January Therapy

We arrived home from the midwest the first week in January and went into some serious funk.  December handled us badly on several fronts:  holiday frenzy, traveling, sewer crisis, four new tires, viruses and extreme temperatures below zero.  I couldn't sew when the house wouldn't get above 66º, but on warmer days I experienced what is meant by "quilting is therapy."  I closed myself up in my sewing room with an audiobook and the sewing machine, and just sewed.  The quilt is going well, but it was to a point where the end of the centerpiece motif was almost done.  The stitching was monotonous.  The bugs had been worked out.  The end was in sight and the sewing machine sang its lovely chorus.  This was what I needed to get my mind off the bigger worries and discomforts for a couple of hours each day.  It is amazing what a little sewing can do to rest your brain and restore your spirit.

It also helps to finally make progress on the quilt.  I have now pulled out most of the paper and am ready for the first border.  It is exciting to start a new phase of any quilt, but especially this one.  I reached this point once before and that is when I decided to start all over again from the beginning.  Soooooo glad that I did!  Putting the blocks all together was challenging as there were many points to match up.  However, with the precision of paper piecing most of them went together easily.

Below is a sneak peak of the main part of the quilt.  Borders, appliqué and quilting still ahead of me.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you some productive therapy sessions.

Revisiting Paper Piecing...Again

I am back on familiar ground as I begin making the blocks for a new start on the quilt I designed months ago.  The paperless paper piecing did not give me the precision that I was expecting and I was not happy with the result (scroll down to read my last two posts).  I have now stitched up several half-blocks with Sulky Paper Solvy and I love how they look.  I have not sewn any of the half-squares together yet to yield full squares, but I don't anticipate any problems since I made triangular blocks for each corner with the paper method and they look great.

When I have paper pieced before I have cut the fabric in long strips and just worked along them, slicing, dicing and stitching as I went.  Sometimes this involved a little guesswork as to where to cut.  Other times I would fail to cover the outline of the paper, which meant I had to rip and replace.  There was a fair amount of waste.  This time I spent two hours cutting out the fabric pieces and arranging them in labelled piles.  Just cutting economically limited waste significantly.  There was also very little fabric lost in trimming during the stitching process.

What about time?  With the pieces already cut for both the paperless and the paper methods the time spent came out in favor of the paper method.  With paperless, I still had to stitch the seams.  With paper I still have to remove the paper.  All in all about even, I think.  I use Sulky Paper Solvy, which is water soluble so tearing out the paper is optional.  I like to get it out, but I don't worry about getting each and every tiny piece.

BTW the "bad" quilt top, which was stiff and icky after a 2-hour soak came out soft and nice after 30 minutes in the washing machine with the normal amount of soap.  I will use it later, cut it up (no seam ripping) and stitch it into a new quilt.

TIP:  When cutting pattern pieces you can cut rough.  The cut pieces should mimic the pattern piece with a tiny bit extra, but do not have to be precisely in line with the edges.  Any extra will be trimmed as you go.

TIP:  It is nice to work with batik because you can use either side of the fabric.  If the pattern calls for an odd shape you can use it on one block or turn it over for the mirror image block.  That's called 'mistake reduction.'

TIP:  The secret to precise paper piecing is the pressing of each and every seam.  Don't use an iron because the paper gets scorched and brittle; same with the fingers.  Instead use a small roller or a point-to-point turner, both made by Clover (or how about a spoon?), to press each seam completely back over the stitching each and every time before you add the next piece.

There is nothing photogenic going on this week in my workroom so I will share some of the photos that I have put on Facebook for a black and white challenge.  A black and white photo must have significant value variation to be interesting.  Black, grey and white express the values that are so important in making quilts, even your most colorful ones.   In this day of digital expression you can take a photo of your chosen fabrics, then turn it into a black and white photo in an editing program to make sure your quilt has some dark/black, medium and very light/white fabrics.

In the Olympic Mountains, WA state.

Bighorn Ram.

Somewhere in the Southwest USA.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you a week of great value.

Re-Evaluation

I have done a lot of paperless paper piecing and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.  I was very optimistic and did the main part of my quilt using that process.  This large square of 36 blocks will sit on point in the center of the quilt.  When I finished that part I still needed to piece 8 triangles with the same pattern to place in the outside corners of the quilt top.  In order to scientifically compare the two processes (paperless vs paper piecing) I decided to do the corner pieces with paper.  The result came out highly in favor of using paper.  The increased precision when stitching the main seam is amazing.

TIP:  Start small when you are trying a new method.

There are two main points to address:

1.  Squaring  up the blocks.  This was not as precise with the paperless piecing and thus it was often difficult to match points in the main seams.  Lots of do-overs, but imperfection reigns.  Since I add seam allowance on my paper patterns every piece is trimmed perfectly with points exactly at the seam line.

2.  With the paperless method everything is glued together, then stitched.  It looked fine, but when it came to matching points at a main seam, the glue added thickness and my sewing machine tended to skew the stitching slightly when going over the thickness.  I had two particular points (yellow) that were supposed to meet, but they did not do so in any of the blocks.  They did come out about the same in every block so they looked OK...I guess.

TIP:  Save the paperless paper piecing for simple blocks.  Use paper if you are making lots of points (no photo of the failed blocks - I want to forget them).

Corner piece with perfect points.

What shall I do?  I think I will soak the quilt top for a couple of hours to dissolve all the glue.  As it is now it will be very difficult to get even quilting stitches when the needle has to negotiate glue lumps.  As I press it afterwards, I will try to adjust points.  If that doesn't work I may just do it over, because this design is worth it.

Later:
I soaked it.  I didn't take the Sulky Solvy paper out of the spiral in the center.  When quilt top dried, the spiral center was all stiff and there were bits of paper fiber stuck to the top of the quilt top.  So....into the washing machine next time I have weather to wash...maybe Wednesday.  It is a bit horrifying and I have made the decision to redo all those blocks.  This would not have happened if the top had been quilted when soaked because the quilting would have contained everything.  The glue?  Did it dissolve into the water and get all over everything?  I don't know.  I think soap and water will get it all out.

This means shopping for a new fabric to take the place of the fussy-cut fabric I used throughout. The remains of that fabric looks like a huge moth got to it.  There is a rainbow after all.  Searching for fabric is like buying candy.

Now, don't worry, I am excited to get this quilt beautifully correct and as perfect as possible.  I will paper piece and I will tear out the paper before quilting.  I have also decided to cut up the "bad" one and create another quilt with it.  I think that will be fun.  Below is my idea, but it is not fully developed yet.  I will be looking for inspiration and thinking about details in the next few months.  No rush.

How cool is that?  Created using the graphic version of the quilt on my computer.

TIP:  Failure is a dirty word.  Don't let it discourage you.  Find the bright side because there always is one.  Mistakes can be a jumping off point for improvement and new ideas if you keep an open mind.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you bright thoughts as you stitch this week.

Evaluation Time

Now, I have completed 36 blocks using paperless paper piecing.  I absolutely loved doing it!  However, I find it has a couple of downsides.

1.  I had to stand at my ironing board the whole time I was gluing.  Two or three hours on my feet standing pretty still is very tiring.  I could have worked sitting down, but my room is so small and I would have been jumping up and down for fabric in a very cramped space.  The iron (in my situation) would be awkward.  I am sure you could do this sitting down, but it didn't work well for me.

2.  After stitching the seams each block shrunk up a tiny bit because I had 14 pieces and therefore 14 seams.  You don't usually think about this, but when it came time to square up the blocks, the shrinkage was visible.  The end result is that I am having a dickens of a time matching the millions of points in my design.

TIP:  If I had to do it over I would make a squaring block (guide) that is a little smaller.  I could do this on my computer and transfer it to template plastic, but it is too late now.  I will work with what I have and do the best I can.  It is looking fine, but I am being very critical.

Squaring triangle.

 When doing the usual paper piecing I always print my pattern with the seam allowance showing.  When I am done sewing I just place a ruler on the line and use the rotary cutter.  Any shrinkage is incorporated in the paper pattern at the same time.  I believe it would all fit together better.

TIP:  In the future and for your interest, the paperless method is great for simple blocks, but next time I will use traditional paper piecing for complex blocks with lots of seams.

Short blog today.  I make birthday cards for the grandchildren from the many photos I have taken of them.  We have five birthdays in November, and I have to spend time getting those all made well ahead of Thanksgiving.  My creative energies are going in a different direction at the moment.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you happy, creative moments.

How Long is Forever?

While I was gluing and sewing all those small pieces I had moments of thinking that it would take FOREVER to finish them all.  Lo and behold, by sticking with it and doing a few each day I actually got them all done.  That is the way with quilts.   There are a lot of tedious tasks and sometimes you might wonder why you do it.  On the other hand, I find that doing boring jobs takes my mind to a dreaming place.  Sometimes you need full concentration and that takes your mind off some of the other tedious tasks of life.  That's why it is called therapy by some.  I also enjoy listening to music or books on tape that I don't have time to do any other time.  I love watching my progress on the design wall.

My 36 blocks have now been sewn together in fours and thus reduced to 9 large blocks.  There are many, many points to match and some have been difficult.  Here is what I do when I find an offensive point that needs to be brought into line:

---I rip about 1 inch each side of it and pull the glued edges apart.

---Sometimes I need to readjust one of the side seams slightly.

---Then I turn it over to work from the right side and manipulate the seam fold until the points match perfectly.

---Glue and press.

---Turn to the wrong side and stitch a new seam along the fold line.

Usually it works like magic without any major distortion affecting the size of the block.

TIP:  Elmer's clear glue is a wonderful tool.  It holds the fabric together so you can sew accurately, but washes completely out when you soak your quilt later.

It is always fun and exciting to start the next part of a quilt.  I still have those nine big blocks to stitch together, but I have a spiral to appliqué in the middle and it will be easiest to stitch it in place before the final assembly.  The spiral is paper pieced in the usual manner.  I tried doing it with paperless paper piecing awhile ago, but when it came time to sew the seams, I got lost in the center trying to stitch those tiny pieces together.

I printed the pattern on plain paper, cut it out and found that it was too small for its allotted place.  I'm glad I didn't waste my Sulky Paper Solvey, time or fabric on the wrong size!  I enlarged it on the computer, re-printed, and cut it out to verify the fit.  Perfect!  I was ready for the final print so I could sew.

Center spiral (hexagon in a circle)

The graphic above shows the way I printed my spiral.  I reduced the opacity of the colors to about 25% but left the sewing lines at 100%.  Seeing the colors helps prevent mistakes, but I also labeled each piece with the row number and a letter designating the color.  Double check!  When sewing you stitch alternate pieces (1K, 1B, 1G), then fill in with the other three colors (1T, 1R, 1Y).  Continue row after row in this manner.

Here is the finished spiral pinned to the center of the quilt top.  The paper on the back will dissolve so I am not going to pull it out at this point although I may do so later.  It will help to have that bit of stiffness to keep it from bubbling as I appliqué it in place.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you bright colors and joy in your endeavors.

Ditching the Quilt

Well, I missed blogging last week by visiting my granddaughter in Pullman, WA, and had a wonderful time with her and her mom.  When I got home I got smacked with numerous things that had to be done:  get another load washed before winter forces me to the laundromat, clean house (urghhhhh), complete repairing my mother's beautifully painted but damaged trays, sort out my sewing shed before the snow flies, etc...and thus no time to write.  Yes, my sewing shed is where I keep my stash and it is outdoors.  Not terribly convenient in cold weather, but protected and out of my way when I don't need it.

In spite of all that, I maintained my sewing routine of 2-3 hours a day driving the Baby Lock and got started on the quilting of my quilt.  I used two layers of batting:  Quilter's Dream cotton "Request" (low loft) and Quilter's Dream Wool.  The wool is wonderful to quilt as it gives beautiful puff to the quilting, but where you want to smash it down as filler it squashes tight to accentuate the main designs.

I ran into an interesting problem that was new to me.  I first stitched-in-the-ditch (SID-ed) the lengthwise and crosswise seams, then the diagonals, each from the center out.  When I looked at the back I discovered that the backing fabric was puckered along only one direction of stitching.

No photo.  You know what a puckered stitch line looks like!

TIP:  Sewing the initial lines from from the center to the outside keeps the quilt from getting pulled unevenly.  This applies to both the grain lines and the bias lines.  The goal is to keep the quilt as square (or rectangular or circular) as possible.  Blocking the finished quilt can straighten it to a point, but being careful at this early juncture makes it easier.

 I suspect that the puckered line may have been on the lengthwise grain as it has the least give.  Solution:  I ripped out that line, and since it went through the middle of a long point, I stitched in the outer seams of the point (dark turquoise in the photo below) to anchor that part of the quilt.  This worked because there was more give on the slightly bias angle.  As I quilted the filler of that point (to make sure my design idea was going to work) I discovered that I liked that the seam in the middle of the point was not stitched down, so I ripped out all the lengthwise and crosswise SID and stitched in the ditches of the outer seams of those four points.  Mission accomplished.  Pucker gone, ready to roll!

Center line (straight grain) of point not SID-ed.  Outer edges of darker fabric stitched down.
Filler on one side of dark fabric not done yet. Note that the corner remains at 90º angle.

TIP:  Sewing garments taught me the importance of fabric grain.  Remember that it is just as important in quilts.  I don't worry about it in paper piecing because the paper holds everything firmly as you work.  However, once the quilt is layered you might have to work around the strength of the grain line and the fluff of the batting while still maintaining its integrity.  By all means keep the straight grain of the top and the backing aligned and un-puckered.  Your quilt will not hang straight if the grain lines are not straight lengthwise and crosswise.  Puckers may ultimately become unsightly tucks as your quilting proceeds.

A spiral quilt has many paper pieced seams to create the gradations that make it so unique.  I have found by trial, error and lots of reverse sewing that it is best to SID along every single seam.  This keeps the straight lines of the spiral straight.  I have tried in the past to stitch a design across un-ditched seams and found that the seams pull, and ultimately my design gets interrupted by those seams popping up so the whole thing is a scruffy mess.  Somehow, if those seams are nailed down first, a subtle design across them works nicely.  Don't ask me why!

Right side not SID-ed.  Left side stitched down.  In this photo the visible
difference is subtle, but significant.

Once the SID is done I can work fancy quilting designs, and that gives the added bonus of getting rid of those pesky safety pins.  I can also work anywhere on the quilt, as opposed to working only from the center out, because the whole quilt is stabilized.

Tester SID-ed then quilted with feathers.

I find the back different and intriguing.

By the time I post this I will be finished with the SID.  I am glad as I find it tedious and tiresome.  However, it is a great way to learn to free-motion-quilt lines, either straight or curved.  It also makes the rest of the quilting much more fun.

Sew a happy seam this week.  I wish you straight, un-puckered seams.

When Spaghetti is the Main Course

Quilts and spaghetti don't really go well together.

• Spaghetti stains.  Need I say, "Don't eat it in the sewing room?"
• Spaghetti inherently requires noodles, which are full of carbs and cause fat retention.  Try the sauce on veggies or quinoa instead.
• When you are eager to get to sewing you may forget to put it in the crock pot at noon to cook, resulting in no dinner to fill your tummy after burning lots of sewing calories.

The other kind of spaghetti has no calories, does not stain and "cooks" as you sew, although it may cause temporary, frustrated hair pulling.  This is the center of my quilt with 8 seams coming together with a seam down the center of each piece = 16 seams!  Is that a mess, or what?  I couldn't even attempt stitching because, with the paper from paper piecing in there too, I couldn't get the presser foot to go over it.  I love my baby spiral better every minute and can't wait to cut this mess out and attach the spinning center.  I have to pull out the paper backing first and that is tedious, but is a great bit of television handwork.

Spaghetti at center point.

Additionally there is the problem of skinny points in my spiral quilt.  It begins with the design.

Pattern with fabric sewn to other side (seam allowance untrimmed).
These big triangles will be sewn together down the center.

See the arrows (click to enlarge)?  They show the troublesome, long, elegant strips of fabric.  Now imagine all these skinny pieces of fabric with 1/4 inch seam allowance between all of them.  Then sew the two main shapes together and you have another seam with another 1/4 inch seam allowance.   The result is major spaghetti.  The points at the very bottom are the center of my quilt and this is only one quarter of the center.  It is a major mess that I did not visualize in the design process.  A real learning experience.  Burned spaghetti!!!  Not only that, but the mess of tiny points is so thick it is impossible to work with.  What to do?  As usual I let it percolate and worked on some less problematic point challenges, which I will address next week.  

TIP:  Got a problem?  Don't despair.  My favorite, and oft-stated recommendation is to sit on it, sleep on it, think about it, and you will eventually come up with a solution.  I do this often!

I was not giving up on this quilt!  I went to my computer to play with ideas, and decided to try covering the center with a four-point star offset from the one already there, then appliqué my spiral into the center of it before appliquéing the whole thing to the quilt.   Ultimately, I will cut away as much of the over-seamed area underneath as possible.

This was not exactly simple, but do-able.  Without the center sewed together the quilt was a bit unstable so that had to be tackled first.  I cut away about 1/2 inch of the spaghetti so I could see what I was doing.  I unglued the center seam allowances (see above) and ironed them open.  That helped the center to lay a little flatter.  Then I pinned six straight strips of fabric across the center to temporarily stabilize it so I could measure the center of the quilt east to west and north to south.  It came out the same!!!  Now it was time to make the star.

TIP:  It is imperative to stay on top of the quilt measurements or you will have difficulty when it comes time to apply the border(s).  It was especially important here because there was real risk of the center going wonky.

Four pieces for a star.

I used one of the above points to cut two pieces of freezer paper ironed shiny sides together as a guide for pressing back seam allowances.  Then I cut the fabric, starched and ironed the seam allowance around the sharp pointed sides of the pattern.  I stitched the four pieces together to hold the center solid.  Next I hand appliquéd the spiral to the center of the star.  I laid the quilt back on the table, measured again, removed the pinned, stabilizing strips, and glued the star in place.

Appliquéing was the easy part.  I did the hand sewing with Kimono silk thread.  I had never used silk for appliqué and I LOVE it.  It is strong, thin and melts into the fabric invisibly.  Hurray!  Very happy.

Here is a graphic of what the center was supposed to look like:

Illustrator version.  Four point star

Here is a photo of the  new center with the appliqué completed:

Red marker is appliqué.  Green marker is the star that is part of the pieced quilt top.
Eight point star.
(click to enlarge)

See how the appliqué points line up over the teensy points?  The worst of the spaghetti is underneath and will be cut away.  Not only did this solution fix the problem, but I really like the way it looks!

Sew a happy seam this week.  I wish you successful solutions to your problems.

Spiralling Fussiness

I designed my new quilt on Adobe Illustrator and then used the computer to stretch the drawing a bit here and there.  My previous spirals have mostly been mandalas, or circles.  Check the Gallery.  This one will be new, fresh and different.  It is almost a little modern, but since I love curves and curlicues I will do a bunch of those when I quilt, so not so modern after all.

The first spiral is long and skinny so the paper patterns have to be taped together as they can't be printed on 8.5 x 11 inch Sulky Paper Solvy.  I thought surgical paper tape was the perfect answer, but my old tape globbed up the presser foot.  I bought a new roll, but sadly discovered that it does the same thing.  Maybe it would work if I put it on the back of the paper, but I gave up and went back to plain old scotch tape.  I have had no problems since.  I sure wasted a lot of time on that idea!!

TIP:  Go ahead and try your ideas.  Sometimes they work, but sometimes they don't.  Oh well, the world continues to turn either way.

Pattern printed in three pieces shown cut apart.

Taped-together spiral pattern with fabric sewn to it.

I chose to use solid colors with the support of two of my biggest fans.  I bought all the Kona solids that I would need, sat down and started sewing.  Unfortunately, the result was so flat and uninteresting and the gradations left something to be desired (my bad).  At that point I lost my momentum.  This can happen when you design your own quilts, as I do.  None of the complications have been addressed and solved by others.  After a day or two I went to my fabric stash and pulled a bunch of prints that would give me the gradations I needed in three colors.  I will use 3 or 4 of the solid fabrics as well.  My tester sample looks so nice, warm, friendly and vibrant compared to the one with solids only.  Now I am excited to work on it again.

Patterned fabric on left; solid fabric on right
(piecing incomplete - one more ring to be added)

TIP:  If you lose your momentum it may be because you are not happy with the results.  Give it a little time, and think about what else you might do to recover the excitement.  Something inside will tell you when it is right.  Even when discouraging things happen, I still turn back to sewing.  It truly is my therapy.

It has been awhile since I have done a spiral and I was immediately reminded of how important it is to get the points right.  That means sharp, smooth and in exactly the right place.  If they don't hit exactly right it is well worth your time to redo them immediately.  Later on you won't be able to get in there to do a fix.

Circle denote places where points are critical.

Good points!!  They are each nestled perfectly into the corner.

Why did your point miss the mark?

• The previous fabric was not pressed tightly back at the seam, which left a tiny pleat over the stitching.
• Your stitching got away from the sewing line on the pattern.
• The fabric had a wrinkle that you didn't catch.
• God's finger got in the way!

Usually the problem is easily fixed.  Take out the stitching carefully trying not to tear the paper for about an inch over the offending point.  Using tweezers pull the point fabric in line and glue it.  Make sure it makes a straight line.  If it wants to curve, tear out a few more stitches of the point fabric as well as the covering fabric and try again.  Lay the covering fabric over the point, check it, glue it, stitch it.

TIP:  Use Elmer's School glue, which is harmless, doesn't show when dry, and washes completely out.

If the problem is a poorly pressed seam you might have to take out more of the stitching so you can re-press the offending part of the seam and try again.  You have to work very carefully to keep the paper intact, but if it tears, just tape it together with scotch tape - carefully.

Sew a happy seam this week.  I wish you perfect points.

An Old Shoe

I really appreciate all the understanding, empathy and compassion that were expressed in response to my dark week post.  I especially liked the idea of framing Dixie, but then realized that the dog and half the background are already quilted - very poorly.  I just can't keep it, but I will redo it.  In the meantime, since I like the results so much (sans quilting), I will keep the bad one as a guide for a much nicer new one in the future with a different fusible material.  It was fun to do until it came to the quilting, which was truly a nightmare.  My real doggie gave me a sweet, loving lick to let me know it was OK...or maybe she just wanted a taste of my hand lotion.

Meanwhile, "Onward ho!"  What do I mean by "An Old Shoe?"  My mother used that expression to describe a new acquaintance who was able to settle into our life like family we had known forever.  Comfortable.  That is how I feel about the new quilt that I started this week because I am familiar with and enjoy the technique.

My new project has paper pieced spiral elements in it.  So, you say, "What is a spiral quilt?"  A spiral quilt can be made from any and many geometric shape(s) and is sewn like a log cabin block, but is made with triangles instead of rectangles.  I will try to give you a general, but admittedly skimpy idea, but if you want to try it I recommend RaNae Merrill's "Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts."  Her directions are clear and precise, covering the drawing, designing, and sewing.  Her second book, "Magnificent Spiral Mandala Quilts" is also excellent.  I design my spirals on Adobe Illustrator, but they can be drawn on paper with pencil, ruler and eraser.  They are sewed with foundation/paper piecing.

Step 1.  Draw the outline of a shape.  In this case I started with a triangle.

Step 2.  Draw a ring of small triangles inside the outer border, one along each side.  You can measure or make your triangles any size that you like.  I make mine kind of free form as I find the measuring tedious.

Step 3.  Draw another ring of small triangles inside the first ring.  Continue making similar rings until you get to the center.  RaNae Merrill goes into different ways to draw these triangles.  The way I am showing is the easiest to sew.

Step 4.  Fill all those inner triangles with color.

5.  Print or draw your design on paper (I use Sulky Paper Solvey and print it from my computer).

But....that is only one triangle. Let's play with that single triangle:

Now here is what you can do when you combine several geometric shapes into a 60º wedge.  This example is symmetrical, but you can get some interesting designs when you introduce some asymmetry with your shapes:

Symmetrical
60º wedge made with several different shapes.

Then rotate six copies of the wedge around its center point:

Six wedges can make a quilt.

See the wedge?

Now fill with color.  It is full of primary, secondary and tertiary design possibilities.  Talk about an adult coloring book!  There are so many ways to portray this and no one can figure out how you did it!  You can turn your imagination loose and it is not hard to sew one of these, but it takes time and attention to detail.

TIP:  Try a simple design or two this week.  It is fun.

Sew a Happy Seam this week.  I wish you some designing fun.

Paper Tape and Pressing Tools

I said I would check:  Surgical paper tape is available at my Safeway pharmacy so I would guess it can be purchased elsewhere if needed.  If your paper piecing is too big to print on one piece of paper in your printer the paper tape is the way to tape pieces together.  It is not gooey on the needle and it folds like ordinary paper.

I mentioned in response to a comment last week that I love Sulky Paper Solvy for paper piecing.  I feel I should mention its only downside.  It scorches easily and gets brittle if you iron down each seam.  My solution is to press with this clever little tool.  I actually find it does a better job and the paper remains stable until I am done.

Bought this at Joann's.

I've heard that a 1" wallpaper roller works well too.  I know we used to have one, but have no clue where it might be so I haven't tried it yet.

I have been scurrying around getting the house spiffy for houseguests, one of whom is the granddaughter who drew the design for my Phoenix quilt.  I used my recent sewing time to finish setting fused fabric in place for my little dog.  I have not ironed it down yet, and I am glad for that because I noticed one piece that is the wrong color.  It makes a lineal black blob where there shouldn't be a straight line of dark fur.  Funny how you can work away and not notice something like that until a day later.  No photo yet as I don't want to show it until I am happy with it.  After the family leaves I will spend time creating a background behind the dog.  Still puzzling on that one.

I will have a forced break from sewing this week as Sweet Granddaughter will be using the sewing room as her bedroom.  Perfect time to catch up on some other things that need doing...such as hiking!

Sew a Happy Seam this week.

Paper Piecing Large

I'm Home!  I have been to Annapolis (MD), Palm Beach (FL), Austin (TX), home for 4 days, Seattle (WA), through Grand Teton NP (in low clouds and rain!), and finally home for the summer.  One funeral, three graduations and great fun with family and friends.  Coast to coast in a car.

I took my sewing machine in for its annual check-up.  All is well.  It has accomplished 1,158,894 stitches in 13 months.  You needed to know that, right?  It has now been relegated to a storage shed so my sewing room can be repurposed as a bedroom for a week for a visting granddaughter.  My sewing room is so squeaky clean and uncluttered that I don't recognize it.  I still have a fusible project of my little dog to work on until company arrives, but won't need the machine for awhile.

Reporting in.  A few weeks ago I showed you a computer-generated spiral for my next quilt, and was concerned about getting the paper piecing accomplished.  The problem is that the spiral is 18 inches long and my Sulky Paper Solvy is only 11 inches long.  I ended up digitally "cutting" the pattern and printing it in three pieces.  I cut those pieces roughly and aligned all the lines using the dotted lines as guides.  Then I fastened them together with surgical paper tape, turned it over and cut off the overlapping edges.

Pattern printed, cut apart and and ready to tape together

TIP:  You could butt the edges together if you want, but I find that it is easy to miss perfection when taping with this method.  Even a slight misalignment could skew the whole spiral.

Wearing my Senior Tester hat I grabbed some stash fabric and paper pieced the reconstructed spiral.  It worked beautifully so I can enthusiastically recommend this method.  I confess that I had some of the tape on hand, but haven't looked in the pharmacy to see if they still sell it.  Note to self:  check it out.

Tester stitched.

Sew a happy seam this week.

The Great Time Escape

12:15pm
After four days of cold temperatures, gray skies and snow flurries, the sun found us and it is a gorgeous day.  The mountains are pure white.  So, why can't I get anything done?  Do you ever have days like that?  Actually I have gotten plenty done, just not what I had planned.

1.  Walked the dog for 45 minutes
2.  Practiced the piano 30 or 40 minutes
3.  Made super-fiber, sourdough bread.
4.  Called my daughter to ask a couple of questions and chatted almost one hour.
5.  Ate lunch.

Wow!  That's pretty amazing ... and to think that I felt like I had not accomplished a thing the whole morning. Smell the bread? In 30 minutes we get our first bite slathered with butter melting all over our fingers.

TIP:  When you have these feelings of dis-accomplishment, sit down a minute and think about what you actually did.  Even sitting down to read a book is productive.  So is sitting on the deck watching the beauty around you.  We all need variety, relaxation and beauty in our lives to help us tap into our creativity.  A little flexibility helps too.

I didn't get a lot of old, family photos keyworded in Adobe Lightroom as planned, but that job will still be there later this afternoon.  Right now I am heading to the sewing room.

1:30 pm
I just finished another star and am without another sewing project ready at hand.  Now I need to computerize the next star design so I can print out the paper for paper piecing.  Then I will have something to sew tomorrow.  Here is the one I finished today:

I think this is my favorite so far

I spent a lot of time over the weekend doing the computer planning for my next big quilt and I am now ready to shop.  Oh goodie!!  Once I have fabric I will cover each color block with a swatch of the actual fabric.  This helps me keep things straight when I am paper piecing a complex spiral.  Below is my shopping plan, which I will put in a plastic sleeve along with a picture of the quilt:

Shopping Plan

TIP:  Add your name, address and phone number to your planning sheet when you go to the store so the store can call to let you know where you left it.  Ask me how I know!! One time my husband dropped by the quilt store to pick it up for me, and when he walked in, the class and customers all became absolutely silent.  He is big, dark and bearded, so he does not look like he belongs in a quilt store even though he is quite harmless. He picked up my papers and quickly escaped.

TIP:  It saves time and money when you are shopping if you know exactly what you need.  I always add a bit to the fabric amounts to be safe, but it is structured to avoid waste.  Yes, it takes some time before the shopping trip to plan it out, but for me it is very worthwhile.  I also live far away from quilt stores.

Here is a sneak preview of the computer drawing of one spiral for my next major project:

Definitely my favorite colors

This is going to be a challenge.  The longest piece (dark blue) is 18 inches long so it will take three pieces of paper taped together to accommodate the whole triangle.  Actually I digitally divided it into three pieces, which fit nicely all on one piece of paper to minimize waste.  I just have to cut the pieces apart and tape them together to get the long spiral.  I am going to try using surgical paper tape to reassemble the spiral.  I am hoping it will hold together until I am done.  I will do one as a tester before printing out all the sheets of paper, and will give you an update on the success or failure of this jerry-rigged endeavor.  

Sew a happy seam this week.

Paperless or Paper Piecing

As threatened, I compared the timing and result of paper piecing vs paperless paper piecing. See Cristy Fincher's website for clear, complete directions with lots of photos.

Standard Paper Piecing
I design and print my foundation pattern on Sulky Paper Solvy washable stabilizer.  It took 30 minutes to cut fabric, sew and press 1/8 of a 12" star block (a 45º triangle).  I put the 8 triangles together by glue basting before sewing.  It came out 99% perfect - points meet and the center is good where 8 points come together.  It could be slightly better in the center if I had stopped stitching at the 1/4 inch mark.  Next time.  However, it is so near perfect that I will leave it as is ... or not.  I am reluctant to massacre those bias tips.  As far as I can see, the only downside to this method is pulling out the paper.  That's why I use Sulky Paper Solvy.  You can leave it in.  I usually tear it out anyway because I like the hand of plain fabric.  Any little pieces left dissolve in water so I don't have to be too picky.

Paper pattern on Sulky Paper Solvy

Paperless Paper Piecing
Next, I did the same 45º triangle of the next block using the paperless paper piecing method.  First I cut templates for each little piece from doubled freezer paper (iron two pieces shiny sides together).  It took me one hour to assemble and glue the fabric pieces.  I started to sew them and then realized that for a complex pattern like this (13 pieces) I would end up with a product that I couldn't measure and trim precisely so that points and seams matched exactly to its adjacent triangle. I could have made a plastic template and carefully marked it.  It would be do-able, but I am afraid that it has a high potential of ending up wonky, and I don't want wonky stars.  The paperless paper piecing is fascinating, but I will continue with paper and absolutely with glue basting.  Maybe you are braver than I.  However, it would probably work better with a simpler pattern, and there would not be any paper to pull out.

Gluing & sewing went well.  How do I trim it?????

TIP:  By all means check out Cristy Fincher's website and see how paperless piecing is done.  I confess I am a novice, but have decided not to use it.  I am very proficient with paper piecing, but you don't know until you try.

What is glue basting?  Put your pieces right sides together and run a thin line of Elmer's School Glue (no other kind) in the seam allowance of the lower piece.  Carefully matching seams, edges and/or points finger-press the top piece to the lower one.  Then iron to facilitate drying and to set it.  It will all wash out later with no residue or damage to the fabric.  If you are not satisfied with the result you can easily pull the glued pieces apart and redo. Finally, sew the seam.  You will be amazed at the perfection you have created so simply.

First two blocks are a success.

While I am having fun sewing these, I am also preparing the pattern and purchase plan for my spiral that will be my next major project whether I finish the stars or not.  I can always come back to them.

BTW:  My Bigtop spiral and Phoenix will both be showing at HMQS in Salt Lake City May 5-7 and in the Minnesota Quilter's, Inc. Show in St Cloud, MN, June 9-11.

Sew a happy seam this week.