Quilters - If you are interested in joining us in the Schoolgirl Sampler Sew Along in January, I posted some info in the Facebook group and other group today. If you are not joining us on Facebook, look in the book for a section with tips on sewing small blocks on page 8. Here are some things you will want to practice if you are going to join us in making the sampler quilt in January. You have a couple of weeks to practice before we begin.
Most of the blocks are pretty straightforward. If you sew with a scant 1/4" seam, your blocks will turn out better. Many of the blocks use 1 1/2" squares. These may be small for some of you who are used to working with larger pieces. Practice cutting the small squares accurately and try sewing small four patches until you feel they are precise. A non-slip ruler is a good choice. I like the Olfa Frosted the best (brown rectangle) because there are fewer lines to distract or confuse me when I'm cutting.
A couple of other things you may want to practice are making small flying geese and half-square triangle units (HSTs). Follow the directions for making these on pages 8-9 of the book and practice until your blocks are accurate. Pick a few simple blocks that use these units, follow the directions and practice. Perhaps purchase a flying geese ruler to help. Bloc Loc makes these in different sizes. Pricey, but it may be worth it for some of you if you're striving for accuracy. Some of the shops listed carry recommended rulers and other tools.
I love these Mini rulers by Quilt in a Day as well as the Bloc Loc rulers for making flying geese and half-square triangle units. You can get the Bloc Loc flying geese rulers in all different sizes and if you can afford them they work great. The others are less expensive if you're on a budget. The one Bloc Loc ruler for flying geese you may use the most in making this sampler, or just small quilts in general, is the 1" x 2" size below. I got the ruler after I made this little tree mug mat so you can see my units are not exactly accurate here, LOL. I have the ruler now so I'll definitely do better in the future!
Christmas Tree pattern is available on the Free Patterns page on my website.
3 comments:
YES!!! I am excited to start this new journey with you and all the others gathered in the group. So fun to be stitching along with quilters from all over the world!! And I love seeing how everyone's blocks come together. Thank you Kathy for taking the time to put this all together for us, you are amazing!!!
Thank you for these tips! I ordered your book to arrive to my daughter's house and she will send it overseas to me. Looking forward to it!
Thank you for the tips. I hope to join in on the fun in January but as of yet, I haven't been able to get my hands on the book, here in Canada. I have all your other books and they are my most favorite quilting books, so I'll keep searching. In the meantime, I'll practice my piecing with some of your other small quilt patterns. Thank you again, for all you do and share with us!
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