work in progress wednesday

I'm linking up with freshly pieced in hopes that I start showing more of what I am working on.  It seems that lately I only get the finished product up here.  I started cutting out these little squares last week (they are 2 inches each), and sewed them together into one big block. 

I am a sucker for cute little prints (can you tell??).

on another note, does anyone out there have the HQ Sweet Sixteen Quilter?  Do you like it?  Pros, cons??  I have a friend looking into buying one.  Do you recommend it?

and some exciting news for denver locals, a new quilt shop opening tomorrow!  Snappy Quilts (in South Denver, located on the corner of Orchard and University).  It's a good one, I've been inside and it's awesome.  You will not be disappointed.  I'm even lucky enough to get to work a few hours a month, so drop in and say hello!

rounded quilt corners tutorial

 

Lately (if you haven't noticed) I have really been into rounded corners on my quilts.  I really like how it looks, and how it seems to soften the quilt-- which I especially love for baby quilts. 

The great thing about rounded corners is you don't have to do mitered corners on your binding.  The bad part is you MUST use bias binding.  (there are many tutorials out there on how to make continuous binding...i'm hoping to get a tutorial up soon on how I do it.  Most everyone does it the same way).

Rounding your corners is super duper easy peasy.  Really it is, the hardest part is the bias binding. 

Here's how I do it.  Once your quilt is quilted, trim the backing and batting

and square it up.

next, I fold my quilt in half, and find a rounded object (I use a bowl or lid...or a toy that's floating around my sewing space) that gives you a good curve on your corner.  I don't have a great method other than eyeballing it to determine what size curve to use. 

trace your arc with a disappearing ink pen, or a pencil like I use because I have misplaced my pen.

using scissors, cut your curve (I do two layers at once).  repeat tracing the arc and cutting on the other two corners of your quilt.

that's it.  You should now have 4 rounded corners.  They do not have to be perfect, the binding helps to smooth out any imperfections.

now your quilt is ready to attach bias binding.  Use whatever method you usually use for attaching.  I am a machine binder, so I attach to the back and sew down on the front. 

As you approach your corner, just ease your bias binding around the corner, and guide it into your machine.  It works out great.  I try not to stretch it too much, but it really doesn't hurt much if you do.  (my son just asked if this picture of my hands was grandma...oh boy, i feel so much younger than my hands look, lol.)

when enclosing the binding around your quilt, it will almost ease itself around the corner.  It's wonderful how easy it is.

that's it, once your binding is completely attached, you should have rounded corners on your quilt.

my neighborhood baby quilt

I turned these houses into a baby quilt.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  I kinda wish I had used only one blue as the background, it would've helped unify it a little.  But my kids love it, and so I love it too.  This is the quilt I did the all over straight line quilting on.

I used an alexander henry print, called smiles around the world.  It's such a cute fabric.   

 I used some flea market fancy on the back.  I love this fabric as backing.  It's perfect.  Actually, I love any polka dot on the  back. 

and I rounded my corners (again), and I even took some pictures.  I'll post a small tutorial soon to show those of you who have asked.  It's really as easy as can be.

this quilt will soon have a new home, i just haven't decided where it will go yet.

straight line quilting

I often get asked how I go about doing straight line quilting, so I thought I'd share my method...

Here's the thing with me, I hate marking quilts (I also hate pinning), so I try my very best to avoid both of those.  Only taking the time to mark if it's absolutely necessary.  I should also make note that I am not a perfectionist, I don't mind if my lines aren't even, or if they aren't straight.  It just doesn't bother me.  I do like my quilts to be well made, to stay together forever, or at least until they are worn out.  That is the only area that I am a "perfectionist" in.  

Anyway, anyone can straight line quilt, but I definitely recommend a walking foot.  My machine has it built in, but most walking foot-s (or feet) look like this.  Basically it helps move all your fabric through the machine together to avoid pulling/puckering/dragging.  

I often use a seam as my guide when sewing straight lines.  In my pips quilt, I used the diamond pattern as my guide.  I sewed a very generous 1/4 inch away from my seam line, on both sides.

I did the same thing with my rabbits and race cars quilt.  Since the blocks aren't straight, I did a lot of rotating at each intersection.  I thought it would be very time consuming, but once I got going, it went quick.

I recently finished up a quilt that I quilted straight lines one inch apart over the entire quilt.   It's pretty easy, a bit monotonous and maybe even boring, but I love the effect it gives.  I'll post the finished quilt soon...

To sew one inch apart, I use a little tool called a quilting guide, I'm sure you all have one.  It's so handy.  

You slide it in behind your needle, and then tighten a (tiny) screw to secure it.

sidenote:  the normal way to put the guide in your machine is in the picture above this one, but I like to remove the bulk of my quilt from under the machine as I go, instead of adding to it (which is what happens when the guide is on the other side).

  I usually sew one line down the middle (sewing a 1/4 inch from a seam, so I don't have to mark.)  Then I use my quilting guide, I adjust it's position to my desired distance from the needle, mine was one inch-ish away. 

Line up the guide with your previous stitched line, and sew.  It's easy. I keep my eye on the guide/stiched line.  It's pretty cool how well it works.  If you have puckering or pulling, stop and figure out what the problem is.  Trust me, from personal experience, you will notice it once it's finished!

I mentioned that I don't mind imperfection, but if you do, I recommend checking to make sure your line is still going straight (use a seam as a guide), sometimes it can slowly start to drift and will no longer be parallel with the edges of your quilt.  Just check it if you are particular about that.

I hope this helps someone, if you have questions, let me know.  Or, if you have tips or techniques that you use, I'd love to hear them.

love day

 i'm kinda surprised that I haven't convinced myself that I need to make a valentines quilt.  it would be so cute with red, white, and pink.  i'll have to think about that for next year.  why not right?

my daughter and I made these fun hair clips (tutorial here) a week or so ago, and i think they turned out adorable.  fun little project to do with my daughter too.

i did adjust the size to better fit my daughters hair.  The tutorial is for tiny clippies (about 3/4 inch), but they just don't stay in my daughter hair, so we used 1 1/4-ish inch clippies.  Super cute.

happy valentines day friends.

p.s. is anyone out there playing words with friends??  i'm addicted.  my username is nettiepete if you want to play.

rabbits and race cars

 I finished up my tumbler quilt last week, and we have been using it daily.  it's been COLD here in denver.  Did that huge storm hit everyone???  what a blast of winter it brought.  I quilted it a quarter inch from each seam.  I'm finding that the less quilting a quilt has the softer it feels.  I thought I only liked super crinkly quilts, but I'm finding that I like less quilting too (especially on baby quilts).

I rounded the corners, again.  I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of those lately.  I love not doing the miters on the corners.  It seems to go so fast.

I didn't get a full shot of the backing, but it's mostly the mustard print, with some scraps from the front.

I used heather ross' Rabbits and Race cars line for this quilt, with some solids and basics mixed in.  It took me a while to come around to this line, but now I love it.  Such great boy prints.

I used my accuquilt Go! cutter for this quilt, and a 6 1/2 inch tumbler die.

pips baby quilt

I finished up my Sherbet Pips baby quilt and LOVE it.  I knew I loved this line, but it is just so cute all together.  

 The colors are great, and can I mention how fantastic this gray is???  You know how gray can be a tricky color, sometimes it looks a little purple-y?  Well, this is a good one, really it is.

my favorite part??  the rounded corners.  I've never done this before on a quilt, mostly because it requires bias binding and that means a little extra work.  But after doing a million potholders, I'm no longer intimidated by it.  I might even actually enjoy it.  Plus it's totally worth it for the rounded corners.

One more thing about this fabric...it's super duper buttery soft.  I guess I just can't say enough about how much I love the Sherbet Pips. I believe it's set to be released in April. 

The verdict on this tutorial--I liked it.  I didn't have a problem with the edges being cut on a bias.  I do have an integrated walking foot on my machine, but it all came together nicely without stretching of fabric, and it lays FLAT.  I think it's worth giving it a try!