Fundamentals Sew Along - Week 15

Hi Everyone:

     I hope your week was a good one. Easter is just a memory, and I have had my fill of Easter eggs.   Even though my kids are too old to hunt for eggs that didn't stop me from buying some to stash away for myself.

     Today's block is called Sawtooth Star.  The block for week 6 (Dandy Star) is similar, but the star is floating on the background so you are sure to have all of your points on your star.  This week the points go out to the edge of the block so accuracy is especially important.  If you look at the block closely, it is made up of 4 flying geese surrounding the centre square.  The last two weeks we have been working with flying geese so you must be getting good at them by now. One customer told me she was struggling with them so I thought I would walk you through what I do.

     Triangles can be tricky.  One thing I have been doing is spraying my fabric (before I cut it) with Best Press starch alternative (regular spray starch also works).  I like Best Press because there aren't any food products in it. It helps keep the bias sides from stretching, and makes the pieces easier to piece.

 Even if you use starch, be careful when you are pressing.  The next picture shows today's boo boo.

I just wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.  I had two triangles on the ironing board.  I pressed one and accidentally dragged the iron over the other one.  Look what happened!  It shows you how easily things can get distorted.  There is an easy solution to this.  I lined it up next to a matching triangle.  Positioned it so that it matched the other, which means the bias edge looked wavy and it didn't lie flat.  Then I gently put the iron on it and forced it back to it's original shape.

     The other question I had about Flying Geese was " How do I line up different size triangles"?


Placement for Triangles

    First you lay your large triangle right side up (see diagram above)  Place the small triangle on top with the wrong side up ( right sides facing each other).  The second triangle will overlap the first triangle at the top.  The bottom points will line up together.  Then you will sew along the long edge of the top triangle. Then press (see diagram below) and clip the tiny little triangles off the side and top.  Repeat the process for the left side of the large triangle and you now have one of your flying geese.

Assembly Directions for Flying Geese

Sawtooth Star Block

 These are the finished blocks. That distorted triangle is in the star block on the right.  Can you tell which triangle it is?  I can't.  I hope these tips help.   Happy stitching everyone!  See you next week.                         

    

Mother's Day Gift Ideas!

If your mother loves to sew she'd love these gifts.

If you'd like them for yourself email the post to your husband... or children... or just shop for yourself! :)

Candle Mat Kits

These beautiful Candle Mat Kits are a perfect gift if your mother   
likes handwork. The kit includes the pattern and all the wool felt and embroidery floss she will need to make these darling 9" X 9" candle mats. Pick from six different themes. 

Click here to purchase: Candle Mat Kits by Bareroots 

Fat Quarter Bundles

 Come into the store and pick up these lovely fat quarter bundles or shop for the ones we've got online. A quilter can never have enough fat quarters! 

Click here to purchase: Fat Quarter Bundles

A Subscription to The Bargain Lover's Club

Your mother will receive 10 fat quarters of high quality quilting cotton handpicked by us for only $18.99 each month!

Click here to purchase: Subscription to The Bargain Lover's Club

 Sew Sisters Gift Card 

Give your mother a gift card from our store and let her choose the fabric she likes. Drive her to the store and make it a day out! We're sure she'd love it.

Click here to purchase: Sew Sisters Gift Card

Learn to Paper Piece in 2 hours!

We've got a really cool class coming up!

Introduction to Paper Piecing

Paper piecing is a technique of sewing oversize fabric pieces to a paper foundation. This allows you to make accurate patchwork blocks easily and quickly without making any templates! 

The class will be held on Tuesday, May 8th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

That's right! It's only a two hour class! 

You will be given simple patterns to work on during the class and you'll go home with completed blocks! 

You will need to bring in your sewing machine. 

Fee: $20

Fundamentals Sew Along - Week 14

Hi Everyone:

    I can't believe we are at block 14 already!  Before you know it we will be half way there. Before we get started I wanted to give a shout out to our  long distance sew along members.  Linda from Richmond B. C. was in town and dropped by.  It is always nice to put a face to the names of our customers.

    The block that we will be working on is called See Saw.  This week I thought I would talk about half square triangles and quarter square triangles.  I know some of you might be thinking a triangle is is triangle! But really the difference between the two is where the bias seam falls.  If you cut your squares in half the bias will run along the base of your triangle.  If you cut your squares into quarters the bias will be on the sides.  Because there is more stretch on the bias you need to be careful where it is on the block.  Preferably not on the exterior seam as this can cause distortion.

Quarter Square Triangles and Half Square Triangles

In the example below I think I cut some quarter square triangles and some half square triangles of the background color, don't ask me why?  The half square triangles were very difficult to piece.   I had to do a lot of pinning  to control the stretch of the bias in the fabric when piecing the rows together.  That was a lesson learned.

 

See Saw Block

This is the finished block. Well Magnolia, this is your lucky week. You are the winner of the fat quarter draw. Email us to claim your prize. Happy stitching everyone, see you next week. Jeannie

 

Monday Giveaway on our Facebook Page

Did you know we have a giveaway on our Facebook Page every Monday??? Like our Facebook Page and leave a comment to win! It's that simple. :)

We're giving away this cute pattern - Hot Fingers. Make's taking out little hot dishes from your microwave so much easier! So hop on over and leave a comment. Winners are announced Tuesday.