Patchwork of the Crosses

The first two blocks we’ve been working on have been fairly simple blocks to cut and piece.  From here on, many of the blocks will involve fussy cutting or custom cutting each shape.  Fussy cutting is the technique of cutting identical shapes from the pattern repeat, which, when stitched together will give you a totally new geometric or kaleidoscopic pattern. Sometimes the new pattern is so intricate and different it’s hard to recognize the original fabric it came from. 

 To be honest, it’s a technique that has always seemed a little wasteful to me because finding the exact same repeat may involve cutting out chunks all over the fabric leaving “Swiss cheese” when you’re finished, but the finished designs are so exquisite it is well worth the effort.  Fussy cutting is what makes these blocks!  Look closely at the blocks in Lucy Boston’s quilt and you will see many great examples of fussy cutting in her crosses.

Fussy cutting is a lot of fun, but it can be time consuming because the options are endless and sometimes it’s hard to make a decision from all the choices available!  As you practice this technique you will find it gets easier and faster.  
Here is the method I use for fussy cutting:

Use the acrylic honeycomb template.  The inside marked line is the exact same size as the 1” honeycomb papers.  Because the template is clear plastic, you will be able to move it around and see the pattern clearly in the center “window”.  The space between the inner window and the outside of the template is the seam allowance.  Notice that the seam allowance is 3/8” – slightly larger than the normal ¼” seam allowance quilter’s normally use.

If you have trouble visualizing how your fussy cut shapes will look together, use a Magic Mirror to preview the patterns.  Hold the two mirrors at right angles and the image in the mirrors will show the complete pattern of the repeat.  Slide the mirrors along the fabric and watch the patterns change just like a kaleidoscope.  Playing with the mirrors and fabric will give you ideas for repeats you may never have been able to visualize on your own.  Check out our web site here for information on purchasing a magic mirror.

Once you have identified the fabric motif you want to use in the center of the acrylic template, cut out the shape with a small rotary cutter. 

Tip:  The acrylic templates can be very slippery – I line the back of mine with InvisiGrip which helps to keep them from sliding around so much when I’m cutting. 

InvisiGrip is a clear, non-slip material made by Omnigrid that clings (like static cling) to the back of your rulers or templates with no gluing or residues.  Once it is on the back of your rulers, you can't see it, but it does help to prevent slipping. It is great for all your rulers.  Call the shop to order.

Revolving cutting mats also make the job of rotary cutting less awkward.  Call the shop to order.

If you find rotary cutting the shapes too scary, simply draw around the template with a pencil and cut on the line using a scissors.

For the Lucy Boston blocks you will need four (or multiples of four) identical shapes for the fussy cut blocks.  Once a repeat has been identified, try to look for identifying marks in the corners of the template window so that you’ll know exactly where to place the template to get the exact same repeat on the next shape.

In the picture below, the acrylic template has been placed on the fabric using the repeat I've chosen.  Look at the inner window and notice the red tips at the points of the shape, the centering of the flower, and the location of the stripes. 

Place the template in exactly the same spot and repeat the cutting process until you have the number of shapes you need.

It’s sometimes helpful for patterns with an intricate design to lay the first cut-out fabric shape on top of the acrylic template as the template lays in place on the fabric.  If you have it in the exact same spot on the repeat, the fabric on top of the template will just “disappear” into the fabric below.
After the shapes are cut from the fabric, center the papers and baste.  Be careful!   It's easy for the repeat to be slightly off if you don't get the paper centered properly or if you stretch the fabric.  This is why I really like using the glue to baste - it's easy to pull up the glued edges to reposition the fabric if necessary.

When the basting is done and you're ready to start stitching, pay close attention to the placement of each honeycomb to make sure they're positioned correctly.  With some shapes it doesn't make a difference, but with the fabric illustrated, the stripes on the edges are a little different and require careful placement (see below).  Also, notice how those red tips came together to form a flower right in the center.

And that’s all there is to fussy cutting!  It takes a little practice, but you’re going to love the designs you come up with!

Fussy cutting is possible with Inklingo.  Click here and scroll down to the video to find out how.

If you’re new to this Blog Along, click here to start at the beginning of the Patchwork of the Crosses series.

Great Block...

They say great minds think alike and in this case it’s Little Quilts and Fons & Porter. The cover picture of the April/May Fons & Porter magazine features the same Cross and Crown block we just used in Second Saturday Sampler. The block is so versatile and we love this patriotic version!

 

Beauty is...

Terry stopped by and showed us this wonderful quilt that she just finished. The quilt is our block of the month program from 2013 called “Bouquet for a New Day” by Sue Garmin. The appliqué is exquisite!

Patchwork of the Crosses

This week we will be working on another block. 

These are the fabrics I used for the block. For those of you who purchased fabric packs, these fabrics were in the April packs.

The floral center cross shapes were cut from the floral section of the stripe fabric and can be fussy cut or not – your choice.  The diagonal units were cut from the stripe portion of the same fabric.  To accent the blue in the striped fabric and to add additional color to the block, I surrounded the central cross section with a brighter blue fabric.   You will need four floral honeycombs, four stripe honeycombs, and 16 blue honeycomb units to make this block.

New fabric packs will be shipped on May 13.  Call to sign up if you’re interested in receiving some of the fabrics I’m using.  Fabric packs contain a combination of fat quarters and vintage eighths to total ¾ yd. of fabric and can be shipped to you monthly or picked up in the shop for those of you who are local.  Most of the fabrics I'm using are in the packs, but not all - I'm using some fabrics from my stash.

If you’re just joining us, check out the beginning posts of this “Blog Along” here.

If you’re hand piecing rather than English Paper Piecing, check out Inklingo  for a quick and easy method to get cutting and stitching lines on your fabric using an inkjet printer.

As always, questions and comments are welcome.  Let me know how you’re doing with your blocks!  If you email me pictures, I’ll post them on our pinterest board.

Happy Stitching! 

Big Time Hexies

Mary is working on this bright cheerful hexagon quilt for her three year old niece, Grace. 
Forget that!! as good as it is, what about the purse!!

You don't want to miss this..

Jennie finished the first quilt she made in the Marti & Me Club. The club is taught by Dena and features tips and techniques for accurate piecing using rulers and templates by Marti Michel. Looks like Jennie followed the lessons well – what a beautiful quilt!

 

And there is MORE....

Show and Tell #4!. No I am not kidding. We had snow and ice storms, remember?

Eleanor and her friend both went on a retreat to John C. Campbell Folk School. Eleanor had fun making the Carpenter’s Star Quilt and her friend, Flo made a gorgeous beaded bracelet.  

 

 

Sondra made this 90” x 108” T-shirt quilt top in one week! Her mother is retiring after 30 years of teaching and Sondra made this to surprise her. I’ll bet there will be a few tears shed over this gift from the heart.

  Susan made this beautiful tumbler quilt from a kit from Primitive Gatherings. The backing was made from fabric from her stash and left-over tumbler blocks. Gorgeous!

 

Patchwork of the Crosses

Thank you to all who have commented, called, or stopped by the shop to let me know how much you’re enjoying this “Blog Along”.  I’m just blown away by the huge response and very much appreciate all the positive feedback!  I personally, find making the blocks addictive, and it sounds like a lot of you are having as much fun as I am.   If you’re new, the Patchwork of the Crosses blog posts started on April 3, 2014, and continue to be posted every Thursday.   Check out older posts for tutorials, tips, techniques, and pictures of my progress on making this beautiful quilt.  It’s not too late to get started!

Many of you have asked about pre-washing the fabrics for this quilt.  There are several schools of thought on prewashing with advantages and disadvantages to both.  As you know, cotton fabric will shrink and, while it’s not a great amount, not all of it shrinks the same.  Because this quilt uses small amounts of a lot of different fabrics, it seems like it would be a good idea to prewash just to avoid the problem of uneven shrinkage once the quilt is finished.  Prewashing will also alert you to any fabrics that are not colorfast.

Some people prefer not to prewash because they simply don’t like to deal with all the fraying that occurs in the washer no matter how gentle the wash cycle.  Also, pressing all the prewashed fabric is not the most fun part of making the quilt!   Waiting to wash the fabrics after the quilt is finished means that the shrinkage occurs at the end of the process resulting in the fabric puckering up around the quilting stitches giving it an “old-timey” look that our grandmother’s quilts had.  Another big advantage of not prewashing is that the sizing remains in the fabric giving you nice crisp fabric to work with.  The crispness makes cutting easier with clean, smooth edges on your shapes. 

So the choice is yours!  Should you decide to prewash, fabrics should be washed the way you intend to wash the finished quilt. 

Adding Retayne (available in the shop) to the wash water will set the dyes to prevent bleeding.  Color Catchers (made by Shout and available on the laundry aisle of the grocery store) will absorb loose dyes floating in the wash water so they won’t deposit on your fabric – I recommend using these whenever you wash a quilt.

When pressing prewashed fabrics, I like to use Mary Ellen’s Best Press which adds the sizing back to the fabric – it’s not starch, but a starch alternative that comes in several different delightful scents (also available unscented) that makes the pressing process much more enjoyable!  Did I really just say that about pressing?  You have to try it to believe it!  Call the shop to order.

We received a beautiful book in the shop this week you might be interested in!  Imported from England where the book was written by Lucy Boston’s daughter-in-law, Diana Boston, “The Patchworks of Lucy Boston” is a fascinating look at all the quilts made by Lucy Boston.  There are no patterns in the book, but there are whole pictures of each quilt exquisitely photographed by professional photographer Julia Hedgecoe and accompanied by details of each quilt along with interesting stories about the inspiration for the project and how fabrics were obtained to make some of the quilts during wartime England.  Extracts from Lucy Boston’s letters and writings, a biography, and pictures of some of the rooms from the Manor at Hemingsford Way where Lucy lived make this a book you will enjoy from the first page to the last.  A limited number of the books are available on our website (www.littlequilts.com) or in the shop.

Join me next week when we’ll be making another block.  Don’t forget to check out Inklingo if you’re planning to hand piece your blocks.  Even if you’re planning on using the English Paper Piecing method I’m using, you may want to consider Inklingo for printing your paper shapes.

Happy Stitching!                        

Second Saturday Sampler Show and Tell Part 3

Part THREE!!!? are you kidding me? Our customers are sewing for sure. Check it out.

We love to see all the creative quilts from our customers! This quilt looks like a lot of work to make, but is surprisingly quick and easy with the Disappearing Nine-Patch pattern.

Hexagons and English Paper Piecing are so popular right now. What a creative use for just a few hexagon flowers that were made into a sewing kit.

  One of our customers shared a special hand-made birthday greeting from her grand-child. Looks like the whole family knows where Grandma likes to hang out!  That takes the word "custom" to a whole new level.

 

 

  Julie brought this beauty to show at Second Saturday Sampler. She bought the fabric and pattern on a trip to Wyoming. She liked the pattern so much she used it to set her Second Saturday blocks last year. Pattern is BQ3 by Maple Island Quilts.

Saturday Sampler Show and Tell part 2

We are so lucky to see what our customers are making.. Not to mention how great they are.

It’s so much fun making and using unique bags and totes. Donna found this pattern for a really easy “Grab Bag” in a quilting magazine (she thinks it was in the Quilts & More magazine). 

 

  Pam was also sporting a very fun, colorful bag. She used the “Midi Bag” pattern.

 

Madelyn added a touch of red to all of last year’s black and white Second Saturday Sampler alternate blocks. She knew from the start she was going to make the quilt in school colors for her grand-daughter who is attending Davidson College. Great quilt, Madelyn!  

 

Patchwork of the Crosses

Today we’ll begin stitching, so start threading those needles!  (If you're joining us for the first time, you might want to review our earlier posts - this Blog Along started on April 3 and posts every Thursday). By now, you should have all twenty-four honeycomb shapes glue basted and ready to go.

Arrange your blocks as follows:

Start in the center with four floral honeycombs that will make the cross.

Add brown honeycombs for the four diagonals,

and finally, add the floral side and brown corner units.

 

Since this is basically a two-color block, it’s an easy block to lay out without having to audition for color placement.

For stitching, I use a milliner’s needle and Aurifil thread.  Milliner’s needles (sometimes called straw needles) are long fine needles that make it easy to “feel” the edge of the papers in the basted shapes while you are stitching your units together.  I like to use Aurifil thread because it is a strong thread, but fine enough to thread through the small eye of the milliner’s needles.  You can use any neutral color thread as you won’t be able to see the stitches on the front.  ( For photographing purposes only, I will be stitching with a lighter thread than is shown – I’m hoping you’ll be able to see the stitches better!)

If you have trouble threading the milliner’s needle, you may prefer switching to Sharps needles - they have a bigger eye to thread, but the bigger shaft makes it more difficult to avoid catching the edges of the papers when stitching.  For a nice compromise, you might want to try the Black Gold needles we sell in the shop that are applique needles, but with a slightly larger eye – a nice cross between milliner’s and sharps.  Call the shop to order.

You are now ready to start stitching. I start stitching from the center units and work out.  Place two of the units right sides together and, with knotted thread, begin stitching right at the corner.  If you don’t start and stop your stitching right at the corners, you will end up with small “holes” or gaps at the intersections of your blocks that are difficult to fix later.

If it’s awkward to hold everything together while you’re stitching and you feel like you need another pair of hands, try using a plastic-coated paper clip to hold the shapes together.  The paper clip won’t get in the way and catch your thread and the plastic coating slides on and off the fabric easily without catching.

For stitching, I use a simple whip stitch.  With your needle, you should be able to feel the papers inside the basted shapes.  Do not stitch through the papers – simply grab a few threads on top of the folded edges.  Taking too deep a stitch will result in threads showing on the right side of your work.

You will notice that my whip stitches are very close together.  This makes a tight seam that will last forever!  Caution: If you make an error, tight stitching is very difficult to remove without damaging the fabric.  If you are worried about this, simply make bigger stitches.

The most common errors made during stitching are: 

1)      taking too deep a stitch in which case your stitches will show on the right side of the work.  If this happens, you either need to remove the stitching and start over, or leave the stitching and mark over it with a Micron pen that closely matches the fabric color.  This actually works very well and masks the threads nicely.  (I’m giving away all my secrets here!)

2)       Make sure you stitch the shapes together properly.  On the honeycomb shape, all the sides are 1”, but the angles are different.  If you sew the wrong sides together, your shapes will end up at odd angles that won’t fit in the block.  I have no secrets to share with you here – there’s nothing to do, in this case, but remove the stitching and start over.

Because it’s easy to make mistakes that may need to be undone, I knot my thread at the end of each edge I stitch.  That way, if I need to “unstitch,” I can simply remove one edge of stitching without worrying about other edges I've stitched with that thread coming undone.  To make an easy knot at the end of a row, pull up a loop, run the needle through the loop twice and pull tight.  You don’t need to cut your thread after you knot – simply continue stitching along the next edge with the same thread.

As soon as you’ve stitched around all six edges of a shape, remove the paper.  Removing the papers will make your work more “flexible” so you can stitch the next units on without bending the papers.  If you punched holes in the center of your papers, simply insert tweezers in the holes and the papers should pop right out. 

If you used too much glue, you may need to loosen the edges by running the toe of the tweezers under the edges of the fabric.  For those of you who purchased the Lucy Boston Starter Pack from us, the Fashionista tweezers in your pack are perfect for this because they have long toes.

 Once the papers are loosened, they should pop right out.

Papers that have been removed are reusable. In fact, if you haven’t bent the papers or stitched through them causing a frayed edge, you should get five or six uses out of each paper.  The SewLine glue pen leaves no sticky residue on the papers, so they can be slipped right back into your bag of paper shapes with no gummy mess.

And that’s all there is to it!  Stitch all twenty-four honeycombs together and you will have your first finished block!  Look at the back of the block – if done correctly, all the papers should be removed from the center honeycombs, but papers will still remain on the outer row.

Now look at the front of the block – if done correctly, you should see no stitches and no gaps or holes at the intersection points.

If you’re hand piecing your blocks, check out Inklingo here to find out about printing precise sewing/cutting lines right onto your fabric with an inkjet printer. Or, review the hand piecing information in the “Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses” book for pertinent tips and techniques.

If you are on Pinterest, you may want to follow our “Patchwork of the Crosses” board where I’ll be posting all my blocks and also adding blocks our customers bring in to show us. Looking at blocks completed by others will give your own creativity a boost.  If you create some of your own blocks from your fabric stash, send me pictures so I can add them to our board as well!  Check out our Pinterest board here.

Happy Stitching!

Show and Tell A Mania pt 1

COn Second Saturday Sampler Saturdays, we have something like a "parking lot" show and tell.  We hate for those of you who cannot be here to miss out so...SHOW and TELL (pt 1)

Carol made a beautiful version of Judy Niemeyer’s pattern “Misty Mountain Pond”. The original was done in blues and purples, but we love the brightness of the colors Carol chose.

 

Melissa has to make six baby quilts for babies of family and friends coming in the near future. We think she’s off to a great start with both of these quilts. The nursery for baby #1 has a carousel horse theme and Melissa found the perfect panel for that quilt – she’s just going to add an outer border and the quilt will be ready to quilt.

 

For baby #2 she made the cutest owl row quilt using a quilt as you go technique. So cute, and almost finished!

Danita found an old doll cradle at an antique store – all it needed was a quilt to go with it. Danita made this reproduction doll quilt from one of our cigar box doll bed kits. The antique look of the quilt will be great with her cradle.

 

 

 

Sue Spargo in East Cobb - part 2

Sue brought some of her Circle samplers to show many of her stitches.

 

  Sue’s quilts are absolutely stunning with the bright wool background colors, the layers of wool appliqué and the beautiful embroidery work. These are just a few of the beautiful quilt patterns available in her books.