Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Light Bulb Moment

I learned something MAJOR this week!  I love doing this sampler quilt a long because I'm really trying to expand my skills and neaten up my sewing.  I've made two projects with half square triangles and I have trimmed them up to the same size but my triangles were always uneven.  My pinwheels quilt came out OK just because the squares were pretty big and the uneven triangles weren't that noticeable.  But making these fussy little squares really made it obvious I wasn't trimming them evenly.  Amy was showing us how to trim but I just wasn't getting it.  I was ready to give up but decided NO, this would not defeat me.  I googled half square triangles and found this awesome video that showed someone trimming them with a square and the 45  degree line.  Wow!  I got it!!  I love learning from the Internet but sometimes I just need a person here showing me what to do.  How simple.  Now when I read Amy's instructions it all makes sense.  She explained it perfectly! 


Here are the squares from the last two weeks.  The log cabin looks huge because it came out too small so I added one more set of logs so I could trim it down later.  One challenge I'm working on is my 1/4" seam.  I got my machine all set and marked the spot where my needle should be for the perfect 1/4" and it works for a little bit but I swear the needle moves back.  The slider is in the exact same mark under my sharpie line but my seam is bigger again.  If I turned the machine off and on and move the slider down and up and reset it at the line it's 1/4" again but soon I can tell it's back to the default. Does anyone have trouble with keeping their needle in one spot?  I think I'll just learn to adjust my cuts to work with my slightly bigger seam allowance.  It really hasn't been a problem until I'm making these squares that require precise measurements.  

Sunday I'm off on a vacation with my honey for eight days.  I can't wait to get away for a while and just R.E.L.A.X.  I'll be all refreshed and ready to catch-up when I get back.

9 comments:

  1. Isn't it great when something clicks like that. Your blocks are looking great and sounds like your learning heaps with this sampler quilt along. Enjoy your holiday!

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  2. I love lightbulb moments like that!! Your blocks are looking lovely - my sympathies with the 1/4 in seam, too. I struggle myself keeping it consistent!!!!

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  3. The more you do the bettr you will get. You are off to a great start.

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  4. Looks great. Doesn't it feel awesome to achieve something. Have you tried using a thinner thread? I found that using a good quality, but thinner thread helped me when I had issues with by 1/4 inch seam. I use Gutterman's 100% cotton thread, but a lot of people swear by Superior Thread's Masterpiece thread.

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  5. your blocks look great! my needle has different positions on my machine that i can set, i have it at position 1 all the time for quilting as I have a 1/4" foot and it has a small opening where the needle is supposed to go. every machine is different, but perhaps your settings change when you turn your machine on and off like mine does? not sure.

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  6. I LOVE your blocks!! I love the simpleness in your colors. Sometimes I find it hard to stick with one color scheme.

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  7. The blocks are looking sensational. I'm having Red/White envy again!

    Do you use a 1/4" presser foot? If you had one, then you could just leave your needle in its "home" position as it were. I find that even with a thinner thread (good suggestion) I need to feed the fabric just a tiny bit less than the 1/4" mark in order to get a perfect 1/4" seam allowance.

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  8. This quilt looks fabulous - I love sampler quilts and I love quilts with a really simple colour scheme like you're using

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  9. Love your blocks! As to the other, do what I did, finally....look at the tutorials that Amy has on her site..one I watched was how to make a correct 1/4" seam, and the other was about making the HSTs...I plan to look at more.

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