Favorite Tip, Tutorial and Easy Cooking

At the Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge today, Sarah wants us to share our Tips, Tutorials and Tasty Things... Here goes


Tip~
From my paper piecing tips on the side bar

- trim dark seam allowances shorter than light colors so you won't have shadows in your work.
Even if you trim the seam allowances with your rotary cutter - go back to trim the darker color to a smaller size if it's under the lighter color. You will avoid a shadow in your work.


Tutorial~
I haven't any tutorials that aren't about paper piecing, but I have come across an unusual and "new to me" method of paper piecing that allows you to make the pattern without sewing through the paper.  You get the benefits of paper piecing without the trouble of removing the paper. I haven't tried it yet, but there are some little butterflies who will try it soon and report back. Here's the link:
Paper Piecing without paper removal
It's also listed on my Paper Piecing Tips in the right column.

Easy Meal~
I like to sew while I'm cooking (mostly because I've been fooling around until cooking time and want to get in some sewing). During the winter this works out really well to make baked potatoes, baked sweet potato and meat loaf. Pop it in the oven and go work on your Sweet 16. At 350F you have an hour to sew. (Squash can be substituted for sweet potato.) LOL
  

Happy Quilting,

Hugs,

The Rest of the Tutorial

 

 

To see the beginning go here.

 

 

 Not a very good picture... I'm showing you how to make sure you have enough seam allowance for the piece we are about to sew. I lift up the end of the pattern so I can see the line on which to sew and the fabric underneath. Looks good, this time. Otherwise move the pattern and fabric to get about a quarter inch to the right of the sewing line. Sew on.

 This is the first 8 pieces sewn on.  You can just sew two 9s and two 10s as this pattern would have you do, but I've made hundreds of these and it finally dawned on me that I could sew the two pieces together at this point, and add one #9 and one #10 across the two blended pieces.

Now this is how I make sure the sewing lines line up. I poke pins into the lines of the two pieces - corners especially - then

add the pins to hold while sewing and take out the poked ones. Sew the seam

 

Remove the paper of the seam allowances of the seam just made so you can iron the seams open. Saves bulk here.

Oops, added #10 first. (This is how I get into trouble... I can't count.) Now adding #9

 

And here it is finished. I'll trim the fabric to the seam allowances (showing on the lined side) so it looks nice when I blog about it on Saturday at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Hope this helps you all to paper piece. It really is like paint by numbers, except it's best to keep in chronological order.

Any questions - leave a comment or email me. I'll help as much as I can.

Hugs,

Terri

Butterfly (Paper Piecing) Tutorial

 Add butterfly color to the back facing out and pin  You can see that it fits the space #1 by holding it up to a light. Make sure it fits over all the seam lines for #1.

 Here's what it looks like from the side that will show.

Now add #2 fabric - in this case background. Pin if desired.

I always pin on the lined side - so while I'm sewing I can see the pins. Sew using strait stitches and small - 15 sts to the inch - so the paper is easily removed without ruining the stitches. Sew on the line between #1 and #2. Sew back stitches on each end.

 Now flip #2 and iron. Cut excess fabric off and trim seam allowances so the yellow doesn't show over the top of the background seam allowance, especially when using white. It'll show as a shadow once you are done. Explained better farther down.

Here's how it looks from the sewing side. I sure got plenty of #2 on there. You can trim that later after adding the next pieces.

 

 

 

 Now to add #3... It's a trickier piece because it extends farther out than the seam... see what I mean?
Sometimes when I don't know if the fabric will cover I'll pin it along the seam line - like below -  and flip it to see if there's enough.

 

Here's how that looks from the other side.

This is it flipped, and

here's how it looks flipped - showing that there is indeed enough fabric to cover #3B.

Unflip and sew from the lined side on the line between #2 and #3B... this is what you get.

 

Flipped back and ironed.

Sewn and showing that it covers all the outside  lines of #3B. On to #4...#5....#6 ... #7... #8 in the same fashion.

Here I'm showing you that the yellow is extending over the white seam allowance. You need to trim the yellow shorter than the white or it will show through the white as a shadow on your final product.

It's been trimmed (above). Now flip and iron. (Never trim the added piece until you have flipped and ironed.

 

Now on this particular pattern I sew the center seam next and make #9 and #10 as one piece each. It saves on bulk and fabric and I like the look better.... See that tomorrow when we finish off the tutorial.

 

Any questions - leave them as a comment or email me.

Happy Butterfly broadcasting.

Hugs,

Terri

 

 

Yellow = Sunshine!

The color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge  for March is yellow! I was hoping it would be a warm color because it still isn't warm here...  It is warmer than some other places.

I did my investigation again. This time I colored on of my butterflies for you. I wanted to let you know that I'm working on a butterfly tutorial for a friend (Yes, Ginny, that's you!) who wants to try this butterfly to learn paper piecing. It's not a difficult pattern.

First thing to do is color your pattern, or write color names on it. Some patterns can get really difficult once you are deep into them. Hard to know what color goes where.  On this pattern 1B and 3B are butterfly, the rest is background.

Here is my comparison of yellows from the 64 count of Crayolas... a lovely gift from my sister. Thanks Barb!

If you notice there is only a Yellow, Goldenrod and Dandelion for yellow. The golder colors seem too orange to me. I do have a bunch of golds in my yellow bin of fabric, but I don't know that I'll use them.

Anyway, if you'd like a step-by-step tutorial of this pattern for paper piecing tune in tomorrow.

Hugs,

Terri

Project of Doom #8

I thought I was making this one for charity, then I realized - it's my background. She would want us all to use the same color for the background... So this one is mine.

I have figured out the names for them, but not how to apply the names. I don't want to embroider - too slow and bumpy. I do have a pen, but I also have a shaky hand... I'm thinking I might get some computer fabric sheets and using different fonts send a bunch of titles through the computer and printer.

Have a lovely weekend.

Hugs,

Terri

Paper Piecing Tutorial Link, Wonky Stars and a Flimsy at last!

First I want you to know about the Paper Piecing Tutorial. Jen O. has a video on her blog today that is very informative. I've paper pieced for over 5 years now, and I learned lots. Check it out at Sewhooked.com

Sorry it's been a while since I posted last. Here's what I've been doing. (Besides cleaning and primping for home showings.  We did sell the house once, but it fell through once we all figured out the timing.  So now we start over.)

For the Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Just one more block...

And it is finally a flimsy for the new grandgirl to be. (Wouldn't it be a surprise if the doctor missed something and she is a he? I am a perverse granny.) Still some paper to pull - just the little crumbs that don't come straight off the first time. It really looks more colorful here even though it's a fuzzy photo. I tried to keep it low grade value wise.

So I'm going to link up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge tomorrow, and to Sarah's Whoop Whoop today. (Links are in the side panel.) Come on by and see what others have been working on.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs,

Terri

Paper Piecing Without Removing Paper!!!

Again another paper piecing tip - I could have tried, would have used... (insert title here).

Go over to Cose que te Cose. It is in a foreign language, but I've copied the address with the translator in it, so it should translate for you. (It did work that way when I tested the link.)  (It's a bit hard to read the translation - different languages are set up in different ways)  Don't worry about the thing that says it can't be found - just scroll down and it's there.

She made this wonderful Poinsettia flower and sewed it together as a paper pieced pattern, but didn't sew through the paper; she sewed next to the folded paper pieces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I am super excited to try this method. I still have to work the Kisses quilt, and the paper piecing is all done, so I can't try it right now, but if you do, please let me know how you liked it.

Hugs,
Terri

Making Kisses

This title reminds me of my daughter at about 3 years old. She would wiggle her lips around and then give a kiss... she had to make one first... She was a character right from the beginning. So in memory of my darling daughter we will make some kisses for the niece she will never know.

Start with a pattern you can get for free at:
QuiltMaker Magazine


Theirs is for 6" blocks and I made mine smaller and made up a Master sheet so I could make copies of it and save some paper.

 

 Cut your copies into single blades (1/2 of a kiss).

Start by choosing your colors and pinning on #1. (#2, 3 and 5 are background pieces. #1 and 4 are kiss parts.) I'm using pink or white for the kiss parts.

(Make sure the #1 piece is pretty side out on the unprinted side.)

Place the #2 piece, (green and white print) face up, and leaving enough seam allowance. Set your machine for small stitches. (On mine I use 15 stitches to the inch.) Now back stitch at beginning, sew along the line, then back stitch at the end of the seam. Easy-Peasy. 

 

 Seam sewn - trim seam allowance to 1/4". (I use a scissors - and eyeball it. It's much faster that way.)

 

 

 Then press the seam (to set your stitches) and flip the #2 piece and press again

 

Now trim off the strip of #2 fabric... Never trim until it is flipped.

 I make the two pieces at one time... it's faster that way.

Now the #3 piece. Sewn, seam allowance trimmed, pressed, flipped and pressed again. I usually put a pin in this tail (top left) but I didn't show that part on a picture.

 

 Now sewing on #4.  Here's that pin. .. to hold that tail from floppy around. 

 

 

When your two halves are done you can make hugs, or turn the pieces around and....

make a kiss.

 Here's our block on the design wall... just pinned - not yet sewn together. I might want to mix them up a bit before I sew.

(27 more blocks - 54 more blades to go)

 

The block just made is the lower left.

 

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict... see the sidebar for the location.

 

 

Next time I'll show my technique for sewing the blocks together.

 

Hugs, (and kisses)

Terri

 

 

Wanna see a cute little Cork Oak? and more paper piecing.

I have a forest growing in my hubby's office. This is a Cork Oak, they are evergreens, so there won't be just sticks at Halloween! (McDonald's large drink sized cups work great for Trick or Treater's plants. I'm reusing, and the kids recognize it. The cups are plastic, so they will hold up long enough to get to Oct 31 and beyond, and I'm able to cut holes at the bottom sides with a scissors.)

These are weeks older.... I planted 7 acorns, so far I have 6 cork oaks! That's the best percentage I've ever had!

This is a Rabbit Foot Fern I started from my big plant in a laundry soap scoop with an instant coffee cover as a drip catcher. I'm so pleased with it, too. It's in a sunny window in the computer room.

This is the rubber stamp room. (We call it the way back room. Remember the way back machine on the history cartoon on the  Rocky and Bullwinkle show? I'd guess most of you are too young to remember that. Your educations are sadly lacking.) Anyway, I store my rubber stamps in this room - a whole room!  The tiny sprout (in the right cup) is an Osage Orange... looks really strong, yet it can't get out of its seed coat.  Maybe tomorrow.

 This is the magnificent Magnolia I started from a seed. Strong and ready for a bigger pot, I'd say. This is one out of 11, one of my worst percentages ever. But I GOT ONE! Now to keep it happy.
(Beyond is the backyard in winter. Never any snow, and we haven't had any rain in weeks either. It freezes at night sometimes, and is in the 60s during the days right now.)

So back to work - More paper piecing tips.

This is the last piece on Dobby. I have all the other 7 pieces done. This piece has one of my nemesis. Its that four sided piece that gets sewn at a slant. I'm going to show you how I do these. It looks like it will fit, doesn't it.... Bwahaha... Don't trust it!  It is evil.

I set the fabric on and pin the sewing line with at least 2 pins. Then I can see if there is enough seam allowance and enough fabric to cover the piece - next picture....

Ha Ha. It doesn't! See that big white uncovered spot? It should be covered. So what shall we do now?

I go for a big piece of fabric - actually the whole yardage piece. I put enough seam allowance and sew.

Iron and fold the fabric over to the final destination, and it fits. You can use scraps to make your paper piecing, but when you come to the dreaded 4 sided pieces - splurge... or you will go crazy!

{I actually sewed, ripped and sewed a single piece 9X before I gave up and used a bigger bit of fabric, that's crazy.}

Here's the hole it left in my yardage.

Next retrieve the sewing order listed on all good paper piecing recipes.

 Sorry about the picture. First is to join B to C.

I like to line up all the pieces like the pattern (shown at the beginning which was a few days ago.). A and B are the two at the top. I took B and C and put right sides together... fabric together (I'm telling you this because a couple of times I got paper and paper together - Really I have made every mistake there is in paper piecing, I think. Why, just the other day I had to make the "C" over - that's why it isn't colored like the rest of the pieces. I sewed the wrong seam line and obliterated Dobby's bulgy eye. Oops. Instead of ripping I made another copy of the pattern and started over.)

So here are the two to be joined.

Stick pins into the two corners - you can hold the pin while adjusting it in the back piece so it goes through both pieces exactly through the corners and then I add another pin in the middle - straight through...

(Here are the pins going straight through....)

Next you add pins to hold the pieces while sewing and take out the straight through pins.

(Try to keep the straight through pins going straight... not lolling to the side... while adding the pins that will hold while sewing. Very important to remove the straight through pins before sewing.)

(With the straight through pins removed. Ready to sew on the seam line.)

After the seam is sewn, remove the paper from the seam allowances. If you wait until the whole thing is done, there will be paper to remove under the pressed seams that you can't see, and it's harder to remove.

 

I press the seam allowance towards the piece with the least bulk at that seam. If they are both bulky press them open.

 

Another look at that straight through pinning trick. It's a longer seam so more pins.

the back with the pins coming through

With the sewing pins in place and the straight through pins removed.

Now sew.

All done. Dobby wearing his dirty pillowcase.

 

So that's a blow by blow .... hope you will try some paper piecing. It is really fun.

Tomorrow I'll show the apple core UFO and some other bits I have paper pieced that aren't

 Harry Potter.

 

Hugs

Terri