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.

Happy New Year and New Decade

I'm looking out my window at the snow coming down and having re-aquired my love of quilting, thanks mostly to my husband and my best friend.  They have both encouraged me to spend time on my quilting and the progress I am making has re-ignited my love of this creative outlet.

So I will keep this short for now, as I have to go away from my computer and over to my sewing machine to keep working on my passion.  Stay tuned, as updates on my efforts will come soon enough.

Oops! How to recover from mistakes

Oops!  It has been far too long since I last wrote.  I debated closing down the site, and decided I need to give this one more try.   I want to do this for myself as much as for anyone who happens to read this.

I love to write and I love to quilt.  There are other things I love too, please don't get me wrong, but this is a creative outlet that supports my desire to write and encourages me to quilt.  It is never too late to start over, start again, or start to further your goals.  This is true of quilting, blogging and life.  So, let's start with a challenge for myself:  to create and post a weekly update for this blog.  Each week I will give an update to this blog and let's see where this journey goes.

Oops!  My latest project is a mystery quilt that was designed and run by our local quilt guild.   There was a number of 4 patch blocks that were included in the design and the layout would create a chain.  If you look closely, you'll see the challenge I created for myself (what others might call a "mistake") in the layout of my 4 patch blocks.

To leave it or to correct it - that is the challenge!  I decided that now that I noticed it, it would drive me crazy and be the only thing I saw if I left it there.  I decided to rip out the 4 seams that attached the block to the quilt, and re-sew it in the correct position.  The results....well, lets save that for our next installment!

Have you ever created a challenge for yourself in your quilting?  How did you handle the challenge?

New Attitude

I've been away from my quilting for too long and just before Christmas, I started back in and realized quickly, just how much I've missed it.  So this year I've been working on some new tips and techniques for focusing on the important things in life and I'm going to add this blog back into the mix.

Get ready and stay tuned.  Next update - tomorrow!

Inspired and the Deepest Cut

There is nothing like a Quilt Guild to inspire someone.  In my case, I had the distinct pleasure and honour to hear Bethany Garner speak and the joy of being inspired by her trunk show.  This woman is so eloquent and creative - what a combination!  If you ever have the chance to meet this amazing woman and/or see her work, I strongly encourage you to do so.  I've added a link to her blog space and I encourage you to check it out.

This was the second meeting of the Guild I joined this year and it was during last month's meeting - the first, with my best friend there too -  that left me inspired to attack my collection of UFOs.  I finally made the first cut on my oldest UFO - a Trip Around the World quilt that I've had for more years than my daughters have been alive COMBINED!  A simple thing, but very surreal to finally take my rotary cutter to this fabric that has been moved between 8 homes over the years.

As I mentioned earlier, I've been inspired to work through the large stash of UFO's I have.  In addition to the Trip Around the World, I also did some work on a Border Creek Mystery quilt that has been on my plate for a while (oldest and youngest).  This is a step from the 6th month of the mystery and it's starting to come together.

Both this blog and these projects should continue to make progress!