More on Hand Piecing EPP

Some time ago I wrote a post about the Flatback Stitch. I read it over the other day and I think everything is still true. My techniques have evolved since then, however.

Flatback Stitch again
Flatback Stitch again

One thing I do now is anchor the joins before I stitch the whole seam. This lines up the corners so patterns match and corners are smooth.

I still hold the pieces together with either Sew Tites** or WonderClips**. My favorite SewTites at the moment are Sew Tites HD**. They are stronger and easier to use with multiple layers. The magnets are strong so I have to be careful not to catch my fingers in between the two magnets. Otherwise they work really well.

Flatback Stitch again - back
Flatback Stitch again – back

Next, I take a few stitches where the corners of two different pieces line up. As I do this, I keep turning the piece over so I can make sure the corners are still in place. Then I go back and stitch the seams between the two pieces together.

This can be a bit challenging when sewing a giant rosette together! Still securing the joins helps keep long seams in place until the whole thing can be sewn together.

My seams are lining up really well using this method. I feel like my pieces are lined up more precisely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at a local quilt shop. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Rainbow Strip Finished

Finished: Rainbow Strip donation top
Finished: Rainbow Strip donation top

I finally FINALLY finished this quilt!

I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out and will be really glad to see it finished.

This piece seemed like it was on my design wall for years, but when I went back and looked, it wasn’t. I seemed to have started the layout in March 2022. In the grand scheme of things, it is only 5ish months ago. Why does it feel like this quilt took so long?

Finished: Rainbow Strip donation back
Finished: Rainbow Strip donation back

I dipped into my stash of dots for fabrics for the back. These are mostly dots I bought before I refined what I like in dots. I do like the prints, but probably wouldn’t use them in the foreground of a quilt and they are too large or too diffuse for the background. I think they make a really cheerful back.

I have more scraps, which is probably a super obvious staement. I have a lot of pink scraps, so that will probably be my next quilt in the series, after the orange vertical strip donation top.

 

Happy Birthday, Grama

Portrait of GramaMy Grama has been on my mind lately. Today would have been her 98th birthday and I just wanted to celebrate her. She is one of the people I always saw doing needlework, so she influenced me greatly.

She mostly did crochet when I knew her. I have a small afghan in a chevron pattern that she made for me. It is super warm. She ran out of yarn. Being young, I didn’t understand about dye lots, so couldn’t understand why she didn’t just go get more yarn.

Grama's Birthday 2013
Grama’s Birthday 2013

After her second husband died in around 2004, I started spending a lot more time with her. I went down for a surprise party for her and someone snapped this photo. Her face conveys a lot about her personality.

Happy Birthday, Grama!

La Pass Center Medallions

Kelly Pena, a quiltmaker/sewist also working on La Pass and in the private La Pass FB group, creating a basic and an easy to understand tutorial for making center medallions.  She has kindly allowed me to use her photos for this English Paper Piecing technique. This question has come up a few times in our La Pass group. I consulted with Kelly and said that I would write a blog post using her photos so there would be a permanent link to the information. I have added a little bit of additional explanation to Kelly’s already excellent tutorial.

Tula Pink's Parisville Cameo
Tula Pink’s Parisville Cameo

Our La Pass rosettes require certain sized fabric pieces that correspond to the paper we are using to create various rosettes. We fussy cut the fabrics and make cool designs. Sometimes people want to use a larger motif, such as Tula Pink’s Marie Antoinette from Parisville Deja Vu. This motif would be difficult to put together using the various shapes and pieces. Not impossible, but very difficult.

In order to use up, in this case, the entire cameo and not make ourselves completely crazy, we need more ‘paper space’.

Combine papers
Combine papers

1. Find all of the paper pieces you need (want to use) to make the center medallion. Tape the paper pieces together for the final shape. This can vary depending on the shapes making up the rosette and you can adjust the shape by adding or deleting papers until you are satisfied. You can create quite a large shape.

As far as I know, there is no size limit as the paper will be removed at some point anyway. My gut tells me that you may have some issues with the bias if the pieces are too large. As a result, and, as usual, be careful with the bias.

You can configure the papers into any shape that will work for the fabric you have. I tried this technique on one of the Month 4 rosettes and found it moderately successful. In looking at Kelly’s example above, I should have added the long, thin diamonds to my center in my attempt. I think it would have made the process easier. The concave edges around the center diamonds are difficult and the long, thin diamonds make the edge easier to deal with.

Lay combined papers on fabric
Lay combined papers on fabric

2. Lay the combined and taped papers on the fabric. Adjust the placement until you have the fabric motif you want centered on your papers.

Remember to take seam allowance into account.

You can use a light board or light box** here for more accuracy.

 
 
Cut around paper leaving seam allowance
Cut around paper leaving seam allowance

3. Cut around the template allowing for seam allowance.

N.B.: In the image (left), Kelly is cutting freehand. If you are not confident, you can also use a small rotary cutting ruler**. If you use a ruler, you will need to keep moving it around the piece. In this case, a rotating cutting mat** might be helpful.

Cameo/Center Medallion basted
Cameo/Center Medallion basted

4. Baste as usual. Kelly and I are both using glue for La Pass. I am using thread basting for my Half Hexie Star project. Either method will work with this center medallion technique.

You may find it helpful for circular shapes to cut notches into the seam allowance when basting.

5. Stitch up your new larger piece. The paper shapes used will allow you to sew as if you were stitching all the shapes separately.
 
Thanks, again, to Kelly for allowing me to use her words and photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops, knitting shops or art stores. However, I use Amazon affiliate links. I may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on that item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I only link to items I like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support the costs related to maintaining this blog.

Orange You Glad Ready for Quilting

Orange You Glad top finished
Orange You Glad top finished

Yes, I finished the top and back of Orange You Glad. I actually came back from my knitting class and made the back and binding.

I needed this off my design wall, so I just worked like a crazy woman on it.

There is nothing wrong with the quilt. My feelings all have to do with how many projects I have in progress. With this project on the machine, I couldn’t work on the Tarts. I found that project and its urgency fading from my mind the longer I didn’t work on it.

Orange You Glad back finished
Orange You Glad back finished

The back uses a large and favorite print from Martha Negley. Since this is a quilt I will keep, I was happy to use it. I know it isn’t the same orange as the front, but I like it.

Next step: off to Colleen.

Center Finished – Rainbow Strip

Rainbow Strip Center Finished
Rainbow Strip Center Finished

I finished the center of the Rainbow Strip donation top using the leaders and enders technique as I worked on the Project Bags.

I am pleased with how it looks, though it does need a border. I am thinking white, but that may not finish the quilt enough. It could be if there is a colored binding applied. I don’t have control over the binding unless I make one to go with the top and back.  Hhhhmmm.

More Tarts Progress

After finishing The Lobster project, I had to decide what to work on next. The Tarts have been on the side burner (not the back burner!) for a few weeks, so I spent a whole afternoon machine quilting parts of it. I finished a checkerboard and I quilted one whole large corner block. I felt so exhilarated. I really felt like I had crossed some kind of barrier to finishing. I feel like I am nearing the end.

Tarts - Tea Kettle quilted
Tarts – Tea Kettle quilted

Don’t get me wrong! I do NOT feel exhilarated by machine quilting itself. I feel exhilarated because I am making progress. I am nearing a point where I can put the binding on and call it done….finally.

I am really running up against my limitations as a machine quilter with this project. I want to do some free motion quilting, but I am not good enough. Any but the most gentle curves are too difficult and not satisfying using my pseudo walking foot method. I would need a lot of practice for the kind of FMQ I want and I am unwilling to do the work.

Tarts: Lime Green Round Teapot quilted
Tarts: Lime Green Round Teapot quilted

I crossed another barrier by quilting the lime green round tea pot.

Up until this point I had only quilted backgrounds, not wanting to ruin the teapots and tea kettles. I might be over that fear after quilting this one.

You can see some gentle curves in this quilting. That is about the extent of what I can do with the machine quilting method I am using.

And there is some bad news.

Tarts: burn
Tarts: burn

I burned the quilt. Well, really the quilt got burned. I don’t know exactly how, but I think the quilt was shoved up against the light I have behind my machine for too long. The burn is worse on the back, but does go through to the front. It might look ok in the grand scheme of things, but I’ll have to consider what to do.

Despite the burn, I like the style of this quilt and am thinking of recreating the quilt, “He Tried to Make it up to Her”. I have been thinking about all the different kinds of fusible I have. After contemplating the feelings around the Tarts, it occurred to me I could remake ‘He Tried’ and then have Colleen quilt it. something to think about.

Finished: The Lobster

The Lobster top finished
The Lobster top finished

The Lobster table runner did not take very long to finish. I struggled with the piecing of the Sawtooth Stars for some reason, but eventually got them together and was able to finish the top. As you can see, I added a border to contain the blue.

The Lobster back finished
The Lobster back finished

I also made a back and a binding and will take this piece to Colleen to quilt.

I cross this off my to do list with a great amount of glee.

Starting on the Lobster

I have had this project on my list for awhile. I show the original drawing in one post that also calls this piece part of a CQFA placemat challenge. I discussed working on it after I did some stitching. I showed it at a CQFA Art Walk. It seems that 2019 is the last time I worked on it.

The piece is small and I kept chiding myself for not just doing it. The muse, however, is a fickle mistress and she was not interested in this piece for a long time.

The Lobster with potential blocks
The Lobster with potential blocks

Finally, she allowed me a flash of inspiration and I ran with it. I have started piecing it into a table runner. I need more table runners for my buffet and I thought this would make a good one for summer. Also, I could admire my lobster more frequently.

I always like the Sawtooth Star block and thought it would work to make the table runner a little longer. I put some pinwheels inside the Sawtooth Star’s center just to make it a little more interesting.

I may add some pointed ends. We’ll see.

Remembering September 11

I still feel strong emotions when September 11 rolls around. As I implied last year, what has changed?

Fireball, 2001
Fireball, 2001

I made two quilts to commemorate the lives lost during the destruction of the Twin Towers. The first one was Fireball, which is what I could see as I sat and watched TV.

It is chaotic, reminds me of smoke and flames. This is a small quilt, maybe 12×12, and I was able to channel the pure emotion into this piece as I made it very quickly. I was doing woven art pieces at the time and this is one of them.

What Comes Next, 2001-2002
What Comes Next, 2001-2002

The quilt I really wanted to make took longer. I wanted to plead for something different than what we got. I wish something different than a 20+ year war could have come out of that. people just want to fight when they are attacked; they don’t want to talk.

This is a hard post for me to write. I force myself to do it every year, to get the message of What Comes Next out there, so, perhaps, people will think and do something different next time.

Diagonal Nine Patch = Big Hit

We attended a wedding and a baby shower in Tahoe a few weeks ago. My niece and her husband came up from San Diego so we were able to celebrate them and their baby.

I gave them the Diagonal Nine Patch. I was super gratified at how well the quilt was received. My niece did like the storage bag I made for the quilt very much. She said she might keep it and use it for her own purposes. 😉

I was worried that the baby’s dad wouldn’t like it, but he pointed out the quilting thread color right away and really liked it. I was very relieved.

One of the other nephews said he thought this quilt might be my best ever! I didn’t tell him I got the design from Peggy! I am glad this quilt was a success. The happy couple received three quilts total.

Essential Tote Mostly Cut

Essential Tote cut out
Essential Tote cut out

As mentioned in the Super Sew Day post, this is another project I cut out – mostly. I am still waiting for one of the fabrics to arrive, so I can cut out the exteriors.

I have one of the fabrics, but was waiting for the other to arrive so I could wash them together. I am trying to conserve energy while it is so hot here in California. Even where I live, which is often covered in fog, it is 86 degrees, which is down from the 91 it was earlier. I am definitely thinking of getting solar panels for my house.

Hindsight Echinacea Glow
Hindsight Echinacea Glow

The fabric I am waiting for is the Hindsight Echinacea Glow** from Anna Maria Horner. I thought I had a large enough piece in this colorway, but I think I only had a half yard or FQ, which isn’t enough. I ordered it for next day delivery and here we are a week later.

I also haven’t cut the pockets out for the inside. I was going to skip them, but I know I will regret it, if I do, especially if these bags become favorites. I have to think about adding a leash and maybe some penholders as well.

Natalie, of SHH, has a YouTube channel. One of the videos is a walkthrough of the Essentials Tote. I don’t know if this is a how-to make the bag video or what. I haven’t watched it yet, but will check it out.

You can buy the Essential Tote pattern (print and PDF) from Sew Hungry Hippie. I wasn’t going to buy the pattern, but I did. I couldn’t stop thinking about that vinyl pocket on the outside of the bag. I probably could have added a vinyl pocket to another bag…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at local fabric, knitting shops or quilt shops. However, if you can’t, please know that I use affiliate links. I may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I do not recommend items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Black & White Storage Bag

Diagonal Nine Patch Storage Bag
Diagonal Nine Patch Storage Bag

I made a drawstring bag as a storage bag for the Diagonal Nine Patch.

I used the Jeni Baker/In Color Order pattern. As I have said before, this pattern went together very quickly. The hardest part was choosing the fabrics (or finding pieces large enough!)

I keep buying black and white stripes so I have a lot right now. I used it for another project, then though it would work on this one as well. My niece loved the bag.

I got the idea for the storage bag form SIL#2.  She makes a storage bag for every quilt she gifts. Once she mentioned it, this pattern came to mind and I knew I could incorporate some orange,which is my niece’s favorite color. Everytime I use this pattern, I wonder why I don’t make more of these bags.