Sister's Choice Quilts

Half Square Triangles with Easy Angle®

There you see 224 half-square triangles.  These were an absolute breeze to make with the Easy Angle® ruler.  In all the current rage for triangle papers, you may have forgotten about the Easy Angle.  It is the fastest, easiest way to make half-square triangles that I know of.  

My son Ahren gave me a lot of the fabric to make this Holly Berries quilt using Cinnaberry by 3 Sisters.  I had in mind to get it finished by Christmas so he could enjoy it when he visits, but who knows if he will be able to come home from Ireland this December.  At any rate, the pattern calls for 224 four-inch half square triangles.

It was a warm day on Sunday, so I got my fabric all starched* and hung out to dry in the sunshine.  Would you believe that fabric was dry in less than an hour?  What a difference from trying to starch fabric in February and waiting a day and a half for it to dry!  Since the fabric was all starched, dry and ready, I jumped in and cut my 4 inch strips.

The first step in making half-square triangle units with the Easy Angle is to cut strips exactly the unfinished size of your HSTs.  You can cut wider strips, thus making larger half-square triangle units, which you then trim down to your perfect size.  I have often done this in the past, but this time I decided to live dangerously, and just went ahead and cut my strips 4" and hoped for the best.  What you see above is two strips of fabric, a dark and a light, right sides together, which will be cut into units ready to be stacked and stitched.

With the Easy Angle ruler, you just move the tool along the strip, lining the markings up carefully to your desired size and cut. After each cut, you flip the ruler and cut your next unit.  I was using fat eighths cuts of fabric and could cut two 4 inch strips from each, making a total of 16 half-square triangle units from each piece.  I had fourteen lights and fourteen darks.

I swear this process went like lightning, it was so fast.  The photo above shows half my units all stacked up ready to sew together.  The light and dark fabric for each HST is layered together so all I had to do was pick up each unit, make sure the fabrics were still lined up properly and stitch.  I got those 224 units done and dusted while I listened to two book review podcasts.

No trimming, no lines to draw, no papers to pick off.  And every single one I checked was right at 4".  I think the practice of starching fabric before cutting and sewing makes a huge difference in piecing accuracy.  All the same, I was very pleased to re-acquaint myself with my Easy Angle ruler, and get all those half-square triangle units made in no time at all.

You probably have an Easy Angle tossed into one of the drawers in your sewing room.  I encourage you to dig it out and get to know it again.

*NOTE:  I am getting questions in the comments regarding my starching technique.  I use cans of Faultless Heavy Duty Spray Starch to starch my fabric.  I completely saturate the fabric so that it is literally dripping wet with starch.  I dry it on drying racks on my porch.  I buy starch cans by the dozens and go through them really fast.  I use a LOT of starch.  When the fabric dries it is stiff as paper.  I do iron it before cutting.  It is a dream to sew with starched fabric.  Your piecing will never be more accurate as it is with starched fabric.

 

Creative Grids Mask Template

I tried a new mask-making technique and found it so much better than the rectangular ones I had been making. The template is by Creative Grids, and as usual with their tools, it is fantastic.  This mask is more fitted than the rectangular style and scoops out slightly under the eyes so your glasses don't fog up.  Three sizes are included on the template:  child's, women's, and men's.  (S-M-L).  I found it faster and less fussy to make, and much preferred the results to the other style.

I made five of them in no time flat.  The fit is vastly superior to the baggy pleated rectangular style.

There are good instructions that come with the template, but there is also a YouTube tutorial created by Creative Grids that explains things even better.  Shabby Fabrics also has a tutorial that I watched that is very good as well.  Shabby's tutorial is quite long, however.  I made three masks while I watched it.  lol

I purchased my Creative Grids Mask Template on Etsy.com.  I received it in about a week.  There are other acrylic face mask templates out there, but make sure you order the one by Creative Grids.  It has their trademark grippy strips on the underside so the template doesn't slip during cutting.

One tip:  when cutting your mask fabric out using the template, your 45mm rotary cutter works fine on the convex curve.  On the concave curve, I recommend using a smaller 28mm rotary cutter.

Our 4th of July celebration was terrific.  My son in law grilled tri-tip and I brought along a big bowl of potato salad.  His next-door neighbor had really enjoyed the "back of the truck" concert Ryan hosted after his recent wedding, so the neighbor hired the musician to come back and play for the neighborhood again.  We all observed social distancing and placed folding chairs far apart right out in the cul de sac.  It was such fun!

And there's Grover Anderson, singing his heart out from the back of his truck!  We old folks sat and sipped wine, younger couples sipped beer or sodas and all the little kids danced around us while we listened to the music.  It seemed like such a nice community thing for everyone to share.  I hope your weekend was wonderful as well!

Cabin Skein

This little mini quilt is called Cabin Skein.  Designed by Carrie Nelson, her explanation for the name is that a group of flying geese is called a "skein".  Since the quilt involves both Log Cabin Blocks and Flying Geese, she thought the name was appropriate.  The pattern is in a book called Moda All Stars Mini Marvels.  

Making the quilt is a cinch, particularly if you have certain sewing tools to make trimming your blocks to the correct size.  I used the BlocLoc Flying Geese trim tool in the 1" x 2" (1 1/2 x 2 1/2" unfinished) size, and the Creative Grids 4 inch Log Cabin Trim Tool.  My little block units came out just the right size with these sewing aids.  

As for the fabrics, they were honestly all from my stash.  There is a mix of Jo Morton, Renee Nanneman and Pam Buda for sure, others as well.  My taste in orange tends to run towards the rusty side of orange, so I was drawn to those shades.  Renee Nanneman comes out with a black and orange collection every couple of years and I always buy it.  This one was called Harvest Moon I think.  She designs for Andover Fabrics. If you Google "Harvest Moon fabric by Renee Nanneman", you might just find it.

This little quilt is about 20" square and was so much fun to make.  I got it done in no time, mainly because I couldn't stay away from making those blocks once my Log Cabin trim tool arrived in the mail.

I will send this off to my quilter, along with a full-size Halloween themed quilt I made a couple of years ago.  That was "Lucy" another Carrie Nelson pattern.  I decided to add a black containment border and an orange print border to make it big enough to hang over the sides of my queen-sized bed.  I am just waiting on getting the border fabric and I will be good to go.

I'll share a picture when I get the borders on!

Have a great weekend everyone.

I Couldn't Just Make One...

My new 4 inch Creative Grids Log Cabin Trim Tool arrived Tuesday afternoon and first thing Wednesday morning I was up and at it.  My first block was completed by 7:30 AM.  Do you think I could stop with one?  No, I could not.  Have you ever seen anything so cute?

Unfortunately, I had things to do, so I only could get 12 made.  I'll make four today, for the total needed of 16, and start assembling this little table topper.  I have plenty of fabric, I  may have to make another for a gift.  Or, I could maybe make a Christmas one?  Now I'm talking.

But, my little paper pieced stars are calling to me too.  I'm like a girl who is secretly dating two guys at the same time.  Excited, but feeling guilty whenever I am with one of them instead of the other.

Ruler Organizer and Mother's Day Haul

This little blue gadget is called "Your Nest Organizer" and is one of my most appreciated sewing accessories. It is a little rubbery gizmo with slots that perfectly hold rulers and other notions.  I use mine to hold smaller rulers that I am frequently grabbing for a project I am working on.  I hate having three or four rulers laying on my cutting table surface, taking up space, yet never right where I need them when I reach for them.  This invention corrals everything neatly together in one place.  It is hard to tell, but I think I must have at least six or seven plastic rulers, instructions and other tools on it.

For Mother's Day, my generous son gave me a gift certificate to Fatquartershop.com.  My order finally arrived yesterday, taking nearly a month to get to me.  They say they are short-staffed during COVID-19, but this sort of delay in delivery is pretty unprecedented.  I got a big spool of Aurifil thread, one of those new Olfa Endurance rotary cutter blades that last forever (they really do) and a fat eighth bundle of a 3 Sisters collection called Cinnaberry.

I have a plan in mind for this that I'd love to execute before Christmas.

I have a lot of irons in the fire right now, so we shall see if this gets made!  I love the simple elegance of the design and color scheme.

Square in a Square and Hourglass Quilt Block Units

I enjoyed making Week 8's blocks for the Piecing the Past sew-along.  It gave me a chance to re-visit my favorite ways to make two common (but tricky) block units.  Those being, the Square in a Square unit and the Hourglass unit.  

For the Square in a Square unit, my favorite method is actually to use a ruler.  The ruler I like is the Square Squared ruler.  I found a fantastic YouTube tutorial by Ruth's Stitchery to refresh my memory on how to use it.  Do watch the tutorial, she explains things so clearly. The ruler was invented by Deb Tucker for 180 Design, and Fatquartershop.com actually has a pretty good price on it.  You can make units from 1" up to 6" (finished size).  The reason a ruler is helpful for this unit is that the center square is a very odd measurement and a template or paper piecing has been the best way to achieve it.  The ruler has the center square all marked out for easy cutting.  You also trim the unit down to the precise size after constructing it, using the cutting guides on the ruler. I highly recommend this ruler for making this fussy block unit.  If you do buy one from FQS, just know they are seriously backlogged on getting their orders shipped right now.

For the Hourglass units, I used Monique Dillard's foolproof method of making the units for constructing the Hourglass block.  She has a ruler called the FIt to Be Quarter ruler that takes all the mystery out of this block unit.  She has complete instructions on how to make just about any size Hourglass unit.  The trimming is easy peasy with her ruler.

My blocks for the project are coming along well.

Hope your week got off to a good start!

 

 

Scrap Quilt

Greetings fellow shut-ins.  Hope you all had a good weekend.  We cleaned the house from top to bottom, spent a lot of time on the front porch, planted some summer annuals, and got in a wee bit of sewing.

I tidied the sewing room as part of the cleaning effort, and somehow the project box with my Scrapbusting blocks ended up on the top of the pile.  I listened to book review podcasts while I stitched up a few more blocks. I will actually be really happy to use up this fabric, which has been taking up a lot of space in my stash bins.

To refresh your memory, the instructions for this block can be found at Border Creek Station, Ontario, Canada.  They call the project "Bust That Stash", and it is their 2020 Stashbusting Challenge.  There are so many ways to put these blocks together.

I have been using this BlocLoc Strip Set Ruler to cut out my little sections for the four patch units.  It certainly does keep your units nice and straight.  There is a groove in the ruler that nestles right into the seam "ditch", which keeps things perfectly lined up.

I think the Typepad issues are mostly worked out by now.  The technician suggested I publish my post manually, so it had to wait until I got up this morning at 6:00 rather than posting at 4:00 PDT as usual.  With luck I will be back on schedule tomorrow as usual!

My Latest Distraction

My latest distraction from reorganizing my sewing room is this little mini quilt in the Corn and Beans block.  I got my little pieces all cut out and sorted with my Alphabitties.  If you don't have Alphabitties, you might want to consider adding some to your collection of sewing notions.  They are double sided plastic squares labeled with the letters of the alphabet, so you can keep multiple block units all clearly organized.  There is nothing worse than grabbing your C triangles, when the ones you meant to sew together were the F and G triangles.  These little squares help you out with that.

This is as far as I got yesterday.  Today I hope to finish the border of flying geese and maybe even get it quilted.

Yesterday was a big day.  I got new canvas covers for my retractible awnings that shade my front and back porches.  One of them in particular was completely shredded in the bad storms we had this past winter.  They are colossally expensive, but have a ten year warranty, so we should be good for awhile.  

It was such a gorgeous day I sat outside with my book instead of sewing.  There is always tomorrow...

Killing Time with New Projects and Tools

While I wait patiently (not) for my extra materials for the Sweet Escape project, I have been passing the time by playing with some new projects and tools.  Some time ago I purchased a Creative Grids ruler called the Curvy Log Cabin Tool.  I got the six inch size, but it comes in 4 inch and 8 inch block sizes.

The concept is the same as their regular Log Cabin trim tool, but with the Curvy, you use strips of two different widths to create the curved effect.  If you google Curved Log Cabin quilts, or look on Pinterest, you will see all sorts of wonderful results people have gotten using this tool.

One tip that I learned from this tool is how to get a center square that is dead on perfectly square.

There is a little guide for you to use to cut your center square, and (this is the cool part) the tool has four little holes where you can take your pen and make dots to follow as a stitching guide!

I have learned that if you go awry with that first center square, your block is going to look wonky, even if it measures square once you get all the strips attached.

This picture is before trimming the strips.  You can see that little center square is perfect.

The ruler has marked squares that show you where to line up the center square and seam lines for accurate trimming.  You trim the narrower strips first, then flip the block and the ruler around to trim the wider strips.

I have in mind that I will make a table runner with twelve or sixteen of these blocks.  It takes four blocks to make the pattern shown in my first picture at the top of the post, and four blocks to make this design:

Both designs are fun, but I am leaning towards the circular one.

Hope you had a great weekend!  Mine was pretty quiet.  It stopped raining and the sun came out, which was a great novelty.  I also got some St. Patrick's Day flowers.  It is mostly greenery, but I still like it.

Comparing Pineapple Rulers

I've spent several days comparing two pineapple rulers.  One, the Creative Grids Pineapple Ruler, I have used before and really liked.  It recently came to my attention that Bloc Loc makes a Pineapple Ruler as well, and on impulse I ordered one.  I'll give you my opinions in this post, which is very photo heavy.

Both rulers have YouTube tutorials, but the Bloc Loc lady is left handed which I found very confusing when she did her video.  The Creative Grids video is clear as can be.

You can see that they differ considerably in appearance.  

With the Creative Grids ruler, you trim the even numbered rows like this:

The ruler has little squares for each even round.  You place the square for the round you are on over the center square, taking care to line up the dotted lines that appear throughout the ruler with your seam lines.  There is also a white diagonal line that helps you be sure your center square is square and not tilted.  You can trim two sides at once with the ruler in one position.  Flip it and trim the other two sides.

When trimming the odd numbered rounds (in this case, the white strips), you do have to trim each side individually.  You don't worry about lining up the squares now, but pay attention to the dotted lines and a 45 degree line at the top of the ruler.

You add squares to the corners when the block is as big as you want it (4", 5" and 6" are your options with this ruler).  Use the ruler to square up your block perfectly.

I was pleased with how the blocks came out, with only the most minuscule distortion.  

With the Bloc Loc ruler, there seems to be a lot more trimming.  The ruler "locks" in place along your seam line, and you just need to line your center square in a square unit up with the 90 degree angle lines that are marked on the ruler.  My seam ripper is pointing to one of these lines.  There is another one running down the left side of the white square in a square block.  You trim the excess fabric on the top right.  You have to do this with all four sides of the block.  So, four cuts.

Then you have to trim your strips down, all four sides.  Four more cuts.  And good grief if you forget this step (which I did every now and then), you will be doing some un-sewing.

So far, I am thinking there is a lot more passes with the rotary cutter to get each round to size with the Bloc Loc compared to the Creative Grids.  Creative Grids:  4 trims per round.  Bloc Loc: 8 trims per round.

Now let's talk about block size.  There are two Creative Grids Pineapple rulers available.  I have the smaller one, which gives you blocks that are 4", 5" or 6".  All my fabric strips were cut to 1 1/4".  There is a larger size for making 6", 8", or 10" blocks.  For the larger blocks you would cut your strips a bit larger.

For the Bloc Loc ruler, you choose your tool based on the width of the strip you want to end up with.  I chose a ruler that gave me the option of having one inch strips or 1/2" strips.  If you want strips of a different size you must purchase more rulers.  

With the Creative Grids  tool, all strips are the same width (1/2") for the three block size options.  If you opt for the larger size choice, I believe your finished strips are 1".  With the Bloc Loc, you can use strips of any size wider than 1 1/4".  Since you have to trim down the strips in each round anyway, it is a great use of leftover strips from other projects.

The plus with the Bloc Loc ruler is that you can make your pineapple block as big as you want to.  You are not limited to a size.  If you want a big pineapple block, just keep adding strips.  You might think the ruler is too short to make a big block, but all you have to do is slide the ruler along the seam line to get to the end of your cut.

I made a nice big block, and as you can see, there is a fair amount of distortion.  The block is askew.  I was dismayed by this and thought I should try again and be more careful as I trimmed.  I made a second big block, and it was just as crooked.  I am thinking maybe it wouldn't be so noticeable if I had made a smaller block.

My final opinion is that I preferred the Creative Grids Pineapple ruler over the Bloc Loc.  My reasons for liking it better is that 1) there isn't as much trimming per round and 2) the block came out straighter, 3)  there are more lines on the Creative Grids tool for squaring up the block for better accuracy.