Brain dead.

Apologies folks, I thought I could get one last blog in before vacation, but as it turns out, I have the IQ and proofreading abilities of a road-killed snail right now, so I'm not even going to try to address something as important as borders until I returned. That way everyone who isn't all finished with the center of their tops can get all caught up :) Yeah, I'm trying to pretend this is for you.

I have a wedding this weekend in Missoula and the rehearsal dinner is at my dad's tonight, so I have much to do before I take off for that, then one day back, then off to Santa Cruz for a week of fun with in-laws. I'm excited for vacation, but I've been on kind of a tear with sewing (I finished three tops this past week and one might get itself finished on Sunday) so I'm a little sad to be leaving my sewing room for a whole week. I still have borders to put on two, but I'm undecided as to my fabric/style of border choice, so I haven't continued.

Erik is fencing at Big Sky State Games and hoping to win the foil weapon, in case anyone wants to go watch a quilter's husband fence ;) As such I will be driving all the way to Missoula and back by my lonesome. I hate driving. I need to invent a car that when you press the pedal sews as well as drives. I think the highway patrol might confiscate the whole car though.

Down to 3 quilts on the longarm queue and then onto my own never-ending queue of tops.

I'll be linking to my longarm mentor's, Karen Parker, new blog once I'm back and she's up and running. She'll be doing fun stuff like preparing your quilt and back for a professional longarmer and other educational topics. I'm quite looking forward to it and it should be very informative and inspirational.

Hope everyone has a lovely, quilt-filled week and I'll be back July 28th.

Happy quilting!

Finally--putting blocks together

Sorry for the myriad delays. Life gets in the way sometimes.
Putting blocks together is one of the easiest parts of a quilt as long as you had some semblance of accuracy. In general, if you put your blocks in a pile and they are all about the same size, you're good. If there are some noticeable differences, you should probably square them up. To square up your blocks, you pick the least common denominator (if your blocks are supposed to be 10" but you have one that's 9.25", you'll be trimming them all down to 9.25"). Then, fold the block in half and half again, so your block is a quarter of the size. Then divide your trim size by two (so we'll go with 4 5/8") and line up the folded edges of your block with that line on your ruler going both directions and trim. That way, you trim an equal amount from around the edges so theoretically the block is still centered correctly. You can also try to find a square ruler in the appropriate size, but there are only so many square rulers on the market.

Sorry I don't have pictures. I've never squared my blocks up, for better or worse. It's something I'm aware how to do, just in case I ever need to, but I avoid because I'm lazy and not that anal.

Onward then, to the laying out and sewing!

My pattern was on-point, which means that the squares' points are oriented towards the top and sides, rather than the corners. Regular setting is when you put each block side to side and then one row directly on top of the other. The principles are the same, but on point is a little more complicated because everything is on the diagonal and you have setting triangles (which your pattern will instruct you on cutting).

The first step is to lay your blocks out how you want them to be. Some quilts are a bunch of the same blocks, in which case you can skip this step. My blocks were all the same construction, but different fabric, so I put them on my design wall to decide the layout. Below is my layout (once it's all sewn together :)
So, once I'm happy with my blocks' positions, then I start sewing. For regular setting, line up your blocks just like you would have your block components and sew, locking seams where you can. For on point, I had to sew setting triangles to my first "row" which is really just a single block in the upper left. When sewing a triangle to a square, you want to line up the right angle side of the triangle, but again, lay it out to make sure your triangle is pointed the right way.
See how there's a flap of triangle hanging down? That's okay, extra is good. Too small is sad. Unless the pattern is wrong, you should have at least a little hangover (the only good hangover). On the above block, I sewed along the right hand side.

I like to complete a row and sew it to the next row, but you can complete all your rows and then connect them, whatever works. So here are my first two rows (note that I'm holding my camera at a 45 degree angle)
When I go to sew these together, again I have all sorts of triangle flaps hanging out, so it's a little confusing to line up (those of you with straight set are lucky, you can just sew the buggers together). The best way to be accurate is to line up the block seams and let whatever triangle business is hanging over hang over.
I make sure and press my block seams in opposite directions as I construct each row so I can line them up and lock as shown above. Then I get this:
And a close up of the triangle business on the corners.
You just keep plugging away until the whole quilt is constructed. There are a couple tips for managing so much fabric that I recommend. The first is to make sure you keep everything you can in your lap or off to the side on your sewing table, mainly because the weight can really pull if you let it drop all the way to the floor. You'll want to help your feed dogs out a little more than you would with smaller chunks.
I also really hold the pieces together a lot more when I sew blocks and rows together. If you're inclined, you might want to pin at this stage. I prefer to just adjust as I go.
You can kind of see how the majority of the fabric is piled off to my left, I'm firmly holding the seam together and sewing in short bursts so I can rearrange easily. Put your needle down into the fabric before you readjust and it will hold everything in place.


The other thing I do as I sew things together is adjust for minor errors in measurement. Sometimes you'll have a little piece that isn't even, and rather than trimming everything up, I line up to sew over it and regain accuracy by ignoring it. In the example below, the one piece of the block stuck out, so I maintained my quarter inch on the other block and ignored the pink piece sticking out.
So there you have it. Sewing the blocks together really is easy. If you have anything that's directional or needs to be oriented a certain way, I definitely recommend sewing two things together, putting them back on your design wall (floor, bed, whatever ;) to make sure everything is still oriented correctly. Even I, the queen of chaining, rarely chain blocks together for fear of getting all mucked up with my orientation or positioning.
On Friday, I'll show you borders, but next week I'm on vacation, so I won't be posting, but I'll be back the last week of July to commence the quilting and binding, the final stages of our quilt!
Happy quilting!

Still running behind

Sorry dear quilters, I'm still running behind with my blocks. I don't know where this week went, but while I got my blocks done, I didn't get them put together (and therefore getting pictures to guide you through the main-top-completion phase of quilting). Sunday is slotted for this activity, so no more delays.
In happy news, at my soccer game last night, I had a beautiful assist, which was the first time I have ever kicked a ball where I wanted it to go. It was very exciting. Soccer does cut into quilting time, but we Montanans must enjoy our few months of warm weather and sunshine.

Happy quilting this weekend.

Longarm lessons

I didn't get my blocks done this weekend, which is okay, because I have longarm lessons all day today and tomorrow, so my brain is pretty much used up by that. My blocks are almost done though, so I should be back with putting them together on Friday.
Happy quilting!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth everyone! I didn't get all my blocks done because this week was very hectic, so no updates on the quilting front, but I should have them done by Tuesday, but I make no promises because this weekend is my and and Erik's first anniversary and although we're celebrating tonight (our anniversary is July 5th), the celebration may continue through the weekend. We're fundraising on the Fourth at Livingston's Arts in the Parks selling burgers and such for our Japan trip.
Happy quilting, have a safe and fun holiday!

The sub-cut and onward.

Strip piecing is such a common practice in quilting that there is hardly ever a pattern where you don't sew some pieces together and then sub-cut them into smaller pieces and re-sew them. Obviously there are patterns out there that don't have strip piecing, but most easy patterns have strip piecing.
So for my project, there were two strip-pieced units per block, so I'll go through the subcutting and sewing to complete one block.
Most strip piecing allows for a little to square up after stripping. You can see that my top strip set is off on the left hand side.
So I square up that strip set. Then I measure and cut (below).

I continue to cut the appropriate number of subcut units from each strip. In my case, I needed four subunits from each unit, plus the squares I cut earlier to make a block.
My subunits ready to go.
So I lay them out as they'll be in a block. Now to be honest, I would cut ALL of my subunits for ALL of my blocks and then chain piece them, BUT if you are at all worried that you'll get things switched around, do it one block at a time. There's nothing wrong with doing that, because if you get them mixed up, it won't be faster because you'll have to rip.
I'm a chain maniac, I chain not only everything in one quilt, but I'll chain multiple projects at a time (and yes, that has led to some interesting sewing mishaps--the price you pay to be a quilting speed demon).
There's my block laid out and ready to be sew. I'll sew it in rows with three subunits per row.

Before you sew, lay the pieces together and see if there are any seams that should match up. If there are, you'll see the reason that the direction you press your seam matters. When seam lines match up, you can do something called locking the seam by butting the two ledges of the seams against each other. From the side it would look like this:
See how they're pointing opposite directions? That means when you iron the seam you're about to make, it will lay nice and flat and you'll get a nice precise point that way.

If something should go wrong as you sew the seams, you will have to rip. Many sewing machines come with a seam ripper, but they're usually dull and small, so I recommend getting one at your local quilt shop. You will need it at some point.

There are myriad ways to rip or unsew, but the one least likely to stretch your fabric is to slide your seam ripper under about every third or fourth stitch and cut it.

See how the ripper blade is under the stitch, but not cutting the fabric. Do that all along the seam, every few stitches.
Here's a seam ready to finish the rip (if you can see it :) Now gently pull the two pieces a part and one side should have a bunch of little threads and the other will have one long piece of thread. Pick these out and you're ready to resew.
Here I've got the three rows together. You always want to sew anything you can in rows (or columns) first. Occasionally beginning quilters get a wild hair and want to sew the four units in the corner together and then sew the others on. You will end up asking yourself how the hell to continue sewing it together. Most patterns are pretty good about specifying which things to sew together in which order, but some assume you can figure it out.

So finally I sew my three rows together, and I've pressed so all my seams will interlock. Here's the finished block:
And from the back you can see how neat the seam allowances look when all the pressing is done correctly.
Voila! One block down. Next time I'll show you how to put them together, then borders, then quilting, then binding!
Happy quilting!

Plan B

Well folks, I'm still hurtin', but not as bad. Surgery is out, thank goodness. I may do some physical therapy, but I'm still basically trying to avoid spending any more money on my injuries.
The short of it however, is that I'm still not up to cutting more than a little at a time and Cappuccino requires a massive amount of cutting. So, plan B is to work on a quilt called Bloom Creek Blossoms, by Atkinson, using a Swanky Jelly Roll by Moda. I'd already cut up my jelly roll and the cream for the background and the center squares that you can see on the pattern (theirs are black, mine are fairy frost brown) pre-injury, so it was a good candidate.


Jelly rolls and their ilk (bali pops, charm packs, layer cakes, etc...) are all excellent ways to avoid having to think too hard about your fabric choice. If you don't mind that part, they're still fun because they're already cut and you get a great variety of fabric for a "scrappy" but coordinated look. That's why I like them. In general picking fabric is my favorite part (I pick out way more fabric for quilts than I have quilt tops), but I do like the pre-cuts for the fun variety.

As we begin sewing, I'd like to remind you that sewing, particularly straight lines and such, is not difficult. Like all things, it might take a little getting used to, but it's not hard. Do not be scared. The first simple rule to remember as it will be the case any time you're piecing (not applique) anything: RIGHT sides together. When we refer to right sides, we mean the pretty side of the fabric that was actually printed. You will find that many batiks don't have a right and wrong side, which can be great, but you also need to be careful that you don't end up with seams going every which way. Another rule to remember about QUILTING, not all sewing, is that in 99% of all patterns, you use a 1/4" seam. This is very important. If you've sewn garments, you're probably used to a 5/8" seam. Obviously this is a huge difference. Many machines have what is called a quarter inch foot (it usually has a little flap that keeps your fabric from drifting too far to the right).

If you've never used your sewing machine, get out your manual and play a little. I dare not try to cover everything about a sewing machine in this blog because machines vary wildly by model and brand and it's best to just get down and dirty and get acquainted by sewing. Thread it up with your chosen piecing thread. I personally like Superior's So Fine. It's actually a spun polyester, but please remember that all polyesters are NOT created equal. Do not piece your quilt with cheap, bargain bin thread. You've invested in a machine, in fabric, a pattern or book and you're about to invest a whole lot of time, pretty please don't ruin the experience with crappy thread. Some other nice options are Aurifil, Masterpiece (by superior), Mettler's 100% cotton. I do not like Coats and Clark Dual Duty, it is made for garment sewing and mending and it just isn't nice to work with, but it is cheap. If you get cheap polyester, you run the risk of having it tear your quilt. So Fine and other quality polyesters will not tear your quilt. Obviously you make the choice, but I really do recommend investing in good thread. Get a nice neutral cream color to start (unless you're doing all dark fabrics, then get black or gray).

So let's get started. Look at your instructions and after the cutting it will undoubtedly say something about putting, sewing, piecing, etc...two fabrics together. Lay those two pieces together (you may be pairing two pieces up 20 times or more) with their right sides together and line them up. Fabric likes to cuddle itself, so it should stick fairly well. Make sure the edges you're seaming together (that's the one that counts) are lined up. Also make sure you're sewing along the appropriate side. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but often it does. Pay attention to pictures and diagrams for the placement.
I'm peeling it back to show you the edges are lined up (the pinked (those little mountains and valleys are called pinking in sewing, who knows why) edges are a little obnoxious to line up, but it's the peaks, not the valleys that you should line up.

Put it under the foot of your sewing machine, lower the foot, gently depress the pedal and the feed dogs (the little teeth that move underneath the foot when you sew) will pull the fabric through. Let the feed dogs do the work: do not push, do not pull. Simply gently guide the fabric so it stays straight. Remember how stretchy our fabric can be and don't get too tuggy with it. If you do need to adjust and realign, stop sewing and gently "scratch" the top fabric to line up with the bottom. Gentle is the key word here, don't maul it.

Note that the right edge is lined up with that little black flap on my foot. That's the advantage of the quarter-inch foot. Also note that my hand is just gently resting on the fabric, not pushing or pulling.


Now, lots of quilters pin everything before sewing. I do not do this, I think it's a waste of time, so if you feel the need to pin, that's your business, I'm not even going to cover it here, but I will say, for the sake of your sewing machine, pull the pins out before you stitch over them. 90% of the time, you can stitch right over the pin, but man, that 10% when you hit the pin dead on is really hard on the ol' machine.

The only situation I pin is if I'm setting in a circle. Since we're not there yet, I suggest you set aside your pins and learn to piece without. I may not be a traditional quilter, and I'm sure I regularly piss off the quilt police, but damn, I'm an efficient quilter with pretty good accuracy. I know that in this day and age, we're all very busy, so you have to make the most of your time. Value your time: don't pin :)

Okay, so you've sent your first piece through the machine and you're getting ready to lift your foot, cut your threads and do the next. STOP! Don't do it! Here's another tip on efficiency: chain piece everything you can. Chain piece? You ask, head cocked to the side. Chaining or chain piecing is when you sew one unit after another without cutting the thread or even lifting the foot. The front part of a foot is curved up just slightly, and if you tuck your next unit underneath the foot as shown in the picture below, when you hit the gas again, the feed dogs will grab it and pull it under the needle and VOILA! You've now chained two things together. Some machines (mine included) also have what's called a knee lift which is a bar that sits by your leg that you can push to the side (with your leg, I've seen people use their hand, that defeats the purpose) to lift your sewing machine foot. This is especially handy when chaining because I can lift the foot a little and tuck the the fabric under there without ever using my hands. Another handy thing to have on your machine is a needle down function which makes the needle drop completely any time you stop. You can see in the picture below that my needle is down. It just prevents the previous unit from trying to get in your way by sliding back forward. (This becomes more of a problem as your pile of chained units grows).

Another thing that you may read and may choose to do which I do not, especially if I'm strip piecing (more on that next time), is back or lock stitch. Your machine may have a u-turn button, or an R button, or something of that nature that you press to make your machine sew backwards. Now, there is a time and a place for reversing, but it is not while you're chaining. Ultimately, everything in your quilt will be secured by the overlap of seams, but more importantly by quilting or tying. So, seriously, don't bother unless it's expressly indicated by the pattern. Back stitching is typically used to secure seams that you're going to be manipulating or not enclosed, like Y-seams or miters. We'll cover miters when we do borders, so you'll get some back stitching under your belt. Until then, once again, I recommend not wasting your precious time.

Okay, chain your way on through the pile of pieces that step one of your pattern calls for. And if step two is also sewing some other units together, sew those together too. Chain until you can chain no more. Then snip the little buggers apart.

My little pile of chained units, which will grow into a BIG pile as I have sixty four things to sew together for the first two steps.

Now comes the part that is the bane of my quilting existence: pressing. Okay, it's not actually that bad, it can just be a little time consuming and I would rather be piecing or cutting or quilting.

Most patterns will indicate which way you should press using a little arrow. Some will say something like "Press toward the focus fabric". Pressing is your friend (even if it is a little boring). Pressing can fix all manner of errors, but it can also create them, so press like you mean it. In my pattern the arrow indicates that I should press toward the "main" fabric in each block (as opposed to the contrast fabric). So, I put a picture below showing how the seam should lay, it should "point" like the arrow toward the main fabric (the green in this case).
This is shot from the back, obviously, as that is where your seam allowance should be. If you make a mistake, fear not, next time I will cover ripping, aka unsewing.

In order to press well, first lay your unit with the fabric that the seam is supposed to be pressed toward up. Pressing means that you set your iron on it, pick it up and set. Do not rub around any more than necessary because it distorts the fabric. This is call setting the seam.
Above is how it should look while you set it.

Then pick up the open edge of the top fabric, lift and push it back. Use your iron to carefully push that one back onto the seam allowance. You shouldn't push so hard that your thread starts peeking through, but don't be so gentle that you're left with a little fat roll of fabric hanging out there. It should lay flat.

In the rare case that the pattern doesn't indicate, the general rule is that you press toward the darker fabric, that way there's no risk of the darker part of the seam showing through the lighter fabric.

On Tuesday we'll move on to subcutting, until then, happy chaining, pressing, quilting, etc!