Wednesday, March 30, 2011

WIP Wednesday--almost finished

 Linking up with Freshly Pieced again today, showing what I'm working on.  

I am just about finished with my rainbow geese quilt, it has almost consumed all my free time-- I just had to see it put together.  I am really liking it, but realizing that I am not very good at geese.  Most of them have their points chopped off.  Oh well, right??
I am normally a seam to side gal, but for this quilt I thought I might reduce the bulk by ironing the seams open.  It definitely reduced bulk, but ironing seams open really slows me down, and I must of burned myself a dozen times.   I suppose if I did it enough I'd get quicker, and I did appreciate less bulk.  So what's your preference, do you like seams open or to the side?
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46 comments:

  1. Angela NashMarch 30, 2011 at 4:22 PM

    open open open :)

    And who cares about the points on geese - they're over rated! Your rainbow is looking fabulous.

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  2. MWalkerMarch 30, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    I like open, but I've only done it once, LOL. I love your geese!

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  3. MeganMarch 30, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    I am an open girl. :)

    Your geese are looking lovely!

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  4. paront1222@comcast.netMarch 30, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    I pretty much do seams to side....except I did a few mug rugs yesterday and to reduce bulk I ironed them open and LOVE how easy it was to sew thru.
    Peggy in NJ, USA

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  5. AnitaMarch 30, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    Really fun and inspiring.

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  6. felicityMarch 30, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    I prefer the look (and lack of bulk) of pressing seams open but I'm like you - they slow me down!!!!

    I love your geese.

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  7. ~Michelle~March 30, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    I've started ironing anything with triangles open if I can. Much much easier to piece together, IMO. But if it's something like a 4-patch, then to the side so the seams can be nestled together

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  8. Becky (My Fabric Obsession)March 30, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    that little sneak peek looks great! I tend to go all to one side unless it's something particularly bulky.

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  9. audreyMarch 30, 2011 at 5:01 PM

    I am trying to embrace open but its truly time consuming! I will do it on projects destined to have bulky seams but cant do it on every project.

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  10. TanyaMarch 30, 2011 at 5:07 PM

    Open. I like how it looks.

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  11. MissyMarch 30, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    Open, always open. At least since I did my first quilt and ironed it to the side. Yuck.

    The more you iron open the faster you get. lol

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  12. Sarah @ FairyFace DesignsMarch 30, 2011 at 5:48 PM

    Love your geese, they're so pretty! I much prefer the look of open!

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  13. Rachel at Stitched in ColorMarch 30, 2011 at 5:49 PM

    It's going to be such a pretty quilt! I do my seams OPEN. I really like how the fabric lays so flat.

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  14. @prilMarch 30, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    Very pretty colors!

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  15. DeeMarch 30, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    Just love the colors! Sew pretty!

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  16. EricaMarch 30, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    Beautiful quilt! I adore the colors. A geese quilt is on my ever growing list of quilts that I would like to make. I press my seams open.

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  17. hydeeannsewsMarch 30, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    i've never tried open. i'll have to give it a go . . . but watch my fingers. =)

    just wanted to tell you i used your recent machine binding tute when completing a small quilt (which i actually hand bound, but i needed to know how to join up the binding) i've looked high and low for a tutorial that used the same method my quilt teacher taught and yours was fantastic! even though i didn't understand one step about the pinning together (the part with the blurry photo, whatever step that was) i just went for it and it worked. the first time, even! thank you so, so much!

    you can see my quilt here: http://hydeeannsews.blogspot.com/2011/03/finished.html

    i'm a total newbie, but so excited to have done this. a million thanks for your help. now i want to make one of your scrap coin quilts with some leftovers (which i posted about also.)

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  18. Nancy Near PhiladelphiaMarch 30, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    I was taught to press to the darker side, but last winter I switched to mostly pressing open. Less bulk and somehow, more accurate.

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  19. LeanneMarch 30, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    You quilt is going to be wonderful! I love your geese just the way they are.
    I press open unless the piece really wants me not to. You will get better at it with practice, it is no fun to burn your fingers.

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  20. Pink ZipperMarch 30, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    love the purple tones to your geese!
    My mum taught me to press to the side but lately I have been pressing them open. Certainly reduces bulk but definitely slows me down. I wonder if there is a techinque for opening the seams to make it easier cause I have about 100 HST to press open!

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  21. DebbieMarch 30, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    Your geese look great!

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  22. MaryMarch 30, 2011 at 7:15 PM

    To the side...I do not appreciate burnt fingertips. I do not suffer for my own personal beauty so I am not going to suffer for the beauty of a quilt either :)

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  23. NatalieMarch 30, 2011 at 7:20 PM

    try a hera marker next time to get them open and then press with an iron quickly so you don't have to get your fingers near the iron

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  24. AshleyMarch 30, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    this is gorgeous, nettie! love the colors... wish I had the patience for flying geese.

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  25. Lily BootMarch 30, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    beautiful - so fresh and pretty!

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  26. AnonymousMarch 30, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    I press my seems open. It makes it much flatter and easier to quilt.

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  27. KerstinMarch 30, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    What a lovely quilt! I think those little "imperfections" like chopped off points are something that make a quilt unique and special.

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  28. KristaMarch 30, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    It's going to be awesome Nettie! I can't wait to see it finished. I've never made geese, but I can imagine that keeping the points perfectly pointy could really take the fun out of it. Much better to enjoy the process I think and not worry about those silly details.

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  29. UnknownMarch 30, 2011 at 9:57 PM

    definately open for me.

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  30. LeeMarch 30, 2011 at 10:27 PM

    I'm a recent convert to open seams. It looks better (so nice and flat) and my piecing is usually more accurate with open seams. Although I agree with Michelle that for things like 4-patches, side-pressed is still better.

    Your flying geese look great. Thanks for linking up to WIP Wednesday.

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  31. EmmaMarch 31, 2011 at 2:05 AM

    The smaller the pieces OR the more accurate they NEED to be (as in, this piece has no room for fudging), I'm more likely to press open. It does take longer, though, so I'm with you on that! If I make bonus HSTs from another project (snowball blocks, flying geese, etc.) I definitely iron the seams open because they are much more likely to be accurate/straight that way.

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  32. UnknownMarch 31, 2011 at 4:38 AM

    This is amazing. I can't wait to see the whole quilt!
    Once I started pressing open, I never went back :)h

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  33. Erin @ Why Not Sew? QuiltsMarch 31, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Open for pin wheels so the center lays flat but other than that I usually press to the side. Your quilt is looking great!

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  34. The Calico CatMarch 31, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    To the SIDE!

    (How close are your stitches? not as close as the weave on your fabric! Also if you stitch in the ditch - I'd be worried about stitching on one of those stitches...)

    Don't worry about the points - everyone loves the fabric & how they are combined, not the block!

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  35. KareeMarch 31, 2011 at 8:31 AM

    it is Open seams for me!

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  36. EmilyMarch 31, 2011 at 8:34 AM

    Lovely, lovely color palette. I press open, mostly.

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  37. AnonymousMarch 31, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    I have ironed seams to the side, but after reading the comments, I might try to iron more open. I like the suggestion to use a hera marker to open the seams first. Thanks for sharing and asking that question.
    cindy

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  38. mleMarch 31, 2011 at 11:57 AM

    Loving the rainbow geese! will be a beautiful effect when all done.

    I'm with you...normally press to sides...so much quicker and I don't notice a big difference in the end result. BUT I do press open when dealing with half-square-triangles and flying geese and zigzag quilts. Definitely is worth it in those cases.

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  39. AnnaliaApril 1, 2011 at 10:44 PM

    Oh man. You're cranking out all kinds of cuteness lately!

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  40. KatieApril 3, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    I am just finishing up my first flying geese project. It's a pain (& I've burned several fingers myself) but worth it. Normally I press seams to the side (& did on this project) but as I'm quilting I realize I should have pressed them open!!

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  41. BevApril 4, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    I press open. Your quilt is great! and I love that your geese are not perfect. And it still looks great!

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  42. Cheryl ArkisonApril 4, 2011 at 10:21 PM

    If you hadn't said anything I probably wouldn't have noticed!

    Pressing generally depends on the project and how the whole thing will go together. Do I want to reduce bulk or have it line up easier? Do I want to emphasize a certain feature? Do I have the time to press open? It isn't always an either/or situation.

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  43. Raylene SmithApril 5, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    such a pretty quilt, love the freshness of the fabrics...pressing should be dependent on the quilting...if you are going to quilt an all over design on the quilt, then pressing the seams open is fine...it greatly reduces bulky seams, that can be a problem for quilting...however, if the quilt needs custom quilting, and the seams need to be ditch stitched, then pressing to the side is the way to go...pressing to the darkest side is not necessarily the way to go...pressing to reduce the most amount of bulk is what should be considered...as a quilter I find my job a whole lot less stressful if the seams are pressed accordingly...JMO

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  44. Average QuilterApril 6, 2011 at 7:16 AM

    I'm really old school and like seams open but in some cases seams to the side help in keeping the junctions even

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  45. Amanda JeanApril 11, 2011 at 3:41 PM

    aw, who needs the points of the geese anyway? i almost always lose mine, too!

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  46. Susan LynnApril 15, 2011 at 3:01 PM

    I love your geese. I made a flyiing geese top(not quilted yet) using the quick method shown here that makes 4 geese at a time: http://www.quilterscache.com/H/Howtomakegeese.html
    They really accumulate fast using this method and you can make them any size you want. I ironed the seams to one side and it worked out ok.
    If you want to see mine it is at:

    http://tangledthreads-beads.blogspot.com/search/label/flying%20geese

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