cut diagonally once corner to corner, to make 4 corners
For the borders, you’ll want to measure the center basket section once it has all been pieced to get an accurate measurement. For the record, on my quilt, the red inner border is 1/4" finished, and the outer white border will be 3" finished.

Before cutting, I mark up my die so that I know what sizes I want to rotary cut and where to place them on the die. There are twelve baskets for this project, so I cut twelve basket and backgrounds sets.

Since this block uses a lot of bias, I advise you starch the fabric before running it through the die. I starched the basket fabric a moderate amount and the background fabric even more: I found it really helped the integrity of the block once I began to sew. I also put a piece of printer fabric over the fabric before adding the mat and running it through the Go! Between the starch and the paper, my pieces all sized perfectly with no stretch at all.

Making the Basket Block

1. Make a plastic template from the pattern that comes with the die. I folded mine in half to mark the middle.

2. Mark the handle placement onto the patch with an water-soluble pen. (I fold the block in half and lightly press in order to help me accurately place the handle template).

3. Stay stitch along the bottom edge of the patch.

4. Fold the handle patch in half and press. (Missed photos on these last two steps – oops!)

5. Attaching the handle is the trickiest part of this block, but here’s what worked for me. I begin by pinning the handle in the top middle. The raw edge of the handle is towards the top.

6. I then use lots of pins to ease the handle into place along the curve. (TIP: using fine glass head pins makes this much easier – both to pin here and in the next step where I sew over the pins).

7. Sew a scant (seriously scant) quarter inch seam along the raw edge. (Given that you are going over those pins, sew slow!)

8. Remove the pins. Press the handle up and over the raw edge, and then either machine or hand applique the folded edge down.

9. Add the large basket triangle. Press towards the basket. Your unit should now measure 3 1/2" square.

10. Lay out the remaining patches.

11. It’s time to sew together the side squares and triangles. These are mirror imaged, so be sure to create these two orientations.

12. Press the seams towards the square patch.

13. Now line up one of the side square/triangle units.

14. Sew and press away from the basket.

15. Add the other unit and press it away from the basket as well.

16. Place the last remaining triangle patch.

17. Sew and once again press the seam away from the basket. There you have it: a little red basket.

18. In the best of all possible worlds, this unfinished block will measure 5" square.

Making the Alternate Blocks

1. I used fusible applique for these blocks. I stacked the fabrics four deep and ran them through the Rose of Sharon die. Once again, I marked the die so that I knew where to place my fabrics. I cut my fused fabrics 1 1/4" by 2". ( To make this easier, I fused a 10 1/2" by 13" rectangle first and then cut the smaller pieces).

2. I drew a five inch square that I then quartered and marked with a very small inner square.

3. When I placed a five inch square of fabric over the drawn square, I could see where to place my Rose of Sharon Leaf shapes.

4. Four petals for the setting squares create this shape:

5. For the setting triangles, I added two lines to my square drawing: a diagonal line drawn corner to corner and quarter-inch seam allowance lines.

6. Line up a ruler on the 5" mark and trim the corners of the triangle.

7. Place the side setting triangle patch over the square and add two applique ovals.

8. For the corner setting triangles, once again place the fabric on the drawn square. This time, add only a single applique patch.

9. For easier line up on my corner setting triangles once I start to assemble the blocks, I use my Judy Martin point trimming template.

Assembly

This is already such a long blog entry, I’m not going into basic quilt assembly here. I found the border swag on EQ7’s automatic border feature. You can download the pdf’s for these on my Miniatures in Minutes website here. (Though give me till a little later in the day to get this accomplished).

I've been doing a little playing with EQ and this pattern. I have a few more versions to show in an upcoming blog entry but this is really enough for now, don’t you think?

But There’s Still More Fun To Be Had

Of course, I am only one of the AccuQuilt Team of Bloggers enjoying this Spring Theme. Here’s the line up for the week:

Mon., April 11th
SewCalGal - www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
Andrea's Nest (Melissa) - http://ardeasnest.blogspot.com

Tues., April 12th
Bejeweled Quilts (Barb) - http://bejeweledquilts.blogspot.com/
SewCindy (Cindy) - http://sewcindy.blogspot.com

Wed., April 13th

Sunshower Quilts (Katrina) - http://www.sunshowerquilts.blogspot.com/
Bits & Pieces (Terri) - http://terriesandelin.blogspot.com/

Thu., April 14th
Just Plain Laine (Laine) - http://JustPlainLaine.com
Rosebud Quilting (Michelle) - http://rosebudquilting.blogspot.com/

Fri., April 15th
Hollyhock Quilts (Glenna) – http://hollyhockquilts.com
A Quilting Life (Sherry) – http://aquiltinglife.com

And – Not to Forget – A Giveway!

In the spirit of loving the Accuquilt Go!, I’m doing a giveaway for the Dresden Plate mug rug that I made.

Leave a comment (be sure I have access to your email) and I’ll do a drawing this coming Sunday night.

Cheers to all!

Mug Rugs to Go!

2011-04-03T09:42:00.001-06:00

Mug rugs are addictive. So little and cute. And then there’s the peer pressure! Even though I just did a mug rug swap, there’s still so many cute little ones popping up all over the quilt blog world. I had so much fun using the AccuQuilt to make these up.

The Dresden Plate die is so versatile. First, there’s an actual Dresden Plate (well, part of one). I love how the quilting adds so much texture to the linen background. Up close and personal, it reminds me of water marks on sand.

And then, as I mentioned in my last blog entry, there’s the pie wedge mug rug tutorial from Quilt Dad.

The next two use the Circles die. First, a big circle (5"). I had started this one weeks ago thinking it might work for my mug rug swap partner. She didn’t comment on the beginnings, so I set it aside. Yesterday, I decided it was time to finish it up. I love those Heather Bailey fabrics.

The Cherish Nature mug rug used the 2" circle.

And finally, my little Dalmatian mug rug. This was clearly the easiest, but it just might be my favorite. I’m such a dog person, which means seriously in love with puppies, and well, it’s hard to beat a Dalmatian puppy for sheer loveable cuteness!

I’ve got a bunch more ideas in my sketchbook, but before I can get to those, there’s a Spring themed AccuQuilt project coming up that takes priority.

And don’t even ask about those Civil War sampler blocks I absolutely must catch up on!

Go! Mug Rugs

2011-03-31T13:48:00.001-06:00

Just for fun, I thought I’d play around with using the Go! for mug rugs. I’ve got a bunch of ideas still to play with, but here are the ones that are in process.

I knew I needed the get the little dog for applique (I nearly said “I knew I needed to have the dog die” but realized as soon as I wrote it that sounds more than a little macabre). This one pays homage to the first dogs Jeff and I shared our home with – Dalmatians. Gotta love spots.

And then because I couldn’t resist the Dresden plate die, here’s another bit of red and white homage.

I also thought I could use the Dresden plate to make up the cool tutorial that Quilt Dad showed on his blog – only, of course, I used the Go! to cut the wedges.

And because one of the things I love, love, love about the AccuQuilt is how easy it makes it to get perfect circles, a little circle play.

I think both the red and white Dresden and the circles are going to get a little hand quilting with embroidery thread. Perhaps the doggie, too.

I think the circle one is the going to accompany the doll quilt swap to a new home. I think (hope) it is to my swappee’s taste, anyway.

Spiderlishous

2011-03-29T16:25:00.001-06:00

I’ve been working around my mostly down sewing machine, so except for the one just below, these haven’t been quilted yet. Still, here’s a bit of run down. This one’s for the doll quilt swap

I love those teals and olive together.

And just about every quilter in the world right now must be wishing they were in New York City. I know I am!

And I love this gold, black, white, and a bit of blue – even if my own true love said he doesn’t like it because it reminds him of the terrible flooring in our kitchen.

I really like where the quilt is at this point, but about the flooring? I hate to admit it, but he’s got a point!

A very fun pattern to play with. I think there may be another one or two of these in my future. But before then? I’ve been playing around with the AccuQuilt Go! and mug rugs. Perhaps I’ll have some to show later this week.’

Meanwhile, like the rest of you, I’m soaking up the pictures on the blogs of all those lucky enough to be seeing that red and white quilt exhibit. My Lord, those quilts are jaw dropping, aren’t they?

Also, this entry is a bit of a test: my first attempt to post a blog entry from the Mac. If you see this, it means I succeeded! (Congratulations duly appreciated).

Table Mat Tutorial

2011-03-22T10:18:00.001-06:00

Another super easy project using Pellon Fusible Stabilizer 1" Quilters Grid. It took me just 2 1/2 hours to cut the pieces and sew up the top. Since I did only very basic quilting after that, it was a fast little project. Of course, “Table Mat in a Day” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?

Finished Size: 18" by 26"

Materials and Cutting Directions

dark brown fabric: 1/8 yard – thirty-five 2" squares
medium tan fabric: 1/4 yard – thirty 2" by 3" rectangles
light tan fabric: 1/4 yard – twenty-eight 2" by 3" rectangles
tan print fabric: 1/4 yard – twenty-four 3" squares
red binding fabric: 1/4 yard (single fold binding)
Pellon Fusible Stabilizer 1" Quilters Grid: 3/4 yard (cutting directions given below)

Assembly

1. Cut the fusible interfacing to size. You will need a 32 by 22 grid. (So as not to get lost while counting, I marked numbers as I went using a wash out pen). Trim off that little overhang as well so that the fusible grid is exactly the size needed.

2. Place the fusible grid fusible side up on an ironing surface and start placing patches.

With more patches added.

3. Iron the patches in place being careful to never place your hot iron an any uncovered fusible. Once the patches are all placed and ironed, your grid will look like this.

4. Fold over one of the rows onto the next row. I usually start by sewing the long seams first (but it doesn’t matter which you choose). It will be easy to do this since the interfacing will naturally fold where the fabric edges meet. I lightly pin to help avoid shifting.

5. Sew with a quarter inch seam. Here’s what it looks like from the back after all the long seams have been sewn.

And here’s what it looks like from the front.

6. Trim just a wee edge off the seam allowance.

7. Just enough so that you can iron the seams open.

8. Repeat these steps sewing the seams on the short side. I once again pin to prevent shifting.

9. And here’s what it looks like after it’s been pressed.

10. A little quilting. A little binding. And that’s it. Done! I love these quick little projects!!!

I did mine up in soft browns since I wanted something mellow and unobtrusive, but I did just a little play in EQ for some other possibilities.

Blues?

Contemporary?

Or something for a baby’s room?

Feed the Geek

2011-03-18T10:30:00.001-06:00

Or, How I Spent My Spring Break

Situation the First, on the Friday before break my sewing machine started skipping stitches, so all the sewing plans I had in mind for the week? Pffft! All gone.

Situation the Second, earlier in the week my own true love said, “Do you want to go out Friday afternoon and buy a Mac?”

Do I love that man or what? Though it’s his own fault if he invited the competition into the house. I mean, look at her.

Isn’t she pretty? Isn’t she a dream? Look at that sleek aluminum body, those luscious curves, that fine black detailing. Good Golly, even her keys light up and say, “Touch me, please. You know you want to.” (Though thankfully not in the seriously creepy high-strung voiceover that I somehow managed to turn on for a while and that Jeffrey, winning even more points, figured out how to turn off).

And though I teach literature (and love literature), I do have a pretty serious inner geek. One who actually likes to read user manuals. I mean, I like it so much I actually printed off and bound the user manuals for two of the software packages I downloaded nifty-spifty. So I could read them. Which I have been. Really.

So that is how I spent my Spring Break.

Still, not all is lost in my quilt blog world. Though the sewing machine is still out of commission, I do have a tutorial coming up. Before my machine went flat, I made a table mat for my nightstand using more of the Pellon Grid interfacing. I just need to type up the directions. I haven’t gotten everything figured out on the Mac yet, so I have to use the old laptop to do this (which is, you know, so last week). Later today or tomorrow, I think.

Also before my eager to please Bernina was supplanted by her evil twin, the stitch skipping Bernina, I finished the top to another little Spider Web quilt. This is the one, I think, I’m going to send for Doll Quilt Swap. Terrible color on this photo. Would you believe me if I told you this is really a very pretty little quilt?

And now? I have to go and grade papers. Trying my best to ignore the beckoning call of the wild Mac.

Gosh.

Bits and Progress

2011-03-01T10:34:00.001-07:00

Time for another couple of Civil War Sampler blocks. It’s the first thing I do on a Saturday morning – check to see what the new block of the week is and read the history. I never posted last week’s so here it is: Cotton Boll.

I just love getting to rifle through my reproduction fabrics! A sampler quilt is just such a perfect use for them. The two fabrics that form the X go pretty far back. And then there’s this one: Birds in the Air.

I received my mug rug(s) from Natalie. Very modern. Aren’t they fabulous?

Here’s a close up of the yo-yo’s.

And I’ve been playing some more with the Spider Web block which I just love. This is a possibility for Doll Quilt Swap. Just one more block to go. The individual blocks will finish at 6" square.

I also got some very cute decorated pins from Mamacjt but I’m going to make up a little pincushion for them before I take their picture. Sometime this week . . . (when I’m not grading because, sad to say, both papers and exams came in this week).

Patchwork Zipper Bag Tutorial, Part Two

2011-02-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

First we made up the two patchwork pieces.

Now it’s time to assemble the bag.

1. Iron the fusible fleece onto the back side of the patchwork pieces, leaving a seam allowance of approximately one-quarter inch all around. I add a little bit of light quilting at this stage.

2. Take the two 2" squares that you had reserved the for the zipper gussets and iron them in half. Then iron the two sides into the middle seam. Iron closed. Your remaining pieces should be 2" by 1/2".

3. Trim off the excess zipper length just beyond the metal stop at the bottom of the zipper.

4. Tuck the zipper end into one of the gussets and top stitch down along the edge.

5. Trim the zipper length to 3/4" less in length than the width of your patchwork. In this case, 7 1/2". Be sure that you open the zipper so that you do not cut off the zipper pull.

6. Add the gusset to the open end and then trim both gussets even with the zipper edge.

7. I now add quarter-inch Steam-a-Seam tape to the top and bottom edges of the zipper, both front and back.

8. Lay the lining piece right side up. Remove the paper from the top back of the zipper and lay the zipper on top of the lining, leaving about 3/8" on each side. Be sure the zipper pull is facing up. Press to hold in place.

9. Remove the paper from the top of the zipper and place the outer bag patchwork right side down on top of the zipper and lining. Press in place.

10. Sew along the top edge of the bag. A zipper foot will definitely make this easier.

11. Press both the lining and the outer patchwork away from the zipper teeth. Top stitch along the edge of the fabric. In this case, an edge foot will make this neater.

When you come up on the zipper pull, leave the needle down in the fabric, lift the presser foot, squeeze the zipper pull under and to the back, lower the presser foot and finish stitching.

12. Repeat for the other half of the zipper. When you are finished, your bag will look like this from the front.

And like this from the back. (You may notice that the lining fabrics don’t reach all the way to the edge of the patchwork. That’s because I like to cut my linings with a little less depth so they don’t bunch up inside once the bag is finished).

13. Now is a good time to make sure that your zipper is at least half way open.

14. Fold the pieces so that the patchworks are face to face on one side of the zipper and the linings right sides together on the other.

15. Pin the edges together being careful to match up the zipper seams carefully. Sew all around the exterior of the bag leaving a 2 1/2" opening in the lining along the bottom edge.

16. Trim the excess off all four corners.

17. Turn inside out through the opening in the lining. ( This always reminds me of giving birth). It looks pretty funky for a while.

18. Use the opening in the lining to push out the corners and to iron everything nice and neat.

19. Sew the opening closed.

20. Tuck the lining inside the bag and enjoy your pretty new bag!

Patchwork Zipper Bag Tutorial, Part One

2011-02-20T12:49:00.001-07:00

Part One: Making the Patchwork

Part Two: Making the Bag

Finished Size: 7 7/8" by 5 3/4"

Materials

Sixty-four 2" Squares for the patchwork and an additional two for the zipper gussets: for a total of Sixty-Six 2" squares
Lining fabric: Two 6 1/8" by 8 5/8" rectangles
Zipper
Fusible fleece: Two 8" by 5 7/8" rectangles
Pellon’s Quilter’s Grid On-Point fusible interfacing: Two rectangles measuring approximately 13 by 10 1/4"

The Patchwork

1. The exact size on the fusible grid is less important than getting the number of squares you need. I cut mine so that I had 8 full squares across, six full squares top to bottom, and then partial squares surrounding those. This measured 13" by 10 1/4".

2. Lay the fusible interfacing on a white ironing surface with the rough fusible side facing up. Lay the two inch squares on the interfacing using the grid lines for placement.

3. Lay a pressing sheet over the patchwork and fuse in place following product directions. (Which is really just a fancy way of saying press with a hot iron).

4. You’ll notice that there are little bits of raw interfacing hanging out around the outer edges.

Trim those away.

So that your foundation looks like this from the front.

And like this from the back. (See those little bits where the foundation doesn’t cover? Not a problem – they’ll be trimmed off later).

5. Fold over where patches meet, using the grid lines to give you an accurate fold. Sew with a quarter inch seam.

At the beginning and end of the seam lines, there are squares that do not get sewn. Start and end the stitch line right at the edge of those patches.

6. After sewing all the horizontal seams, trim off just a little bit of the seam allowance.

7. At all of the outer edge seam lines, snip the edge of the fusible foundation in one-quarter inch, to the edge of the seam line.

8. This will allow you to press the inner seams open and leave the outer patches that were not sewn still lying flat. Like this:

Here’s the back in full:

9. Repeat these same steps sewing the remaining seams, once again trimming the edge off the seam allowance, cutting into the foundation around the outer edge, and pressing open the sewn seams. After all that, your back will look like this:

Here’s a close-up of the outer edge:

And here it is from the front.

10. Now it’s time to trim off the excess. Simply line up your ruler so that the quarter-inch line runs along the seam intersection of the border squares.

Trim off the excess. Isn’t that pretty? Words to live by: “When in doubt, summon the French General.”

Make two.

I’m making a zipper bag out of these, but I think they are just the right size for little mug rugs as well.

(And I’m just so pleased with myself that I got past the silliness of cutting off my needed seam allowances!)

Still Playing

2011-02-18T07:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I wasn’t happy with how the wash-away applique foundation worked and it occurred to me – duh! – that I could try using wash-away paper foundation. You know, the paper that was actually created specifically for this purpose? Some of which I, of course, had sitting around. So . . . I drew up a grid in EQ and printed it off.

Glued the two sheets together and then folded along all of the printed inner lines, horizontal and vertical (though it’s hard to tell from this photo).

I applied little glue dots.

Then I attached all the little fabric squares. (More Central Park because I had already gotten into that charm pack and it’s incredibly cute anyway).

I sewed using exactly the same directions that I gave in the previous entry. Here it is from the back with the seams all sewn.

I didn’t trim the second set of seams since the paper was all going to dissolve anyway. I’m rethinking that decision though since I had to go in later and clip the threads at the seam intersections in order to iron the seams open once it was all dried. It’s a future experiment. In any case, this is how well the paper dissolved away.

Yes! Now we’re talking. That is so so so much better than the wash-away applique stuff. Which, of course, it should be.

Here we are ironed from the back.

And from the front.

And made up into yet another zipper bag.

Conclusions on this one. Well, I like this for when I want a softer quilt top. The foundation is nice for mug rugs and bags. The wash-away paper would work well for a doll quilt or something hand quilted.

And, because, I’m still playing around, I noticed this on the interfacing shelves at JoAnn’s: Pellon has fusible interfacing with one inch grids. Both on the square and on the diagonal. Hey! How did I miss seeing this before?

I picked up some of the diagonal to see how it would work. So, here’s a little French General love. It’s hard to see the grid in the picture but it’s there.

I ironed some two inch squares on and then trimmed the interfacing/foundation to the size I wanted.

Which is to say, I trimmed it to the size I thought I wanted. It never ceases to amaze me that after all of these years sewing, I can still make some pretty silly mistakes. So, what’s wrong with that picture? Try seam allowances for the setting triangles!

Which means that when I sewed it up, there was no seam allowance for those outer points.

Ooops.

Sashed Squares Mug Rug Tutorial

2011-02-13T20:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I finished up the mug rug for the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap.

I made it using my usual Fold and Sew technique. But, once it was done, it occurred to me there were other possibilities, ones that don’t require translucent vellum paper and a laser printer/copier. I experimented. And here goes, just a slight variation of Fold and Sew.

Finished Size: 7" by 9"

Fabric

Twelve 2" squares
Twenty 1" squares
Thirty-one 1" by 2" rectangles
Plus backing and binding

Other Supplies

A 10" by 13" rectangle of either lightweight interfacing or a wash-away stabilizer used in applique. (In my notes below I offer my conclusion that the lightweight interfacing is much easier to work with overall).

Prepare the Foundation and Add Fabric

1) Draw a grid on the foundation material alternating lines at 1" and 2" with an extra fine line permanent marker.

With the wash-away foundation:

With the fusible interfacing (since it is see through, you can simply lay it over your cutting table grid). Draw the lines on the non-fusible side of the interfacing.

Here is the wash-away foundation with the lines all drawn. (I made a mistake and drew an extra line across the middle – oops!)

Here is the fusible interfacing with the lines all drawn. (Once again I drew an extra line!)

2. After the lines are all drawn, add the patches.

With the wash-away foundation, you will need to add little glue dots to attach the fabric. I use Roxanne’s Glue Baste It. As you can see, I just dab little dabs of glue in the corners (which will be seam allowance). I work on a light box with the drawn lines facing down.

Since the interfacing is fusible, simply be sure that the fusible side of the interfacing is facing up and add the patches.

Here’s the wash-away with one row added. I add the glue dots and fabric one row at a time.

Here’s the wash-away foundation completely covered.

Here’s the fusible interfacing foundation completely covered. Once the patches are all added to the interfacing, iron them to set.

Sew the Foundation

1. Fold a row along the drawn line. The foundation will naturally fold here since this is where the fabric edges meet.

2. Sew a quarter inch seam.

3. Continue to fold and sew until all the horizontal rows are joined.

4. Trim just a small edge off the folded edge of each seam.

5. Just enough so that you can iron the seams open. Here’s the wash-away foundation.

Here’s the fusible interfacing.

6. Now once again fold the remaining rows and sew with quarter inch seams.

Here is the wash-away foundation from the back once all the rows are joined.

Here it is from the front. Gotta love how the Fold and Sew technique gives you pristine seam intersections!

7. Once again trim just a little off of the folded seam allowance. Since you are going to rinse the wash-away foundation off, you do not need to iron the seams open quite yet. Once the wash-away foundation has been rinsed off, then iron the seams.

Since the fusible interfacing remains in, press open the seams for this foundation.

Here it is from the front.

8. About that wash-away. . . . Here is how much of the paper remained after rinsing (I let it soak in a bowl of water for an hour).

And, yes, this did make it a chore to iron those seams open. I got better at it as I went along (a stiletto helped), but it was still time consuming. Here’s what the foundation looked like on the back after the seams were ironed open.

Here it is from the front:

Conclusions

The wash-away: I want to try another wash-away foundation and see if it works any better. My goal for the wash-away was to wind up with a softer mug rug that could be hand quilted if desired. As long as you don’t quilt in the seam-allowance where the remains of the stabilizer are still clinging to the seam, that would work. Still, unless a wash-away product from another source works better than this, I’m going to stick with my tried and true method of Fold and Sew on vellum paper.

The fusible interfacing: this is a definite yes. The interfacing does make the foundation stiffer, so you wouldn’t want this for anything that needs to be soft or that you would want to hand quilt. But for a mug rug that is going to be machine quilted I think this approach worked beautifully. I will definitely make more mug rugs this way!

(For the record, I already used the fusible interfacing technique for other projects: I fused squares onto a fusible interfacing for the little zipper bag I just made, for the pieced Mail Sack, and the potholders that I also made up a tutorial on – this is just the first time I drew this particular design onto the foundation).

Here’s the one mug rug all done up. Love that Central Park fabric line!

And I do love how fast Fold and Sew is: it took me a little less than an hour to mark the foundation material and sew up the foundation!

And because it is the weekend, which means another Civil War Sampler block, here’s mine. I slightly altered the pattern from the one Barbara Brackman offered so that I would get cleaner measurements.

My sewing room looks like it is suffering from a split personality: the blocks, fabrics, and quilts spilling around the room are either bright contemporaries or Civil War reproductions. What can I say? I love them both.

Ah! I almost forgot. One last note. For those of you who are enjoying reading Barbara Brackman’s historical notes on the Civil War (like I am), The New York Times is also running a fascinating series of articles on the Civil War called Disunion. They are all fascinating, but, of course, I particularly loved the one about Lincoln and his stepmother – it was really quite lovely.

More Bits

2011-02-06T20:21:00.001-07:00

Success at last with the latest Civil War sampler block.

I think I liked my original fabric combination better, but I didn’t have enough of those pieces for a take two. This is okay, I think. I admit, I pulled out the stops to get this to work. I printed off templates in EQ, used my trimming tool by Judy Martin, and even threw in some paper piecing. And, by golly, there she is, a very nice 8 1/2". Yes, Scarlett, tomorrow is another day.

My “Take Flight” themed Mini QT arrived at its new home, so I can show it here now.

I had some reservations about that little kitty. I just wasn’t happy with the quilt as it was and I knew something needed to go in that space. The kitty was a little bit of an odd choice but as soon as I auditioned it there, I really loved it. So, there she is, “Kitty Dreams of Flight.” I like this one enough I just may have to make up another one for myself.

And, finally, since I had some leftover two inch squares from the Circle Game quilt, I made up a little zipper bag.

One can never have too many zipper bags. Isn’t that some sort of cosmic truth?

Round and Round

2011-02-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

I’ve been waiting for a good day to take a picture of the circle game quilt, but it’s been gray, gray, gray. Here it is in my sewing room with terrible light and from an odd angle, just so you know . . . .

I’m really loving this quilt. It looks drab in the picture but the blend of olive greens and teal is actually quite vibrant. Here’s a close-up.

Today I spent playing with the spider web foundation. Here’s my first take where I was simply checking to see if the pattern was going to work.

Well. One, yes, the foundation works. Two, it looks like something out of a 60’s Hitchcock movie. Three, no, I wasn’t intentionally going for a Gee’s Bend look with the borders. That’s just some all natural humility for you.

I wanted to try a completely different effect as well (of course), so here it is with some leftover bits from the Circle Game quilt.

Oh, I really like that. I’m thinking of that as a start for the mug rug swap that’s coming up.

I also worked on the next Barbara Brackman Civil War block. Yikes. A complete and total disaster. I got close to finishing it – one more seam to go, but it is not going anywhere except into the circular file. I’ve got puckers. It’s mis-sized. Trying to do the fudge factor to deal with making a block built on thirds into an 8 inch finished size was not a pretty picture. If you could see me now, you’d see that I am bloody, but unbowed – mostly because I’m no longer in the sewing room but up in the living room with a glass of my favorite merlot soothing my shattered nerves.

But, hey, as is appropriate to the theme, “Tomorrow is another day.”

More Bits

2011-02-01T21:11:00.001-07:00

Well, one month down on Barbara Brackman’s Civil War Sampler, and I’m not even behind yet (even if I did have to fudge those Seven Sisters to manage it). This week’s block is Kansas Troubles. Orienting all the triangles correctly required paying pretty close attention. At least no one is going to accuse Barbara of coddling us! Still, what a beautiful block pattern.

I also did up a block for the Bee Obsessed swap. The theme for this one was things that live in the forest, including fairies. So, here’s a little fairy house.

I found that house block when I was going through some old EQ5 project files. It was called Stumpy’s House and it wasn’t anything I drew myself. I have no idea where it came from.

And finally, a couple of close up shots of the “Flight” theme MiniQT swap. I did something a little odd with this quilt, so I am really hoping my partner likes it. I mean, I like it, but I’m aware my taste isn’t always traveling a well worn path!

I’ll show the whole quilt once it arrives at its new home.

Meanwhile, there are more swaps in process. (This is probably what is known as being an addictive personality). First another mug rug swap and then the ever wonderful Doll Quilt Swap.

And, my intentions are good! I’m still making progress on the circle quilt. You’ll see. Soon.

Meanwhile, I am NOT looking forward to walking Mr. Personality tomorrow morning. I missed yesterday afternoon’s walk and then this morning’s walk – which meant that today’s afternoon walk was a MUST. I couldn’t go out until nearly five which meant the temperature was dropping. I did the smart thing (perhaps . . . perhaps not) and didn’t even check the temperature first. I just bundled up until I looked like the Michelin Tire Man. Even then, when I first stepped out the door I wasn’t sure I was going to make it go. Just a couple of inches of bare skin on my face and, boy, I felt it! Mr. I Love The Cold wasn’t bothered at all.

It’s a good thing I didn’t check the temp until I got back in from the walk. Weather.com told me that it was –3 and felt like –23. And, you know, it really did.

Bits and Pieces

2011-01-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

School has begun: quizzes are in; reading responses are piling up; class preparation is chewing up time as it always does. Which means, only a little to show. Still, having less time to sew just makes the time I do spend sewing all the more precious. (I tell myself). First, finally getting to week three of the Barbara Brackman Civil War Sampler.

Okay. I admit. This week was supposed to be Seven Sisters, as in seven appliqued five pointed stars. I’ve probably admitted several dozen times here that I am not a hand sewer. Fusible applique is a good buddy of mine, but I thought I would stick to traditional(ish) methods on this one (because if I paper-piece, it’s just our little secret). Anyway, I did give the applique a wee start . . . a tentative “let’s see how bad this is gonna be” kind of start. Yes. Well. It was awful. I may do some applique for this quilt but starting out with a great heaping pile of sharp points?

I woosed. I caved. I made a single sister (see above). I’m thinking she’s the lazy sister; she’s the one hanging out on the fainting couch reading a romance novel. The other six sisters, dutiful, hard-workers that they are, are in the kitchen. That’s why you can’t see them. Which is just fine. It’s fun hanging out with the lazy sister in the living room – we’ve broken into the merlot.

The fourth block was another challenge. Not impossible but this required some careful sewing. I love how it came out though. I like how this quilt is such a great excuse to go rifling through my reproduction stash. That purple print that forms the T’s goes way back. It’s one of RJR’s Rising Sun Smithsonian fabrics. Pretty pretty.

And, last, a spider web block for a block swap. We got the center butterfly fabrics and some of the strippies. We were asked to fill in with some other bits of fabric from our own stash.

I’ve been having fun with the spider web block. I’ve been playing in EQ designing a miniature paper-pieced variation. Once I catch up on grading (that’s actually a joke – I won’t catch up on grading until it’s May and the end of the semester . . . ), I’ll have a mini to show, I think.

I’ve also been maintaining my intention to keep working on the circles quilt. I’ve got the center section pieced together. Now I just need to get the borders added. Pictures coming soon.

Terrie Takes Flight

2011-01-21T20:37:00.001-07:00

That’s the name my swap partner gave to this incredibly darling little quilt.

I really, really wish I knew how to get a better picture of this. It is so PERFECT! The fabric for the cows and the chickens. The tree fabric and then the shadows as well. Here’s a close up of the bi-plane.

The propellers are three-D and have the cutest little black button. I don’t know if you can see the yellow scarf but it has a “T” at the end of it.

There are really no words for how much I love this little guy. For one, I love bi-planes. They are just so beautiful and elegant. (I love the movie High Road to China, and I think all the beautiful shots of the planes in the air has a lot to do with it. Well, okay, Tom Selleck has something to do with it, too.)

And, along with the “Flight” theme for this swap, she included fabric with images of things that fly and the two cutest pins to bling up my pincushion. How cute are these guys?

You know, I always appreciate the quilts that I get in the swaps. It’s so fun to have the diversity. But some, I have to admit, are real stand-outs. This is certainly one of them.

I love it!!

Meanwhile, I am making progress on my little “Flight” swap quilt but I can’t show pictures yet. I can show the progress I’m making on the circle quilt.

The blocks are ready to sew together.

The semester started this week. That means – so sad to say – that the sewing fun is definitely going to slow down. Drastically. Still, there are rituals to be observed, and one of them is that I start a new semester with a clean office. It doesn’t stay that way long. In fact, my office already no longer looks this good, and I only took the photo two days ago! But there it is. For one brief shining moment, clean surfaces, clean floor, dusted.

Beginnings

2011-01-15T21:26:00.001-07:00

It’s always so much fun starting a project. I have to admit it’s a bit addictive – which certainly explains why I have so many quilts in process. I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say it’s my goal this year not to do that (because that’s just asking for trouble), but I am trying to keep in mind that finishing a big project is also very rewarding!

I’m hoping that means I’m going to just keep right on going with this one. Let’s call it an intention.

No miniatures here. These blocks will finish at 7 1/2" square.

That second block really allowed me to play the Gidget and Gadget game. First, I cut out circles with the AccuQuilt.

I bought a yard of this stuff at a guild meeting quite some time ago, and now I really wish I knew what the name of the product is! It’s a water soluble fiber, so it has nice stiffness at this stage of the game but will turn to mush and mostly just disappear once the quilt is washed.

I cut slightly larger circles using the Olfa Circle Cutter. So easy!

Then I used glue stick on the dissolvable fiber and folded over the fabric edges. After I pressed it nice and flat, I added the little dots of Roxanne’s Glue-Baste-It which makes it easy to adhere to the block before stitching it down.

My own true love isn’t wild about the fabric choices but so far I really love them. They are very glow-ey in person.

With any luck, I’ll have more to show tomorrow.

Go! Round Flower Wall Hanging

2011-01-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

It was so much fun playing with the Round Flower die for this one! The shading in the photo is a little off. The sun was behind the tree branches and I had shadows falling across the quilt. Still, the general idea is here.

One of the things I vowed when I got the AccuQuilt is that I would justify the expense of it by putting it to work on my stash. So, for this project, I just pulled out a bunch of taupes and started running them through the two inch die and the Round Flower die (with Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 already added to the fabric, of course). Oh, and the 5 1/2" die, too, for the applique backgrounds.

My first project with all those little bits was the Pink Chalk Studio Mail Sack, which I love and use all the time.

I also made up the Round Flower Coasters (which you can see here).

I knew I wanted a wall hanging, too. Obviously, I could just make up the flower itself and I did make up some of those.

But there were all these other pieces. So, there’s the weave block. For this one, I drew chalk lines through the middle of the block and then 1/2" in from all of the sides, letting those lines guide the placement of the circles. Then I just wove the stems in around them.

And I just love the effect on this next one. It reminds me of garden pinwheels. For these blocks, I drew diagonal lines in an X across the block and additional markings 1/2" at the corners . I placed the leaf tips at the corner marks.

There’s no way I would have either the skill or the patience to cut out so many little circles by hand, but given that the Go! took care of all that, they sure were fun to play with.

So, yes, this was a very fun wall hanging to put together. Now I have to decide how to quilt it. Not quite sure yet how to approach it. Any ideas?

But, hey, speaking of quilting, look at this!

There it is. Hand quilting on the Civil War Crossing mini quilt. Not great quilting, mind you, but I’m impressed I’m doing it at all.

Speaking of what’s next (were we speaking of what’s next?), I’ve got these pieces lined up and ready to begin putting together tomorrow. I love how the olive green and teal play against the white. (I’m hoping I’ll still love it once the blocks are assembled).

And, yes, I did use the 2 inch die again for all those little squares.

Queensland Flood Relief Auction

2011-01-13T20:18:00.002-07:00

Like everyone else, I’ve been reading about the flooding in Queensland and feeling so saddened by the terrible struggles the people there are facing. It is simply lovely that Toni from Make it Perfect is organizing a Queensland Flood Appeal Auction. She’s asked bloggers to put up products they’ve made for auction.

On Monday, she will have a master list up at her blog of people who are running auctions. The auction will run through January 24 to allow plenty of time for bidding. Each blog participating runs its own auction, so if you are interested in my auction, you will bid here.

Here’s how it works:

1. Bidding will start at $25.
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address. Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone. I will cover postage.
5. The auction begins NOW and will END at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.
6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address or that it is published in your profile so that I can contact you). The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment via email. Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your book and mini quilt.

I am auctioning a copy of my book, Miniatures in Minutes, along with a quilt from the book.

You can choose either of the two following quilts. Simply tell me which one you prefer.

The first option is “Mittens and Bows.” It measures 12 3/4" by 12 3/4".

Or, if you prefer a reproduction style, you could choose “Dargate Ribbons” (11" by 12 1/2").

Thank you for participating and happy bidding!

Civil War Crossing Patches Giveaway

2011-01-09T20:51:00.002-07:00

The cutting method I used for making the Civil War Crossing quilt top (described in the first tutorial) gave me three sets of patches. One I used in the quilt below. Another I have reserved for making a matching quilt for a friend. The third is fair game.

If you are interested in having the leftover patches (shown here),

as well as the foundations to make up the twelve blocks (if you’re interested in trying this method),

just leave a comment below. If there is more than one person interested, I’ll do a drawing next Sunday night.

Yesterday I said I would take a picture of the larger quilt I made using this same pattern and colorway. Here it is. Why is it that as soon as you spread a quilt on the floor, the dog immediately comes up and lays on it? Every dog we’ve ever had responds to a quilt on the floor like it’s a magnet and they’re metal filings. Here’s Cooper being helpful.

Here it is sans dog.

This quilt has haunted me for years. Once I got the top made up I decided I didn’t really like that white sashing. I never had the heart to completely tear it out though. And I originally thought that I should hand quilt this (back when I felt more guilt in that direction) but just couldn’t bring myself to do it when I wasn’t really happy with the quilt as a whole. (That I have to say was a wise decision. Life it too short to spend that much time on a project simply out of guilt!)

Now? Well, I really liked finishing the Ascent quilt just in time for the new year. I’d like to finish more of my bigger projects that are taking up space in the closet and my conscience. I think I’m going to say, “Hey, it’s good enough!” and send it off to be quilted. Am I wrong?

I also finished the latest Barbara Brackman Civil War sampler block. Easy enough, a North Star. (Well, I’ve always called it a Sawtooth Star, but I have to say, North Star sounds nicer).

I’m really happy with this block. One, I really liked how I was able to showcase the very cool fabric in the center square. Two, even better, it measures 8 1/2" square. Exactly. (Ah!)

And, lest you think I’ve lost myself in the nineteenth century and don’t know how to find my way out, I worked on the taupe Round Flower wall quilt today as well. I’m mostly happy with where it is at the moment, though not entirely convinced. Tomorrow I’ll work on the borders and post some pictures. We’ll see.

Civil War Crossing Quilt Tutorial, Part Four

2011-01-08T19:59:00.001-07:00

Putting the Quilt Together: The pieced section of this quilt (not counting the borders) measures 8" by 10 1/2". The blocks are 2" finished. The sashing is 1/2" finished.

Sashing cutting directions:

Cut sixteen 1" by 2 1/2" rectangles
Cut four 1" by 5 1/2" rectangles (for sashing cornerstones)
Cut three 2 1/2" by 5 1/2" rectangles

Sew the rectangles with the 5 1/2" measurement together in strips as shown.

Cut the pieced strips into five 1" widths. (Sorry I forgot to take a picture here but you’ll see them laid out in just a couple steps). Press the cornerstones (brown strips) towards the wider (white) fabric.

Cut the border fabric:

Cut two 3" by 8 1/2" rectangles
Cut two 3" by 16" rectangles
Note that since I was using a directional fabric, I cut the strips so that the directions would remain consistent when added to the quilt.

Top Assembly:

1) Sew the 1" by 2 1/2" rectangles to the sides of the blocks creating strips. Press the seams towards the sashing. (Another forgotten photo that will be clear in the next step).

2) Layout the strips with the cornerstones.

3) Join together.

4) Add the top and bottom borders.

5) Add the side borders.

Now, normally, I avoid hand work whenever possible, but I’m thinking I might try and get into the spirit of things and actually hand quilt this one. No promises though. I might hand quilt all of three inches, turnaround and say, “You know what? Machine stitching is good enough!”

And I did just a little play in EQ with this pattern. So, in red and white:

Or a little bit of Amish:

And, of course, you can make more blocks and omit the sashing entirely:

This has always been one of my favorite blocks. Very bold and dramatic and beautiful in either reproduction or contemporary fabrics. I have a full size quilt top that is done up in the same colors. I have my reservations about it though. I’ll take a picture and post it tomorrow. For now, I’m off for a glass of pinot noir. Honestly, typing up these directions took way longer than I anticipated! I’m a tuckered pup.

Civil War Crossing Quilt Tutorial, Part Three

2011-01-08T19:39:00.001-07:00

Sewing the Block

First Off, Useful Tools:

1) Roxanne’s Glue-Baste-It.

It allows you to place a very small dab of glue exactly where you want it. This is a great accessory not only for making Miniatures in Minutes but for any number of times in the sewing room where “a little dab will do ya.” (Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Though making that allusion indicates my age and, if you get it, probably indicates yours as well!)

2) Clover Mini-Iron. This allows you to iron very precisely exactly where you need. It helps save scorched finger tips and smeared printer ink!

3) Freezer paper. I always iron a square of freezer paper onto my ironing surface. As you iron the foundation, ink can rub off. Better it be onto easily removable freezer paper than your cloth ironing cover.

Sewing the Foundation:

It is important to place the glue dots where indicated, most particularly if you are using printer paper. Placing them as shown means that you will not need to wet the foundation later in order to remove the paper.

1) Place the foundation printed side face down. (If you are using printer paper, place it over a light source so that you can see through to the printed side markings).

Place glue dots as indicated. I used blue dots to generally indicate where the glue goes. Note that all of them are outside the dashed lines that indicate the outer edges of the seam allowances. You should use very little tiny dots of glue – just enough to adhere the fabric to the paper.

2) Place your first set of fabrics right side up. Use the inner printed/dotted and red drawn seam allowance lines as your guide for placement.

3). Place glue dots as indicated by the green dots. (If you look carefully at the above photo you can see that I had already placed glue dots on it. See how tiny they are?)

4) Place the next set of patches face down (right sides together) over the first set. (Sorry about the shift in block fabric).

5) Flip over to the printed side of the foundation and sew down the seam line, top to bottom without stopping, sewing through the seam allowances. (I can’t believe I forgot to take a picture of this, but it’s an easy step). Be sure to shorten your stitch length a little.

Then, flip back over to the fabric side and once again add glue dots as indicated by the green dots.

6). Using your Clover Mini-Iron, iron the second set of patches open. Then, once again, apply glue dots as indicated. (TIP: The reason you drew that second seam allowance line is so that you know where the fabric placement should go. If your fabric patches are either short of or past the red line, use the red line as your placement guide.)

7). Reapeat the steps: Place the next set of patches, right sides together. Flip over to the printed side of the foundation and sew the sew line. Flip back over to the fabric side and place glue dots as indicated.

8) Iron open.

9) Now comes the magic part. Fold one section over onto the next, fabric sides together. Sew down the seam line.

To make life a little easier, sew out a little beyond the edge of the seam allowance.

10) Open and finger press.

11) Repeat with the other open section. See how sweetly all those seam intersections perfectly line up?

12) Flip over to the paper side of the foundation. Fold back one of the seams. Place your ruler at the quarter-inch mark along the seam line and trim off the excess paper. Repeat for the other seam.

13. Now place your ruler at the edges of the block and trim off the excess paper and fabric, squaring off the block. Be sure not to trim off the seam allowance!

14. Remove the paper and press. Sit back and admire how perfectly your block came out and how easy it was to accomplish.

That may all sound like a lot of steps, but once you understand the sequence, it goes very quickly. Fast, easy, and accurate. That’s why I love Fold and Sew.

Make up a total of twelve pretty little blocks. (Well, actually, make up how ever many your heart desires).