How to Pin Paper Pieced Quilt Blocks

Hello all! I'm sharing how to pin paper pieced quilt blocks to ensure accuracy and section matching. I'm showing you with a great new quilt block from Tartankiwi that I got to pattern test. We'll start with non-ironing and pinning in each section.

I don't find ironing paper piecing in each section necessary. I finger press it. That just means pushing on it, or pushing back and forth, like your fingertip is a tiny iron. Then push a pin through the new seam and bring it up through the middle of the new section. This holds the fabric in place until the new part is sewn or sections are joined. It also helps keep the seam "ironed" flat. This is what the pin looks like.

The best way to make sure the sections fit together and everything lines up is to pin before you sew. Place a pin through each end point of the section and any parts that need to line up exactly. This means the pin is sticking straight up and down into the air. I push all the pins about half way through the first piece then pick up the piece that needs to be joined. Put them right sides together with the pinned section in back and the section to be matched in front. I keep a finger between the sections to help line up each pin one by one. Push each pin through the corresponding point all the way through. 

Once all the points are lined up and pinned, hold the block in your left hand (if you're right handed) and pin the sections together. The new pins are horizontal and perpendicular to the section you're lining up. 

It can be a little tricky but is doable. (If you need more detailed pictures, let me know.) I place them close to the sewing line but far enough away so that the pins are totally clear of the sewing machine foot. This way the sections stay together and lined up without having to worry about moving pins while sewing. If you have to move the pins to sew, you risk moving the sections out of alignment.

If you need more help with pinning, or it's not clear what to do, just let me know. I'd be glad to help! Now a few notes about the egret.

There is a charm and realism to Juliet's quilt blocks that perfectly captures each animal.  It took me a while to decide what fabrics to use as there are actually a few different colors of egrets. There are the snowy white ones that have a gorgeous long cloud of feathers at times. The white ones can have dark beaks and legs, yellow beaks and legs or a mash up of the two. Then there are the grey and red egrets. They were all tempting but I settled on a yellow beak. I think it's a yellow Sketch fabric, but I may be wrong. The top part of the beak is a darker yellow than the bottom so that you can see the two pieces of the beak.See the pin on the bottom right that is pushed through the seam and brought up in the middle of the section?

Since I went with the yellow beak I picked a white bird. The Architexture text fabric for the body still reads as white, just with some visual interest. In the next picture I have the sections I've started to piece on the right and the fabric I've pre-cut on the left. When I want the piecing to go fast I pre-cut all the fabric ahead of time. You also get the special treat, ooh la la! , of seeing my current sewing space. This tre chic studio is my coffee table. I sit oh so elegantly on the floor whilst I piece.



See, I told you, such a treat. You're welcome.



There are some tiny pieces around the eye which makes for small pieces of paper to remove on the back. I can usually pinch the paper, then pull it off. If I can't quite pinch it or there's a stubborn corner piece I just grab a pin and slide it under to lift it up. I use a short stitch length, meaning the stitches are close together and small, which on my machine is about 1.75. This allows the paper to rip off easily without pulling the fabric so there's no distortion in the block.

Paper piecing allows for great accuracy and fantastic patterns that would otherwise be impossible. The yellow pieces around the eye are less than a sixteenth of an inch wide but they were easy to do with paper piecing. I highly recommend giving it a go if you haven't already. Are you working on any paper piecing or would like to be? Let's talk.

Linking up to Paper Piecing Part at Quiet Play and TGIFF at Blossom Heart Quilts, the finished project being pattern testing and setting up a pinning tutorial.

Badger Paper Piece Quilt Block

The nice big post about paper piecing and pattern testing for Tartankiwi seems to have gone the way of the world. It's hiding from me. In the mean time this badger is a paper pieced pattern that I tested a while ago.

If you get the chance to do pattern testing for someone I would recommend it. I have become a better paper piecer for having done it. While I had done some paper piecing before it was more along the lines of compass or mariners blocks. Those are fairly straight forward and all of the sections are exactly the same. Blocks like the flying geese circle or intricate ones were out of my comfort zone and seemed too difficult and intricate for me. I was intimidated by them and hesitated even trying to sew them. Testing for Tartankiwi made all the difference for me.

One day I saw on her blog a call for people to test her patterns. If there's one thing I had learned about paper piecing its that if you can sew on a line, you can make a block. So I volunteered myself. I like to stretch my boundaries and learn new things. It feels great having conquered something that seemed really hard or impossible.

By the time I tested this pattern I felt 100 % capable to sew it up with no problems or hesitation. It is a straight forward and easy block to sew up and I think he is so charming. I totally fell for him while I was sewing him together. I'd like to introduce you to him. Here's Boris the Badger.



If you'd like to make one, head on over to Tartankiwi.

Linking up to Quiet Play's paper piece Friday. 

First Quarter Finish Myself Along: Quilts, Zip Pouches, Paper Piecing and Crochet

There are a lot of projects that I've been working on. I really like to have various projects going on at the same time. When something doesn't quite work with one, I switch to another so my subconscious can figure it all out (she's clever like that).

Here we go:

A triple zip pouch for the Triple Zip Pouch Swap on Flickr .

A small pouch or drawstring bag for a little swap between soon to be besties.

Finish this quilt that has been waiting patiently for me for a long time. The top is good to go, just the rest of it needs to get done.

I'm working on a crocheted scarf that is part of a small challenge that my friend Lysa and I gave ourselves. It has to include a certain piece of trim that she bought on a trip.

There are a few that don't have pictures yet:

• Lala Salama Quilt- A charity quilt for a hospital in Africa

• Secret Tote Swap- Don't have my partners info so I haven't pulled fabrics for it yet

• Pattern test a block for Tartankiwi- needs to be done within about a week. You should really check out her patterns if you haven't already. 

• 4 Bee blocks- I'm planning on making at least one extra bee block for each of the ladies in my hive that sent out blocks. I may need to ask for some angel blocks as well from the larger group so they receive, hopefully, as many blocks as they sent out. 
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• Finish setting up and getting started on a new bee called Stash Fabulous Bee that my friend MissRiain and I are starting. It'll be a year long bee from February to February. That way there's a little flexibility with the holidays and everyone's schedule. Gosh, that means I'm planning into 2015 already. Wow. 

On that astonishing note I'll add that I originally wanted to link up to the Finish-A-long on Littlest Thistle but my computer refused to pull up her website. Silly computer. I wish you a lovely weekend. 

Saturday is in Progress and Kickin' Some Trash

It seems like there are a hundred million thousand projects and things to do. Some I committed to do months and months ago and others needed to be done right away. One of the ones that I've been working on is the Made With Oakshott Challenge with Oakshott Cottons and Lily's Quilts. 

The fabric is ethically sourced hand woven cotton. It has one color in the warp and a different one in the weft. In other words, one color thread going vertically and, in this case, black thread going horizontally. Or vice versa. The result is a perfect weight fabric for quilting and sewing that has a beautiful shimmer to it. I got sent this little bundle to make into a twin sized quilt. The design was up to me and I offered to make a visual sound wave inspired by Tula Pink. Here was one of the starting points I had in mind when I saw a picture of the bundle online.

As I worked on the project, I realized that the way I had imagined it going didn't work. Not at all. So I had to switch gears. I went about it another way, cut up more pieces. Sewed pieces back together and although the technique I was using was what I wanted, it again was not going to work on a twin-sized large scale. Once again, I started over. It has been difficult translating my vision for these gorgeous fabrics in a way that showcases them and is true to the idea and to me as an artist. This quilt is like nothing I've made before, especially in a fiber medium. 

I finally laid out a twin sized sheet on the floor to arrange the pieces on. That way when I have to clean up for guests or visiting toddlers, I can literally roll up shop. I have only been able to work on it an hour or two every other day. There is no pattern for it, so it is a lot of sew, sew, check, cut, sew, check, sew cut, etc. etc. With it finally coming along well, I wish I could just work on it straight until it's done! 

I've gotten bee blocks done, this one is for the 3x6 Sampler Mini Bee, Sampler Group.

 I used the templates from Carolyn C. McCormick's Flock of Feathered Stars book block 12 "The Hour Glass" but I switched pieces around and did some backwards to achieve this look. I'll come back and show you all the blocks I did for the group. I am loving these feathered stars. I used another feathered star for my Mini Quilt Swap on Flickr. 

It's another one that I was worried about while I made it. I loved all the separate pieces and wasn't quite seeing the whole picture since, the whole picture needed to be finished to see it. Ha, funny how that works. Here's the middle of it. Love how paper piecing is so precise

I love how it all turned out and I'm excited to show it to you! And I will. On one of these days coming up when my Oakshott Wave is done, it is daytime to take pictures, I'm not at work, I'm not dodging small children and there's not an active blizzard. And the world is in perfect harmony, ha. Happy In-Between Holidays to you!

Cairo Star and Loveliness

Instead of being reasonable and sewing together a block I've seen before I decided to make one up. All of that extra time we all have lying around. I'm linking up to Lovely Year of Finishes as my 3x6 Bee Blocks are my goal to complete in October and with the Quilt Photography Workshop.

This is Cairo Star, the completed block. The blue parts I think can look checkerboard or diamond-like.

These looked like sunbursts to me. For the Workshop the subject is 

"Something That Makes Me Smile."

 (The workshop is a series intended to expand and explore your photographs of sewing. There are challenges to complete, or encouragements to follow, to learn about and share our skills.) 

"My Sewing Process"

One part of the design was slightly off so I had to redraft it, after I printed all of them out...

"Frustration"

As I was sewing another block up I laid out the pieces and saw a pharaonic Storm Trooper. My dear friend who lives in Cairo, Egypt was on my mind as well, so that's why this block is called the Cairo star. I thought Cairo Pharaoh/Sphinx Star Wars Storm Trooper Star was too long a title :)

"Imagine"or "Things That Make Me Laugh"

And lastly, I also really like this star flipped on it's side. The hourglass shapes created in the middle are intriguing to me and it almost seems to have more sparkle in the white octagon. 

I may decide to share the block pattern, after I rework it, if you are interested in the design. 

P.S. I already got a tip from one of the other bloggers to upload to Flickr first then link the photos to your blog. This was one of the subjects we covered in our HTML Sewing Summit Class by Jeni Baker of In Color Order that I almost forgot about already. I'll have to try it. 

Pattern Testing!

I like to volunteer to test people's patterns. I volunteer as many times as people ask for helpers. I figure if it's something I'm good at I can do a great job for them and if I am a beginner at something I'll learn a new skill and they'll get good feedback about how to help others like me succeed.

Of course that was all in theory since no one ever took me up I my offer until now :) Yay! I got to pattern test. The wonderful Ms. Juliet at Tartankiwi let me have a go at one of her patterns.

When I printed it out I almost peed my pants, at least emotionally. Surely those tiny pieces are a printing error?!? They were not. So, I chose colors that'll go with either my Forest Quilt A Long or 3x6 Bee Blocks and got to it. And guess what, those itty bitty pieces were easy to do! The pattern is straight forward and easily read and understood. I think it turned out so well. Since she hasn't released the pattern yet, I can only show you a bit of how it's looking. You should hop over to her blog and check out her Kiwi Bird paper pieced block-I fell in love with it.

Here's a few pics of what I worked on.

Keeping it real-the back which hardly gets shown :)

That white corner in between the minty dots and mushrooms is super tiny

The top of the piece that I can show you, in progress. 

I was so scared of foundation paper piecing before I had done any. Now I really love it. You can get such precise corners, lines and designs done so easily. If you haven't tried it yet, I totally recommend it.

Half-Way There Lovely Finish

My April Lovely Finishes goal is to get my 3x6 Mini Quilt Sampler Bee Blocks done. I've gotten the paper pieced blocks done. This is a design that I came up with myself after doodling and drawing, measuring and dividing shapes. I love how paper piecing come together with little shapes.

I am so in love with how these ones turned out! Look at how the seams match up! And even the cream colored Tula Pink Salt Water print matches up as well. I may or may not have leaned down to it when the seam was done and whispered, "I love you." 

Now the recipient wanted calm colors in indigo, jade, ash, aqua and cream and she said she liked Tula Pink. I got a bee in my bonnet, ha!, made the block entirely out of Tula fabrics.  A little overboard but I like it :)  Here's the block before trimming then after trimming.

Rainbow with black background

Hot colors like red, orange, yellow and pink

Greens and Blues

Rainbow colors and white background

Cobalt with black and white

So that means I'm half way there. That's exciting and sad since the other half were due already and I haven't gotten them done yet. I got a cold that's not going away any time soon and that makes everything move at the pace of cold molasses. Plugging along though :) You can go over to the Lovely Finishes link up to check out what everyone else is working on here.

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3x6 Possible Paper Piece Pattern

There are a ton of paper piece patterns out in the interwebs. I was having a hard time deciding what I wanted to make for my 3x6 Sampler Mini Quilt Bee group, so I sketched and came up with this:

When I started sewing it together I thought it looked a bit like an owl.

No? Just me? The owl thought reminded me of the page 28 Project Quilting with Persimon Dreams. Every week you are given an inspiration and have to make a quilted project before the next Monday. I always think I'm going to enter but then get pulled off in other directions. The first magazine I found in my room was sitting on my bookcase and this was page 28. 

I could make a Tula pink and aqua eagle! White bits of Kona left over from the Stitched in Color/Intrepid Thread challenge would make excellent feathers. Now if only I had more than one day to work at it, I might give it a go. Oh well, no aqua sketch beak for me.

I think the white square in the middle is a bit oversized so when I make the block for my bee mates I'm going to increase the small (aqua sketch) square. As for this particular one, I like all the fabrics separately but I'm not sure they all work to their best in this configuration. I still like 'em though! Not bad for a first try. Above are the set of fabrics cut out earlier that evening but when they were next to each other I thought they were a bit dull.  So I pulled out the Tula and Nicey Jane to liven it up. They are favorites. 

It's always fun to see what camera angles do to blocks. I'm sure there are really cool variations that can be done with traditional blocks if you just warp them a bit in an image program. Happy day to you!

Thread-less Thursday

When bad things happen to good people that paper piece, the outcome of obfuscated thought or plain ole not looking at what you're doing, enjoy:

Paper Piece and Happy Mail

How cute is this package? It's from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics on Etsy. I asked about changing a bundle they had and they responded super fast and they said yes. I was so pleased with them and the service and shipping. I've had varied experiences with buying fabric and am thinking maybe I'll do reviews on stores. I'd totally recommend Fresh Squeezed Fabrics,  top notch. Not sure how much I should say about the not great experiences yet though.

I am trying my hand at paper piecing for the first time. I couldn't leave well enough alone and added pieces to the design. I'm making this for a friend and she likes dark gem colors like forest green-no judgement, only love. Hahaha, I heard Kristin Chenoweth say that and I've adopted it. When I get the whole block done I'll let you know more. Bigger cuts of fabric are definitely a first timers friend. It does create a bunch of scraps, the blue one on top is a little bigger than an inch wide.