When a quarter inch is NOT a quarter inch

Scant quarter, true quarter, actual quarter?

Any seasoned quilter knows these variations and will explain why a real relationship with your sewing machine (or hand stitching methods) is something that develops with practice.

Not too long ago, I attended a class for a pattern that has a lot of bias piecing (more on that in a future post).  To start the class of "intermediate" quilters, our instructor brought die cut 2" squares and gave everyone 4 of them.  "OK", she said, "make me a 4 patch with true quarter inch seams".  "Pffft", or some variation thereof, was heard around the room.

I strongly encourage you to try this periodically.  Not one person in that room was able to do it on the first try.  Now, in our defense, many of us had been working on scant quarter seams that some patterns call for and let's just assume that the autopilot kicked in.  I don't mind admitting it took me 3 tries to get it right.  Talk about a way to be made humble!

On the off chance you are not sure what I mean, here's a definition for you below:

True Quarter:  Where the seam line is exactly 1/4" from the edge of the fabric

Actual Quarter:  Take that True quarter seam and ACTUALLY measure it!

Scant Quarter:  If you sew the equivalent of one thread width closer to the edge of the fabric compared to a true quarter seam.

At the end of the day, the real trick is to measure and trim your blocks at each step along the way.  Those 1/8" differences can add up substantially over a whole quilt, especially if the quilt is composed of a multitude of pieces.

Happy Quilting!

I get by with a little help from my friends

COVID-19 has changed the way a lot of us are functioning these days.

Although I have less time to quilt than some, as I'm considered an essential worker by my employer, I still am quilting more than in the past.  The self-isolation has also meant there is less opportunity to get together with my quilting friends, or does it?

As I continue to work away on a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt project, my quilting friends have created a Skype group and this group assembles almost daily to chat, to share, to support, and to just be there for each other.  We go online for hours at a time, sometimes with lots to chat about, and sometimes just using quiet companionship.

While I continue to miss out on my local quilt guild gatherings, these virtual gatherings are a source of inspiration and comfort in these uncertain times.  I'm blessed to have an amazing husband home with me, but my quilting friends understand the frustration and drive for matching corners and points in a way my wonderful partner hasn't experienced.

I hope you are finding creative and safe ways to share and stay in contact with your quilting friends too.

COVID-19 and the impact on quilting

First and foremost, if you are reading this I hope you and yours are healthy and doing your part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.  With many people staying at home, the amount of quilting projects being completed by many people is staggering and inspiring.

For some of us, myself included, as an essential worker who is now pulling unprecedented levels of overtime, quilting is something we do in stolen minutes.  Even those stolen minutes do add up.

Currently, I'm working on a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt - the 2019-2020 "Frolic".   Each of the main blocks is 64 individual pieces!  There's a good reason I've included the seam ripper in the picture below!  This is testing my skills in precision cutting and piecing.

The temptation now, is Bonnie having generously created a new mystery just to help the quilting community stay sane during this stay-at-home phase called "Unity".  Oh, the temptation to join in.  If you want to learn more, click this link and head on over to see that Bonnie has planned:  Unity-quilt-along

So I plan on quilting and blogging more, especially as I expect we will one day look back on this time and wonder what we did to stay healthy, stay connected, and stay sane.