Swoon-Along-a-Weekend - updated

OK - this was a foolish endeavour in anyone's book.  Try a Swoon block with no pattern - and try to make it gigantic and in a weekend!  But I wanted to be one of the gals and join the (over) 800 swooners that Katy @ Monkey Do gathered together for the Swoon-Along on Flickr.

I originally wanted this to be made with 9" finished blocks, but I simply didn't have the stash for it, and I'm on a strict fabric budget as I'm trying to save pennies for the FQ Sewing Retreat in London this summer ..

This was my original sketch …

and this was my original stack

… Along with Sketch crosshatches from Timeless Treasures, and the Dahlia and Aster prints from Kate Spain's Terrain, I had wanted to use the Pezzy Prints that I got just before Christmas, but once I cut the mahusive squares they just got lost … so I had to swap them out pdq and find something else … 

Luckily I received some FQs of the Half Moon Modern leaf print for my birthday last month … so I went with them instead …




So, after much measuring and measuring again and finally cutting …. This weekend I got started on the HSTs … I also veered from the-pattern-I-don't-have and used jumbo squares for the Half Moon Modern leaf print, so as not to break it up (although it was a right royal pain working out the 7/8ths of an inch-ness for the flying geese!)


The best thing about this big block is that as I played with sizes so much before ending up here, I know the construction of the block INSIDE OUT!!  I can even count in 7/8ths of an inch now …  I also took plenty of advice from the discussions on Flickr.


I plumped for a lovely but infinitely slippery turquoise/white crossweave linen for the background … and threw in some Michael Miller Ta-Dots to bring in the Aster and Dahlia prints a bit ...





Have any of you used these Pilot Frixion pens for fabric yet?  A totally brilliant thing for marking the centres of HSTs for stitching …




The ink disappears when you rub it out with the rubber end (not like a traditional eraser, just literally a rubber end).   They're a boon for a teacher - means I can erase my marking and crap maths when converting to percentages! Also blurry brill for typing on my tablet!



… And for us stitchers, it also means that the line disappears when you press or iron (and doesn't return)!  Miraculous!!  I can't wait to have some fun with these pens …

stitched but not pressed on top … stitched and pressed underneath!

So …. this was where I was up to this afternoon  … after a LOT of trimming!

I find it really useful to draw a little sketch of the block I'm piecing on a post-it, so I don't go all upsideydownsidey at the machine …

(AHEM! of course it should say Top RIGHT! - lucky I noticed before I started stitching!!)

So, we're nearly there …  I used a tremendous amount of starch on this baby - I make my own - a good dollop of extra strong cornflour to about a pint of water ... This linen really really really needed it, as it is incredibly fine and terrifically slippery ...

Each square is 6" unfinished … so not as giant as I wanted but I have another plan …

 


I have some amazing pink linen from my linen man which I might use to complement the turquoise linen  background …  I may do some sashing and postage stamp /pinwheel stuff with the remaining prints, and maybe even bring in the Pezzy again … who knows ... I may just fold it all up and get on with something else!


I have to say that once I started using my Aurifil 50wt for the final block piecing, things went a lot more smoothly.  To say that my Brother Innovis has no oomph is a wild understatement.  Even with all seams pressed open, it struggles over any seam junction and just makes fur balls while marking time ...


It's amazing how accurately you can sew when you have TOTALLY LOST all three of your seam rippers!! I blame a certain four legged member of the Pings household ...  

who me?

So here she is ... in all her Swooniness ...  I'm sorry about the gloomy pic, but it's dark dark dark outside now, so no chance of a washing line shot!  *edited to add some washing line shots at the end of this post!!

That's me done with the Swoon Block for now.

I like it a lot.  I'll like it even more when I've sashed it and added some more business to it ... But I won't be making another one for a while ... I still think the block looks best with only two or three fabrics ... but then I'd have had to make at least four!!  If you haven't had a gander, some of the blocks on the Flickr Group are stunning!

I always imagine that making blocks on a large scale will be easier but, now I remember from making my giant Lynne Bob Square Pants block from Lynne@LilysQuilts ...  mistakes are even easier to see when it's big like this ... Let's not look too close, eh? ... some of those seams are a bit mismatchy, and the Ta Dots went a bit grrrr ... but all in all, not bad for that much linen.

Finished size of block: 46" square.  Huzzah!

Off to have a bath and to warm up ... Oh, it's nearly bedtime.  Goodbye weekend!

... and thank you to Jess, Linda and Nina for being the first three to comment on my last post ... I shall be PIFing something for you in the next few months ....

*edited to add ... here are some washing line shots!

My Creative Space - 'Echino Patchwork'

 This great adventure is the first machine sewn quilt I’ve ever made!

can you tell what it is yet?

Whodathunkit?  Me, sewing a grown up quilt using measuring and everything!?

*Whooh-Whooh* welcome aboard the Chain Piecing Express … How much do I love Chain Piecing?  Heaps! What a brilliant trick …

I’m so enjoying the discovery process and really like the rhythm of 

one thing x a gazillion

followed by

another thing x a gazillion

All things considered, it’s going well … if painfully slowly - but I’d rather get things right and only do them once! … or twice … or … let’s just say the seam ripper is still my best friend. 

Longer post to follow once I get to that inevitable "I’m totally stuck” stage …

Hop on over to Kirsty’s for heaps of far less cack-handed creative spaces

Let’s Cut to the Chase Chaps {Novumber #2}

Yesterday, while we were identifying all those machine bones, my mind wandered to thoughts fantasies of efficient cutting.

There was nothing for it.  I took the icy plunge and forked out more pounds sterling for yet another rotary cutter – I’ve posted before about how pants I am at cutting.  

Turns out it was my bloomin chocolate teapot of a rotary cutter to blame, not my inability to learn a new skill, after all.


Who Knew? 

Once I had my new sultry little vixen Olfa to compare it to, I realised that the blade and screw/washer combo simply didn’t match up.  It was a dud.


This explains precisely why the blade never cut anything properly, no matter what I shoved at it, other than my longest fingernail (and even then I had to finish it off with nail clippers). 


All that angst I could have been chanelling elsewhere!


Now I glide across my fabric like a champion figure skater and am learning not to be so bitter that (despite what feels like a million entries) I have not yet won an Accuquilt Go! 


Yay! Things are looking up!  That’s two things on my Novumber list already showing a sliver of improvement.

… anyway, enough of all that !

-  check out this nerdy chocolate! - 

- click pic for more yumminess -  (in the US)

Measure Twice, Cut Once? More like “Pass blade across fabric x 20” ! {Blogtoberfest #4}

Ok, so yesterday was about me sharing something I learned about sewing straight seams

Today I’m going to share my CUTTING nightmare!

I use a rotary cutter but until a couple of weeks ago I could hardly EVER get it to cut right through the fabric first time (and I’m talking one layer sometimes)

I tried

• changing the blade
  
• loosening/tightening the screw that holds the blade
  
• using the smoother side of my cutting mat ( = no rules on it, grr)

I have two different cutters  – 

 this Olfa 45mm - my main one:

 

and a small Janome, a bit like this, but with an angled head & a pinking blade:

 


I had pretty much given up (can you see a pattern forming here!?) and was just using my dressmaking scissors (bit wobbly but at least a nice clean cut)


In desperation I found the MOST FANTASTIC TUTORIAL here:

pic from purl bee

It’s all about the angle! I was tipping my cutter handle upwards way too much - about 60 degrees too much! – 




I hadn’t even noticed that nice straight edge along the bottom to help

So ... NOW I can cut much more effectively … it’s still a little temperamental sometimes, but I think that’s because my cutting mat has seen better days (I used it for paper and glue for years!)

How long did it take you to learn how to use your rotary cutter? 
… Or is all this ineptitude just down to me !?

.... Don't forget to pop and see who else is Blogtoberfest-ing.