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ANOTHER TIDBIT ON MODIFYING A QUILT PATTERN


HAVE YOU EVER MADE A POTATO CHIP BLOCK QUILT?  


CHAIN PIECING HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES USING THE ACCORDION METHOD  


HOW TO ACCOMPLISH ERROR-FREE BINDING STRIP JOINTS  


REFRESHER ABOUT USE OF A ROTARY CUTTER  


MY NEW WAY TO PICK A PROJECT “TO DO” NEXT


HOW TO FOLD A QUILT TO PREVENT FIBER DAMAGE  AND TO ALLEVIATE HEAVY CREASES   


GOING FROM “TO DO” TO “TA-DONE” AND INTRODUCING YOU TO A UFO CHALLENGE  


SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY SEWING YOUR QUILT TOP  


WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR QUILT TOP,  IS IT REALLY READY TO BE QUILTED?  


HOW TO STORE STRIPS AFTER YOU CUT THEM  


EMPLOYING A COUPLE OF ITEMS  TO HELP WITH QUILT PROJECTS  


SEWING EASY PILLOWCASES USING THE BURRITO METHOD  


Blue Painter's Tape is a Handy Tool for Quick Marking


Get Creative With Sashing


Lori Holt's Design Boards


Decluttering Your Sewing Space  


Give Yourself Another Hand  


Bobbin Organization and Storage  


Salvage those Selvages  


Another Half Square Triangle Tidbit, But This Time It Involves Pumpkins!  


Avoid the Temptation to Use Tiny Templates to Cut Fabric  


A Method for Starching Pre-Cut Fabrics  


Introducing Jordan Fabrics “Twinkle Little Star” Center Square Technique  


A FREE SHAMROCK PATTERN  


AN EASY WAY TO MAKE A 4-PATCH BLOCK  


WE NOW HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO SEW THOSE BONANZA AND CHRISTMAS UFO’S  


REUSABLE ROW AND BLOCK NUMBERS  


SOME SOLUTIONS TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF FRAYING FABRIC


MAKE FOUR FLYING GEESE UNITS AT ONE TIME  


WHAT TO DO WHEN CORNER POINTS DON’T WANT TO MATCH UP  


THREE WAYS TO SEW BINDING: ONE AND DONE  


THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER  


Make Something Fun and Simple as a Distraction While Sewing a Complicated Quilt  


Changing a Quilt Pattern to Work For You  


January Musings  


Mitered Borders  


Edge Turn Machine Applique’ Using Light Weight Pellon  


Binding  


Using Up 2½-inch Squares, Employing Batting Scraps to Layout Blocks, and Sewing Half Square Triangles  


Preparing Fabric Prior to Cutting, Invisibly Piecing Quilt Backing, and Introducing Acorn Piecing Glue  


Squaring Up Blocks and a Mobile Design Wall  


The Quick Ripper, A Take-Apart Cutting Ruler, and Other Ramblings  


Make a Memory of Hope “Crumb” Quilt  


Gadgets and Gizmos  


The Five-Star Method for Testing the ¼ Inch Seam  


Dealing With Overstuffed Magazine Storage  


Review Your Subscription Expiration Dates  


What to Do with Fabric Leftovers after the Bonanza?  


Cutting Tools and Cutting Aids  


Chain Piecing a 9-Patch Block  


Washing Fabrics and Quilts  


How To Make a Block Press  


Tips on Consistently Sewing an Accurate Quilt Block


A Quick Way to Un-Sew Seams, Using a Seam Ripper, Without Cutting the Fabric


Repurpose Your 2018 Paper Calendar for Your Next Quilt Project






December 2024
ANOTHER TIDBIT ON MODIFYING A QUILT PATTERN


Where did 2024 go?  The older I get; it seems like each year goes by faster than the year before.  I really enjoyed 2024 and I look forward to 2025 being just as special.  I am really excited to be able to attend “The Road to California” quilt show in January 2025.

Recently, I began sewing a quilt called “Spread Joy” that I hope to finish sometime in the new year.   The design includes 14 Christmas Trees, each sewn in eleven 1 ½ inch rows.  As shown in the picture of the pattern, to create the tree shape, the pattern requires alternating green and red strips snowballed on the ends of the colored strip using 1 ½ inch squares. The colored rows are finished with white strips sewn at each end.  The rows of color are interspersed with white strips to build up the tree block to measure 12 ½ x 12 ½ unfinished.

Rather than following the pattern requirements cutting out and sewing on all those small squares, I decided to increase the length of the row-end white strips by at least 1 ½ inches.  To snowball the colored piece, I used those lengthened strips rather than sew on the small squares and then sew on the strip extensions.  This change makes for fewer close small seams all over the resultant quilt.  

The fewer seams makes it easier to press each block flat.  To make the block even flatter, I pressed the diagonal seams open rather than pressing them over. Another change I made was to make all the interspersing white strips longer than the pattern requirements.  By doing that, I was able to sew the tree block together, pressing each row as I sewed.  Then I could square up the unfinished block to 12 ½ inch square rather than attempting to sew a bunch of 12 ½ inch strips together; expecting to make perfectly lined up strips resulting in 14 perfect blocks.  I never get it right if I do that.  I always do better to make the block bigger and then trim it down to the proper size.  This method is also less stressful for me and less stitch ripping and re-sewing.

Here is a picture of my version of the trimmed unfinished Tree Block No. 1, measuring 12 ½ inch square.  13 more to go.


Happy Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New  Year’s Eve.  See you again in 2025.  Be well.  Blessings to you and your family.
 





multi color stripe
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December 2024
ANOTHER TIDBIT ON MODIFYING A QUILT PATTERN


Where did 2024 go?  The older I get; it seems like each year goes by faster than the year before.  I really enjoyed 2024 and I look forward to 2025 being just as special.  I am really excited to be able to attend “The Road to California” quilt show in January 2025.

Recently, I began sewing a quilt called “Spread Joy” that I hope to finish sometime in the new year.   The design includes 14 Christmas Trees, each sewn in eleven 1 ½ inch rows.  As shown in the picture of the pattern, to create the tree shape, the pattern requires alternating green and red strips snowballed on the ends of the colored strip using 1 ½ inch squares. The colored rows are finished with white strips sewn at each end.  The rows of color are interspersed with white strips to build up the tree block to measure 12 ½ x 12 ½ unfinished.

Rather than following the pattern requirements cutting out and sewing on all those small squares, I decided to increase the length of the row-end white strips by at least 1 ½ inches.  To snowball the colored piece, I used those lengthened strips rather than sew on the small squares and then sew on the strip extensions.  This change makes for fewer close small seams all over the resultant quilt.  

The fewer seams makes it easier to press each block flat.  To make the block even flatter, I pressed the diagonal seams open rather than pressing them over. Another change I made was to make all the interspersing white strips longer than the pattern requirements.  By doing that, I was able to sew the tree block together, pressing each row as I sewed.  Then I could square up the unfinished block to 12 ½ inch square rather than attempting to sew a bunch of 12 ½ inch strips together; expecting to make perfectly lined up strips resulting in 14 perfect blocks.  I never get it right if I do that.  I always do better to make the block bigger and then trim it down to the proper size.  This method is also less stressful for me and less stitch ripping and re-sewing.

Here is a picture of my version of the trimmed unfinished Tree Block No. 1, measuring 12 ½ inch square.  13 more to go.


Happy Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New  Year’s Eve.  See you again in 2025.  Be well.  Blessings to you and your family.