Making Selfie Bias Strips

I made a lot of of bias tape for the stained glass and lattice work on Fenestra Rosa.  I prefer to make my own, but first I'll clue you in to what helps are available.

You can use the ordinary double fold bias tape sold in most stores selling notions.

You can now buy fusible bias tape in a roll.  I have not tried this, nor have I seen it in the stores.  However, I have never looked for it either.  I just know you can get it online
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Clover, and maybe other companies, produce a tool in different sizes for making bias strips.  I have read that people really like this, but I had no luck with it.  Some like it, some don't.

Bias Tape Maker

If you want to make your own bias strips you must cut your fabric on a perfect diagonal in order to get the maximum and consistent amount of stretch.  There are good directions in this tutorial for both finding the bias and creating a tube for continuous binding.  That is, you don't have to sew the individual strips together because they come out all sewn when you cut.

Another method for cutting bias strips is by folding a rectangle in a special way.  It is pretty slick and very easy. You can see a video here.  Another video shows how to sew the strips together in addition to cutting methodology.  I have chosen not to go into all these details as they are already well done on numerous sites.

What I want to address occurs after all the cutting is complete.  I did not need to sew my strips together because I didn't need really long strips, and did not want to deal with the bulk of seams in the strips. There are three ways to finish the strips for sewing as taught by Harriett Hargrave:

1.  Cut the strip the desired length and width.  Fold in half lengthwise wrong sides together and stitch the raw edges together in a narrow seam.  Press the resulting tube flat with the seam folded to one side underneath.  (I do not like the added bulk in this method.)

2.  Do the same as in #1, but slide a bias bar (available where you buy notions) through the tube and press.  (Again, not my thing.  My tubes ended up either too tight or too loose for the bar and I lost patience.)

3.  My favorite way is to fold the bias strip in thirds lengthwise, but only at one end.  Keep  the raw edge just shy of the fold so it will be underneath and hidden when applied.  Press about 2 inches.

  Assuming you want your strip to finish about 1/4 inch wide, mark two lines on your ironing board 1/4 inch apart and position a pin across these lines so that there is a 1/4 inch space through which you can thread the folded fabric.  Position another pin in the same manner about 3-4 inches from and parallel to the first pin.

Pull the folded fabric through both pins as shown above, coaxing the folds to the left of the first pin into submission if they get disobedient.  Now you will have a perfect 1/4 inch fold ready to iron.

Then pull another length through and press it, and so on.  It will automatically fold as you gently pull.  A little starch as you go will give crisp folds.

Because there is no seam the edges will be a little loose as shown below.  I did not starch this strip, but that would have settled the edges.  They will be on the underside when the strip is applied to your project.

TIP:  Instead of spraying starch all over the ironing board, spray a little into the cap and use a paint brush to lightly brush some onto the fabric.  A press cloth will save the iron from starch gunk.  P.S. It is not helpful to try to save the ironing board cover if you dump the cap of starch onto it, like I did today!

You could also glue the edges down with Elmer's School Glue and then press (I don't bother.)  I do use the glue to secure the bias to my quilt before sewing.  Pins distort the bias strips and they look much nicer and smoother when glue basted.

For this demo I cut my bias strip 1 inch wide and the finished strip is 5/16 inch finished, which works nicely with stained glass.  Now your strip is ready to appliqué by hand or machine.  I applied mine with a tiny zig-zag stitch and a fairly small stitch length, but not close together like satin stitch.  It doesn't show unless you look very, very closely.

TIP:  If you plan to machine appliqué bias strips, allow some time for practice.  Try the zig-zag with different widths and stitch lengths.  See what looks best and write down your findings.  Every machine has its quirks, and you'd be surprised how fast you can forget the numbers.  Every machine is different.

Happy stitching this week.

Spiral Quilts - Sewing

The planning and shopping are all done.  The new fabric is pre-washed (I always do that).  The pattern is drawn or printed and ready to be your guide.  If you have never done any paper piecing I suggest you try it out on a simple block to acquaint yourself with the basic concept.  There are lots of tutorials on the Web.  I also recommend my go-to sources:  RaNae Merrill's books, "Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts" and "Magnificent Spiral Mandala Quilts."  That said, I will give you my version of paper piecing spiral shapes.

TIP:  You only have to know one thing:  You can learn anything!

Here is the paper pattern.  In my mother's art stuff I found some old tracing paper which is soft and translucent and that is what I am using for this tutorial.  Usually I use Sulky Paper Solvey, which is also translucent but I don't have any on hand.  It helps to be able to see through the paper, but copy paper will work in a pinch.  The finished product will be the reverse of the printed side of the pattern sheet.

Printed side of the paper pattern

Step 1.  We start every round with the star triangle.  This is not necessary, but it keeps me from getting mixed up.  This serves as a reminder that this first triangle is unique and will require special treatment.  With the printed side of the paper pattern facing you fold it toward you accurately on the red line (above), which the starred triangle and center share.  This is where it helps to see the line showing through to the other side.  The red lines outline the first triangle.   The folded paper covers the center piece, but don't forget it is there.

Step 2.  Prepare a piece of fabric for the center at least 1/4" larger on all sides.  Prepare a second piece of fabric for the triange at least 1/4" larger on all sides.  Line the fabrics up together along a straight edge, right sides together, center fabric on top (wrong side of center fabric will be facing you).  The ghost shapes show how each piece will fit on its piece of fabric.  The fabric showing at the top will be seam allowance.

TIP:  It is clear that there is plenty of fabric for the white center.  The red is behind and you will have to visualize whether you have enough fabric for the triangle.  A pin stuck through a side or corner of the paper triangle can help to make sure there is enough to cover.  Obviously I have lots of red to cover the triangle, but I am using scraps rather than cutting rectangles for each piece.  You must  have enough fabric to cover each piece and its seam allowance or you will end up with frayed edges on the front.  You will trim the excess as you go along.  Generosity is good.

Step 3.  Lay your folded pattern on top of the two fabrics leaving 1/4" seam allowance above the paper fold, then unfold the paper carefully holding the two fabrics in place.  You may need to pin them in place or secure with painter's tape as you cannot see the fabric when sewing.

TIP:  Before sewing adjust the stitch length of the machine to a shorter stitch.  My "normal" is 2.5 and I drop it to 1.5.  This holds securely with the added benefit of making the paper easier to remove later.

Step 4 (first round only - star triangle):  Lay paper and fabric down on the sewing machine, paper side up.  Now you are ready to sew exactly on the line between the center and the triangle starting at the wide end of the triangle.  Yes, you sew through the paper and both fabrics.  On ONLY the FIRST triangle of each round you sew a partial seam as shown below, stopping about 1/4" before the junction with the triangle abutting the point of the triangle you are sewing.  No need to backstitch.

Step 5:  Turn the paper over to the fabric side and fold the triangle fabric away from the center fabric so the right side shows and press the seam you just sewed.

TIP:  I find that using the iron eventually scorches the paper and makes it brittle and cranky.  I prefer to press with this handy, Hera Marker by Clover, which is available where quilting supplies are sold.  You could also use a small wallpaper roller or a spoon.

TIP:  It is critical that the fabric be pressed completely back from the seam if you want those crisp, perfect points that are the earmark of good paper piecing.

After pressing, fold the tail of the starred fabric (1st triangle of this round) back to the "stop" line and pin or tape the tail out of the way.  See the photo in Step 7.

Step 6:   With the printed side of the pattern toward you fold the paper on the line of the next triangle (#2) to the left, formed by it and the center.  Trim all visible fabric to 1/4" above the fold.  With the right side of the fabric for #2 triangle facing you, line up its raw edge with and under the trimmed fabric (right sides together) above the paper fold.  Make sure the fabric will cover the triangle and its seam allowance.  Open the paper and sew on the line from the wide end of the triangle all the way to the point.  Turn and press.

Step 7:  Moving in a counterclockwise direction (looking at it from the printed side of the pattern) continue to add fabrics to the other triangles in the round.  Trim, stitch and press each time.

TIP:  Be careful not to cut or stitch the folded-back portion of the star triangle fabric.

The photo below shows the star fabric plus two more pieces added.  Note the way the star fabric is turned back and secured out of the way with a pin.

TIP:  Don't worry about extra fabric.  It all gets trimmed as you go along.

Step 6:  When all the triangles of the first round are sewn and pressed, we are back to the unfinished first triangle, the special star.  Remove the pin and, using Elmer's School Glue (no other) run a small line close to the raw edge of the turned-under seam allowance.  Lay the glued fabric down on the fabric of the last triangle (light blue in this case) and heat set.  This is the only time I use the iron.

FYI:  Elmer's School Glue is starch based.  It will not hurt the fabric or your children even if they mistake it for snack food.  It will hold the seam securely as the fabric is manipulated and sewn, but will wash out.

Step 7:  Now we do the super sneaky trick.  Move your fingers to the junction of the star fabric and that of the second triangle you sewed (dark blue in this case).  Grab hold of both fabrics and gently tear the whole unit from the paper until you come to stitched junction.  Now the star fabric will lay flat and you can see the partial seam.  If it tends to wrinkle a bit, restrain its exuberance by flattening it with a pin to avoid stitching wrinkles in.

Step 8:  Turn the whole thing over to the printed side of the paper pattern and stitch from the end of the partial seam out to the point of the triangle.

Step 9:  Turn over, press and admire your first round of paper piecing.  Use a small piece of tape to repair the torn bit of the paper pattern.

Step 10:  Sew the succeeding rounds in the same manner using steps 1 to 9, moving ever closer to the outer edge.  Instead of sewing triangles to the center you will sew the triangles of round B to a previously stitched triangle of round A, moving further out with each round.

TIP:  When/if you do a mirror version of this shape you will be working clockwise instead of counterclockwise, but always from the wide end of the triangle.

On my demo piece I stitched a final two pieces of black to each side of the pentagon top.  I pieced them through the paper as before, but they are not part of a "round."  This is an unnecessary element that is dictated by the design.  Below is the finished block from the printed side of the pattern.  Trim away any excess by cutting along the outside line of the seam allowance.

Turning the finished shape over reveals the finished, paper pieced block.  Note how the points nest perfectly into the junctions of the triangles (red circles).  Now you can press it with the iron.

TIP:  You must watch the points every time you press.  If you notice a nasty misfit later, you will not be able to go back and fix it.  The only thing you can do is start over.  I've done that too!  If your pressing is sloppy the points will be too.

TIP:  Christy Fincher has a great tutorial on paperless paper piecing.  I have tried it and loved it, but it doesn't work on the spirals that I have tried.  The seams get too bunched up and close together to sew properly.

Next post I will talk about sewing the shapes together and quilting the finished product...and I will show you my first, finished spiral quilt.

Paper Piecing

It was right about here in my journey that I learned how to do Paper Piecing, also called Foundation Piecing.  It is not hard, and once you catch on, it allows you to piece a block or shape with amazing precision.  You can piece tiny, little pieces that would otherwise be impossible.  You can look at a good video tutorial on Foundation Piecing if you don't know what I am talking about.  You can start with some simple practice blocks such as the triangle sashing blocks in this quilt.  The sashing is 2 inches wide so they really don't have to be paper pieced, but I found that the bias edges of the triangles were much easier to control with paper piecing.  I loved the way everything lined up straight and measured correctly when I put the quilt together.

Here you see again that I have a penchant for fussy cutting and kaleidoscope design.  The feature fabric is a symmetrical, border fabric that screamed for action.  The large blocks also have bias edges to work with, and they must be sewn carefully without stretching.  It may help to pin if the edges are long.  If you find that you must sew a bias edge to a straight edge it works best to keep the bias edge on the bottom as you sew and again, you probably would do well to pin first, but please do not sew over the pins.

If you look carefully you can see that I branched out to some easy free motion quilting on this quilt.  My first attempt was so awful that I ripped it all out and did it over again.  Yes, ALL the quilting!  This is frustrating, time consuming and discouraging, but I urge you to rip if you don't like the results.  You will never learn to like that quilt if you aren't happy with the job you did.  You can save yourself a lot of grief by making some 12 inch quilt sandwiches out of your chosen fabric and batting on which to practice your design.  Either way you will have practiced and learned to machine quilt a little better.