tháng 9 16, 2013
What’s a girl to do?
Get up and sew something!
There is always discussion amongst quilters on what is the best way to do this, best way to do that – or why is SHE doing it this way, when she SHOULD be doing it that way ----
Just like with all other aspects of life...we are OPINIONATED!
I just LOVE this vintage placard advertising Coats & Clark thread….isn’t this SO FUNNY!
And true.
I think the most important thing isn’t HOW someone does something, as long as it gets the job done.
There are many reasons why I take the time to do English paper piecing. While I don’t feel like I should have to defend myself over my methods, I just do what works for me.
Most of the time I am sewing in a moving vehicle. Bumpy roads or bumpy air space ---it’s all the same. I can quickly baste in bad lighting and bumpy air, and it doesn’t take as long as some may think. It's mindless, and comforting. I love the feel of manipulating that seam allowance over the card stock shapes, folding the corners, basting them down.
I choose to rough cut my fabric into hexagons through 8 layers of fabric with scissors. I get less waste and more control and a better use of my scraps than using an accuquilt die. I enjoy the feel of cutting with scissors.
And yes, I cut HEXAGONS…not squares that are going to be folded over and leave way too much seam allowance on the back side of my work. Who really wants to go trim that later?
Behold the back side!
Sometimes my stitches are visible. And that’s okay. It’s hand work. I don’t feel the need to punch a hole in the center of my papers and use a chopstick to remove them. I just grab them and wiggle them out ---that means less stuff for me to have to carry.
My whip stitch is not as close as some. But to me the stitches don't need to be as close together as a satin stitch. My stitches are spaced about the same distance as my machine piecing would be. Sufficient to hold it together without creating a ridge of too many stitches.
I like how the basting thread stays in and keeps my seam allowance nice and neat. There will be no need to repress this top that has traveled thousands of miles during its creation.
I like to work in small “satellite” sections that are portable, and then will assemble them to the “mother ship.” I love to see the instant progress as I join the hexies to each other one by one, building my sections and watching them grow.
Baste one, sew it on. Baste another, sew it on....I don't save baggies full of basted hexies to then join later. The thread is already attached, so sew it on!
Baste one, sew it on. Baste another, sew it on....I don't save baggies full of basted hexies to then join later. The thread is already attached, so sew it on!
This is my progress from the last couple of trips…to Texas and back last week, and to Oregon yesterday. I am loving my project!
If you are new to hexagons, you can check out my English paper piecing tutorial HERE.
With a crazy busy traveling life…having my busy bag full and always ready to go keeps a bit of home and normalcy with me wherever I may be.
So here I sit in a hotel room in Roseburg, Oregon just after 5am, with 3 hours before my pick up time for class today.
It’s too early to even get breakfast yet!
Not enough time to go back to sleep. but enough time to add some more pieces to my project.
Fabrics that I cut. Pieces I am familiar with. A little bit of home.
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