Sooooo... Where did April go? Once more, life kicks in and it seems that I cannot have a bit of rest to stop here and keep up with... Almost about anything... I've about decided that I'll never do and that I'd better not sweat it and just enjoy... Somehow...
After the first four Craftsy BOM blocks amd all its ups and downs, I have been able to see the effects of this course in my quilting habits - and it's fantastic!
I must confess that I finished the April block on the first weekend of the month... Last month, it is... My quilting is getting better (or at least I woulkd like to think so), but my blogging is not keeping up with it. Please forgive me. I just hope that you join in the adventure and have fun together!
Let's get started with the (almost) monthly adventure...
According to the instructions, each piece is cut individually - well, that doesn't happen much in my book - the following instructions part, that is. I'm actually starting with a square for the half-square triangles. It may be the bias cut that gets under contol with this technique, but I found out that this ends up being more accurate, so it works best for me.
Another thing that I started doing, particularly after my intersection findings, is marking the inner seams, even when it is a straight seam. Of course, it takes longer, but it's OK. For me, this quilt is all about learning and enjoying each step; almost like enjoying a dessert and taking time to flavor each spoonful... Now, that's making me hungry!
And here is one of those little exciting moments, when the blue line of the border print is right off the seam, so it sort of frames the print.
And here are the basket pieces all ready to be put together, with all their little inner seams marked. I can't say enough how huge of a difference this makes!
Let's start with the triangles. Take a look at the bigger light blue triangle in the bottom. Can you see it looks WAY larger? Well, it will look even larger once his neighbors are sewn together...
Now, this is where the extra step of marking the inside seams comes in supper estra handy. Even here, if you match the intersecting points (can you see the pencil mark?)...
... You will have matching points, even if you end up with "dog ears," that little fabric that goes way beyoind the edges, and fabric edges of different lengths.
And when everything is sewn together, you'll just feel like jumping out of joy! Happy, pointy triangles! Yay!
And again, we have pieces that don't have matching edges...
...but if you "forget" about the edge and focus on the seam, everything will be fine! Just take a peek at the template on top of the basket. See the corners? Happy precision piecing in action!
Of course, every single part is getting its inner seam marked and that little tailor's chalk has become one of my favorite tools! I tell you, it's getting quite a workout lately!
And this is the reason why I am talking about the inner seams this much. See how easy it is to see where the seams should match? Once you press these poeces open, you won't regret taking the extra steps... :)
Make sure that the points where the seams intersect does not shift and pin as much as you like.
... As MUCH as you like, like every fabric fold, both ways, just because you like precise piecing and pointy triangles... :)
Ta-da! I didn't even have to cut any fabric to have straight edges!
The sides and bottom of the basket also come together pretty neatly, despite the inset seam. Just make sure to use matching thread! That's right... I was not smart enough to use my super black Isacord, and the chunky cotton thread had to come off!
Maybe next time I won't get that excited and just pay attention to the (what would seem) obvious.
Well, my dear friends; this was my celebration of finally understanding how to do it! You know, people say that it's only after several tries something works that it's proven true and accurate.
I'll be posting the rest of this block very soon!
Thanks for reading and stay blessed!
Yiya
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