i died and went to heaven

i died...i mean dyed and went to fabric heaven

long time ago, i tried my first fabric dying experiments and well, they were my first, so not exactly the prettiest. so i cut up all my rejects into 4 1/2" squares, sewed them into 9patches. i made a couple, then lost interest. since i'm trying to finish some of my UFOs, this one was in the pile.

i finished making the required 9patches and dyed some yardage for the borders and sashing. i cheated tho, i bought liquid RIT dye......in navy blue. guess someone at the factory is color blind. it came out purple....*shrug* oh well....

i realized during the piecing that i had a good tip to share. it's how i get my seams to line up across the sashing without having to use cornerstones.

sew a strip between your blocks as normal, then just like when attaching a border, measure your length for the long sash and pin mark the centers. sew and press towards the sashing. on the wrong side of the sashing, use a ruler to mark the seam of the sash between the blocks on the raw edge of the long sash piece..

Line the lines of the ruler to the seams to keep everything straight.

i use a chalk pencil to mark the lines.

line the chalk lines to the pieced seams of the rows of blocks with sashing strips. pin really good so the fabric won't shift.

ta-dah, the sashing lines up across the long sashing without having to piece in cornerstones and it's nice and square.

i'll be back later with some quilting to share!

swap blocks

i just finished sewing the blocks from this summer's swap into a flimsy. i made an extra block or two for a total of 25 blocks. the only problem with that is that i now have a square quilt (it measures 72"square) so i'm stopping at this point to contemplate adding a pieced flying goose strip to two opposite ends to give me a rectangle.. WWUD? (what would you do?)

i also wanted to share a picture with you. it shows what happens when your sewing machine needle gets dull or has a burr (from hitting a pin. yes, i sew over my pins- call the quilt police *grin*) instead of the needle sliding through the fabric, it pushes a thread down with the stitch revealing the non-printed parts of the weave. this can happen during piecing as well as during machine quilting.

if you notice your fabric is doing this- it simply means your needle is dull and it's time to change to a new one. 'they' say to change to a new needle at the start of every project, but if you're like me, you are working on multiple things at the same time...here's what i do: i wind 8 to 10 bobbins and when i empty all of them, i stop, blow out the dust bunnies, and change my needle.

to steam or not to steam....

that is the pressing question...*hehehe*

i'm a steamer. the hotter the better. when i press my binding i jokingly say i'm also get a facial

as a machine quilter, i can immediately tell which of my customers use steam and who do not. i am of the school that steam is my bestest quilting friend (that and a sharp rotary cutter blade)

see that backing seam- it was pressed without steam. it wants to lay flat, but not wholeheartedly.

i grabbed my iron, gave it a quick pass with my iron with steam, and WHA-LA. it submits *grin* a nice flat seam allowance...

i believe that steam helps press the seams 'better' and i believe that it makes for pointer points.

of course, a good pressing surface helps to. my ironing board is just that- a board. i took some furniture grade ply wood, covered it with one layer of warm and natural batting, and wrapped it in a good quality duck canvas. that's my ironing board. the next time i used it i notice a HUGE difference in my blocks. they layed flatter, and the seams were nice and crisp and my seams matched better with no fudging.

i have added to my board. i went to the GA quilt show and bought one of these ironing board covers (not affliated, just sharing). i like it...i notice i don't have to press yardage as long to get the startch to dry, so it does seem to reflect heat. but a warning- a helping hand or two makes getting it stuck to your board easier. ask me how i know....my goodness that adhesive sticks to itself and will not be easily parted...a few bad words were muttered.

so, there you have it- my opinion on using steam when i iron, do with it what you want.

two birds, one stone

i love leather thimbles, metals ones fall off my finger. i do alot of applique and i use a straw needle which has just as pointy of an eye as the actual point, so my leather thimbles would quickly get holes in it where i push the needle. i was buying new thimbles every couple months.... i found a fix!

you'll need a leather thimble (i'm liking the new 'natural fit' leather thimle from clover, remember leather will stretch so buy one that is snug)  and a ultra-thimble (it is metal with little dimples, there is a smooth one for your 'under' finger)

first, use your new leather thimble for a little while til you see where you tend to push the needle. see the dark spot on the top towards the side?

then it's as simple as super glueing the ultrathimble to your leather thimble on top of the spot where you push the needle. wha-la! a leather thimble that will last years! my previous leather timble was made from goat skin and with a ultra-thimble upgrade lasted me for 6 years before it got so loose it wouldn't stay on...