Warning...this is graphic...view discretion is advised! OK, not really, but I have been hitting it hard in my sewing room these last few weeks, so it's definitely not in tip-top shape, but it is REAL. I am fully aware my pics aren't Better Homes and Garden's-worthy, but here's a sneak peek into my favorite room in the house.
Thanks to my very good friend and co-worker, Joy, I can Netflix and chill in style! She gifted me this huge TV, which is rarely off when I am sewing...unless I am listening to an audio book.
I love my Accuquilt Go! Cutter and workstation!
Of course, who could EVEN BREATHE without a Laurastar ironing system?
Now, now, I'm NOT opening every drawer, but these 2 are ok, I suppose.
Not a bad view. The cow pasture is on the other side of the house, but once in a while, I do get some entertainment out this window.
You just never know what these two will bring me next! :)
Happy Sewing and Happy Holidays everyone!
Suzie
Bonnie and Camile Quilt Bee
Shine on Sampler-Month 3
Written by Brenda
Look at all of the fun sewing we get to do again! I know I say it every month, but aren’t these simply adorable?
I did do my best to fussy cut the green and aqua squares so that the square flowers were centered in the blocks.
Rainbows just make me so very happy! The sewing of the first two blocks is really quite basic with only squares to piece, so let’s move on to the final block.
Looking at the block, it is quite obvious that it is a basic quilt block unit called a flying geese unit. As you probably know by now, I will always cut on my Accuquilt cutter if it is possible, and this unit is a great one to demonstrate how to translate directions. The next photo shows a chart with the Accuquilt Qubes and their components. Since the block that we are working on finishes at 10” (or 10.5” with seam allowance), we know that we need to use the 10” Qube. At the bottom of the chart, you can see many of the quilt building blocks and what dies to use to make them. In the middle of that row is the flying geese unit which show that it is made of a die #4 and two cut from die #5 for every unit. Two flying geese units make up one quarter of a 10” finished square so you can see how it translates perfectly to the units that we need to make this week!
I used the Accuquilt cutter to make 4 quarter square triangles from each color, which it does in one pass through the machine. Then I made the the corners for the units with die #5 and I needed 16 total, which is 8 for each unit. The cutting went so quickly and so did the sewing!
Here the units are with one corner on and ready for the next.
It’s so fast and easy and requires NO TRIMMING like the other method. I love using my Accuquilt cutter!
Enjoy your sewing time and happy stitching!
Bonnie and Camile Quilt Bee
Shine on Sampler-Month 2
Written by Brenda
Oh my goodness! These were some fun blocks to make! After last month’s bee, I was excited to make this adorable flower and it did not disappoint!
One thing I like to do to be a bit more efficient when I am making my blocks is to work on more than one at a time.
You’ll see in the photo above, there are parts to all three blocks set up and ready to sew. This does come with some risk! You need to be very organized and systematic to make this work. I also recommend referencing back to your pattern frequently to prevent errors.
You’ll notice that even on this longer seam, I do not tend to use pins. This technique works well for me and I’ll explain why. Because we are human, most people will have one piece that is longer than the other. If we are extremely accurate in our cutting and piecing, it will be close to perfect, but if there is a discrepancy between the pieces I am sewing, I will put the longer one on the bottom so that the feed dogs will help ease that extra into the sewing. I match the top corner and start to sew. After a few stitches, I stop with my NEEDLE DOWN and find the next matching point. I will usually pinch this point together or apply pressure to this point on my sewing table so it stays together as I carefully sew towards it. I continue to follow this technique as I work my way down the seam and have really good success.
When I made my hourglass/quarter square triangle units, I decided to use a no mark method for them. I lined up the edge of my quarter inch foot with the start of the unit and the quarter inch mark of Sew Straight guide with the front of the unit. Then I slowly and carefully sewed across the unit. Again, this may not be a technique that works for everyone, but I’ve had great success with it.
You see that my units are close to perfect, but there was a tiny bit to trim off. It was only a few threads worth of trimming which is totally worth it to help with accuracy.
I hope you are able to find these little tips and tricks helpful as you are sewing! Happy stitching!
Do you remember the excitement that you felt as a child when a birthday, Christmas, or other major holiday approached? That is the feeling that best describes how I feel when I start a new project in my quilting studio. There is so much anticipation as I look at the fabric and think about all of the potential! Now that I work at Pine Needles, I sometimes get to do samples for the shop. We are so fortunate to be getting some smaller cuts of fabric before the entire line comes. I feel like a kid in a candy shop when I get to work with those special fabrics!
We have all of these fabrics as a kit with all of the fabric you need to complete the project. It is packaged in a matching bag and includes the book as well. The kit is available in the shop or we do have it in our webstore. Post the following link into your browser or type in “Shine On” to purchase it online.
https://pnqs.net/products/shine-on-sampler?_pos=1&_sid=77f3ad0c6&_ss=r
I hope you’ll get the book and fabric and sew along with me. I’ll offer my best tips and tricks along the way!
If you’ve ever read or followed along with me in the past, you will know that I am a HUGE fan of the speed and accuracy that I get when I use my Accuquilt cutter and dies. While there are a lot of pieces that can’t be cut with Accuquilt, the Beehive block with those half square triangles can definitely take advantage of the Accuquilt system. This eliminates the extra steps of drawing a line on your fabric (which is difficult to do without stretching it) and the trimming after you sew. Above you can see all of my pieces for the three Month 1 blocks cut and ready to go!
This pattern does a beautiful job of telling you the size of each subunit as you sew pieces together. This makes it easy to use the Accuquilt chart showing the sizes of all of the Qube Dies. Most of the dies I used were from the 8” Qube. If you are in doubt, make a sample of the pieces or draw them out on graph paper. For visual learner, this may be easier to wrap your head around than thinking about math.
Have you ever pressed your seams open when quilting? That is what the directions recommend. I will admit, for a very long time I was resistant to this technique. When I first learned to quilt, I was told that you always have to press to one side, preferably to the dark. During the last 4-5 years, I have tried pressing open more often and I must admit, I am a convert. But it did take me a long while to get to that point. I love how flat my block lay and I don’t have big bulky seams that create bumps and have parts that flip back.
The next photo is to show you the settings that I use on my machine. The most important thing to note is the reduced stitch length that I use when pressing seams open. I also have my dual feed quarter inch foot and my 0mm stitch plate which I always use when piecing. I find that when I am stitching on quilting cotton, I also like my presser foot pressure reduced from the factory standard so you will notice that it is yellow as well. Make whatever adjustments you need to on your machine so that it works best for you and how you sew.
I HIGHLY recommend making the Beehive Block and Bliss Block first and check your accuracy as you go. Here you can see how well those Accuquilt cut half square triangles match up. The single hole stitch plate prevents the tip of the triangle from going into the needle area and the dual feed helps to keep that bias edge from stretching.
After you sew a few, press them and measure them. As I mentioned above, a great thing about this pattern is that after EACH step, they give the size of that unit and I strongly recommend checking each one out along the way. If your pieces are consistently accurate, you can be a bit more lax about doing it at each step, but if they are not, figure out what is going wrong. It’s possible that your cutting isn’t accurate or that you are taking too much or too little of a seam allowance. Measure along the way and make the appropriate adjustments to ensure that your sewing is as accurate as possible.
This may sound counterintuitive, but I don’t do a lot of pinning and I actually think this can help with accuracy. Many times when we pin, the fabric is shifted as we insert the pin sideways into the fabric. On shorter seams, I place my finger at the match point and apply pressure to keep the two pieces together. After I pass that point, I will do the same at the next match point or at the end of the unit to keep the edges together. I find that I can be pretty accurate with this technique and it’s a bit of a time saver. You’ll also notice that I rarely cut thread. I will work on multiple blocks or units or have a leaders and enders project nearby.
Why so much talk about accuracy, well, when you get to the Bee’s Knees Block, you will definitely see the reason. On this block, there are a LOT more pieces needed to make that complicated shape with squares, triangles and rectangles. The bee’s antennae finish at only ¼” wide! This is another good reason to press those seams open. Imagine the bulk and how that would distort your piecing if those were pressed to the dark.
Hopefully, by the time you piece the bee, you will have worked out what you need to do to achieve this accuracy. It is worth it to make such an adorable block. Have fun sewing my friends and please share your progress in our Pine Cone Peeps Facebook Group.
So, in case you haven't heard, I have myself a little bit of an obsession other than sewing and my passionate love affair with Pine Needles. I thought it might be fun for all you peeps to tour the farm!
Here is the baby of the family. Scarlett was just born September 8, 2020. So super cute, right???
Remember, what is old was once new and treasured and the best things in life find a second life and become a new found treasure.
