Chunking – A Method of Putting Quilts Together

<Nota bene: This is an updated version of a previous tutorial>

TFQ taught me this method of putting quilts together. I have adopted it as my own and use it for block-based quilts. Very occasionally I’ll put a long border on after the center of the quilt is complete, but otherwise I try to avoid the long seams required to put quilts together in rows.

Using this method, usually I have only one really long seam to sew at the very end and 1-2 mid sized seams.

This technique improves accuracy when you have sashing and cornerstones, but also improves accuracy with just sashing. If you have no sashing, then the pieces are much easier to handle.

Occasionally you will have a quilt where chunking is not appropriate for one reason or another, thus it is good to know many techniques, so you can choose the one that is most appropriate for the creative vision you have.

Blocks Laid Out Waiting to be Put Together
Blocks Laid Out Waiting to be Put Together

The quilt starts out as a bunch of pieces waiting to be put together. In the example above:

Blocks: grey and black
Sashing: red
Cornerstones: grey

The basic idea is to put the quilt together as you would a block: sew smaller patches together to make larger sections. I avoid sewing the quilt together in rows as I think the quilt is more square and there are fewer out of line intersections than when the quilt is sewn together in rows.

In the example above, the border can be incorporated into the construction of the quilt. You won’t need to put it on after, which will also help line up the cornerstones with the sashing.

Nota bene: The picture below is numbered, so it will be easier for you to follow the tutorial.

Numbered Photo
Numbered Photo
Sew patch 2 to 7
Sew patch 2 to 7

First, sew #2 to #7, the top piece of sashing to the first left hand block. Press to the red piece of sashing. I press to the red, because there are fewer seams to get in the way.

Sew patch 1 to 6
Sew patch 1 to 6

Next, sew #1 to #6, the first grey cornerstone (upper left hand corner) to the first side piece of red sashing.

Sew first 2 sections together
Sew first 2 sections together

Now you have two sections which you should now sew together. This is how you sew the border on. If you had a second border, you could also incorporate that into the piece, but this technique works best when the border is broken up into pieces (e.g. sashing and cornerstone). You can always put additional long borders on later.

First two sections sewn together
First two sections sewn together

You now have your first ‘chunk’! Hooray!

Sew bottom cornerstone and sashing to block chunk
Sew bottom cornerstone and sashing to block chunk

Now sew patch #10 to #11, the bottom cornerstone to the bottom piece of sashing. Then sew that 10-11 cornerstone-sashing bottom pieces combination to the first chunk.

Almost fully bordered block
Almost fully bordered block

Voila! You have a chunk fully sashed!

Pin sashing piece #15 to block #16. Now sew the sashing to the block.

Side sashing sewn to 2d chunk
Side sashing sewn to 2d chunk

Generally, there will be a piece of sashing that needs to be sewn to a block alone before you can sew a sashing-cornerstone combo to a chunk. You make the ‘chunk’ by sewing a piece of sashing alone to the block.

Sew bottom cornerstone and sashing to 2d block chunk
Sew bottom cornerstone and sashing to 2d block chunk
2d chunk
2d chunk

The center ‘chunks’ are just comprised of one cornerstone, 2 pieces of sashing, and a block. Sew the side sashing to the block. Sew the cornerstone to the bottom sashing, then sew the bottom cornerstone-sashing combo to the sashing-block combo for another chunk.

<Insert photo of 2 chunks sewn together> At this point, you can sew your two chunks together.

Now that you have two chunks sewn into a larger chunk, the next step is to prepare your next chunk. You do it the same way you prepared the two chunks above.

Pin sashing piece #25 to block #26
Pin sashing piece #25 to block #26

Pin sashing piece #25 to block #26. Now sew the sashing to the block.

Patch #30 sewn to #31
Patch #30 sewn to #31

Now sew patch #30 to #31, the bottom cornerstone to the bottom piece of sashing. Then sew that 10-11 cornerstone-sashing bottom pieces combination to the first chunk.

Third chunk
Third chunk
Two chunks
Two chunks

With two pieces of sashing and a cornerstone sewed to block #26, you have your third chunk. You could sew the #25-#26-#30-#31 combo to the chunk you sewed together before, but I suggest you wait until you have more pieces sewed together.

Sew piece #3 to piece #4
Sew piece #3 to piece #4

Refer to the drawing of your pieces in Step 1. Now we move up to the top of the section again and sew #3 to #4.

Sew sashing #8 to block #8
Sew sashing #8 to block #8

Sew piece #8 to block #8**. This puts a piece of red sashing on your block #8.

Next, sew cornerstone/sashing #3-4 to sashing/block #8.
Next, sew cornerstone/sashing #3-4 to sashing/block #8.

Next, sew cornerstone/sashing #3-4 to sashing/block #8.

 Sew cornerstone #12 to sashing #13 and then to the block
Sew cornerstone #12 to sashing #13 and then to the block

Sew cornerstone #12 to sashing #13 and then to the block. I don’t have a picture of the two pieces sewn together before I attached them to the block, but you do have to sew them together before you sew them on the block. Now, sew that combination to the block.

Follow the same steps for block #18.
Follow the same steps for block #18.

Follow the same steps for block #18 as you did for block #8. Sew sashing #17 to block #18. Press. Next, Sew cornerstone #22 to sashing #23 and then to the block.

You will have two new chunks, one with sashing on three sides and another chunk with sashing along two sides.

Sew cornerstone #5 to sashing #9
Sew cornerstone #5 to sashing #9

Sew cornerstone #5 to sashing #9 (upper right).

Sew cornerstone #14 to cornerstone/sashing piece #5-9
Sew cornerstone #14 to cornerstone/sashing piece #5-9

Sew cornerstone #14 to cornerstone/sashing piece #5-9. You will have a piece made from three patches.

When you press, press the cornerstone seams in the opposite direction as you have pressed the other sashing already applied to block #8. This will allow you to piece your seams more precisely.

Sew the long thin piece made up of three patches to block #8
Sew the long thin piece made up of three patches to block #8

Sew the long thin piece made up of three patches (2 cornerstones and a piece of sashing) to block #8, which already has sashing on three sides.

Sew sashing/cornerstone piece #19-24 to block #18
Sew sashing/cornerstone piece #19-24 to block #18

Sew cornerstone #24 to sashing #19. I don’t have a picture of the two pieces sewn together before I attached them to the block, but you do have to sew them together before you sew them on the block. Now, sew sashing/cornerstone piece #19-24 to block #18 (middle right).

Sew sashing #27 to block #28
Sew sashing #27 to block #28

Sew sashing #27 to block #28.

Sew cornerstone #32 to sashing #33. Now sew combined piece #32-33 to block #28.
Sew cornerstone #32 to sashing #33. Now sew combined piece #32-33 to block #28.

Sew cornerstone #32 to sashing #33. Now sew combined piece #32-33 to block #28. This will give you a chunk that is sashed on two sides (left and bottom).

wpid-wp-1420348408792.jpeg

Sew sashing #29 to cornerstone #34, then sew that combined strip to block #28. Pay attention to seams so you can line them up.

You now have five chunks and are ready to sew them together.

Sew the two blocks on the upper right side together.
Sew the two blocks on the upper right side together.

Sew the two blocks on the upper right side together.

Sew the two bottom blocks together.
Sew the two bottom blocks together.

Sew the two bottom blocks together. Now you have three chunks.

Sew the top two chunks together
Sew the top two chunks together

Sew the top two chunks together, which is four blocks.

Sew the bottom chunk, made up of two blocks to the top chunk
Sew the bottom chunk, made up of two blocks to the top chunk

Sew the bottom chunk, made up of two blocks to the top chunk, which is made up of four blocks.

I have used a small piece as an example, but the same principles apply to a larger piece. I start in the upper left hand corner and work my way to the lower right hand corner, making chunks and eventually sewing them together into larger chunks until the quilt is finished.

Let me know if you have questions.

You will have easy access to this tutorial via the link on the navigation bar to tutorials.

**Nota bene: I accidentally labeled two pieces of fabric with the number 8 in Step 1. Note that one is a piece of red sashing and the other is a block. Please look at the photos to assist you with the correct sequence of piecing.

January 2015 To Do List

To Do List:

  1. Quilt Christmas table runner
  2. Wash fabric AKA The Great Unwashed (I did wash two biggish loads of fabric in December and am pleased to say I also cut into some of that fabric) ;-)
  3. Make stiff bucket or box for TP in main bath
  4. Make stiff bucket or box for TP in second bath
  5. Dragon Box (gift)
  6. Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote (gift-due Holiday 2013- oops) – found the pattern, which is a good start.
  7. Make 3 notepad covers (gifts)
  8. Day in the Park backpack variation
  9. Sew Bon Appetit apron
  10. ATCs for CQFA January Meeting – I should have enough time, right?
  11. Make two bags for gifts

To see the 26 Projects Lists, which list quilt WIPS, visit the December Current Projects update. Last month’s to Do List has a couple of changes, which is heartening.

All small items, prior to those completed in December 2014,  have been completed since November 4, 2013. I am going to make a new list for 2015 so this list will no longer be updated. I want to see more select progress in 2015 and try and get an idea of how much I am doing.

  • Make free motion quilted piece into a bag
  • Sew Church Ladies apron
  • Blocks for BAMQG Opportunity Quilt
  • Binding on Wonky 9 Patch
  • Sew on sleeve for Original Bullseye
  • Kelly’s Brown Round Robin
  • Pillow from cake tea towel
  • Try plain square for center of Russian Rubix blocks
  • Hand sew bottom opening in Shopping bag for BAMQG
  • Finish binding on T-Shirt quilt
  • Secret Santa gift for BAMQG
  • Kathleen’s Round Robin
  • Make sleeve for Original Bullseye
  • Finish sewing triangles for Scrapitude
  • Take apart Ribbon Star and resew
  • Color Group donation quilt
  • Binding for Color Group donation quilt
  • Make shopping bag for BAMQG
  • Sew coffee patch to red bag
  • Sew coffee patch to bathrobe
  • Sew green and red striped 8 pointed star (probably should include an item called “find background template for 8 pointed star!)
  • Scrap Lab backpack
  • Make binding for Disappearing Pinwheel
  • Petrillo bag #2
  • Bright apron as a gift
  • Paris apron as a gift
  • Finish tote for Mom‘s auction (new 6/2014)
  • Layer, baste Christmas table runner
  • Cut background for black wavy line 8 pointed star
  • Sew white on black wavy line 8 pointed star
  • Quilt/stitch fish postcard – finished
  • Make receiving blankets
  • Sew BAMQG label to donation quilt for Band Mom
  • Sew BAMQG label to green donation quilt back
  • Cut lining fabric for Church Ladies apron
  • BAMQG label to Flower Sugar donation quilt back
  • Sew sleeve on See
  • Sew facing down on See
  • Make donation blocks

Back on the Doing Good Saddle

Well, 2015 has barely started and I can already say that I had a hand in making a donation top.

Ooops! I have forgotten what the politically correct term is for donation quilt. I guess I didn’t listen to Pam’s podcast episode well enough.

Anyway.

BAMQG Sew Day was yesterday. I planned to go and had all of my cutting projects planned out to take when I thought of emailing Gerre to see if she would be there. Gerre and I made the Green T quilt together in the Great Charity Race last fall. We make a good team and Gerre makes me happy to be around.

Shockingly, she said no! It turns out that she was injured before Christmas had had been stuck at home since then and she didn’t feel like it. I cajoled and encouraged and bribed her with the prospect of working on another charity project with me. My thought was that she wouldn’t have to think about a project. She could just show up with her sewing machine.

It worked! Gerre decided to come and my job was to get fabric for another ‘T’ quilt together. We agreed that something cheerful was in order. I pulled out some pinks. I also pulled some beiges for the background that I wanted to use up anyway.

I arrived a little later than I intended (those PJs were nice and comfy). I started pressing and Gerre started cutting. The T quilts we made during the Great Charity Race were cut out. We found out how daunting the cutting can be. Once we passed that hurdle, I sewed the first seam and then pressed and Gerre sewed the rest as I pressed and handed her pieces.

Pink T Donation Quilt
Pink T Donation Quilt

The result is a cheerful quilt that we hope some lovely girl will enjoy. I don’t even think the beiges are very terrible.

Gerre has the piece, which is about 55″x45″. I will make the back and send it to her, she will quilt it, then I will bind it.

Gerre left much more cheerful and I got in over 5K steps running around, so it was a good day on many different levels.

Gift Post #1: Gifts for Me

Christmas 2014 Gifts
Christmas 2014 Gifts

I got a nice group of quilt/sewing related gifts for Christmas this year. It was also the right amount of stuff.

I really wanted that Scrap Basket Beauties book after seeing one of the quilts made up during a visit to Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove with Friend Julie. The Young Man came through for me. I want to make the quilt I saw, perhaps in turquoise and red? Perhaps 2015 will be year of the turquoise and red? It isn’t as though I have a shortage of those colors of fabrics. 😉

The fabric in the upper left hand corner is some solids from American Made Brands. My mom found those and I am really pleased to have a few pieces with which to play.

DH got me some Kindle books from the Angela Walters machine quilting series. I will never be a serious machine quilter, but I got a glimpse of those books and think they will be really useful in my endeavors. I took over the Young Man’s iPad 2 (upgrade from my iPad 1 after he got an iPad Air for his birthday) and have been slowly reinstalling my apps including the Kindle app.

DH thought the rotary cutter was cool and thought to get some refill blades (always useful!) as well. The nice stiletto was in my stocking and I have been using it instead of my seam ripper, which I always used to push patches through my machine when corners were flipping the wrong way.

Mrs. K had good and interesting results with the Cutting Corners ruler, so I thought I would try it as well. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I feel very fortunate. Thanks, everyone!

Creative Prompt #291: Blush

Welcome to 2015!

Is responding to creative prompts on your list of resolutions? I hope so. we have only 74 prompts left until the end of the project. WOW! I wonder what I will do on Fridays after that?

I picked ‘blush’ because I wanted a word that would evoke the newness of the year and after several years, I have used up many of the words that mean new. Onward

a kind of makeup (cream or powder)

Blush wine bar (San Francisco)

Definition (blushing): “Blushing is the involuntary reddening of a person’s face due to emotional stress. Examples of emotional responses that may trigger blushing include embarrassment, anger, or romantic stimulation. Severe blushing is common in people who suffer social anxiety in which the person experiences extreme and persistent anxiety in social and performance situations.” (Wikipedia)

Blush dresses

Blush band

Blush prom

blush lingerie

a color

a type of rose

Studio blush

Blush Raw Bar Lounge… a welcome-as-you-are, relaxed and contemporary atmosphere.

blusher

Blush is an online life coaching company for girls.

Blush Botanicals is one of Southern California’s premier floral design companies, serving the San Diego area and beyond.

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Blush may refer to:

Film and television

Music

Fictional characters

Disappearing Pinwheel

A week or so ago, before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Sandy and AJ started ‘a thing’ on Twitter about the the Disappearing Pinwheel block. I have made a Disappearing 9 Patch (Food Quilt) and really like the disappearing part, so this ‘thing’ caught my attention.

Mod Century
Mod Century

I watched the video (see below) and found a layer cake. I also played around with the techniques on paper and then got busy and haven’t done anything yet. I have a Mod Century Layer Cake and thought the pattern would be a good use of the Layer Cake. I haven’t done anything yet.

A lot of people are working on the Disappearing Pinwheel, including many Twilters. While I was out of town for work and political wifery, Daisy already has a top done, Carole has her blocks done and Torie is close to having her blocks done. Jackie, Gretchen  and Valerie are close behind. It is awesome how dedicated they are and how they got to this project so quickly.

Daisy's DPW
Daisy’s DPW
Robin's DPW (via Daisy)
Robin’s DPW (via Daisy)

 

Gretchen's DPW
Gretchen’s DPW

 

Torie-Test's DPW Test
Torie-Test’s DPW Test
Torie's 2d DPW
Torie’s 2d DPW

Now, Carole is an interesting case, and I don’t mean ‘interesting’ in a derogatory way. Carole uses a bold palette that makes a lot of her work look really different than other work I have seen. Carole’s DPW is no exception. I don’t know where she comes up with these ideas, but she succeeds with flying colors. I am so glad she agreed to allow me to share these photos with you!

Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW

Wool6

Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW
Carole Wool DPW

 

 

 

Marisa also pointed out a very good blog post about the Disappearing Pinwheel.

In case you want to make your own Disappearing Pinwheel, here are the directions that Carole wrote out:

  • Start with 10 1/2″ squares of background and plaids.
  • Paired them right sides together, sprayed w heavy starch
  • Trimmed blocks to 10″
  • Sewed around edges, 1/4 seam
  • Cut block corner to corner both ways
  • Carefully pressed seam toward plaids
  • Mixed up fabrics to make pinwheels
  • Sewed pinwheels using 1/4″ seam, using a pin to mark centers
  • Carefully press pinwheel seams toward plaids
  • Trim all pinwheel blocks to 12″. Using center seam to align ruler squarely
  • Trim each pinwheel into 9 patch, 4″ squares, using center seam to align ruler squarely
  • Create block sets by Finding sets of 4 matching HST, pair with 4 matching HRS, add pinwheel to each “block set”
  • Play with all options before sewing.
  • Sew 9 patches together as desired.

Nota Bene: use starch or Mary Ellen’s Best Press!!!

 

Check out the video to see how the Missouri Star Quilt Company makes the block. Use starch!

Disappearing Pinwheel Posts in which you may be interested

Sandy’s Blog – January 13, 2014: initial post explaining the concept and linking to the video that shows you how to make the block.

KnittyAJ’s  post on the Disappearing Pinwheel

 

 

 

Sewing Machine Frustration

Sigh.

My iron died earlier in the week. I did find a spare, but it smells funny when I press. Fortunately, Amazon has the iron that I wanted, the Panasonic Sarah recommended in her DVD/online class,  and it arrived yesterday. I haven’t tried it yet, but do not anticipate any problems. Of course, one has to sew things together in order to have need of an iron to press them.

Yesterday my machine refused to continue stitching the decorative stitch I was using to finish a bag that will, with any luck, be a part of a Christmas gift. I had done half the top stitching and then the machine switched to straight stitch.

This is really unfair. I have two weeks ahead of me (minus the holidays) to stitch and my machine acts up? It couldn’t wait until January 5th?

As luck would have it I got a brochure from my ‘local’ dealer for new machines at Holiday prices. I don’t want to buy a new machine now for a number of reasons:

  1. Money doesn’t grow on trees
  2. I like my machine and want it to just work
  3. I don’t want to buy a machine in a rush; I’d like time to do some research
  4. I don’t want to learn to use a new machine right at this moment
  5. I’d rather buy my dream machine when the Young Man is out of college and we have some spare funds.
  6. If I buy an interim machine now, I will feel like I have to wait longer to buy a dream machine….unless I win the lottery, of course.
  7. A new machine would have to fit in my table, because I certainly don’t want to buy a new table and the machines with the larger harp space don’t fit.
  8. I would have to get a new insert for my table

The machine that caught my eye in the brochure is the Janome 6600P. It seems like it would be a good interim machine. It has similar features to the machine I have without the embroidery module. In looking at the web page, I can’t tell what kind of decorative stitches it has.

Well, hopefully, I can get the last bit of decorative stitching done and then switch to the Jem for regular piecing.

What a pain.