This head cold has really kicked my butt. I left work early yesterday and while I couldn't manage a nap under the influence of antihistamines, I slept 11 hours last night and am moving slowly this morning. I did do a little bit of work yesterday on my Civil War Chronicles BOM, which is pictured below all laid out to add onto what was previously done. I like that this quilt goes together like a medallion quilt, and this is the second out of five months that there has been some partial top construction.
It's really challenging my quarter seam allowance abilities and each time I go to add blocks I hold my breath, hoping the seams match up all along the way. The most challenging part is the triangles added on the bias - how do you ensure those match up so the tips aren't longer on one side than the other?
The Farmer's Wife book is out for delivery to me today. It is our last Saturday without any children until sometime late in August and while my Honey is out doing yard work, I plan to power through this cold and enjoy it in my sewing room, with dinner out at the end of the evening. Tomorrow will be spent with kids arriving for the week and other family coming over to celebrate Father's Day, so I'll handle all the tasks of cleaning up, grocery shopping and baking then and just enjoy today!
Your civil war quilt is gorgeous. I've got the pattern for Civil War Tribute and this looks similar.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned about sewing triangles. The way I do this is I start with squares. For instance if I need a 2" HST block, I start with two 3" squares, placed right sides together. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner, then sew a seam 1/4" from each side of the line you drew. Once the stitching is done, cut on the drawn line, press your seam allowance and there you will have a HST block that will finish at 2". When using this technique, always add 1" to the finished size to determine what size squares to start with.
If I'm adding setting triangles (to put a block on point, I actually start with squares and trim down to the correct size after the seam is in place. I have found it's worth the extra fabric to not have to handle bias edges.
Thanks, Stefanie. I am good with HSTs, the method you described is how I do that. But if I need to sew the hypoteneuse of a right triangle - whether it's pieced or whole - to the width of a block, like along a side of a square, the little tips stick out on either side. I try to get them kind of even - which is easier with a cut triangle than a pieced one - or else match up the point of the triangle to the center of the side I'm piecing on. The way this quilt has been pieced, I'm sewing big triangles to put on the edge of squares to set what was previously done on point, and it gets a little tricky, especially when dealing with seams a couple of feet long.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I'm enjoying about the templates to the Farmer's Wife blocks is that they snip off those triangle tips, and it's much easier to match triangles to other pieces.