Tag: Tests

Sleeping Bag Pouch Started

Remember when I mentioned the sleeping bag pouch made by CraftyKristnf? Maybe I just mentioned it to you in my head? She posted some guidelines for making it and I have been mulling them over in my head. 

One thing she mentioned in the guidelines were the size of the base piece. A couple of days ago was the day I decided to start. I cut the fabric I planned to use as a base. WOW! It is large. When I think of a pouch, I think small, but this baby will be big. 

Template for a curve
Template for a curve

The top is curved so my first order of business was to figure out the curve. I decided it was more of an oval than a circle after trying different plates and templates laying around the house. I finally ended up with one of the platters from my china set.

The platter hasn’t been out of the china cabinet for a year, maybe two, so I am sure it was pleased to have an outing. 

I folded the fabric in half. In the photo above, the fold is at the top of the photo.

Sleeping Bag pouch base fabric cut
Sleeping Bag pouch base fabric cut

I lined up the ‘short’ end of the platter with the short end of the fabric. I also lined up the ‘long’ side of the platter with the open (non-fold) side of the fabric. It didn’t exactly fit, but it worked well enough. I drew a line and then cut a curve along the non-folded side of the fabric. 

I was very pleased with the way the base fabric was shaped. I plan to trace it and use it as a template for future pouches like this. I don’t want to keep running downstairs for my platter. LOL!

The example CraftyKristnf showed uses Renaissance Ribbon and is absolutely gorgeous. I’d love to make one like that. I have plenty of Renaissance Ribbons so materials are no problem. I didn’t want to use them if I was going to wreck my first effort. Selvedges occurred to me. I have a bin full of them as I haven’t cleared it out and given the most recent ones to Amy yet. 

Applying selvedges to base
Applying selvedges to base

Before I started applying selvedges, I put some SF101 on the back of the base fabric. I thought it would strengthen the fabric for the applique’. 

Next, I started arranging and pinning selvedges to the base fabric. Since the top is curved, I was able to use smaller pieces at the top. In the photo, left, you can see the arrows pointing to the curves at the top of the base fabric. 

Sleeping Bag Pouch laid out
Sleeping Bag Pouch laid out

I was working on something else at the same time, so I dipped in an out of adding selvedges when I needed a break from the other project.

By the end of my sewing session, I had all the selvedges laid out and pinned down. Some of the selvedges are from favorite or much loved fabrics, which makes me happy. 

My plan is to start sewing the selvedges on to the base and then trim the piece to size and shape of the base fabric. Then I’ll make the template, adjusting if necessary. 

I feel so happy that I am trying this and that, so far, it is working out well.

 

Trying Out the Hera Marker

We talked about Hera markers at the guild meeting in July. I have a couple of Hera markers, but had never tried it for marking quilting lines.

Using the Hera
Using the Hera

I had the opportunity to try it out on my most recent pencil roll. WOW! It worked really well and prevented me from erasing lines for hours (well, 15 minutes, maybe. 😉

One of the Hera markers I have is on one end of the bagmaking tool (in my mind) that I got from Modern American Vintage. I found out it was a Hera “marker” when I went looking for it on the Modern American Vintage site.  It is actually called the Point Turner / Hera Marker Combo Tool. 

Hera marker lines
Hera marker lines

I didn’t know, exactly, that the rounded end was a Hera marker. I might have if I had thought about it. I used that round end to smooth out the seams of bags after I turn a bag right side out. It works really well for that, especially in corners that are slightly rounded. 

As it happens, it works really well as a Hera marker, too!

You don’t have to buy this particular tool to get the same/similar results. Modern American Vintage has beautiful dedicated Hera markers (no point turning). They are also wood, so you don’t have to worry about adding more plastic to the environment. You can get a Clover Hera marker**. They also offer a slim version**. I don’t know why you would need a slim version, but if you do they have it. Maybe for travel because it takes up less space?  I like Clover as they provide quality products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon 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 website.

Blast from the Past

Once again, the Handbag Sampler blocks have gone missing. WTH? I know I put them somewhere safe where I could find them. I can’t find them. <insert head shakes and eye rolls here>

April Cornell squares
April Cornell squares

I found this quilt top or some piecing and an extra charm pack while I was rummaging for the Handbag Sampler. I got it out of the box and will piece the rest of it then hand it in as a donation quilt.

I sort of remember being in a big slump when I was working on this. Since it isn’t finished, I am not sure it ever did anything to get me out of my slump.

There are a few other gems in this box, which I will dig out when I need another donation quilt. I don’t need to hoard old projects that I am going to do nothing with.

Trying Out a Juki

I am thinking of buying a new sewing machine.

First, I am going to get my 6600 serviced, of course, but I have had it for ~8 years and I have put in a lot of hours on the machine. Kelly had it before me for ~7 years. It should last longer.  It is struggling, however, with the thickness of the materials I use when I make bags. Since I don’t think I will stop making bags, I need to see what I can do to fix this situation.

Cyndi offered me the loan of her Juki to try out. While this searching process won’t be quick, I decided to take Cyndi up on her offer while I had the time and the opportunity.

I have long admired the ease with which Sara, of Sew Sweetness, navigates her bag making on her videos. I am sure she doesn’t put the swearing and problems in the videos, so I have to remember that no machine is a panacea.

This won’t be a full on review. You can find those in other places on the web. I am just going to share my impressions.

Cyndi's Juki TL-12QVP
Cyndi’s Juki TL-12QVP

Since I had a bag on which to work rather than just a quilt, I spent Saturday trying out Cyndi’s Juki. A lot of people in the guild have Jukis and love them. I have heard a few people have gotten lemons. However, I think that most people love them, but a few people struggle with various problems.

The machine is a straight stitch only machine, so that is something to consider. I do need to satin stitch/zigzag for machine applique’ and some zigzag for making bags. I also like using the stitch letters on my Janome.

Juki-zipper tab
Juki-zipper tab

First of all, I really liked the stitch quality on thick lumps of fabric. I also noticed that the foot stayed relatively even while sewing a zipper tab. This doesn’t happen on my Janome. The foot is at a big angle and I know that makes the machine work harder and more poorly, which, in turn, reduces the quality of the stitch.

I had a problem with sewing on zipper tabs on the Superbloom. The problem was on the bottom and we couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t think it had anything to do with the number of layers of fabric since I sewed the zipper tab with no problem. I had to do some ripping and left those pieces to work on at home. That is something I’ll need to ask about if I decide on a Juki.

My 6600 has a large harp, but the Juki’s harp was higher and I noticed that I had more space to maneuver. It was really nice to have some extra vertical space.

Juki - Not 1/4 inch
Juki – Not 1/4 inch

One of the things I have been thinking about is the foot. I like the idea of sometimes being able to use the edge of the foot as a guide without having to use a foot with the lip I normally use. In this case, Cyndi’s foot was not exactly 1/4″, so I couldn’t try that out. She said Juki does have a quarter inch foot. They also have a 1/4 inch foot with a lip, which would be great.

I was a little surprised by the complicated threading the Juki requires. I was turned off by the need to oil the machine. Cyndi said it was easy, but I don’t know.

Other than the above, I haven’t looked at any other features or reviews. I’ll gather information and we’ll see what happens.

More on Odicoat

Canvas Travel bag with Odicoat
Canvas Travel bag with Odicoat

I have been wondering about what would happen if I applied Odicoat to a finished bag. I haven’t been brave enough to try it on a bag I have made. After returning from my trip, I decided to try it on the bag I used as a handbag.

I am pretty pleased with how it came out. This bag is made from some kind of canvas. It is a very heavy fabric.

I applied the Odicoat to the bottom of the bag only. It turned out that the bottom became stiffer. It’s also slightly sticky or, maybe, just not smooth.

I have heard that Odicoat shrinks up fabric. I didn’t see that in this bag. Still, the Odicoat will keep the bottom of this bag clean.

I also don’t think this is a great example of what can happen with regular quilting cotton.

Playing with a Cricut

We had a guild meeting yesterday. Before the last guild meeting, SIL #2 and I visited the Makerspace that has recently been installed in the Library. Today, I left for the meeting early to try out the Cricut they have there.

Small Hackney cut out by Cricut
Small Hackney cut out by Cricut

Short story? It worked GREAT! I cut out two bags in 1.75 hours including the learning curve.

I had to prepare in advance by finding fabric and downloading my SVG files to a flash drive. Sidebar: this is one reason I like the patterns from Sew Sweetness. They come with SVG files.

I didn’t have any instructions for preparing the fabric so I went on to the Sew Sweetness site and found a video by Michelle Graham, one of the moderators, on using the Cricut Design Space. It didn’t help me prepare the fabric, but it gave me enough knowledge to work with the software once I got to the library.

I looked at a few different sites trying to find information about fabric preparation and decided I should put SF101** on the back. Later it turned out that for the Cricut Maker** you can just cut out cotton fabric. Cutting the fabric with the SF101 means I don’t have to adhere it later.

Cricut machine with my fabric
Cricut machine with my fabric

Once I got to the Makerspace, I was pretty much ready to go. The photo above shows the small Hackney pouch I cut out. I also cut out a large one. The Cricut only cuts what is on the mat. The mat they have at the library is 12 x 12**, so I couldn’t cut the gussets. Cricut also makes a 12 x 24 mat**, which I think would be useful. Just cutting what I did will save me time.

I had to load the files into the software, which shows where on the mat the pieces will cut. This information helps to position the fabric, especially if your fabric isn’t 12 x 12.

Cricut cut foam
Cricut cut foam

I was really thrilled that the machine cut foam!

All in all, I think this was a good experience. The Makerspace isn’t open very often when I can visit, but I can visit on guild meeting days. I have several bags cut out, so I had better get busy.

The Hackney pieces shown at the top are for the small Hackney. I haven’t made one of those before, so cross your fingers for me!

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon 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.

Missouri Star Block

Double Missouri Star
Double Missouri Star

I talked about one of the Triple Play Missouri Star videos in a recent Various & Sundry post. In this video, Jenny, Natalie and Misty take the same block pattern and make different quilts. I really liked what Natalie did with her version and I decided to try it out myself.

I thought it would be a quick test. Then I thought that I know how those quick “tests” go and started surfing around the Internet for fabric, thinking I would make an entire quilt. Fortunately, I got myself under control and decided to make one block with the True Kisses fabric I have and go from there. Cotton Cure still has packs of yardage.

I stopped and started the video as I followed along with the Missouri Star directions. Unlike other shows, Jenny and the gang tell viewers what sizes to cut, show you how to sew and press so you can follow along and make the block or quilt just from watching a free video. I like this about them.

Double Missouri Star center
Double Missouri Star center

The Missouri Star is a block they use for their logo. In this video they redid it. Jenny shrank the block and made a quilt from smaller versions. This version provided the directions for the center of Natalie’s block (above).

I didn’t choose good fabrics from the True Kisses line. There wasn’t enough contrast in the legs. Unfortunately I succumbed to the lure of those fabrics and the desire to just make something.

Trimming alternative
Trimming alternative

In the video, they show how to use the Clearly Perfect Trimmer**. I didn’t have that ruler so I tried their alternative method of using a regular ruler and it absolutely didn’t work. I should have saved myself the trouble and just squared up the various pieces the normal way.

My pieces were all the wrong size. Since I followed the Missouri Star method for making HSTs, all of my edges were on the bias. The small center block looked awful. I took the whole block apart, trimmed and put it back together again. I was reminded of how bias can work against me. I also think I didn’t completely understand the alternative method of trimming.

Using the Clearly Perfect Trimmer
Using the Clearly Perfect Trimmer

I did end buying the Clearly Perfect Trimmer**. I had never heard of this ruler and I was curious to try it out. I can’t really tell if it was any better than trimming the regular way. The one difference was that you only make two cuts vs making two cuts, turning your piece and making two more cuts.

I haven’t read all of the directions for this set of rulers, but I am interested in learning how to use more of its capabilities.

Despite all of the ripping, I am pretty pleased with the way the block came out. I won’t be making a whole quilt, however.

 

 

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item 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.

Rock Star Test

My class is designing circle quilts. I decided that I had better try some of the rulers I have been suggesting my students try.

Rock Star Block Finished
Rock Star Block Finished

I tried out one of the new blocks using the Wonder Curve ruler. This is one of the blocks from their recent sew along. Sadly, they do not have a photo of the finished quilt in their IG feed. I think it will probably be a pattern sometime in the future. I wasn’t super enamored of their sampler, but I did like this block. I did think it would be a good test of the ruler, so I made one over the weekend.

I am still liking the blue and red-violet combination that I used in Frolic!. This blue is more turquoise than the blue-violet I used in Frolic!, however the combination is interesting. Also, the fabrics were handy and I didn’t have to rummage.

This is the first Sew Kind of Wonderful project I have made since Metroscape and Mod Lights. As I mentioned when I made those projects, I really liked the Quick Curve ruler and the mini Quick Curve ruler. The Wonder Curve ruler does those nice petal shapes, but I didn’t feel the love quite as much with this ruler. It could be that it was new to me and I only had a block pattern for directions. I didn’t watch the Live demos.

I am interested in seeing what patterns the SKOW team produces. I wouldn’t make or put the Rock the Block sampler together like they did. I didn’t think the design worked, though the individual blocks were appealing. You see the sampler top finished in a video at minute 5:30.

Rock Star block in process
Rock Star block in process

This block, after cutting the petals and putting the individual units together is a regular 9 patch. I thought about making a quilt with these blocks, but it doesn’t have enough appeal at the moment to make me do it. I do like the way the center layout makes the block look woven.

I am pretty impressed with SKOW, in general. Their rulers work well.

Orange Peel Circle

Orange Peel Circle
Orange Peel Circle

Remember a few weeks ago when I was thinking about circles? I was fortunate that Latifah agreed to show me how to make the cuts using the Clammy to make my Orange Peel Circle. She took time out of class on Saturday to show me two methods of making the shape.

I went away and tried out the technique. I came up with piece on the left. I used the 12 inch Clammy** for this test. It was always in my plan to use different sized Clammies. After this test, I won’t use many of the 12 inch circles – a few, but not many. It is too big  and looks like it takes up too much space. I am going to try one of the smaller Clammies later, 10 inch** for sure, but the 6 inch** maybe as well, and see what I think. I am full up on design wall space so I need to finish some things before I commit to any other projects. Even tests  have to be put on the back burner.

Still, I am pleased I know how to to do this now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item 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.

Thinking about Circles

As I have mentioned, I am teaching a quilt sampler class based on my series of tutorials. The class teaches much more than the tutorials offer, including dissecting blocks and quilts so students can think about construction and try things without having to buy a pattern every time* they want to play a little bit.

One of my students is looking at tile and other non-fabric designs and thinking about them in terms of making the design into a quilt. I am thrilled.

Divided Circle Design
Divided Circle Design

She sent me a design this week that she has been thinking about. I didn’t get all the straight lines lined up, but you get the idea. I thought of the Sew Kind of Wonderful QCR ruler** and how the designers of those patterns have you make units with straight lines and then cut them up.

I thought about that for awhile and think that it would be a good way to construct the block overall. However, I had to figure out how how to get the Orange Peel joined into the circle.

Since I got the Clammies for my birthday from Gerre and my SIL, I decided I would try them out. I played around for awhile cutting circles and trying to figure out how the Clammy** worked. I was moderately successful once I figured out the seam allowances. I look forward to watching her videos and getting more expert instruction on using the Clammy. I wasn’t able to watch the videos while I was playing, because I was at Craft Night.

Completing Circle with Orange Peel
Completing Circle with Orange Peel

I decided that I would worry about dividing the circle later and would start with a circle and an orange peel. I figured I can always break up the shapes later.

I kind of like the possibilities for this shape. It could be a ‘phases of the moon’ type quilt design.

After some fabric wasting, I found that I was ready to cut out some circles and orange peel. I had high hopes that I would be successful.

Fabric Completing Circle with Orange Peel
Fabric Completing Circle with Orange Peel

WRONG! I got the basics, but don’t have enough seam allowance for the orange peel to fit exactly and complete the circle.

Hhhmm. I decide that my next step would be to cut the orange peel with the larger Clammy and see if that works. I suspect Latifah did not anticipate this design and one Clammy cannot be used to cut these pieces. I am keeping an open mind.

Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*N.B. I am not trying to put independent pattern designers out of business. I am not advocating copying the designs of others in order to avoid paying them. I often buy patterns since it is easier than redrawing complex designs myself. I find, however, like with Ring Toss that I didn’t need the pattern once I had the templates. Also, I just wanted to try it and was glad I hadn’t spent more money since I didn’t end up doing anything with the design. Knowing how to deconstruct a block or a quilt improves creativity in quiltmaking.

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item 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.

Now I Like It

Even though I had cut about 1,000 pieces of fabric for this project, I was about to abandon this project.  I wasn’t happy with my first efforts in the new colors. I determined I would make 4 blocks and then decide on whether or not to proceed. I am glad that was my strategy because now I like the piece.

Stepping Stones #2
Stepping Stones #2

Part of why I like it is that I see a Sawtooth Star emerging. If you cover up the center and right side with your hand and just look at the right side you will see the legs of a Sawtooth Star emerging – the part that is normally formed by Flying Geese. That secondary pattern adds a design element I did not anticipate and do not see very well when I look back at the first Stepping Stones quilt.

There is better contrast, I think, in this version, though the red 4 Patches coming together in the center are a very strong design element. Looking at the previous version, I know I will have to pay attention to the border so that the Sawtooth Stars, if I want to keep them, will not be cut off. I think that means a different border.

 

As an aside, I fell down the Pinterest rabbit hole and saw this same pattern done in Denise Schmidt fabrics on the 3and3quarters.net blog. I was really interested in her fabric choices. I think her version looks so great! It makes me wonder anew why the Lintott girls chose the colors they did. I really dislike the examples in their book.

Revisiting the Stepping Stones

I have been a little on the cranky side lately – not cranky exactly, but a bit out of sorts. I am not sure why, so I blame work.

I have really wanted to sew and haven’t been able to settle on anything that demanded I get myself to the workroom and work on the project. As a result, I thought it would be a good idea to work on a project that would really be exciting to me. I like my other projects, but don’t want them to be #1 right at the moment. I know this means starting something new and not finishing things. TFQ reminded me that sewing/quiltmaking should be fun and not something I should do. I am taking my advice and her advice.

I dug around and pulled out two Lintott books and the two Kim Bracket books I have. I perused them to see what interested me, but was still enamoured with the Stepping Stones pattern in Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls and Charm Quilts, pg. 72-79. I have been wanting to do this in the Bonnie and Camille fabrics (remember the test?), but wasn’t really happy with the background choices. The B&C greys are a bit depressing. I think they have some taupe or brown undertones I eschew. Bottomline: they didn’t really give me the look I wanted. I bought a solid during a binge of end of the year fabric therapy with the intention of using it as a base for the background. I still want it to be scrappy, but I should be able to use it to compare other possibilities.

One PITA is that there is a lot of cutting that has to go on before very much sewing can happen. The other PITA, which I am sure I mentioned as I worked on the first Stepping Stones quilt, is that the pattern doesn’t say that I should use light medium or dark to get the overall pattern. It actually uses the colors they used, which isn’t very helpful if the maker is using different colors. To make matters worse, the photo in the book is pretty bad and I am shocked that a great publisher like David and Charles would allow such a photo to be used in one of their books.

As I worked through those problems, I realized that I really wanted to push fabric through the machine. But I didn’t want to just sew mosaic piecing; I wanted to sew with a purpose. I wanted to sew something that would make me happy. Two goals a bit at odds with each other.

I started in anyway thinking I could always stop all the thinking I had to do to get the Stepping Stones to a stage where I could just piece. I pulled out my bin of Bonnie and Camille fabrics and started pressing and cutting and placing and looking.

Turquoise/Red Stepping Stones block in progress
Turquoise/Red Stepping Stones block in progress

An odd thing happened. I gradually moved from all Bonnie and Camille fabrics to some Bonnie and Camille fabrics and other more turquoise, scarlet and pinky red fabrics. I like the Bonnie and Camille fabrics, but the overall effect of them, for me, was not cheerful enough. They have a vintage look, which I like, but somehow the feel was too calico and not quirky enough. I think of vintage quilts (as opposed to vintage fabrics) as a bit quirky and ones I like do not have the feel of small calico prints.

I really like dark pinky reds and bright turquoises. The Bonnie and Camille fabrics have softer turquoises, tending towards light blue and a lot of orangey reds.

It is interesting how pieces evolve. I am also happy that I was able to give myself permission to use more than just the Bonnie and Camille fabrics. I know that sounds odd, but stuck in my mind was a quilt with Bonnie and Camille fabrics. Moving beyond the idea of a quilt from a whole line (or series of lines) of just Bonnie and Camille fabrics required a major brain shift. I am glad, because I am able to use some non-B&C fabrics that I really like while keeping some of the Bonnie and Camille fabrics that fit in with my new vision.

Free Motion Quilting

Full Piece Quilted
Full Piece Quilted

Yes, I did some free motion quilting.

Now that you have all peeled yourselves off the floor and revived yourselves with some smelling salts and a stiff drink, I will repeat that, yes, I did some free motion quilting. Kelly, the BAMQG President is issuing personal challenges and this is the first one I have really been able to do.

I got this fabric at the EBHQ show and just decided to use it for this exercise.

I decided to break up the exercise into 3 patterns, roughly the same size with the piece (1/2 yard x WOF): continuous boxes, flower petals and round swirly things.

Continuous squares
Continuous squares

Loopy circles
Loopy circles

Flower petals
Flower petals

Some of these are designs I learned in various machine quilting classes I have taken over the years. I did this exercise because of the BAMQG personal challenge, but also to test my skills.

Though I have not done a lot of machine or free motion quilting over the past few years, I am not terrible at it.I still have some skills and was able to get into a nice rhythm. I am not a pro by any stretch of the imagination and I won’t be firing my quilter any time soon, but I think I can do small pieces.

Full Piece Quilted-back
Full Piece Quilted-back

I couldn’t quite get the tension right, but the back doesn’t look horrendous. I will ask about adjusting the tension on the DC5100 when I go for lessons. I decided to concentrate on the look of the front, my speed and the length of the stitches.

I tried two different darning feet as well. Both came with my 9k. One is a hopping foot, which I don’t like that much, but ended up using on the DC5100. The other is a darning foot with no springs or hopping. It fits on to the shaft of the machine, screws in and is ready to sew. I prefer this foot as I can see better where I am headed, but it doesn’t fit on the DC5100 and no similar foot came with that machine. I also used Aurifil 50 wt thread. I used that thread, rather than the 40 wt, because I have a lot of colors and the color I wanted to use was available to me right at the moment I wanted it with no trips to the quilt store. I suspect the 9k didn’t like the speed at which I was quilting with that thin thread. It occurred to me later that I could have adjusted the tension, but I didn’t think of it before I switched machines.

Continuous squares in process
Continuous squares in process

I do free motion quilting at kind of a medium speed. I set the machine to that medium speed and that allows me to have better control over my stitch length.

One of the design elements I used was to go around some of the cups and fruits rather than just quilting over all of them. some of them, as you can see, I did quilt over, but many I outlined. I found it to be good practice in following a design.

I never like it when the quilting doesn’t follow the piecing, or fabric design, but getting a little recent experience with machine quilting, I am reminded of the ease of pantographs and all over designs.

Sewing machine[s] setup
Sewing machine[s] setup
My machine was not very cooperative, but it could have been the thread. I switched machines to my back up machine and that worked better, but wasn’t very comfortable. I don’t have an insert yet for the back up machine (traded in my Jem for a Janome DC5100) and quilting with it up out of the cabinet was pretty painful. Also, with the 9K down in the cabinet, I had no good place to put my legs and kept barking my shins.

 

Russian Rubix Center Square Test

Russian Rubix 1st Block
Russian Rubix 1st Block

The center of the Russian Rubix blocks has been bothering me.

The block is put together like a four patch. to build the 4 patch, you add large and small triangles to the octagons. This makes the block really easy to put together (you should still buy the pattern).

The problem is that this type of construction means that there are four seams that meet in the center creating a very distinct seam line. I have had this block up on the design wall trying to decide if I can live with the seam lines or if I need to piece the block in a different way. Sometimes I can’t see the seam lines and sometimes they scream like a neon sign.

Russian Rubix block with solid center
Russian Rubix block with solid center

As I might have mentioned, I decided to cut a square and try piecing the block with a solid square.

As you, can see from the photo (bottom right), the center looks great – seam free and pristine. The bad news is those weird angles with which I need to sew the other parts of the block.

Sigh.

Some observations:

  • Print fabric with a large or distinct pattern would not work for the background. The messed up fabric design (from cutting up a large print or, for example, dot fabric) would scream at the viewer
  • Low intensity or solid fabric would work best.
  • Piecing the block with a solid center will end up with some weird angles to sew.

I don’t know where I will go from here. I will probably try to sew more parts of this block together to see if the piecing is as bad as I think it will be.

Russian Rubix posts:

 

Russian Rubix: Test Blocks

Russian Rubix: Pattern, Piecing, Process
Russian Rubix: Pattern, Piecing, Process

I had a feeling about the background drama and decided to make a couple of test blocks using my top two background fabrics.

Russian Rubix; Test Blocks
Russian Rubix; Test Blocks

I am glad I did. A couple of observations:

  • the Russian Rubix blocks have a lot of seams
  • the seams seem to be in weird places, even though they make sense based on the design of the block
  • the fabrics I chose as potential background fabrics make the seams look very prominent.

In the photos, the backgrounds look like either would be fine. In real life the dots look better. The movement in the batik isn’t as good as I thought it would be.

These blocks are not difficult even though they look complex. The pattern is written so there is a lot of trimming. If you join in, definitely get the templates from Richard. It makes the cutting and trimming easy and painless.

Russian Rubix posts: