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| Churn Dash |
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| Milky Way |
When I first decided that I was serious about making a quilt for my yet to be born baby I knew I could not just sit down and quilt I needed to find me a book and figure out how to do it. I don't know how many different stores I went through before finally picking this book (show to the right). It was the first real Beginners Guide I ran across that seemed to cover about every thing. So today I dedicate my post to this book. I want to share some of the pieced top that I am making for Rebecca my 13 year old. We found some fat quarters at Walmart that she picked out and I started making the Piecing Sampler called Lemons and Blueberries found on page 109 of that book. I have so far made 4 of the 9 squares and would like to show them off today. What I could use is your thoughts and opinions on piecing quilts and how to help keep all the lines straight.
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| Indian Star |
I have started working on the 5th piece named Dutchman's Puzzle. My wife thinks I am cutting too slow and keeps making me work on her projects which has almost new piecing, but I quite enjoy this and can't seem to stop. Oh well to many things to do and not enough time to do it all.
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| Old Maid's Puzzle |
12 comments:
Beautiful colors! And you've done a very nice job.
My suggestion for keeping the lines straight are these: be as exact as possible when you are cutting and make sure your seam is exactly ¼". If you don't have a ¼" foot, then get one. It helps a lot. Also, you can check out this tutorial: Sewing Accurate ¼" Seams at Amy's Creative Side.
Can't wait to see more.
xo -E
if, by keeping your lines straight, you mean when you are sewing them, here's my suggestion: stack layers of masking tape or stack post it notes in front of your presser foot on the machine base, right in line with the quarter inch line on your needle plate. that is, if you are using a quarter inch seam (which is the standard). this acts as a guide when you are feeding the pieces under the presser foot. i hope i have explained this so that you can understand what i mean. you also have to be cutting your pieces straight.
Hey, Richard. First, you are doing a phenomenal job. Those blocks look perfect in the pictures. Both Elizabeth and Bunbear gave great suggestions for the foot. You might try bunbear's and if that works for you, then invest in a foot with a guide on the right side to give a consistent 1/4". I especially admire your old maid's puzzle. my first quilt made of those blocks is a disaster of crooked seams and mismatched corners. So, you're doing great work. Keep at it. Looking forward to your next set of blocks. Lane
Hi i think you're doing a great Job, i learn by my self too and is great when i see my finished proyects, I bought a 1/4" presser foot for my sewing machine and it helps a lot to make your lines straight. Have a nice day
I love the fabrics you are using! Your daughter has good taste, and your blocks look wonderfully accurate!
Your blocks are great - your seams look very straight to me. I agree with everyone who has said get a quarter inch foot. Also go at your own speed :)
Your blocks look fantastic. This is art, not a race. Techniques that let you make 2 Half Square Triangles at once are helpful in keeping things even so you don't have to deal with a bias edge.
Good for you. Good for YOU!! It's important to have good block and quilt construction, but don't let the expectation (by self and others) of perfection weigh you down. Your daughter has an absolute treasure in a dad that will make something for her, and in a dad that quilts. Good for you!
Hey, I *love* your fabrics. And your construction looks fabulous. You're a beginner?? :) You've got some great suggestions already. Do Internet searches for tutorials about anything you want to see tips and tricks about - there are GOBS of blog tutorials and YouTube videos covering everything you could think of. You'll often find several ways of doing a given thing, like making HST's, which will give you the option to find out which one works best for you, or for the particular situation you're dealing with.
It's going to be so beautiful with all the different types of squares.
I just found out a couple of days ago that the local quilt shop does a square a month program for a year. The next year starts in July and I really look forward to signing up and learning how to make squares like this.
Lovely sampler blocks! Good for you for tackling a big project like this as a beginner! The blocks look great. As far as keeping pieced lines straight, well, all I can say is practice, practice, practice. : ) It probably took me at least a year of regular block piecing to feel like I was starting to get things lined up correctly. And sampler blocks like these are the PERFECT thing to practice on, because you get a little of everything. Good luck! And thanks for linking up to WIP Wednesday. : )
I really like these colors. Great job.
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