WHAT'S THAT? YOU JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SHUFFLE AND YOU NEED PATTERNS ONE THROUGH twenty-four?
A CLICK ON the sewing machine logo at the top of this post will TAKE YOU THERE.
HOW IS IT GOING FOR YOU THIS WEEK?
we'd love to see your sampler blocks! IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE YOUR BLOCK PHOTOS:
YOU CAN POST YOUR BLOCK PICTURES AND COMMENTS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE OR I'LL POST THEM FOR YOU JUST SEND THEM IN AN EMAIL TO ME : CAROL@ROCKINGCHAIRQUILTS.COM
HERE ARE THE BLOCKS THAT VIOLA SHARED WITH US LAST WEEK- HER FABRICS ARE PERFECT FOR A CHRISTMAS DAY SHUFFLE POST. THANKS VIOLA!
DID YOU JUST FIND OUT ABOUT MODA'S SAMPLER SHUFFLE ?
CLICK HERE to read more details about the Sampler Shuffle and Rocking Chair Quilt's SAMPLER SCRAMBLE contest
WEEK NINE - WHAT CAROL DID:
We had a very memorable Christmas with our family-so before I talk about my shuffle doings this week, I just want to express how thankful and grateful I am for the wonderful people in my life.
Now on to the shuffle and what I did.:
- Worked on blocks 25, 26 and 27.
- I had a a little fun with BLOCK 26 and made a Christmas MINI quilt. (SEE PHOTO AT END OF THIS POST)
- I SHARED SOME BASIC TIPS BECAUSE THEY HELP MY FINISHED WORK TURN OUT BETTER
SOME LITTLE THINGS WE SHOULD REMEMBER TO DO TO GET GOOD RESULTS WHEN PIECING SMALL BLOCKS
SCROLL DOWN TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS WEEKS TIPS:
TIP ONE
SEW WITH A SHARP NEEDLE
CHANGE YOUR SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE REGULARLY. A SHARP NEEDLE MAKES EVERYTHING GO SEW WELL. KEEP AN ASSORTMENT OF NEEDLE TYPES AND SIZES ON HAND FOR THE DIFFERENT THINGS YOU SEW.
WHEN WORKING ON SMALL PIECING (LIKE OUR SHUFFLE BLOCKS) WHILE A STANDARD DUTY NEEDLE WILL DO , CONSIDER USING A A FINER GAUGE NEEDLE TO HELP YOUR 1/4" SEAM BE EVEN MORE ACCURATE. -consult your sewing machine manual for the brands and sizes of needles that work on your particular sewing machine.
TIP two
USE GOOD THREAD
WHILE GREAT GRANDMA APPRECIATES THAT YOU ARE DETERMINED TO USE UP ALL THE THREAD IN THAT DECORATIVE TIN THAT SHE BEQUEATHED YOU, IT'S BETTER NOT TO USE IT FOR PIECING A QUILT- I KNOW IT'S ON THOSE COOL WOODEN SPOOLS TOO- BUT UNLESS IT'S AN ALL COTTON 40 OR 50 WEIGHT QUALITY THREAD IT'S BETTER TO KEEP IT IN THAT TIN AS A SENTIMENTAL MEMORY OF YOUR BELOVED QUILTING ANCESTOR.
GET YOURSELF SOME GOOD QUALITY PIECING THREAD AND WATCH HOW MUCH BETTER YOUR PIECING LOOKS WHEN YOU USE IT. I LIKE AURIFIL THREAD. OH OKAY - I LOVE AURIFIL THREAD!
TIP THREE
GOT TOOLS? USE THEM!
USE WHAT YOU LOVE: This is my CLEARLY PERFECT ANGLES A 'window' cling style guide that clings to the bed of my machine and helps sew perfect diagonal lines and 1/4" seams. I don't ever have to draw lines on my squares. YAY! I love this tool.
MOST USEFUL TOOL IN MY TOOL BOX : The lowly seam ripper, or as my quilting buddy Mary calls it. "my UN-sewer". On it's own a useful & necessary tool but it's real impact is based on your willingness to use it. If you have to ask yourself, "should I redo this seam?" you probably need to redo that seam. Get out your UN-sewer and have at it.
TRIANGLE PAPERS: I don't always reach for triangle paper , but when I do I am SO happy with how perfect the triangle pieces turn out. These are PRIMITIVE GATHERINGS TRIANGLE PAPERS that we have in the shop. They come packaged as a nice big bunch for a reasonable price and I love the results I get with them .. I used them to piece the Christmas MINI quilt pictured below:
BLOCK 26 X 4 = CHRISTMAS MINI
