Quilt Class Redux

I updated my Sampler Quilt Class page so that the blocks are also listed in the order I teach them.  It’s a good time to revisit your skills or learn something new.

Last time I taught, I used the quilt below as an example. If you want me to teach you and your friends via Zoom, get in touch.

Aqua-Red Sampler with prize
Aqua-Red Sampler with prize

Sampler Class Tutorials:

Classes in order of how I teach them:

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Classes in alphabetical order:

Finishing the Quilt

Resources:

 

 

Tutorial: Mitered Borders

Supplies:

Why Miter?

  • You can sew 2 or more borders together first then put them on your quilt top and miter them
  • Blends prints well
  • Lines up linear designs such as stripes
  • Add some pizzazz to a block that needs something extra, especially if you have to add coping strips

How to Miter:

Cut borders
Cut borders
  1. Cut top and bottom border strips to the quilt top side lengths, plus an additional 2x the border width plus 1″. The 2x the border width gives you enough space to make the 45 degree angle. The extra 1″ is added for insurance. You can always add more “insurance”.
    1. Formula: quilt top side lengths plus (2x the border width) plus 1“
    2. Example: When the top of the quilt is 45”l and you want the side borders to be 5”w: 45 + (2×5”=10)=55”+ 1” =56
  2. Sew the top border to the quilt top, starting and stopping ¼” away from the ends of the quilt, backstitching at each end.
  3. Repeat for the other 3 borders. The corners will be flapping around.
  4. Fold the quilt top in half diagonally, right sides together, creating a triangle.
  5. Line up two adjacent borders; for example, the top border and the right-side border.
  6. Fold quilt in half diagonally
    Fold quilt in half diagonally

    Place the ruler along the 45-degree line.

  7. Draw a line
    Draw a line

    When lined up, draw a line using a pencil and a ruler along that 45 degree angle and extend it over the borders.

  8. Pin firmly in place.
  9. Locate the stitch line you made when you sewed the border to the quilt top and begin sewing there.
  10. Sew from the stitch line out toward the end of the border, directly on the pencil line.
  11. Backstitch at the beginning and end
  12. Sew and open to reduce bulk
    Sew and open to reduce bulk

    Open up the quilt top to check the miter. The corner where the three seams meet should lie flat when viewed from the front. There should be no tucks or gaps. The borders should also be square.

  13. When the corner is perfect (or at a point that you’re happy with it!), refold the top to reveal that 45 degree stitching
  14. Trim the seam (the extra border length) to 1/4″.
  15. Press open to decrease the bulk of fabric at the seam corner.
  16. Repeat these steps with the other three corners

 

Resources:

How and Why to Miter – Quilting Hub tutorial

Quilt Class: Preparing for Quilting

If you, mostly, do not quilt your quilts yourself, then part of your quiltmaking process should be preparing your quilt for your longarm professional. You can read my longarm rant which implies things to think about when choosing a longarm quilter, but regardless of who you choose, you will still have to prepare your quilt.

To be honest, when I get to the “YAY! I have finished my top” stage, I am done with the quilt. However, I also don’t want a bunch of tops laying around, so I am working on finding the Zen or meditative qualities of finishing my quilts.

Top

My tops are what they are. I press as I need to press, which is usually towards the side. Sometimes my tops have points where a lot of seams meet. I don’t try and change that piecing, but I make a note and point those areas out to Colleen and usually tell her to avoid them.

If there are no borders, I sew around the entire edge about 1/8 inch from the edge. This stabilizes the seams that intersect on the perpendicular with the edge.

Back

However, when I get to the back, I do try to be nice. Part of the process or creating the meditative space in my head of finishing my quilts deals with the back. I no longer piece tiny squares together to create a coordinated back. I try to use very large pieces of fabric, which not only enables me to finish the back quickly, but also lessens the number of seams on the back for the longarmer.

My personal, fabulous longarmer has never complained about seams, but I also don’t want her to become frustrated with me. I make pieced backs. That is just what I do. I see no good reason to buy additional fabric for the back when I have perfectly good fabric in my fabric closet that is not being used.

Lately, I have started to try to remember to press the seams open on the back. It doesn’t really matter in terms of back construction, IMO, but it lessens the number of layers that the longarm needle has to punch through. My personal, fabulous longarmer has never said one way or the other, but I figure that it can’t hurt.

If I know that the end of the seam will be on the outside of the quilt or NOT crossed by another seam I will also backstitch. I do this on the front also, so that the threads don’t pull apart as the quilt is being stretched on the longarm machine. Of course, I don’t always know, but I do my best.

I try to make the back at least 8″ larger (4″ on each side and 4″ on top and bottom) all the way around than the size of the top. To do this, I lay the top on my design floor and build the back on top of it.

Post-it Notes are your Friend

I measure the top and the back and pin a post-it note to the quilt saying what the sizes are. I use hot pink post-it notes. My quilts are generally square, but usually not perfectly square. They are often off by an 1/8″, but not much more. If I put the post-it note on, the longarmer clearly knows what s/he is dealing with and can’t blame me later for lousy piecing (Well, s/he can, but I can just look at him or her sarcastically and not feel bad).

Top and Bottom

You might think that any idiot could tell which is the top and bottom of your quilt, but that is not always the case. I had a quilt where the back was really large – much larger than the 4″ all around that I normally make it – and my personal, fabulous longarmer put it on sideways, because I didn’t mark the top and the bottom. She is not in my head, though she is in my fantasy life head , so now I put a post-it note with the word ‘top’ on both the top and the back. Top on the post-it note means “dude, this is the top of the quilt.”

Pins

I take them out as I piece. There is no later. If my personal, fabulous longarmer runs over a pin I left on the quilt, I pay to have her machine repaired. My fault, my problem. That is why I take pins out of the seams, rather than running over them.

Embellishments

I embellish with anything 3D AFTER the quilting is done. If there is some reason that I put a button or beads in a section of the quilt, then I pin a very bright post-it note to that area. I also point it out to her when I bring the quilt to her. If my personal, fabulous longarmer runs over an embellishment on the quilt, because I didn’t warn her, I pay to have her machine repaired. My fault, my problem.

Press, Press, Press

As much as I despise pressing the top and the back I do it just before I take the quilt to the longarmer. Then I hang the top and the back on a pants hanger. The pants hangers have to be tough and have really strong clips, because those quilts are heavy. If I don’t press the wrinkles will not ‘quilt’ out.

Binding

My longarmer attaches my binding on side with the machine for me, so I include a binding with my top and back. Generally, I put it in a plastic bag and attach it to the hanger so it doesn’t get lost.

This is the last step. Once the quilt is on the hanger, it is ready to be taken to the longarmer.

Keep in mind that your personal longarmer might have different requirements for how you prepare your quilts. Make sure that you know what those are before you take your quilt to be quilted.

Quilt Class: Setting the Blocks Together

I am using a different quilt for this tutorial, but I have faith that that won’t make a difference to all of you intelligent readers and students who have been following along with my various sampler class tutorials.

Supply List:

  • blocks
  • fabric for sashing
  • fabric cornerstones (I used scraps, but my cornerstones were only 1.5 inches square)
  • calculator
  • sewing machine
  • thread
  • measuring tools
  • basic rotary cutting kit
  • scissors or snips
  • seam ripper (I use a Clover ergonomic seam ripper)
  • pins
  • iron
  • ironing board
  • Mary Ellen’s Best Press (optional)
  • stiletto (optional)
  • design wall (optional, but super helpful)

Please note that we are only talking about sashing in this tutorial. We are not talking about borders. I will do a separate tutorial for borders in the future.

Red Strip Donation Blocks
Red Strip Donation Blocks

I started out with the above group of donation blocks. I have been setting these with plain blocks of the same size. I decided that I wanted to do something different with these blocks. Sashing is the answer. Having something between these blocks prevents the seams from getting too thick and hard to sew. Also, it allows each block to shine a little bit rather than being part of a mass. Adding sashing or plain borders or nothing is a design choice. For any quilt, it is important to decide on the look and feel you want.

Even if you put the same sized plain blocks between these blocks, the method I will show you works the same way.

Blocks with Sashing & Cornerstones
Blocks with Sashing & Cornerstones

The first step is to cut sashing and cornerstones. The photo above shows all the sashing and cornerstones cut and laid out on my design wall.

If you don’t want cornerstones, cut your top sashing the same size as your block + side sashing –  1/2 inch seam allowance (1/4 inch + 1/4 inch = half inch). The formula is:

Block size + vertical sashing – 1/2 inch seam allowance = finished size of top sashing without cornerstones

I can’t tell you the exact size, because I don’t have your blocks in front of me. Use a calculator. I do.

Also, notice that my top and side rows are different. I plan to put a straight strip of fabric across the top and sides as a border, which means I don’t need sashing for the top or sides.

Once you have all of your sashing and cornerstones cut, it is time to sew. I like to start in the bottom left hand corner. I start there because it is closer to my sewing machine when all the blocks are on my design wall. As I sew, the blocks shrink (because of the taken up seam allowance) and get closer to where I am sitting.

Sew vertical sashing to right side of block
Sew vertical sashing to right side of block

First, sew one vertical sashing piece to the right side of your block.

Press to the red.

Sew top sashing to cornerstone
Sew top sashing to cornerstone

Next, sew one piece of the top sashing to a cornerstone. In the above photo the sashing is white and the cornerstone is a red flower fabric.

Take your new little sashing + cornerstone piece to the ironing board and press to the red.

Now, nest the seams and pin the top sashing/cornerstone piece to the block with vertical sashing.

The top sashing should be on the top of the block  as it moves through the sewing machine. Sew the top sashing to the block. 

Top sashing sewn to block with vertical sashing
Top sashing sewn to block with vertical sashing

Sew the side sashing and the top sashing/cornerstone to all the blocks as described above.

IMPORTANT: The top row, as mentioned above, in my quilt, is different, so just sew the vertical sashing to the blocks in the top row and the top sashing to the blocks on the right edge.

All of the blocks have sashing/cornerstones sewn to their correct side
All of the blocks have sashing/cornerstones sewn to their correct side

Once you have sewn all the sashing on to the blocks, you will begin to sew the blocks together. This is chunking. I have talked about it before. I ‘chunk’ because 1) I don’t like sewing long rows together and 2) it keeps my piecing more precise.

Take two blocks with sashing & sew them together
Take two blocks with sashing & sew them together
Pin blocks together, matching seams and sew
Pin blocks together, matching seams and sew

First take the two blocks in the bottom left hand corner, pin them with matched points and nested seams. You will pin them together so that the top white sashing is sewn to the red cornerstone. The white vertical sashing will be sewn to the red block.

Sew them together. I pin in the seam allowance so that i have a better chance at the seams matching up. When I take the pins out as I am sewing, chances increase that the seams won’t match.  In general, to increase my chances of perfectly matching seams, I try to sew towards the seam allowance, but that didn’t work on this quilt, because I pressed towards the red. Use a stiletto to keep the seams in place for as long as possible.

Two blocks with sashing sewn together
Two blocks with sashing sewn together

Now you have a block with sashing on two sides.

 

 

Once you have sewn all of the sashing and cornerstones to the blocks, you will have completed the first step in putting your quilt top together.

Sew sashing to top of blocks on the right edge only
Sew sashing to top of blocks on the right edge only

On the right edge of the quilt, you will only sew the top sashing to the blocks. As mentioned before, there will be a border without cornerstones in my quilt, so I don’t need vertical sashing or cornerstones on the edges. If you want cornerstones in your border, follow the directions above for all blocks.

One long seam left
One long seam left

After you have sewn the various blocks together, you will have one long seam left.

Finished Center with sashing
Finished Center with sashing

Once you sew that seam, the center of your quilt top is done.

I know that the common way of sewing a quilt together is sewing it together in rows then sewing all the rows together. Using the row method is easier to explain than ‘chunking’, but, as I said above, my method is more precise.

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Bias Tape Block

Bias Tape Class Sample
Bias Tape Class Sample

I added this bias tape to my syllabus. My current students are very gung ho and want to learn more. I had gotten it to the point where I had all the bias tape pinned down, but hadn’t finished the sewing until the weekend.

I had a couple of small half finished projects laying around and they were annoying, so I just took the time to finish them.

I am pleased with how it came out and will probably use this block again when teaching.

I also used Saral Transfer Paper, because it is a great way to trace and transfer at the same time without using something like a Frixon pen or the blue pen that may come back to haunt me later. Saral paper is super old school, but works amazingly well. I couldn’t find the pack I had so I bought a variety pack, which means that I can use it on different colors of fabric.

I recently bought a tracing stylus to use with the Saral. This made Saral paper even more awesome. The stylus has a ball on the end and won’t rip through the relatively thin Saral paper. I can’t believe how smoothly it worked.

Using bias tape with Red Scribbles and now this block have made me rethink its usefulness and how I can use it in other pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Cutting Small Hexagons

Finished Hexagon Block
Finished Hexagon Block

Today we are cutting hexagons from strips to make the hexagon block for our sampler quilt. This tutorial is a follow-up to the Large Hexagon tutorial. The principles are the same; the sizes are different.

Supplies

Cut strip to make rotary cut hexagons
Cut strip to make rotary cut hexagons

Cut your strip the unfinished size of your hexagon. In the example, I cut mine 2 3/8 inches. This is 1/8″ larger than I need, but I have a little wiggle room in this block. If you don’t have wiggle room, cut the strip the size of the unfinished hexagon

Strip cut to size
Strip cut to size
Fold your strip in half lengthwise
Fold your strip in half lengthwise

Fold your strip in half lengthwise

Position strip with fold near you
Position strip with fold near you

Position the strip so the fold is closest to you.

Line up Clearview ruler
Line up Clearview ruler

Line up your Clearview ruler with the tip on the raw edge

Place post-it note on ruler
Place post-it note on ruler

Place a post-it note on the ruler. Line up a post-it note with the fold of the strip

Move ruler up even with the raw edge
Move ruler up even with the raw edge

Move ruler up until the post-it note is lined up with the raw edge of the strip. N.B. I rotated the post it note, because I couldn’t cut with the edges hanging over.

N.B.2- Be very careful if you cut towards you on the left side. It is never a good idea to cut towards you, so I recommend getting a rotating mat. Place your strip on the rotating mat, make your first cut the rotate the mat and make your second cut.

Cut on both sides of the ruler
Cut on both sides of the ruler

Cut on both sides of the ruler

Perfect hexagon
Perfect hexagon
Compare size with your template
Compare size with your template

Your hexagon should be perfect. N.B. As I said above, I have a little wiggle room with this patch, so I cut it slightly larger, which is why the template looks a little smaller.

 

Move ruler so post-it is lined up with raw edge
Move ruler so post-it is lined up with raw edge

Move the ruler along the strip and cut the next one

Note: you will not be able to cut every single bit of fabric. You will have small triangles leftover from in between the hexagons. You can use these leftover scraps to stuff pet beds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Quilt Class: Accurate Seam Allowance

 

An accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance on your sewing machine (hand work is different) is imperative for most quilt projects. Still some quiltmakers struggle. Below are some tips and, even further below, are some resources.

Supplies:

  • sewing machine
  • your usual thread
  • Seam guide or quarter inch foot
  • fabric
  • Ruler
  • Optional: blue painter’s tape or masking tape

Mostly, I will provide tips and tricks. You can watch the videos below to set up and test your machine to sew an accurate quarter inch seam.

First, decide if you care. If you don’t care, move on with your life. I am not saying that flippantly. We are all busy and if sewing an accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance is something you don’t care about, then go sew something.

Second, be prepared to play around. You’ll have to do some testing. Think of it as playtime.

Janome quarter inch foot
Janome quarter inch foot

Third, you will need some kind of seam guide. A foot included with your sewing machine (or available for purchase separately) is an option.

I use the Janome quarter inch foot and interchange the same foot with both of my machines. I have 2-3 of them, but any one of them works on both of my machines. When I had a Singer, I stacked up layers of tape to make a ‘stop’ or wall at the quarter inch mark.

Dritz has a magnetic seam guide*. I used one of these and found that, when it stayed in place, it worked.

For Juki machines, Jen Carlton Bailly recommends, a “T” gauge*. This screws into the needle plate somehow. I have seen this in use, but have not used it myself.

These are a few of the many, many products available. Check around with your friends and ask your machine dealer what they recommend.

Try different methods to see what works for you.

Using a seam guide
Using a seam guide

Tip #1: If you use a seam guide, use the seam guide

It is easy to allow your attention to wander away from what you are doing. If you are using a seam guide, keep the fabric right next to the guide.

I don’t find this difficult, though I did notice the YM not attending to his project and the fabric zooming off to the left nowhere near the seam guide.

Improv piecing is a problem
Improv piecing is a problem

Tip #2: Improv piecing is a problem

In general improv piecing is not a problem, but if you are attempting to go through many layers AND sticking to a quarter inch seam allowance, it is difficult. I ran into this when sewing the Red Strip Donation Top #2.

You can see the seam line wanders in the photo (left). When I am sewing tiny pieces together, the layers add up. This is what happens to me using my machine when I am trying to go through too many layers. This can also happen with blocks when a lot of layers come together in the center of a block.

Tip #3: Press open to reduce bulk

I don’t believe in pressing my seams open as a general rule. However, if you have a lot of bulk that is interfering with your seam allowance, pressing open can help. Have a reason to press open separate from “that’s what modern quiltmakers do.” I also press my seams open on the backs of quilts to reduce the bulk, which is the problem with accurate seam allowance and problems with longarm quilting. If you press open, you need to backstitch every seam that will not be crossed by another. That means that every improv quilt I make gets a line of stitching around the outside of the quilt. Every quilt without a border also gets a line of stitching around the outside. If you don’t, seams can unravel. On the edges both open seams and closed seams can unravel.

Tip #4: Machine markings

The measurement markings on your needle plate can help you keep your seam allowance accurate. While not a panacea, it is another aid when you are struggling to keep your piecing straight.

Tip #5: Adjust your needle

Many machine default to a 3/8ths or 5/8ths inch seam. Even pretty basic machines allow the maker to move the needle. If your machine has this feature, it is an easy way to get an accurate quarter inch seam. You just have to remember to do it when you turn on the machine!

Go through the process of testing your machine for an accurate quarter inch seam. Once you have it and have your system for sewing the accurate quarter inch seam, your patchwork will be better.

Tip #6: Use thin thread

Thread takes up space in the seam. If you are off my just a bit, then use thinner thread, like Aurifil 50 wt. Bottomline is a thin thread as well.

 

Resources:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item you click on. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Finished: Aqua-Red Sampler

Aqua-Red Sampler finished
Aqua-Red Sampler finished

Shortly after I finished the binding on Metroscape, I started and finished the binding on this sampler. I am pleased to have another finish! With this finish, I am crossing something off the list that has been on it for a long time. That feels great.

I showed it at BAM last Saturday and I was gratified at the response. I don’t think this sampler looks fuddy-duddyish, but I wasn’t sure how that more modern audience would take it. They liked it and it makes me want to pull out the Handbag Sampler and get back to it. I do think I would like to make some smaller blocks to go in a new sampler I might start, like the Star Sampler.

Aqua-Red Sampler back - finished
Aqua-Red Sampler back – finished

To Sash or Not to Sash

Aqua-Red Sampler - August 2018
Aqua-Red Sampler – August 2018

As part of the Sampler Quilt Class and other tutorials I have on this site, I want to add one about putting a quilt together. I thought it would be good to include information about sashing at the same time. Since I have been using this quilt to write the Sampler quilt posts, I thought I would use it to create the latest tutorial.

Process can be a difficult mistress (boy toy??) and she had both fangs and talons out for me on Sunday. I really wanted to just piece a bunch of stuff together, so I took Who Am I? off the design wall and started checking out sashing options for the Aqua-Red Sampler. I thought this would be a relatively easy task and I would be sewing in no time.

HA! I should never think that.

I started off thinking that the version above with no sashing just wasn’t quite right. I have a stack of fabrics that I keep for backs and sashing (larger pieces) so I started to look through them and try them out.

I always use Lorraine Torrence’s rule to “make visual decisions visually”. Well, when I do that I usually get good results. When I don’t, I ruin the quilt.

Sample Sashing n.1
Sample Sashing n.1

I pulled out the most likely option and pinned some blocks up on my design wall (2 layers of fabric don’t stick). You can see how optimistic I was that this would work based on the number of blocks I put up. It isn’t terrible, but I didn’t like the way the red was interacting with some of the reds in the blocks.

Sample Sashing n.2
Sample Sashing n.2

I thought maybe some blue and I have a nice turquoise solid that I got out. Not terrible, but nowhere near great either. The blocks with the lighter blue backgrounds stick out like sore thumbs and the blocks with the medium blue backgrounds wash out. I wasn’t daunted yet.

Sample Sashing n.3
Sample Sashing n.3

I thought maybe I should introduce a new color. I know I wanted this to be a, basically, two color quilt, but I started to think, perhaps, that there was no way to keep that dream alive with the two colors I had chosen. I thought about the green in Stepping Stones n.2 and I picked out a nice floral without flowers that included that green plus the blue.

Hideous.

Sample Sashing n.4
Sample Sashing n.4

I couldn’t yank that fabric off the design wall fast enough. It made me think of my man, Phil, though. I tried one of his prints. Also hideous. Well, not hideous, but it really didn’t work. The blue was wrong. The pink was wrong. It looked messy and slapped together.

Sample Sashing n.5
Sample Sashing n.5

I decided to try some white. It wouldn’t be my first choice because it is too predictable, but I was starting to feel desperate. Just a little. The white is wrong, too. I am not sure why, but it doesn’t add anything. It was too white as well, as if THAT makes any sense.

Sample Sashing n.6
Sample Sashing n.6

Since I liked the dots and was still thinking the white might just too white, so I pulled out a different dot and tried to like it. It isn’t terrible. It does add a bit to the whole piece, but the black dots just aren’t right. There is none of that fabric in the whole piece. I put it aside as a possibility.

Sample Sashing n.7
Sample Sashing n.7

Still thinking dots would work, I pulled out a different red dot print. The red wasn’t exactly the shade I would have chosen if I had all the fabric in the world, but the dots were larger and that was promising. Also, not terrible, but also not exactly right.

By this time, I was starting to feel disheartened and needed some input so I posted to Instagram to get some feedback. People were very kind and had some good ideas.

Sample Sashing n.8
Sample Sashing n.8

One person suggested navy, which might work, but I don’t like navy much and don’t have any navy fabric – yardage, at least. I might have some scraps. Amanda suggested yellow. I had a nice sunshine-y orange, which I just thought I would try to see. Not terrible, but not right either. It came across as gold in the photos (even the one above, I think). You remember the hunt for yellow in which I engaged for the basket quilt? I really didn’t want to go out and buy fabric. I really felt I had to have something that would work.

Sample Sashing n.9
Sample Sashing n.9

I found some cherry fabric, again by my man, Phil, and thought I would try it. The first Philip Jacobs option was still on my mind. I wasn’t ready to give up on him again. This fabric is actually okay. I think ‘okay’ is a step above ‘not terrible’. Still it didn’t scream YES! at me.

Much more sighing went on.

Sample Sashing n.10
Sample Sashing n.10

My last option for the day was a grey. I was not hopeful. I really wanted to sew and I had used most of my sewing time on an unsuccessful attempt to choose some sashing.It didn’t work. It doesn’t look much better than the white

I gave up and went to sew the latest donation quilt. I am starting to think this quilt does not want sashing and I’ll have to make the tutorial with another quilt.

 

Quilt Class: Cathedral Window Block

Finished Cathedral Window block
Finished Cathedral Window block

I decided to make this block after finding I needed one more block to complete my Aqua-Red Sampler. I have never made one of these, so I thought “what the heck?”. I had seen some directions for it and it caught my attention. As mentioned, I had to cobble together instructions from at least three different tutorials to be able to make the block. Below is my version. The tutorials I referenced are noted below.

Finished Block Size: 12 inches (12.5 unfinished)

Supplies

  • Fabric
    • In this tutorial, the background is turquoise and the foreground is red.
  • Thread – you might want to use your regular piecing thread for the first part of the directions, then switch to a thread that matches the background fabric for sewing the curves shut
  • Seam ripper (I use a Clover ergonomic seam ripper)
  • Sewing machine
  • 1/4 inch foot
  • applique’ foot (foot with a center mark)
  • square ruler at least 12.5 inches square
  • long ruler at least 12 inches long (I use a 3.5 x 12.5 Creative Grids)
  • snips or scissors
  • Pins
  • Iron
  • Ironing surface
  • Tool to poke out corners
  • A pen or pencil you can use to draw on fabric (I like Sewline pencils)
  • Stiletto or dental pick type instrument (something thin and pointy)
  • hand sewing needle

Instructions for making a 12″ (finished) Cathedral Windows block

1. Cut 4 squares of background fabric 12.5 inches by 12.5 inches

4- 4 x 4 inch foreground squares
4- 4 x 4 inch foreground squares

2. Cut 4 squares for inset pieces 4 inches by 4 inches.

Fold 12.5x12.5 inch squares in half
Fold 12.5×12.5 inch squares in half

3. Fold each of the 4 background squares in half. This will make your 12.5 x 12.5 inch squares into rectangles (e.g. do not fold NOT along the diagonal).

  • Hint: I sew all four one after another, but you can sew one at a time, if you prefer.

3A. Sew along the short side, backstitching at the beginning and the end.

Open up rectangles & match edges
Open up rectangles & match edges

4. Open your rectangles and match up the raw edges.

Match edges and nest seams
Match edges and nest seams
  • Hint: I nest the center seams and pin, starting in the middle
Leave opening
Leave opening
Pin edges closed, leaving an opening for turning
Pin edges closed, leaving an opening for turning
  • Hint: leave an opening 2-3 fingers wide for later turning.  I mark this with two pins right next to each other.
Sew seam shut
Sew seam shut

5. Sew your pinned seam shut except for the opening you have left.

Backstitch at beginning and end
Backstitch at beginning and end
Backstitch at beginning and end
Backstitch at beginning and end
  • Hint: I backstitch at the beginning and end of the seams including next to the opening. Yes, it is a hassle to start and stop, but I don’t want the edges of the seams to come apart when I turn.
Smooth out blocks
Smooth out blocks

6. Place recently sewn squares on the ironing board and smooth out wrong side out (above). They should make nice squares.

7. Press nested seams in opposite directions from the center out.

Press seam open to minimize bulk
Press seam open to minimize bulk

8. Press long seams in one direction, being careful to line up edge of opening as best you can.  You can press this seam open if you want.

You should now have 4 nice flat squares with wrong sides out.

9. Turn squares right sides out.

10 Poke out corners carefully. I use a knitting needle whose mate broke.

Your squares are now on the bias, so be careful when you handle them.

Press right side
Press right side

10A. Press

Press
Press

 

Corners folded in
Corners folded in

11. Fold corners into the center. Do this with all four corners and make a new square. The square should be 6 inches.

4 blocks laid out in a 2x2 grid
4 blocks laid out in a 2×2 grid

12. Lay out the blocks in a 2 x 2 grid, so you can see what you have

Pin triangles together
Pin triangles together

13. Pin the center triangles of the two top triangles together. Do the same for the bottom triangles. Now your 2×2 grid will be pinned together in two rectangular sections

Draw a line in the crease
Draw a line in the crease

14. Using a ruler (I use a 3.5 x 12.5 Creative Grids), and your marking implement (I like Sewline pencils), draw a line in the crease under the triangles you are about to pin

Line up squares
Line up squares

15. Line up squares with backs together and triangles pointing to the right.

16. Put your applique’ foot on your sewing machine.

17. Sew along the crease on both sets.

18. Lay out the 2×2 grid again. Now you will have two ‘rows’. You are going to sew the rows together.

Pin them together
Pin them together

19. Fold up the top triangles from the bottom row and the bottom triangle from the top row.

Draw another line between the two 'rows' in the crease
Draw another line between the two ‘rows’ in the crease

20. Draw a line along the crease at the bottom of the two triangles.

 

21. Sew along the line. After, you will have your 2×2 grid of squares sewn together and the triangles will be flapping around.

Start laying out your foreground squares
Start laying out your foreground squares
Foreground squares laid out
Foreground squares laid out

22. Take your foreground triangles and lay them on top of your background

Tuck flaps over foreground
Tuck flaps over foreground

23. Tuck the flaps in towards the center and pin in place. Watch out that the edges of your foreground squares don’t show. Make the edges curve slightly

  • Note: this was confusing to figure out and it turned out that I did not have all the sewn triangles in the right place. After you sew the triangles together, make sure you flatten them back in their original places, e.g. one layer of background on top
You may need to use a stiletto
You may need to use a stiletto
  • Note: I had to use a thin sharp tool, like a stiletto or dental instrument to tuck in some of the foreground edges. I sometimes use a seam ripper, which is a very bad habit, because if you aren’t careful, you can rip your fabric. You can definitely trim the foreground fabric, but trim a little at a time very, very carefully
Pinned and ready for sewing
Pinned and ready for sewing

24. Pin each edge in three places with the heads of the pins facing the center of the foreground fabric. This is not micro management; this technique will allow you to sew as long as possible with the pins in place

Sew close to the edge of the background fabric
Sew close to the edge of the background fabric

25. Sew very close to the edge of the background. I sewed slowly and carefully. I used the above mentioned sharp tools when I needed a little help. Leave LONG tails so you can knot off and hide the threads

26. Handstitch the other triangle flaps closed with a few stitches. The other tutorials said to use the machine, but 2 stitches is a pain and an irritant on the machine, so I hand sewed the flaps closed when I was sinking threads.

Cathedral Window Block in process
Cathedral Window Block in process

I never thought of making it before, but this block did kind of take my fancy. This is kind of a strange block, partially because of all of the layers. It is lumpier than I expected. Warn your longarmer about it.

 

 

Resources:

  • Fons & Porter Cathedral Window block– I originally found the instructions in one of their magazines as part of their ‘learning to quilt* series’. I had to go looking for other instructions when I found the directions had no sizes or actual cutting instructions. Directions are brief.
  • Lovely Little Handmades Cathedral Window block – uses a printed background, so you can see how that works. Most people use white, so it was a little confusing for me when I wanted to use the blue.
  • Sometimes Crafter Cathedral Window block – some missing detail, but has the instructions for cutting the right sized patches. I also don’t like it that the viewer cannot enlarge the photos to see the details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Nota bene: not sure if this is the correct name, but it describes the basic idea of the series.

Handbag Sampler

Handbag Sampler
Handbag Sampler

In going through old photos, I found photos of the Handbag Sampler I have been talking about recently.

I haven’t actually found the blocks, but, at least, I have a photo and sort of know what I have.

Handbag Sampler Nosegay
Handbag Sampler Nosegay

I found a photo of a Nosegay block that I made (or am in the process of making as well. The 9th block is good, because that means, if I find the blocks, I can just put the quilt together. I don’t have to search out fabric, which is all very distinctive. Of course,in terms of learning, it isn’t quite as comprehensive a Sampler as the Aqua-Red Sampler. There is no applique completed.

I have to find the blocks before I decide what other blocks to make.

Thoughts on Aqua-Red Sampler

Aqua-Red Sampler
Aqua-Red Sampler

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I have the Aqua-Red Sampler on my design wall and I am trying to figure out what block to make as my last block.

Tea Basket block
Tea Basket block

I was thinking of the Nosegay. I have a great version for the Handbag Sampler, so it isn’t pressing that I make another one. Still, it’s a good block. Then I remembered the Tea Basket block. It isn’t very popular. In fact I don’t know if I have ever seen a quilt that included that block. It is in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, so I was able to find it. I also found it in BlockBase and made some adjustments so the BlockBase version looked more like Jinny Beyer’s version. I also added some color to get an idea of how it would look. Looking at it now, I think it is more of a contender than I thought.

Quilt Class: Rose Wreath pt.3

We are making the Flower Wreath block. To find out how to make templates, including the ring, see Part 1 for making templates and Part 2 for making the ring and positioning the ring on the background.

Flower Wreath
Flower Wreath

Now we are going to stitch the ring. If you haven’t started, check the Supply List in part 1 and grab your 3″x5″ tearaway backed fabric. Your ring should be applied to the background and ready to stitch. If your ring is not fused and ready to stitch, go back to part 1.

I stitch in layers, so that the stitching is easier, there are fewer starts and stops and the piece looks more finished. Now that you are ready to stitch, it is time to choose your thread.

Choose thread
Choose thread

Whenever you choose thread, you must consider the stitch. If the stitch will be dense like a satin stitch, you should choose the color by looking at the thread wrapped around the whole spool. That will give you a better sense of the color the satin stitch will end up.

It you will be using a straight stitch, you should unreel a bit of the thread and look at one strand on your fabric. You may need to pool a little of the thread together – less dense than the whole spool and more dense than one strand.

Now set up your machine for zig zag stitching. You will need to choose a stitch density. I like a semi-open zig zag that is not too wide. Dense satin stitching, however, can really highlight and outline each piece. I use the following settings on my machine:

  • Ring: width: 3.0, density: 0.45
  • Flowers: width: 3.0, density: 0.45
  • Leaves: width: 2.0, density: 0.5
  • Flower centers: width: 2.0, density: 0.5

YMMV: Your machine will vary so use the test piece and try out your settings.

Even if I haven’t chosen all the fabric, I like to get the ring stitched down first, so I can audition the other fabric without worrying about the ring. Yes, it is fused and shouldn’t go anywhere, but I still like it to be stitched down.

In order to choose the stitch density, you will need to test. Get the tearaway backed sample piece you have prepared and start testing with the width and densities I have provided above. Stitch lines of zig zag stitching 2-3″ long using a contrasting thread similar to the thread you will be using to stitch the ring. Adjust the width and density on your machine until you are pleased with the look.

Stitch ring
Stitch ring

Put the ring on the machine and start stitching. I always leave a long tail that I can pull to the back and tie shut later. My zig zag does not automatically tie the ends. If your machine is more advanced you may not have to tie a knot on the back. I don’t want my zig zag to come out if it gets snagged while the quilt is being used, which is why I tie the ends.

I use my applique’ foot, which has a red arrow in the center to stitch out the zig zag. I place the tip of the red arrow on the raw edge of the ring and follow it around. You want a smooth curve, so you should stitch with needle down or use the hand wheel to put the needle down when you stop. If the center point on your foot gets off the raw edge of your ring, stop and readjust. Stop with the needle down on the outside of the ring’s curve whenever you need to readjust the needle to accommodate the curve. Turn the fabric to the left to get the center point of the foot back on the raw edge of your ring. The stitching will be slightly closer together on the inside of the shape, when the needle punches the fabric to the left, and more open on the outside of the shape or when the needle hits the background.

Tail of thread
Tail of thread

When you have done about half – 3/4s of the stitching on the ring, stop and pull the beginning thread to the back and tie it off.

I tie the beginning off before I get to the end, because the beginning and ending threads can get tangled up and make it impossible to make small, neat knots. I have tied all four ends together in a pinch, but prefer to make the knots as small as possible.

Fold work back to tie
Fold work back to tie

I also use this technique also if I have to stop and pull the work out of the machine because of thread breakage or necessary bobbin refill.

I fold the work back (I only used my pincushion so I could photograph what I was doing. Normally, I just hold it with my wrist as pull the front through to the back and tie the ends together.) I don’t take the work out of the machine unless there is a good reason – like a big knot, or thread breakage, etc.

Completely stitched ring
Completely stitched ring

Once your knot is tied, continue stitching to where you started. I don’t overlap much once I get to the beginning, perhaps only a stitch or two, because I don’t want the look of the stitching to be too different.

I pull the work out of the machine and tie off the ending threads. Again, you may not need to do this if your machine does it for you.

Now follow the same steps, but on the inside, to finish stitching down the ring. Once you have stitched both the inside and outside of the rings, your ring will be complete and you will be ready to place the leaves and flowers on the ring.

Choose fabrics by putting scraps on background
Choose fabrics by putting scraps on background

If you have not already done so, choose the rest of your fabrics. You will need fabric for the flowers (1-4 fabrics) and leaves (1-20 fabrics). If you have not cut out and fused the wreath to the background, please go back to part 2. The leaves can be the traditional green or you can use something else. If you use one color, you might want to mix up prints to increase interest. You can also use different colors. Make the block your own.

Make visual decisions visually
Make visual decisions visually

I thought about making the leaves green to make them more realistic, but decided I still wanted to use a variety of turquoises and aquas and to stay with my quilt’s color scheme. I found more fabrics to use in my scrap basket.

It is important, with my limited color scheme, to make sure the viewer can see the individual leaves. For that, I need to have enough contrast between the various aquas and turquoises. Remember, when choosing your fabrics, to make visual decisions visually. Put your potential fabrics on the background and step back to look at them. From my test piece (right) you can see that there are a variety of tones of aqua and turquoise. Some of them blend a bit into the background. I want movement and interest.

Cover fusible with fabric
Cover fusible with fabric

Once you have chosen all of your fabrics press the fabric. Add fusible to the wrong sides.

Use the pressing cloth or applique’ pressing sheet to keep the fusible from sticking to your iron.

Follow the directions on your fusible’s packaging.

 

Trace leaves & Flowers
Trace leaves & Flowers

Mark all of your leaves and flowers. Flip the fusible so that paper side is up. You will be able to see your different fabrics through the paper. Place a template face DOWN on the appropriate fabric and trace with a writing implement. I use a Sewline pencil, but you can also use a pen, regular pencil or anything. I wouldn’t use a Sharpie even though I don’t think the paper will allow the marking to bleed through to the fabric.

Once you have traced all pieces**, cut them out right inside the drawn line. You should have 20 leaves, 4 flowers and 4 flower centers.

  1. Take all of your pieces and arrange them the pleasing way. Arrange them into the final position. You are using this try-out to look at the overall effect of the whole block. Once you are pleased with the arrangement, take a photo or sketch out placement.
  2. Fuse & Stitch Flowers
    Fuse & Stitch Flowers

    You will need to stitch the flowers first, then the leaves and finally the flower centers. The flowers and leaves are on the same layer, so you can stitch them in any order. Anything that will be covered by another piece will need to be stitched before you fuse the covering piece.

  3. Place the flowers on the ring using the press marks you used to place the ring on the background (or fold the background in quarters and finger press again). Place them symmetrically along the ring, or in a pleasing way to your eye.
  4. Fuse them into place and get ready to stitch. You can also reference the machine applique’ tutorial for more information. Again, pay attention to where the layers of the design are placed. If there are leaves that you want to place under the wreath, you will need to satin stitch them before you fuse the wreath down entirely. For the flowers, you will need to satin stitch down any parts of the design that will be covered by another piece of fused fabric, such as the centers. The design will look better if you satin stitch a layer and then fuse the next piece down.
  5. Flower Wreath Layers

    Place the interfacing under the background. You could use a machine basting stitch to stitch the interfacing (Pellon Stitch & Tear or similar) temporarily to the background, but pinning works fine, too. You will need to zig zag with the interfacing under the background.

  6. Stitching flowers
    Stitching flowers

    Satin stitch all the other pieces down using the thread you chose. When you stitch, the middle of the stitch will cover the outside raw edge of each piece. I line up the red arrow on my foot (see photo) with the sharp edge of that raw edge. The pieces you will satin stitch have curves, thus you will need to manipulate the stitch so it is smooth. Stitch with needle down.

    Stop stitching to create smooth curves
    Stop stitching to create smooth curves

    Stop with the needle down on the outside of the curve for the leaves and flower petals. For the inside point between the flower petals stop above that point on the inside. If you do not have a machine that automatically stops with the needle down, again, you can use the hand wheel to move the needle into the downward position when you stop. Do thisMove the handwheel carefully without moving the fabric. Once the needle is down you will need to assess the way to turn the fabric. Always turn the fabric very slightly to ensure a smooth curve. You may only need to take one stitch before adjusting the fabric again in order to get around the curve smoothly. For the outside curves, generally, you need to turn the fabric to the left to make a smooth curve. (Updated 10/30/2012: My engineer SIL says: You turn it clockwise for outside curves and counter clockwise for inside curves. YMMV) The stitching will be closer together on the inside of the shape and more open on the outside of the shape when you move in this direction. For the inside point of the flower, between the petals, you will need to take a slight adjustment of the background to the right. For the pointy ends of the leaves, stop the needle on the outside of the leaf near the point and adjust the fabric to the right very, very slightly. Take one stitch, stop on the outside of the point again. Adjust very slightly to the right. Your goal should be to get the needle into the same hole on the inside of the leaf until the arrow or line on your machine’s foot is in line with the raw edge of the other side of the leaf. When you move the fabric always keep the needle down. Before starting, take a few of the templates, e.g. a leaf and a flower, make some test pieces and do a test with junk fabric so you get the feel of the procedure. This is not skill you should work on when you are pressed for time.

  7. Arrange leaves
    Arrange leaves
  8. Once you are finished with the flowers, change your thread and adjust the width and density of your stitch, if desired.
  9. Arrange the leaves in a pleasing manner. I placed 5 at a time on the background and stitched them down.
  10. Stitch leaves
    Stitch leaves

    Arrange and stitch all of the leaves. My photo shows only 10 sewn leaves, but I did eventually stitch all of them.

  11. Place the centers on the flowers and stitch them down. Follow all the directions above for tying off and moving the needle to create a smooth curve.
  12. Back of block
    Back of block

    Once you have stitched all the pieces, rip off the tearaway. I use a seam ripper to get the ripping started on pieces that are surrounded by stitching. Try not to distort the block while you are tearing out the stabilizer.

  13. Once you are finished with the entire stitching and ripping out the tearaway, trim the background down to 12.5″
Fusible Machine Applique' Block
Fusible Machine Applique’ Block

Finished block! Hooray! You did it!

**Nota bene: These pieces have no right direction. You can trace them any way and apply them anyway and they will look fine. Pay attention if you are cutting out letters or another motif that has a special direction. Put the right side down on the paper backed fusible and trace the motif backwards.

Quilt Class: Rose Wreath pt.2

We are making the Flower Wreath block. To find out how to make templates, including the ring see Part 1.

Flower Wreath
Flower Wreath

Supply List:

  • Notebook for notes
  • Pen to take notes ????
  • Mechanical Pencil
  • Fabric (at least 4 different, preferably more greens to create variety in the leaves; scraps work well)
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Paper scissors
  • Fusible web, such as Misty Fuse or Steam-a-Seam 2 or Steam-a-Seam Lite. My favorite is Soft Fuse.
  • Applique’ pressing sheet
  • Tear away stabilizer (the size of your background)
  • Iron
  • Ironing surface
  • Flower Wreath pattern sheets

Choose your fabrics. You will need fabric for the flowers (1-4 fabrics), leaves (1-20 fabrics) and the wreath (1 fabric). The leaves can be the traditional green or you can use something else. If you use one color, you might want to mix up the prints to increase interest. You can also use different colors. Make the block your own.

I used a variety of turquoises and aquas to keep my color scheme in the aqua/turquoise with red range. I have a few of the leaf fabrics picked out from my scrap basket, but need to find more. It is important, with my limited color scheme, to make sure the viewer can see the individual leaves.

Cut piece large enough for ring
Cut piece large enough for ring

The ring is the biggest pain to deal with so I worked on it first before I even really began thinking much about fabrics for the other parts. I decided to use one of the Pat Bravo Pure Elements solids in the turquoise range, but more on the green side. I haven’t used it in this quilt before, but it will complement the other colors. I picked it to highlight the leaves a little more.

Cover fabric with fusible
Cover fabric with fusible

Now you need to make sure that your fusible will cover your fabric.

I used a package of Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite, but there are many fusibles that will work just fine for this project. As I have said before, my new favorite is Soft Fuse. Use a product with which you are familiar or know how to use. Using what you have on hand is also a good idea.

Tear the paper carefully off of one side of the Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite (or follow directions for your fusible) and stick it to the fabric, smoothing it carefully so there are no puckers or bubbles. The fusible is sticky so you can stick to the fabric and re-position it until you are happy before you fuse it to the fabric.

Back of fusible backed fabric
Back of fusible backed fabric

Since the fusible pieces I had were 8.5″x11″, I needed to cover an extra piece (bottom of the photo above) that was wider than the 8.5″ width of the fusible. I cut a piece from the fusible (white part in photo above) and re-positioned it to cover the part of the fabric I need for the size of the template.

Once you are happy, fuse the 2 sided fusible (should have the paper left on one side) to your ring fabric. Follow the directions on the package or website. You may want to cover your ironing board and the piece with an applique’ pressing sheet to keep your iron and ironing surface clean.

Turn your fusible backed fabric so that the paper left on the fabric is face up, as in the photo above. Place your ring template face down on the paper and trace around it with a pencil.

Ring cut out
Ring cut out

Cut out the ring carefully on the line. I used an X-acto knife to start the center. I did use a pair of fabric scissors, but not my Gingher scissors. It is kind of hard to know what to do, because you are cutting both fabric and paper and you need a nice sharp edge. I use a pair of my mid-range scissors and hoped for the best. They still seem sharp even after this type of cutting.

Fold the ring into quarters and finger press lightly. Again you will be lining up the folds to center the ring.

Retrieve your background. Fold the background into quarters and finger press, so you can see the folds.

Line up ring on background
Line up ring on background

 

Remove the fusible paper from the ring.

Line up the folds of the ring with the folds of the background. If they are all in alignment, there should be a ring fold snuggled with a background fold evenly. If you want to check, measure from the edge to the ring. You do need an absolutely square block for this to work.

Press the ring with your iron, according to the fusible directions, onto the background so it sticks.

Carefully bring background with the ring stuck to it to the iron. Check to see that your ring is still in place. According to your fusible directions, press the ring into place.

Your ring should now be firmly ironed on to the center of the background.

Leave this piece on the ironing board temporarily.

Retreive the tearaway stabilizer and cut two pieces of tearaway stabilizer a little bit larger than your background fabric. Place your background on top of both pieces of tearaway and pin the background to the tearaway. This will provide stability and prevent the piece from puckering when you zig zag stitch the pieces.

You are now ready to machine applique’ your first part of the block. See part 3 for machine stitching the block.

Quilt Class: Rose Wreath pt.1

The next class is about fusible machine applique’. You had a lesson on the basics a few days ago. There are about 3 more tutorials I created to enable you to learn this technique well.

Flower Wreath
Flower Wreath

Supply List:

  • Notebook for notes
  • Pen to take notes 😉
  • Mechanical Pencil
  • Fabric (at least 4 different, preferably more greens to create variety in the leaves; scraps work well)
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Paper scissors
  • Small ruler
  • Glue stick
  • Template plastic
  • Dinner plate or compass
  • Fusible web, such as Misty Fuse or Steam-a-Seam 2 or Steam-a-Seam Lite. My favorite is Soft Fuse.
  • Applique’ pressing sheet
  • Tear away stabilizer (the size of your background)
  • Iron
  • Ironing surface
  • 3″x5″ piece of fabric backed with 2 layers of tearaway stabilizer
  • Flower Wreath pattern sheets
    1. Aqua-Red Sampler Blocks
      Aqua-Red Sampler Blocks

      Cut a piece of fabric for the background .5″ to 1″ bigger than the finished size of the block. If you have a regular background fabric, use that, if not use a coordinating fabric. I took a look at my current blocks to help me decide what background I wanted to choose. This is a coordinated scrappy quilt, but I also wanted to find a background that would work well with the applique pieces that I was planning to put on top of it.

    2. After cutting out a background, put it aside for the time being. You will need it after you make the templates and the ring.
    3. Rough cut pattern out for templates
      Rough cut pattern out for templates

      Rough cut out all the templates from the paperpattern. Feel free to adjust the design of the flowers or leaves, if you want the shapes to be a little different. It is good to make the pattern your own.

      All patterns rough cut
      All patterns rough cut

In the photo above, you can see all of them templates rough cut out, except the circles. The circles print from EQ7 on two sheets of paper. You will need to rough cut the two pieces for each circle and then tape them together. In order to tape the pieces together, hold each piece for one circle in a hand up to the light and match them up you. Before you hold them up, have have a small piece of tape ready to tack the pieces together. You can use a light box for this procedure also.

Fold circles in quarters
Fold circles in quarters

Fold circles in quarters to make a line down the centers. This will help you line them up to make the ring for the wreath.

I never did this before and had to figure it out, but it works pretty well.

Layer Circles
Layer Circles

Using the folds, layer the circles together so you can see the black line of the upper circle. Draw a line around the smaller circle, using the smaller circle as a template. You will be drawing on the larger circle. Use a soft implement (pencil or roller ball pen) that doesn’t skip to draw the circle. Once you have drawn the circle, you can put the smaller circle away with your other templates. I use a zipper bag for all of the pieces and parts.

Check width
Check width

Fold up the larger circle. Check the width of the ring of the wreath using a small ruler to make sure it is even. Once you are happy with the line. Cut along the line without opening the circle.

Complete Ring Pattern
Complete Ring Pattern

Once you have cut out the ring, open up the ring.

Now you are ready to make the templates. Grab all of your patterns, your template plastic and your glue stick.

  1. Glue the paper templates to the template plastic.
    No template plastic on folds
    No template plastic on folds

    The only tricky part is for the ring. I avoid the folds in the pattern and only put the template plastic on the parts of the ring where the fold isn’t. Why? Because I want to be able to fold this piece and put it in a zipper bag later. Also, by adding the template plastic in quarters you save template plastic and you can use smaller pieces. Finally, you don’t end up with a circle of leftover template plastic.

  2. Trim the templates to the line on the pattern.
Front & back of templates
Front & back of templates

Depending on the kind of template plastic you have, your templates will look something like the photo above.

Part 2 will talk about choosing fabrics etc.

You can find more detail about machine appliqueing directional motifs, such as letters in a separate tutorial.