"Rat's Nests" and Corner Chewing - Begone!

The "Rat's Nest"
You can use those small offcuts and trimmings of fabric tucked under the point of the start of the seam as Vanessa at Crafty Gemini advises, but that leaves you with a couple of issues, you can then cut the fabric away and leave yourself with a perfect point, there is a danger of cutting into the stitches themselves, and no matter how close you trim you have an extra layer of fabric under the thread which can become an issue depending on how your seams are layered.

Easier and more efficient is to use those trimmings of paper from your paper piecing blocks.  You are probably like me, in that you save the bigger bits and staple them together to use as scrap pads and memo pads, "waste not, want not".  Some of the trimmings are just too small to be useful though, these are the bits I save next to my machine,  When you have a sharp point that the machine will chew up, or just very fine fabric that causes those threads to bunch underneath, no matter how careful you are, it will happen, even the BIG names in the sewing  blogosphere have the problem.  Put one of those skinny bits of paper underneath though and it does the job beautifully.  The feed dogs have something to grab on to so the fabric feeds through smoothly, the threads are separated to they can't twist up, and when you are finished, you can simply tear the paper down the perforations made by the needle.  Go carefully if you have delicate, or sharply pointed starts to the seams, you don't want to ruin the stitching by distorting it, bend it backwards and forwards a few times to make the perforations easier to split.  If you have really fine fabric say Organza or Chiffon, hold on to the starting/ending threads while you pull apart the perforations,  Although that might seem like a lot of information therefore a lot of work, still, it is in all ways easier to use paper.  No more tangled threads or chewed up corners, and all with bits you would have thrown away anyway.

How the story begins....

Dear Reader.

I was drawn to the Noble and Ancient Art of Quilting by a picture I saw On-line,  I can't tell you now what it was or where the web page is that drew me in, but I was very soon immersed in photographs of some of the modern quilts that are quite frankly stunning works of art.  Maybe there was a lot of applique on some of them and maybe some of them were created on fancy schmancy machines that can embroider really compex designs, and are all these elements really patchwork?, but Boy oh Boy, even if those machines make you a cup of coffee while they do the work for you, they come up with things that are beautiful to behold.  Next thing I know, it's getting dark and I'd managed to while away HOURS, looking at screen after screen of stunning quilts.  And so it began......

Through all of my sewing enthusiasms, I'd never been interested in Patchwork, it seemed way, WAY, WAY too much work to me to be cutting up bits of fabric to precise measurements then folding them around bits of paper you'd also had to cut out.  I understood where it came from.  Some of the States in the USA have long, long, HARD Winters, and when they were first settled, back in the 1800's there was no in-home entertainment that you didn't make for yourself, so this was a way to fill the long, dark and cold nights with an activity that at the end created something functional for the home and if it's going to be functional there's no reason why it can't also be beautiful.  And anywhere you have a shared activity, lots of ladies beavering away by the light of their lamps, you will have a shared competitive spirit.  Can you imagine how much they looked forward to the days when there was a Fair, if they could drive 4 hours in a horse and buggy to show off their pies, they could also damned well show off their patchwork quilts.  I've always 'got' that, and the history of it calls to the romantic side of me, the way that some families have quilts that stretch back over generations.  The doing of it just never appealed to me.  I'm still a bit stunned that I've become so bloody obsessed with them,  my living room looks like a sweat shop for a sewing studio.  The only reason I've picked up the iron is to press open seams on my blocks, and I go to bed and pick and worry over why I'm unable to sew the perfect scant 1/4", and why my flying geese units aren't perfect rectangles no matter how closely I sew to the diagonal line, it's bizarre, and the only people who would understand this are the other ladies and gents out there who are also trying to learn. 

I want to say GOOD LUCK to you and May Your 1/4" be as scant as possible.

Because when you get it right, it feels EPIC!!!!!

The MisAdventures Begin......

 Let the MisAdventures Begin......

 Easter Saturday...

 

Today I started yet another set of blocks, I'm giving the Block of the Month a rest because the Modern Dresden is driving me up the wall.  I made my own template and I think I was lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that the Traditional Dresden and the Drunkard's Path blocks laid down perfectly, first time, no messing around.  This one? it's a total mess I've narrowed, unpicked, re-sewn, but still nothing!  Then I see in the questions section I'm not alone, and it seems that the template for the Modern is actually wrong, so I'm looking a buying yet another ruler-  Kerching- so, before I give in forever and use only half of the plate, I gave myself a little rest and decided to have a go at a paper pieced 'Spinning Star' or 'Laced Star' depending on where you look at it.  I know, I can hear what you're saying to yourself " a rest?"  "a break?"  "is she barmy?" lol, still as hard as it is, I managed to create something.  I'll post more and I''ll tart this site up a bit, just as soon as I learn how to do it.  I'm a bit intimidated by it all to tell the truth.

 I'm sending this photo to Kim at My Go Go Life, who is an awesome quilter, and a generous teacher, who has some GREAT tutorials on her site, and who runs a give-away each Saturday, so pop over to Sewjo Saturday and have a look at the fabulous work she does.

http://www.gogokim.blogspot.co.uk/

   SewJo Saturday

Wishing you and yours a Happy Easter Sunday.