3 February

YIKES!!!!!! 1/2" HST units went into today's block!!!!!  That is the smallest I have ever made, and boy were they tiny!!  I did use my triangulations papers, for them, but that doesn't help when sewing them to the units next to them.  I thought I was being very accurate and precise, and while I was making this block, it looked to me like it was not going to finish at 3".  As I was sewing, I contemplated making it again later in the year when I didn't have so many other things I wanted to work on, or perhaps, changing it up a bit so it was easier, or not even using it at all in my final quilt top.  But once I finished it, and put it on my table to see if it was 3.5" it was almost perfect!!!!  I did trim up the edges, and that helped a lot with it looking much better, but it was exactly 3.5" when all those seams were complete.  

3 Feb

One thing that does help, a lot, when working with such small sub units, starch!!! Starch your fabric before you cut it to sew something this small.  It will help keep your fabric from stretching and then not ending up the correct size.  I try to starch all my fabric no matter what size I will be cutting it.  It just seems to work out better to be accurate when the fabric is starched, especially for units that work with bias edges like HST units do.  

So, even if things aren't looking like they will turn out correctly, keep pushing through to the end, and see if things don't turn out like they are suppose to.  Even if your quilt block doesn't end up the way it should, learn from what you did.  What can you do different the next time, to get better results?  What did you do that caused it to not turn out the correct size?  It is never a waste of time or fabric, if you learn something from the process, even if you don't end up with a quilt block that you want to use in your final quilt. 

And remember, unless you are making a quilt to enter into a show, it really isn't going to matter in the end, if all your blocks are "perfect" or if you chop off some points, or your seams don't line up.  Your quilt will be beautiful, because YOU made it.  It will still be appreciated by someone, and it will keep them just as warm, as a quilt with "perfect" points and seams.  Enjoy the process!!!  If you want to work on precision, go for it, but don't stress out over it, if things don't turn out like you expect them to.  Finish the quilt, move on to the next one, and keep working on your precision, if that is what you want to do.  If you don't care about how precise you are, then just enjoy each and every quilt you make... and don't listen to anyone that says something about your points or seams not being as they should be.

Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!

14 January

Today's block is another simple one, yet you need to be accurate in your cutting and sewing, or it won't be the right size.  It's simply 6 - 1" strips sewn together. Since it finishes at 3" each of those 1" strips end up being only 1/2" wide.  As the blocks get more complicated, they are going to be using more 1" or possibly smaller pieces of fabric.  I knew there was a reason I was saving all my 1" leftovers.  :-)

14 Jan

I am almost finished with another small project, but not ready to show a picture of it yet.  I have to finish the binding and add some cute buttons, then it will be ready to hang on our front door.  It is from the book Imagine, from Art to Heart.   It has 12 different 14" blocks, that you can use for a quilt, or wall hangings or even pillows.   I am making them all as wall hangings so we can hang them on our front door, like you would a wreath.  We can't hang wreaths, because they would get flattened, so we needed to find something that wasn't so fluffy.  These small wall hangings will fit the bill.   And there is one for every month of the year.  :-)

Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!

A Simple 9 Patch

Today's 365 Challenge is a simple 9 patch block.  But don't let the simplicity fool you.  If  you aren't accurate in your cutting, sewing and pressing, you can make your block either too small or too large.

Jan 5

I'm using this challenge to hone my skills in all aspects of quilting.  I want to make sure I cut accurately.  I want to test my seam allowance, and make sure it isn't too big or too small.  And when I'm pressing my seams, I want to make sure I'm not stretching my fabric, or getting tucks in my seam lines.  When you are making small blocks, the accuracy is even more important than if you were making larger blocks.  If you are off, even 1/16" in a 3 inch block, and you have 12 3" blocks in your row, you could be off by as much as .75" when you get your row sewn together, and if your next row is accurate, they won't fit together like they should.  So even a small discrepancy can add up over the size of the quilt.

To help me with my accuracy, I have started using glue to hold my small pieces of fabric together.  I found a product called Acorn Easy Precision Piecing Starter Kit.  It includes what they are calling Seam Align Glue.  You use just the smallest of drops in your seam allowance, and put your two fabrics together, and it holds it while you stitch.  If you need to take it apart, the glue releases from the fabric easily, with out distorting your fabric, and will wash out once you are finished with your quilt.  So it isn't going to stay in there forever.  The next part of the kit is Easy Press Solution and an Easy Press Pen.  You put the solution in the pen, and then apply it to your seam, press and your seam will lay flat!! 

I'm looking for alternatives to these products, since they are hard to find locally, and they aren't exactly cheap.  I think I may have found another glue that works just as well, but is not the Elmers School glue (although I have used that for some things as well).  I will post about that another time.

But for now, it's time to get back to sewing.  I'm starting another project that has been on my mind for a number of years.  It's The Quilt Show's 2009 BOM, Stars for a New Day.  I have loved that quilt since they first released it, but didn't have the time to spend on it.  Last year, I started gathering fabric for it, and today I'm starting on the center feathered star.  I will share pictures as I progress.  I also have more work to do on my Wild and Goosey blocks so I can get that quilt top together.  Only 68 more blocks to have enough for the lap sized quilt I want to make. 

Until next time...  happy crafting!!!