Sister's Choice Quilts

A Tip to Speed Up the Block Making Process

As shown in yesterday's post, I have been working on the Granny Square blocks for the Family Reunion sew-along from the Rollin' Along book. For my first block I got up and pressed my seams open for every single seam in those blocks. It took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

For my second block, I pulled out my old-fashioned little wooden seam presser. I used to it flatten each seam to the side rather than open. I paid attention to the direction my seams went, alternating the direction for each row so that the seams would nest. That little stick did a great job of pressing those seams down.

I used it again to flatten the seams after sewing the block rows together. Honestly, it worked fine. And it was so much better than getting up and going to the ironing station so frequently. The block with opposing seams went together in half the time of the block with the open seams.

After a final press with the iron, to my observation, there was no difference in the flatness of the blocks when comparing open seams to nesting seams. In my book, the time-saving factor of using the little wooden seam press and having the seams nest/oppose wins.

I have had my little seam presser stick for years, and do not recall where I got it. I checked on Fat Quarter Shop and they did not have that exact one, but had some in wood or plastic that would achieve the same results.

Current Favorite Sewing Tools

I thought it might be fun to talk about some quilting/sewing tools I have been using lately. I truly believe they are responsible for making my sewing more accurate.

First up is starch. I buy it by the half dozen cans or more at Walmart, where I have found the best prices. If you haven't discovered the benefits of starching your quilting fabric before cutting it out, it might be time to give it a try. I go through two or three cans of it when I prepare my fabric for a new project. There are loads of YouTube tutorials that extol the benefits of starch and explain how to do it. I like the ones by Kimberley Jolly and Lisa Bongean. Starching gives your fabric a body that really enhances cutting and sewing accuracy.

My new CHI iron. Oh my goodness, I love this iron. It supposedly has 400 steam holes. I didn't count them, but I can tell you that it puts out a lot of steam. And the 30-minute-auto-shut-off feature is easy to love too.

These funny things are called tailor's clappers. Mine are made by Riley Blake and are some kind of hardwood. After pressing a seam you lay one on top of the seam and the heat from the pressed fabric passes to the wood and back to the fabric and somehow all that hot goodness makes the seams lie flatter. It really works. I liked it so much I bought another one. And you know something? One of them is noticeably heavier than the other. Bummer, right? I want two equally heavy clappers.

Some of my favorite quilting tools are trim tools. This clever device is a "Cute Cuts" trim tool by Lori Holt. I bought a set of them in various sizes and don't regret the expense one bit. This little tool is perfect for hourglass blocks or blocks such as the one in the picture above. Those blocks come out wonky 100% of the time unless you make them larger and trim them down. With the center, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines clearly marked on the trim tool, your block units will now come out perfect without fail every time.

Any BLocLoc tool you buy is worth it. Flying Geese, Half Square Triangles, Strip Cut Ruler- they are all excellent. They come in many sizes, but for half-square triangles, you can use a larger one and use the markings on it to trim your unit down to the right size. I am using a 3 1/2" tool to trim my HST down to
2 3/4". For flying geese, it is best to have the exact size you are making.

I love my BlocLoc rulers for half-square triangles, but I use triangle paper too.  Back in the 90s I purchased a ton of Thangles triangle papers, because they were new on the market and I wanted to try them. I have since purchased Star Singles triangle papers and Kimberly Jolly's Triangles On A Roll papers and think I prefer them to the Thangles. However, I have a drawer full of Thangles and decided to use them up on a project I am working on that calls for a lot of 3" hsts. I'm sure they are still sold in stores, but you won't get the price I paid back in 1996!

You know how sometimes when you are making a project, you find yourself repeatedly cutting the same size strips of fabric over and over? These Creative Grids rulers come in 2 1/2" and 3 1/2" widths. There are more sizes available, but those are the two that I got, and I love them. No kidding, I grab either of those rulers non stop when I am cutting out fabric for block units. Of course, you can use a bigger ruler, but I love the accuracy of these that are the exact size I want.

You know those projects where you have to trim dozens of corner triangles? It gets tiring to snip each one individually. So, a little trick I learned is to place a number of them on your cutting mat, and with a ruler with the quarter-inch marking clearly visible, line it up and use your rotary cutter to trim a bunch at once. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the tools I have been reaching for a lot lately. If you have a special tool or sewing aid you like, please share in the comments! And if your favorite sewing tool is M & M's, that's fine too.

Another Way To Make Square in Square Units

After I posted on using Fatquartershop's Square in a Square foundation papers yesterday, I got an email from my friend Barbara. She reminded me that there is a ruler/tool that she has used for years to make this unit, and that she didn't see the need to purchase the foundation papers, good as they are.

And you guessed it. I too, own this ruler and forgot I had it. It is Deb Tuckers Square 2 ruler/trim tool. It actually is quite brilliant. It turns out the center square unit for the Square in a Square block is always a very strange, impossible to measure size. Like 3.1576" or something. So, the beauty of using a foundation paper or ruler with the center square already marked for this oddball size is the key to having the units come out perfectly. 

The first step is to cut your center square according to the finished size block you need. This is clearly marked on the ruler. I was making the 3 inch finished unit. Next you cut your triangle units according to the finished size. You get an overly generous measurement because there will be a final trim down. In my case I had to cut the squares for the triangle pieces 2 3/4".

Once you sew the triangles onto the square you use the Deb Tucker tool to trim to the perfect size, which is also marked on her ruler.

Do you see the X marks that you line up at the corner points? Isn't that brilliant? You line all four Xs up then trim around your unit and you will have your exact Square in a Square unit.

I compared my Deb Tucker Square in Square units with my Fatquartershop foundation paper unit and they were 100% exactly the same perfect 3 1/2" unfinished size. 

Plus for those of you who care about these things, you use less fabric with the Deb Tucker method.

Here is the YouTube tutorial for the Deb Tucker Square 2 method. 

Thanks Barbara, for the reminder about this great tool. I love the foundation papers as well, but once you have this ruler, you are pretty much all set. Fatquartershop sells both the ruler and the papers. Links above.

Rough day yesterday, but we are taking things a step at a time.

Machine Binding Went Ok

I tried Vanessa's method for machine stitching binding yesterday and overall was very pleased with how it went. Vanessa is the designer behind Lella Boutique fabric, and has a tutorial on this technique on Instagram. 

Vanessa's method involves Elmer's School Glue, which many of you said you did not and would not do. Other than the glue, a number of people commented that they use her technique with success. A few folks said they never have had success with finishing binding by machine and much prefer the look of hand binding.

I had a very small table topper and decided to just go for it and try Vanessa's method. I know from experience Elmer's School Glue is water-soluble and did not think it would gunk up my machine. Why use glue at all? Well, it actually worked to hold the pressed binding down in place firmly and eliminated the need to use binding clips, which allowed me to stitch along more steadily without a lot of stopping and adjusting clips. I used such a minimal amount of glue. A super-light touch. You definitely do not want blobs of white glue oozing out from underneath your binding. Ugh.

 

I did put a pin at each corner, which you can see in the top photo. I thought it would hold the mitered corner in place better, and sure enough, it worked great. In the photo just above, you can see my stitching on the backside of the quilt. 

And here is the top side of the quilt. You can see that I stitched in the ditch, and it looks pretty darn good. On the backside, there are a couple of places where the stitching just missed the edge of the binding and will need to be tacked in place with a stitch or two by hand. With luck, maybe I will get better at this and not miss the edge next time. 

Overall, this is a great method. Of course, I was working with a super small project which was easy to manipulate through the machine. I am very pleased with how it turned out and will definitely try it again in the future. And honestly, the glue thing was just fine. I preferred it to messing with binding clips.

Do let us know if you tried this method and what you thought!

A Great Tip

Do you struggle to get your quilting books to lie flat? Me too. I have been known to use all sorts of objects to hold my pattern books open while I read the sewing directions. For some reason, the Sampler Spree book seems to be especially stubborn about staying open.

I took matters into my own hands this week and took it to a little hole-in-the-wall photocopy shop in my town. "Can you put a spiral binding on this book for me?" I asked the proprietor. He was a bit flustered at first but said he thought he could do that. He requested that I return in two hours, so I left the book with him. I was hoping he wouldn't ruin the book and also that it wouldn't cost more than I paid for the book to have him put a spiral binding on it! 

I returned in two hours to find that he had done an excellent job and also that he only charged me $5.

Now my book lies perfectly flat while I sew! No more flopping shut, losing my place, or having to weigh it down with heavy objects.

I plan to return to him next week with several other quilting books that I have purchased recently and have him fix those up for me as well. 

Sewcialites Catch Up and Great Tip

I grabbed a couple of hours yesterday and got caught up with my Sewcialites blocks. The most recent ones are the two on the bottom. #20 "Honor" by Lisa Bongean is the tan block on the bottom right. Super easy block (which is a surprise from Lisa!), but I still managed to sew the strips on wrong. My trusty Jack the Seam Ripper sorted it out quickly and all was good.  The black block on the bottom left is #21 "Zest" by Brigitte Heitland. This was another one of those complicated blocks that can simplified. 

You may recall the difficulties I had with #19 "Unity" by Lissa Alexander. That is the red block on the top right. I still think the measurements were off on that block. I remade it later with the tip I am about to share and it turned out so much better.

Anyway, back to "Zest". This block called for corner squares rather than the large corner triangles that I put on. It added seams and bulk and fussiness I thought. Just as I was thinking I would swap it out for something else, I saw a FaceBook post by an Australian woman named Tracy Bes. Did you know the Sewcialites sew-along has a FaceBook group? Well, they do, and now and then someone comes up with a very helpful tip for better block construction. The group is "private", but you just need to request to join it. Once you are approved my link to the tip below will work.

Tracy eliminated 12 seams from Block #21, and I am all for that.  Here is a link to her FaceBook post. I highly recommend you take a look at it if you would like to lessen the difficulty of this block and get better results.

Here is a better photo with the wrinkle pressed out.

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

Thrifty Me

I had a lot of leftovers from my recent Red Pineapple finish. Normally, I am not one to fret about using up leftover fabric, but I had an idea for what to do with them.

I have had foundation paper piecing on my mind lately and purchased a couple of the 6" Log Cabin paper pads from Fatquartershop.com. I LOVE these papers. Years ago, you could not have persuaded me to do paper piecing for love or money, and now I am obsessed with it. The accuracy is amazing and each block turns out just like its sisters. I sure wish they came in a 4" size.  I am also working on some 4" log cabin blocks and using a Creative Grids ruler.  It's going ok, but I sure do prefer the papers.

So I used my leftover French General strips and made a super cute Log Cabin table runner.  I am sending it off to be quilted this week. I doubt I'll get it back in time for Valentine's Day, but I may put it out anyway! It will look so good on my dining room table.

The colossal mess pictured above is my sewing table. I was using my little Fiskars cutting mat to trim the seams after each addition. I realized while I was using it that it is really beat up. I have never had to replace a cutting mat in my entire life of sewing, but I did order myself a new one. I have probably had this one for twelve years or so and have used it constantly for trimming small block units. Replacing it is sure cheaper than replacing the bigger mats on my cutting table, so I don't mind. The small size is so handy, so keep it in mind as a way to save your larger mats.

I had a very productive weekend, but we are commencing back to homeschooling today. My plan is to try to carve out a couple of hours of stitching each afternoon when school's out. Fingers crossed!

Square in a Square Blocks

I always think Square in a Square blocks are one of the most difficult block units to make. There are so many ways to go wrong when attaching the triangles around the sides of the square. And when things go wrong, you have a wonky unit with inadequate seam allowance at your points.

I have had the best luck making these square in a square units using a tool designed by Deb Tucker called the Square Squared® ruler. It has marks on it showing the exact size to make your center square for a variety of sized finished units. The tool has the size for cutting your triangles printed on it as well. You end up with a slightly oversized unit, as you see on the right in the photo above. You then use the ruler to precision cut your final unit with the square perfectly positioned and the exact 1/4" seam allowance at all four of your points. My trimmed unit is on the left.

Deb has a great YouTube tutorial that explains way better than I can, just how to use the tool for perfect Square in a Square blocks.

This tool has been in my collection for at least 10 years, but I sometimes forget I have it and always regret it when I do. My Square in a Square blocks never come out as well.

The reason I was using it the other day was that I didn't care for the most recent Sewcialites Sew Along block offering. (Do you see a pattern here?) I made a substitute block that I preferred and my little block units came out so nicely with the Square Squared tool.

My source for this substitute block pattern was a little "book" of blocks called "The Quick and Easy Block Tool".  It is a funny little thing that reminds me of a book of fabric swatches or wallpaper samples. It is full of great quilt blocks in numerous sizes. I like the small size of it, and find it easy to follow. However, I don't think the book comes in this format anymore.  I found something similar that is an actual book on Amazon.

Hope you all had a great weekend and managed to squeeze some sewing in amidst all the holiday hoopla and preparations.

Sewcialites Binder

Are any of you doing the Fatquartershop's Sewcialites sew-along? I have been enjoying making the blocks and watching the Friday Behind the Seams videos with Kimberly Jolly on YouTube.

Recently, Kimberly announced that her shop had created a binder to corral all the pattern instruction sheets for the project. Being an organization nut, I ordered the binder. Of course, any binder would do, but this one is labeled with the name of the project and is pretty cute.

I picked up some sheet protectors and got everything all assembled. It will be a nice reference for block patterns when the project is finished. Now I want to do this with all my past and current sew-along patterns!

These are my Sewcialites blocks so far. I didn't like one of the week's blocks and substituted the Martha Washington Star block (the purple one) for it.

There are bound to be more blocks I don't care for, so I made another extra one in the Ohio Star pattern. Keep this in mind when you are participating in these sew-alongs. You do you. Don't worry about following along exactly with the crowd. If you don't care for something, swap it out, make it your own.

 

Great Tip for Jelly Rolls and Honey Buns: Lint Control

We are all familiar with Jelly Rolls and Honeybuns, right? If you are not, both are popular pre-cuts offered by fabric companies.  They are super convenient, and there are loads of books and patterns out there with wonderful ideas on how to use them. Pre-cuts are fabrics that are part of a complete designer collection that are cut into specific shapes.  If you buy a pre-cut, you get every piece in the collection, in a particular size package.  Charm packs are 5 inch squares.  Layer cakes are 10 inch squares. Jelly rolls are 2 1/2 inch by 42 inch strips.  Honeybuns are 1 1/2 inch by 42 inch strips.  The edges are pinked, not straight cut.

Which leads us to the main problem with pre-cuts:  the lint issue. Once you take them out of their protective plastic wrapping, the lint from the pinked edges gets everywhere. Every.Where.

I am a big fan of the Moda Fabrics website/blogsite.  You will find great ideas, sew-alongs, free patterns and tons more.  If you don't know it, you really should check it out. One of the more recent ideas shared on their blog was a tip from Moda designer Betsy Chutchian.  Here is her technique for reducing the lint issue. It is in an article about whether or not to pre-wash jelly rolls and honeybuns (no, don't do it, is what I say).

What she does is unwrap the roll and toss it in the clothes dryer on high for about 8 minutes. Stop the dryer, clean out the lint filter and do it again two more times, stopping after 8 minutes and cleaning the lint filter.  There will be a lot of lint.

You would think they would come out in a snarly tangled mess (which they would if you actually washed them). The dryer just kind of fluffs them up and they are not tangled at all.  And the lint has come off.

I got this amount of lint, three times, once for each 8 minute drying cycle.

This is what you are left with.  The heat of the dryer shrinks the length of the strip a tiny bit, maybe a half-inch or so.  But the 1 1/2" width was not affected at all. The lint is gone.  There is a frayed thread or two along the strip, but it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the annoyance of that lint getting everywhere.

And do you know what?  I didn't even need to iron them!  They came out smooth and wrinkle-free.  Now, I wouldn't leave them sit in the dryer after the cycle ended.  I removed them immediately when the dryer stopped.

I think it's a great tip and will do it again when I use jelly rolls and honeybuns!