Sister's Choice Quilts

Seam Press Tools

We've been talking recently about block accuracy and getting nice flat blocks when we sew. The object in the photo above is called a Wool Presser Bar, designed for pressing seams nice and flat. The grey part is made of wool, which is covering a block of rounded wood.


When you press your seams open on it, they seem to lie flatter and press easiee and better. I bought mine at Fat Quarter Shop for $27. It is twelve inches long and works great for the size blocks I make and smaller block units. Once you press the seam open, you can use the device as a "clapper" and place it on top of your ironed seam to make it go even flatter.

It came to my attention recently when watching a Lisa Bongean YouTube video, that she sells a similar (but much simpler device) that achieves just about the same results. Her seam pressing device is called The Strip Stick and is much less expensive. Various sizes are offered from 8 to 45 inches and priced from around $10 to $20.

As you can see, this device is a lot less elaborate than the Wool Presser Bar and cannot be used as a clapper to further flatten the seam. However, if you want a cheaper version of a seam press tool, this could be for you. 


I finished 12 of my green churn dash blocks, and have 12 more to go. I did use my seam pressing devices to get the seams pressed open nice and flat. Lisa Bongean has a YouTube video up with a tutorial on how she makes these easy blocks. 

Hope your week is going great! Temps are a lot cooler and we are enjoying the porches again.

 

Seam Press Tools

We've been talking recently about block accuracy and getting nice flat blocks when we sew. The object in the photo above is called a Wool Presser Bar, designed for pressing seams nice and flat. The grey part is made of wool, which is covering a block of rounded wood, which is mounted on a flat wooden base.


When you press your seams open on it, they seem to lie flatter and press easier and better. I bought mine at Fat Quarter Shop for $27. It is twelve inches long and works great for the size blocks I make and smaller block units. Once you press the seam open, you can use the device as a "clapper" and place it on top of your ironed seam to make it lie even flatter.

It came to my attention recently when watching a Lisa Bongean YouTube video, that she sells a similar (but much simpler device) that achieves just about the same results. Her seam pressing tool is called The Strip Stick and is much less expensive. Various sizes are offered from 8 to 45 inches and priced from around $10 to $20.

As you can see, this device is a lot less elaborate than the Wool Presser Bar and cannot be used as a clapper to further flatten the seam. However, if you want a cheaper version of a seam press tool, this could be for you.

This is a sewing tool I never knew I needed until I tried it! It makes pressing seams open a lot easier. Either version would achieve that result.


I finished 12 of my green churn dash blocks, and have 12 more to go. I did use my seam pressing devices to get the seams pressed open nice and flat. Lisa Bongean has a YouTube video up with a tutorial on how she makes these easy blocks. 

Hope your week is going great! Temps are a lot cooler and we are enjoying the porches again.

 

Tips For Accurate Piecing

When it comes to accurate piecing, there is a lot of talk about accurate cutting and an accurate scant quarter-inch seam allowance. It is absolutely true that if you don't have those two things going for you, your piecing will not be accurate. However, there are a few other pointers I'd like to share that have helped me achieve more accurate units for my quilt blocks. Keep in mind, these tips are just things that have helped me. The quilt police aren't going to come knocking if you choose not to do these things. 

I am a firm believer in starching my fabric before sewing. I use Faultless Heavy Finish Starch from Walmart and go through countless cans when prepping my fabric. The idea is to really saturate the fabric, let it dry naturally, and iron it flat before cutting it. The fabric won't be floppy and linty anymore. It will be like sewing with little paint chips or light cardboard. I believe starching really adds to accuracy in sewing.  It also shrinks the fabric ever so slightly in one direction, which isn't really an issue. Just be aware that will happen.

I also think it is important to check the size of your pieced units prior to sewing them into a block. Often they will be "off" just a smidgen, but those smidgens add up. Many people (including me) like to make their block units just a bit too big, then trim down to size. You can use any old ruler for checking size and trimming the unit, but there are a number of speciality rulers that I have collected over time that I really like to use. The hourglass trim tool above is Cute Cuts by Lori Holt. They come in a slew of sizes and I have them from 2 1/2" up to 16 1/2"! Like I said, I didn't buy them all at once, that is for sure. You can line up the corner seams and the center and trim the excess away for a unit that is dead on accurate. There are tools for trimming Flying Geese units and Half Square Triangle units as well. I like the BlocLoc brand, but there are others way less expensive.


Press your seams open for a flat block. Use a wool pressing mat for even better results. Oh, and I am a big fan of steam, lots of it. I never used to bother with pressing seams open, but now that I do it nearly all the time, my blocks are so much more precise.


Use a clapper. No, that doesn't mean to have the kids stand in the doorway and cheer you on. A clapper is a wooden block that you place on a freshly ironed block or block unit. The wood absorbs the heat and some kind of magic happens that makes your seams lie even flatter. I swear by these ever since I discovered them.


Pin. I have always been a pinner. I watch quilters like Jessica Dayon who get great-looking blocks without pinning or even ironing after every step, but I am not that good. I need to pin to get those points to come out and to have my seams line up just right. 

Hope you got something out of this post that might help you with more accurate piecing.


Did you notice that there might be a new project in the works?

 

 

 

Some Sewing, Very Little Trimming

I spent some time over the weekend trying to find the Olfa Ergonomic Rotary Cutter I bought in 2014, but was completely unable to find it. Where do rotary cutters go to die? At any rate, I had to purchase a new one since my hand is still hurting me.

Here is a tip that may be useful to some of you who might want to purchase one of these RTY-2/DX model Olfa rotary cutters: the prices are all over the place. Olfa lists them for $34.99. Fat Quarter Shop has them for $30.99. Amazon has them for $17.99. You can probably guess which one I opted to buy.

The good news is, it cuts like "buttah" and is very easy to use. The only trimming I did was to trim down the seam allowance on my paper pieced square in a square units. The final trimming I can do when my thumb isn't so sore.


Part of my problem when using the regular cutter was pressing too hard, and the other thing was the repetitive motion of using my thumb over and over to open and close the blade. I am a stickler for closing it each time and that has taken a toll on my thumb muscle. 

I figured that maybe I couldn't trim much, but I could still sew and work on getting these block units done. I worked on the square and square units, and the flying geese units. 


I got through quite a few units and once my hand isn't so sore I will get them trimmed up and made into blocks. For now, I am stashing the components for each block into a little sandwich baggie.


And I have a whole project box full of baggies!


I actually won't have to make all the blocks because the center medallion I made of the little vampire ghost and witch will replace a bunch of them. All in all, I am getting there!


I will be glad to wrap this project up, because I am very tempted to start something new...



You know how that goes!

 

 

 

New Pressing Tool

I wanted to share a new pressing tool that I got recently that has revolutionized my open-seam pressing game. This is called the 12" Wooly Pressing Bar, and so far, to me, it is worth the $30 price tag. 


This is the inside anatomy of the pressing bar. It is a curved piece of wood covered in wool that has been attached to a wooden base. The curved shape of it is perfect for pressing seams open. Honestly, it works so much better than pressing on a flat surface. 


12" is about the largest size block I typically make, and this pressing bar easily accommodates that size. Here I am pressing the 12" Designer Mystery 2012 Block 5. These longer seams have always been a challenge for me to press nicely, and this pressing bar makes it easy. My blocks turn out so flat.


Here I am pressing a 7 1/2" block. Something about the curve of the bar makes the seam cooperate and open up and press nice and flat. 


I like to flip it over and press the right side as well. See how flat and nice the seam lies?


I love how my blocks are turning out. 

I've been working on my little Vampire ghost for the Spooky and Sweet Halloween wall hanging. I've had some challenges trying to adapt the block the way I want it to look, but I'm getting there. Hope to show you my completed project in my next post. My plan is to use it as a center medallion for a larger quilt I am making. Hopefully I can make that work. 




Thanks for your encouraging words yesterday regarding my medical issues. I am having some vision problems and hope to get some answers soon.

Have a great weekend everyone. To those of you in the US, it's Labor Day weekend, so may your barbeques be fabulous!

 

Two Notions I Am Loving Lately

Good news. Today I will not be talking about making cushions. Woo hoo, they are finished, and that's all I am going to say.

What I did want to share are two sewing notions/tools I am loving lately. The first is the "needle minder" I mentioned a few posts back. It is a magnetic device used often by cross stitch and hand sewers who don't want to lose track of their needle while they change threads. You all know how annoying that is to have your needle disappear into the cushion of the chair you are sitting on. Ouch.

I use mine as more of a "pin catcher". You know when you are sewing along a seam and you really don't want to sew over a pin? I have broken more needles that way and really don't want that situation in my life anymore. I attached this little magnet to the throat plate of my sewing machine and as I approach those pesky pins I can slow down and swoop them off to the side onto the little pin catcher. Much faster than fiddling with a bulky pin cushion. This is the only one I have so far, but I am definitely going to start collecting some seasonal ones.

The second thing I am loving lately is a tool/method of making half-square triangles that is completely new to me. I have mentioned these little "Cute Cuts" square-up rulers before and how much I Iike them. They have crisscrossing diagonal lines and a clearly marked center which help you square up blocks such as an hourglass unit. I have them in several common sizes (2 1/2", 3 1/2", 4 1/2", and 6 1/2").

Lori Holt demonstrates another way to use them, of which I was at first sceptical, but now think is brilliant. Notice how the diagonal line is positioned right on the seam line of my oversized half-square triangle unit in the photos above and below. Using the trim tool for the unfinished block size you want to make, line up the diagonal line with the sewn seam line and trim. Your block will measure exactly the unfinished size you want, plus you only have to cut around the trim tool twice instead of four times as you do with the BlocLoc trim tool.

How clever is that? I have to make quite a lot of half square triangles in a rather unusual size:  2 1/4". I bought the 2 1/4" Cute Cuts trim tool because it wasn't very expensive  ($5.48) and I wanted to try it out. Using Lori's method of just trimming two sides was so much faster than trimming all four sides of the unit after it has been pressed open, which is what I usually do. 

And check it out. Right on the money. After I had done a few, I got smarter about trimming off the dog ears while the ruler was in position to cut the two sides. 


So there you go. It's always good to have an open mind about new ways to do something, right?

 

Iron Update

Well, my Chi iron didn't last as long as I would have liked, but then, I am awfully hard on irons apparently. I bought the one on the left in May 2022 and the one on the right arrived this week. 

The "older" one is still working, and not leaking unless I try to use it before it has heated up all the way. What it is doing is shutting off unexpectedly, which is annoying. I thought this sign was a heads-up that it wasn't long for this world. I ordered the new one to have on hand for the day when the older one goes belly up. I should try cleaning the old one to see if that corrects the issue.

The new model is essentially the same, the only difference being the method of filling it. The little red pop-open door is an improvement from the more fussy method of having to turn the cover to the side to expose the fill hole. Other than that, every other feature seems to be the same.

What I like about this iron, and which caused me to repurchase it, are the 400+ steam holes, fast heat-up time, and a 30-minute shut-off time. Most other irons shut off within a few minutes, and I like to keep my iron on while I sew. This is probably why they don't last me very long. 

My original Chi iron cost $99 in 2022 and the new model cost $82 in 2024. I am not quite ready to toss the older one, and will give it a good cleaning and see how long I can limp along with it before switching over to the new one. Up until a couple of weeks ago the first one has never leaked (unless I jumped the gun and used it before it was ready) or caused me any issues.

In my last post I mentioned that the dance Eva had been looking forward to had been canceled. Well, the evening was salvaged after all. The thoughtful mom of one of her friends suggested having the girls dress up in their party dresses and she would take them to a local restaurant for dinner. The sushi place near us has a private dining area that was available for the girls to use. As you can see by their joyful expressions, they are having an amazing time.

She spent the weekend selling her Girl Scout cookies. She set up her booth in front of the historic hotel in the little town of Murphys, down the street from where her family has its wine-tasting shop. Evidently, sales were good as tourists passed by on their wine-tasting excursions. I have always known that shopping comes easy to those who have consumed a glass or two of chardonnay. 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Moda Blockheads 5 Catch Up

Yesterday I got caught up on the Moda Blockheads blocks. We are up to the fifth block in this second session of block offerings. 

Last week's block, Morning Star by Barbara Groves is on the left, and Glimmer by Janet Clare is on the right. These are both in the 6 inch size. I know some designers are planning settings that include both 12" and 6" sized blocks, so I am trying to remember that I need to make some in both sizes. Joanne Figueroa of Fig Tree & Co. hinted that for her setting she will use 9 12" blocks and 20 6" blocks. I may do that, or I may do something else.

That is the only down side to a sew along like this. You don't see many setting options until the end, which makes it harder to plan. What I do know is that I want to end up with a bed-sized quilt, so no 54" x 62" finished quilts for me. 

There were 9 block patterns released for the first session of this sew along, 5 so far for the second session, and at least 25 more to come. I've got plenty of fabric, so I will just keep making blocks every week and see where I end up. With 40 blocks to play with I should end up with a good sized quilt.

This is an extra block I made on a whim. I was watching a Shabby Fabrics post on their YouTube channel, where Tammy was making a Tennessee Waltz quilt out of this one block. She was promoting a new complicated looking ruler by Creative Grids that is used to make the triangle units. 

As I was watching the video, I thought, "What a minute, those block units are Peaky and Spike!" Do you remember Peaky and Spike, the 1990s brainchild of Doreen Speckmann?  Marti Michell had Peaky and Spike templates and several companies sold what they called "Tri Recs" rulers. There are seveal brands to choose from that are on the market. I had the Tri Recs rulers in a drawer and pulled them out and made this cute block in the 6 inch size. 

I tell you, nothing is new in this world. That has been my theme so far this year. I am going to try to use what I have on hand. I almost got tricked into buying a new gadget this week though. I saw a YouTube video where someone was promoting this amazing seam guide called Guidelines 4 Quilting. It looked brilliant so I went right to Amazon to buy it for $14.95. Well, thank goodness Amazon is smarter than I am, and reminded me "You last purchased this product on Oct. 27, 2022". Oh. Ok then. 

After a rummage in the bureau where I keep various notions I found it. The reason I didn't like it was because the guide sticks up for you to sew against, which gets in the way if you are sewing diagonal seams which I do all the time. But still. It is dumb to buy things twice especially if you don't really need them. 

Here's to a smarter February!

 

 

Foundation Paper Tip

While working on my Designer Mystery 2015/Snowman Gatherings project over the weekend, I ran into a problem. I needed to make some square in a square units in a size for which I did not have foundation paper.

When making this fussy unit, I have found that the only way I can get good results is to use foundation paper. I have been purchasing the little pads of foundation paper sold on Fat Quarter Shop's website. The typical sizes that I have used are 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch unfinished units. But this project was calling for something that I definitely did not have on hand.

I needed to make 2-inch and 3-inch unfinished square in a square units. I was stymied for a bit because I wanted to get those blocks done and not have to wait a week for an online order to FQS to go through. Plus, I wasn't even sure if they made foundation paper in those unusual sizes.

So, I went to Etsy.com and started searching for foundation papers in those odd sizes.

The Quilted Story is an Etsy shop that sells pdf files of foundation paper patterns in multiple sizes. You can make your purchase, download it, and print your foundation paper patterns within minutes. The price is great as well. For $6 you get the download which you can use multiple times to make hundreds of blocks. Also (and this is a BIG deal), in your download are included 5 different sizes of square in a square units!  In comparison, the foundation paper pads sold by FQS cost nearly $10 and you get 40 papers in one size. 

I need to say that the FQS foundation paper pads are of excellent quality and have never steered me wrong. And if you are not sure that your printer will print out to the correct scale, this do-it-at-home process may not work for you. My printer works great and prints things right to the correct scale, so this worked brilliantly for me. 

You also need to have the right type of paper to print on. I had a package of blank Carol Doak foundation paper on hand, which is crucial for sewing. It is lightweight and tears off easily. 

Next up were 40 3-inch unfinished square in a square units. Easy peasy. I printed out the number of sheets that I needed, made my block units and trimmed them to size.

Finding this online source of accurate pdf files for square in a square units was a real time and money saver for me. I wanted to pass the tip along in case you ever need it!

 

 

A Brilliant New Tool You Are Sure to Want

One of my biggest sewing peeves are those little threads that are left behind when you have to rip out your sewing. Sometimes I find myself with the tweezers and a magnifying glass to pick up all the pesky little strays. You all know what I am talking about, right? This is a universal pain in the you-know-what. 

I can't remember where I first heard about this little Seam Fix gadget, but I did buy one from Fatquarter Shop. It is a seam ripper with a special cap that removes those threads. 

How does that work?

Simply rub the rubbery tip over the threads and it somehow picks them up out of the just ripped seam.

The silicone tip is kind of sticky and works great to slough off all those threads. I felt like I was using it in much the same way as I would an eraser. I had to wipe the thread bits off the bulb once or twice but found it very effective. It certainly was way faster than picking threads out with my fingers or tweezers.

Here is a YouTube "tutorial" on how to use it. The seam ripper part is obvious, but the thread removal aspect is brilliant.

Have you tried the Seam Fix? What did you think? If not, do you think you might like it?