April proved to be a time of RPI: rapid project initiation. This phenomenon had nothing to do with me and my weakness for the thrill of a new fabric pull. It had everything to do with the limited brick-and-mortars in my area.
This bout of RPI all started with my next crafty production-line obsession: drawstring bags. Two friends swear by their heat presses for speeding up the interfacing process, and I was intrigued. After investigating buying a commercial heat press secondhand, I placed an order for a more-compact new unit.
What did I do while I waited for the heat press? I started Stara—that colorful project from a few weeks ago. Once I discovered its issues with shadowing, however, I had to place an order for new background fabric.
What did I do while I waited for the heat press and new fabric? I started Falling Stars, the current sew-along from the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG).
Falling Stars is a fun sew: It’s all about 2.5-inch squares and half-square triangles (HSTs), and requires an eye for value. I used the opportunity to bust through my low-volume scraps, pairing those mostly white and off-white fabrics with blacks and grays from my stash.
If you’re an MQG member and considering joining, it’s not too late (learn more here). And I have some advice for you: I’ve been streamlining the cutting and piecing processes with great success. First, instead of making two-at-a-time HSTs per the pattern instructions, I used the HST die on my Accuquilt Go. This means I’ll be sewing bias edges, but still, I won’t have to trim anything—and I’d take bias edges over trimming any day. If you don’t have an Accuquilt Go, may I suggest making a friend who does?
I am also using the web-piecing method. Although I first heard of this technique a decade ago, I only recently tried it out. This is not the technique where you use a thin layer of interfacing to lay out and sew a block together. It’s the one where you chainpiece the pieces of the first column of a block, cut the thread, chainpiece the second-column pieces to the first-column pieces, cut the thread, and continue until all the pieces are attached. (Then, that’s the point where you press and sew the rows together.) As a gal who has a habit of zoning out for just long enough to mix up the order of a patchwork block, I’m sold on the web-piecing approach.
I know the linky focuses on finishes, but I want to hear about your new projects, too. What have you started up recently?
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Ohhh, that is such a cute block, Michelle! You used such cute prints, too! I'm pinning this for future use of my scrap 2 1/2" squares. Well noted that one needs 3 shades per block.
ReplyDeleteYour Falling Stars blocks look great!
ReplyDeleteYour block is pretty, your quilt will be so lovely!
ReplyDelete