If you're a regular reader you'll know we're on the brink of moving overseas, so our house is on the market and we're busy doing all the sorts of things one has to do to finish off life in one spot before taking it up again in another; so consequently I have little time to sew at the moment.
However I did finish off a few bee blocks lately for The Simply Solids and Do. Good Stitches groups I'm part of.
This was November's Simply Solids block. Everyone had been sent the same background fabric and added a coloured solid from our stash.
I was rushing to make a couple of wonky cross blocks in "manly solid colours" for Do Good Stitches November. I wanted to get them done and put the machine away and generally tidy up for our open home so I was doing these before breakfast, thinking Oh this'll be easy, just smash them out...
Never a good plan - ended up misaligning the block on the wrong line when trimming to 12 1/2" and suddenly it was 11 1/2"! ***# never mind sew it on again, by the time it's with the others and quilted no-one will notice...!??
then didn't quite have enough fabric for the other one so was a bit loose with instructions and ended up with this wonky cross interpretation.
The Anna Maria Horner feathers blocks for Sharon for October's Do. Good Stitches were a bit of a fiddle, but fun to do. Quite happy with how they turned out; although there's always something... I didn't notice until I'd uploaded my photos that the filaments on one feather were upside-down!
Great to be able to use pieced trimmings from my Wrenly runner and my (so far) unresolved Oakshott experiment.
The last block was for Tracey for October's Simply Solids bee.
She asked for us each to choose a block from the Summer Sampler and make it up in summery colours. I chose this Rocky Road to Kansas which is a paper pieced block. I quite enjoy paper piecing. I haven't done heaps, but I enjoy the precise results and have gradually evolved a way which works for me to minimise the fiddling.
I can't remember where I came across the various tips which make it easier but thought I'd share the one I find the most helpful tip:
When you've put your first two pieces right sides together behind the paper I like to trim my seam allowance first. So- find yourself a(n appropriate!) postcard and line it up with the seam line and fold the paper back along the seam line.
Trim 1/4" along the line.
This is how it looks from the other side.
Then sew and do the same for the next side.
I find it makes it easier to neaten up and I can sort of see where I'm up to somehow.
Do you have any favourite paper piecing tips?
