Sister's Choice Quilts

About Those Plate Blocks

Several people asked me about the pattern for the plate blocks.  I had started this project quite a few years ago, using an old Gai Perry book, "Quilted Gems".

That is where the idea came from anyway.  I did not at all use the method Gai did in her book.  She used an octagon template for the center of each plate block, and pieced triangles for the half square triangle units and the plate center corner squares.  Oh dear.  Those methods seem so out of date don't they?  The book was published in 2003 by C&T Publishing, and is no longer in print, although you can get used versions for next to nothing on Amazon.com.  The book is full of wonderful ideas for projects, and is worth having, even if you change up the construction methods as I did.

Here is what I did to make the 11" plate blocks:

Cut out one 5 1/2" center square in a contrasting fabric for the plate center. 

Cut out four 3 x 5 1/2" rectangles, two 3 7/8" squares and four 2 1/8" squares from the fabric you want the outside of the plate to be.

Cut out two 3 7/8" squares of background.

Draw diagonal stitching lines on the four 2 1/8" squares and position them on the 5 1/2" square for stitching.  Stitch on the drawn line.  Draw diagonal lines on the background square and position it right sides together on the print fabric for the half square triangle units.  Stitch one quarter inch from the drawn line on both sides. 

After stitching, trim the triangles from the 5 1/2" block corners and flip open and press.  Cut the 3 7/8" squares apart on the drawn line.  Open and press to the darker fabric.

Your half square triangle units are oversized.  Trim them down to 3".

Lay the nine pieces out as shown and sew together.

And there is your finished plate block!

I will probably stop with eight blocks and make a table runner.  The blocks will have a cream colored lattice to separate the "plates" and show them off a bit better.  The book shows a version done in various blue and white "chintz" style prints.  Those plates look like a set of Blue Willow tea set dishes!

 

It's a Save! And Where I Went Wrong.

All my Kaleidoscope blocks have been trimmed down to 5 1/2 inches, everything lines up perfectly, I can see the secondary circular pattern emerging, and I think it is safe to say this endangered quilt has been saved!  Trimming things makes the quilt smaller, obviously, so I plan to add at least two, maybe four more rows of nine blocks. 

 I am using a ruler called the Kaleidoscope Smart Plate.  It is actually an excellent tool.  However, the instructions were a bit confusing to me (not necessarily the designer's fault).  The premise of the tool is that instead of cutting out isosoles triangles and sewing the wedges together, you make pinwheel blocks, trim them to size, then use the ruler to cut your octogon shapes.

Notice that at the top and right of the photo, you can trim the white fabric into kind of a kite shape.  This saves you from having to sew on corner triangles.  Very clever, really.  The print fabric gets trimmed straight off, leaving you with a block that looks like this:

This is the eight piece block.  You also need to make twelve piece blocks, that do get corner triangles sewn on.

So, here is where I went wrong.

1). I did not trim my pinwheel blocks down to the correct size.

2).  When I sewed the corner squares on, I assumed I was using the draw line/sew on line/flip the corner up method.  What I should have done is cut the squares once diagonally and just sew the triangles on the block to form corners.  Not doing that caused me to have seam allowances on the twelve piece blocks that were 1/4" off.  As someone pointed out, my corner triangles were way too large.

See?  The block above is done right, the block below on the right has corner triangles that are too big.

I will talk more about the Kaleidoscope Smart Plate ruler, but right now I am just going to go do a happy dance that this problem was sorted out, thanks to all my wonderful math savvy, non-spatially challenged readers who gave me advice!

 

 

Small Star Block Options

You know I love to show you all how human I am when it comes to my sewing.  I make mistakes every now and then just like anyone else, and sometimes I do have to laugh at myself at how dingy I can be.

When I took the Victory Star class, the instructor, Paula Barnes, gave us options on methods to construct the small stars that are in the quilt border.  Usually when I make this block, I like to make Flying Geese units for the top, bottom, and side star points.  Four Flying Geese per block, four small squares for the corners and a larger square for the center. 

Paula wanted us to switch things up and make the block with eight half square triangle units in place of the four Flying Geese.  We didn't have to do it this way, it was just another way to do it.

I don't like the seam that goes through those top, bottom and side units.  So, I was determined to make   Flying Geese  that had, in my opinion, a cleaner look.  The block above was what I made in the class, and when I looked at it later, I realized I had used the wrong background fabric anyway.  Oh well, I wasn't going to use the block so it wasn't a big deal.

I got busy figuring out what size Flying Geese units I needed to end up with.  1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches.  Then, I wanted to use my Fit To Be Geese ruler, so I needed to find the instructions as to how big to cut my fabric pieces.  That involved turning the sewing room upside down.  Why I can never seem to put that piece of paper back in the same place after I use it is a mystery.  Finally, I was all ready to make a sample star block using the trimmed down Fit To Be Geese method.  Isn't it adorable?  And I used the wrong background fabric again.  Argggh.  This time I had fully intended to use the block, one out of 24 total, and was quite annoyed with myself for wasting time and fabric.

I got busy again and made another block, before I totally forgot what I was doing.

Yes.  Finally this block looks like it is supposed to.

This is another lesson on what happens when you put a project away to languish in the closet for years on end.  You completely forget what you are doing and make a hash of things!

Learn What Your Machine Can Do

I learn stuff all the time from other bloggers.  The most recent awesome and truly useful tip came from a post by Camille Roskelley of Simplify.  This tip has to do with a stitch many of you  may have on your sewing machines that can be very effectively used in  machine quilting.

This is the stitch.  It is a wavy stitch that is positively brilliant for machine quilting.  I was just practicing it on a scrap of fabric and batting I had on hand, this isn't a real project.  Here, don't look at my crummy photo, go check out Camille's post (which is full of fabulous information):  http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/2013/01/things.html

Can't you just imagine all sorts of ways you could use this in your small machine quilted projects?  I am so excited to use it next time I make a Schnibbles quilt.

Here's how I did it.

Use your walking foot.

On my Bernina, this is the stitch button I chose.  The tip of my scissors is pointing to it--"4".

My control panel then shows the following information.

VERY IMPORTANT:  You must fiddle around with lengthening the stitch length.  It will be way too short at first.  I increased my stitch length to about 2.5

You will need to practice a bit, but I found it super easy to do and loved the results.  I used it in the lattice of my student's charity baby quilt. 

Sorry for the poor picture quality.  One of these days I am going to get a decent camera.

I'm A Curvy Girl After All

I didn't give up!  You Dear Readers were so encouraging about having me continue to try to make this block, and gave me all kinds of good advice!   I went out and bought a book on making the Winding Ways block, and got some great tips and tricks that had me making nice blocks in no time.  The book, Winding Ways Quilts, is written by Nancy Elliott MacDonald and is available on Amazon.com.  The author claims her method is practically pinless, and she isn't lying.  You hardly pin at all.

When I had my less than successful previous experience trying to make this block, I was using templates designed by Marti Michell.  The templates are good, and I continued to use them after I learned a few lessons from Nancy's book.  My biggest issue wasn't sewing the curved seams, but attaching one half of the block to the other.  At the center point, I found there was too thick a layer of fabrics coming together to get a nice center point.

The narrow template that runs through the center of the block is above.  You are supposed to cut a total of four units for each block.  With the instructions given with the templates, one is instructed to sew two of the pieces together and make one long piece that connects the two halves of your block. With a bulky seam at the center. 

The brilliant idea from the book is that for one of the center pieces, you place the template on the FOLD and cut.  You then end up with one long unit with no center seam.  Love it.  I marked the seam allowance (which you don't want on this piece) with some pink plastic tape, placed the edge of the tape on the fold and cut away.  For the other two center units, you do not place the template on the fold, but cut normally, and end up with two units.  So, instead of four center units, you have three:  two short ones and one long one.

You sew the two shorter center units to connect the shield shaped sections.  You end up with two halves just like the one shown above. (My stitches look a little wobbly there.  I guess I was nervous!) 

Next, you attach the one long center section (that you cut on the fold) to one half of the block.  One nice thin piece of fabric, with no nasty seams to get in the way.  Pin at the center and sew.

Now you are ready to sew the two halves of the block together, and things will lay nice and flat and smooth.  Getting that seam out of my way made such a difference.  You do have to be careful about sewing with a scant 1/4" seam allowance though.  You can see how little fabric there is at the center of the block, so you want to go slow and easy when you are stitching.

Woo hoo!  Flat and smooth on the back.

And flat and smooth on the right side.  I am so happy I stuck with this.  I am going to have a Winding Ways quilt after all!

And just so you know that no new fabrics were placed at risk in this experiment:  I used leftover scraps I had saved from a couple of previous blue and white quilts I had made.  A free quilt Friends!  Shop at home.

Curved Piecing Ahead

 (Winding Ways picture off the Internet) 
One of the things I love about blogging is the people I connect with every day.  And Connections=Ideas and Inspiration.

 (Winding Ways picture off the Internet)
I got a comment from Sharon of Grass Roots Quilting yesterday.  That isn't too unusual, Sharon is a very cool woman who frequently stops by my blog and leaves a chatty, friendly comment.  Typically I try to respond to whatever she has to say, but this time, I clicked on the link to her blog to see what she was up to.

 (Winding Ways picture off the Internet)
Well, it turns out, Sharon is trying out some curved piecing.  She got access to an Acuquilt machine and cut out pieces for a Drunkard's Path quilt in less than one minute.  Seriously, she cut out pieces for 24 blocks in 30 seconds. 

She also made her first few blocks while sipping a glass of red wine, which seems very appropriate for those occasions when one makes Drunkard's Path blocks.  Truly, I sense a kindred spirit in Sharon.

Anyway, checking out Sharon's blog reminded me that I have been wanting to make a quilt with curved piecing in the blocks.  A baby quilt, don't you know.  Now, as much as I love the Drunkard's Path block, it just seems wrong to make a *baby* quilt with it.  However, I purchased the templates for the Winding Ways block a few months ago, and the package never even made it to my sewing room, but languished on my desk for all this time.

 

Since I don't have access to an Acuquilt cutter, I am going to have to use these templates.  I thought about making this block all day long while I was at work, and as soon as I got home, I cracked one out.  Honestly, it did not take long and was fun to make.  Challenging (only because I don't do it everyday), but it went together like a dream.

 
My thought is to make equal numbers of blocks with light backgrounds/blue stars and blue backgrounds/light stars.  My goal is to get that fabulous circular secondary pattern that the really great Winding Ways quilts have.

 
This is the quilt that got me wanting to make a Winding Ways quilt.  Photographed at Life's A Stitch in Janesville, IL, last September.  It is such a cool design.  You almost have to look slightly away for the circular pattern to emerge.  Love it.

 

 

Tools of the Trade

Thanks to all of you who gave me such great suggestions for making the paper piecing of Half Square Triangle units easier.  I have tried shortening my stitch length and that made a big difference.  Now I need some larger needles!  I will try out some of the other ideas for ripping the paper off and see how I do.

Here is a little tip I can can pass along in return.  I love my Precision Trimmer ruler.  I use it for my non paper pieced half square triangles.

 
You just align your block with the diagonal seam on the diagonal line, and the edges on the solid line and trim away.  Perfect HSTs every time.

If your block units are accurate, your blocks will go together like a dream!

Here is a picture of the ruler.  I know it looks upside down, but this is the orientation for the way I use it.  See the diagonal lines?  See the solid lines and the measurement notations?

 

This is how you use it when making Hour Glass units.

 
The diagonal markings have a little circle that you line up exactly dead center, where all your points come together.  In an ideal world, the dotted diagonal lines also will line up with your seam lines.

Trim the right side and the top, move your block around and reposition the ruler to trim the other two sides.

 
Perfect Hour Glass block!  Love that ruler.  If you don't have one, well, you should!

Have a lovely day everyone!

 

Martinique For Real

I picked this pattern up recently, both because I liked the look of it, and because it is jelly roll friendly.  Then I realized that the designer had featured the new fabric collection Martinique by 3 Sisters for Moda!

Every season 3 Sisters reliably comes out with a great new collection.  Martinique is their Spring offering and some stores have pre-cuts for sale already.  The fabric on the bolt is expected in stores by March.  You can pre-order on Fatquartershop.com.  Check out my link to United Notions (Moda) and see the entire collection.  Beautiful.

This fabric collection reminds me somewhat of Sea Side Rose also by 3 Sisters (from a couple of years ago), which  has a similar beachy look.  If you took out the red and the brown, and just used the aquas, pinks, and creams, you could totally recreate this quilt I made awhile back.

 

Or, if you just used the red and brownish grey fabrics, you could make a quilt that would coordinate with Rouenneries beautifully.  Now, isn't that a good idea?  I love having similar color family quilts together in a room for a real decorator touch.

Now, I have to show the photo I had up yesterday again.

 

Notice this book?  This book is the hottest thing out there right now.  Fabric shops are sponsoring groups to make the quilts in the book, Fatquartershop has a club where you can join in and make four quilts a year featuring new fabric collections and patterns from the book.  Scrap Basket Surprises by Kim Brackett, a fellow blogger!  Magnolia Bay Quilts.  Go say hi and congratulations to Kim!  She's one of us, only more brilliant and entrepreneurial.   Her book is full of wonderful ideas for 2 1/2" strips.  I have a rule that before I will buy a book there have to be two or three patterns in it *at least* that I want to make someday.  No problem with Scrap Basket Surprises.  I am having difficulty deciding on which quilt to make first.

Go check out Quilt Hollow and see the amazing quilt Mary made from the book.  It is called Kitchen Sink, and when you see it, you will want to make one too.  I have been trying to figure out what to do with my Morris Garden and Morris Workshop fabrics for over a year now, and this may be the answer....

Another Way To Do It

Hi there everyone.  Have a good weekend?  Me too.  While I was puttering around in my sewing room, fondling all the lovely cream colored strips my swap partners have been sending me for the Red and White Snowball challenge, I had an idea.

The swap strips are five inches wide, correct?  The pattern calls for 3 inch squares to make the half square triangles and 2 1/2 inch squares for the solid squares.   How could I use my five inch swap strips to the best advantage?

What if I used a different method for making half square triangles out of 2 1/2 inch strips?  Instead of cutting 3 inch squares, drawing a line, stitching and cutting in half?

I cut one of my 5 x 42 inch swap strips in half.  Then I cut the 42 inch strips in half so I had four strips 21" x 2 1/2".

 

I layered one light strip with one red strip, right sides together.

 

Then, I got out my fabulous Easy Angle ruler and started cutting triangles.  This tool allows you to make 2 1/2 inch half square triangles out of 2 1/2 inch fabric strips.  (Or 3 inch HSTs out of 3 inch strips, or  1 1/2 inch HSTs out of 1 1/2 inch strips etc etc).  Fabulous tool.  Comes in two different sizes, small and large.  I used the small size.

 

 

I got 12 half square triangles out of one 21 x 2 1/2 inch strip combo.

 

Stack them up and sew.

 

I use my Angler 2 guide on the throat plate of my sewing machine, so there is no marking necessary.  If you don't have the Angler 2, don't worry, just sew your 1/4 seam using your presser foot as a guide. 

 

And Bob's your uncle, you have 12 perfect little 2 1/2 inch half square triangles.  And with this method, you end up with a "dog ear" on just one corner of the square, so there is less trimming.  And no drawing lines.

You will need 40 2 1/2 inch red strips and 40 2 1/2 inch light strips to make 480 half square triangles with this method.

 

Use your remaining 2 1/2 inch red and light strips to make your strip units as directed in the pattern instructions.  (36 2 1/2 inch strips each of the reds and the lights).

I think this method makes better use of the fabric strips.  Otherwise, you are wasting fabric when you cut the strips 3 inches wide as the pattern instructions call for.  And I don't know about you, but I get really tired of drawing those stitching lines on hundreds of fabric squares.

Just another idea!

 

Color Catchers

When we were discussing pre-washing our fabrics earlier this week, I forgot to mention something important.  There is a product I use when I wash my quilts for the first time, that helps protect the quilt against color bleeding.  It is called Color Catcher. 

I have said many times that I do not pre-wash my fabrics before cutting and sewing.  That being said, some times red fabric in particular makes me a teensy bit nervous.  Of all the colors, it seems somehow the most likely one to bleed or run into other fabrics when washed.  When I am piecing with fat quarters, I just go ahead and cut and sew without the extra step of pre-washing.  So far so good.  However, sometimes red means taking some precautions.

Recently I chose the red fabric pictured above to be the backing for my Opening Day/Roman Holiday quilt, which is pretty light overall. 

 

Wouldn't it be awful if that red backing bled onto the lovely lightness of the quilt top?  Oh my.  Yes it would. 

On the recommendation of Debbie, my friend who owns Prairiequeens Quilt Shop, I pre-washed the red backing fabric before the quilt top was quilted.  I used a product called Color Catcher, to magically prevent any bleeding of the red fabric onto the wonderfulness of my quilt top.  This product, is so sensational, I want to urge you all to get some and try it out.  You toss a sheet of it into the washing machine when you first wash a quilt, or when you  pre-wash a fabric you have worries about bleeding.

 

If you go back and have a look at my first photo at the top of this post, you will see a pinkish stained sheet on top of the washed red fabric.  That sheet is the Color Catcher, tinged with the pink that bled out of my red backing fabric!  It magically took on all the dye that could have otherwise mooshed onto lighter fabrics of the quilt top!!!  A miracle?  Maybe.

You may want to give this product a try. (Please do it).  I always use it when I wash a quilt for the first time, and you would be amazed to see what the sheets pick up.  Give it a try.  We can bluster that we don't bother to pre-wash, but this is a product that serves us very well that deserves some recognition.

You can find it in the laundry aisle of your supermarket.  I bet places like WalMart, KMart and Target would have it as well.