Beginners Unite! Labels

Welcome to the last Beginners Unite! 

We're talking labels. As with everything in quilting, there is more than one way to add a label. Have I said that before? ;) There really isn't one way to do anything in the quilting world, you will enjoy it more if you do it your way.

Here are the tools I use for making my labels:
Scrap of muslin or light fabric
Heat n Bond, or any adhesive
Pigma pen/marker
Coordinating fabric strip (here I had extra binding, so I used that)

For this particular label I used a 4" x 3 1/2" muslin rectangle. I cut my heat n bond at 3 1/4" x 2 3/4". This gives me a 1/4" seam allowance all the way around plus a little extra. Leave the paper on the heat n bond for now, this helps stabilize the fabric when you are writing.


I write on the muslin before stitching my "border" pieces on, of course I forgot to take a picture of that. I will also stick a piece of lined paper behind the fabric to give me nice straight lines to follow when writing.

 I like to write the name of the pattern, who it's designed by (still trying to find that info for this one, the perils of not finishing something for 2 years), who it's for, then my name and phone number. On the quilts I mail to my photographer I write directly on the back of the quilt with permanent pigma; name of the quilt, Patterns by Jen, my name, address and phone number.
Once I have written down the pertinent information I will attach the borders, pressing out towards the borders.

When the label is written, the borders are on, then I will remove the paper from the heat n bond and attach it to the back of the quilt. I like the back right hand side. I don't know why, it just feels right.

I fold over the border until I can feel the seam allowance in the fold.

I start stitching the label the exact same way I start the binding.

I also stitch 1/4" stitches.

When I get to the corners where the border is folded I make sure to stitch just the border, not the fabric folded under. This keeps that fold under the border and not peeking out the sides.When I get to the end I knot off the same way I do the binding.

Now you have a nice labeled quilt or wall hanging. If you want to add a hanging sleeve to your wall hanging I have a tutorial HERE.

I hope you have enjoyed the Beginners Unite series!  Next Tuesday I will go over fabric amounts for the Beginners Unite Quilt Along! I hope you will join me.

Happy Stitching!
Jen

**Here is the info on the designer of this wall hanging, you may have heard of her, Kimberly Jolly of the Fat Quarter Shop. Follow this link and if you page down to the 2015 March mini, you will find it! Thank you, Pat Sloan, for helping me find my way back to this pattern!**

Beginners Unite! Sandwiching your quilt top

Your top is pieced and you are ready to quilt it.

As with all things quilty there are different preferences for sandwiching your quilt top. I'm going to show how I sandwich my tops. I cut my backing and batting a few inches larger than the pieced top. I don't do the full four inches all around that long armers require, but that's because I quilt on my domestic machine.

I pin all my tops, lap size to wall hanging. I use masking tape, curved safety pins and the awesome Kwik Klip (no affiliation). I don't use spray baste. I know some swear by it. I don't because 1) I've never had success with it, my fabric always slides and shifts and I end up in tears and 2) I live in Minnesota, the only time I can use spray baste with proper ventilation is about 2 months out of 12. Really. It's either forty below or 80% humidity. (I say that with love, there is no better place for living the four seasons than Minnesota!)

When I quilt wall hangings, I piece my batting. I know it's not going to get washed so I just zig zag the pieces together. 

Make sure you have nice straight edges, keep the seam in the middle and stitch. I use a 2.5 stitch length and 3.5 zig zag.

Lay out your backing, making sure it's nice and smooth. I'm showing a wall hanging, but I promise, I do this for the lap size as well, on my floor, which is going to end soon, because it's getting harder and harder to get up off the floor. Place piece of masking tape in the middle of one side, then making sure your backing is smooth and a little taut (no stretching) place another piece, exactly opposite,

on the other side.

Next, place a piece on either side of the middle tape, and across on the other side.

Then again, on the other side of the middle piece of tape, and again, across on the other side.

Repeat on the top and bottom.

Then smooth your batting over the backing and tape as you did the backing.

Lay your top over the layer and begin pinning from the center out. Pin every four inches or so. I just pin whatever looks right. Which, really means, I over pin. I'm a big believer in pinning. They are my favorite quilting tool for accuracy.

Don't miss any of the Beginners Unite! posts and make sure you come back for the August 2nd post for an exciting quilt along announcement! I'm moving the next Beginners post one day, because the August Muggamo pattern comes out on Tuesday.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

1) Intro - May 2 

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9

2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11

3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23

4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6

7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27

9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding borders - July 17

13) Sandwich that top - You are here

14) Quilting - August 2

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels - August 15

Beginners Unite! Keeping your points

There is nothing more frustrating than working hard on a unit and then sewing off the points. 

We've all done it. I still do it. So how do we avoid it?  There is a simple trick I will share, but we have to address accuracy first. I wrote about accurate cutting and accurate stitching. These are two very important pieces to getting nice pointy points. 

When you take the time to cut accurately and stitch accurately, you will have points that are 1/4" away from the edge, giving you plenty of space for the seam allowance. 

Sometimes though, our stitching is off just a bit. Maybe we ironed instead of pressed, or there was some extra fabric and our stitching wobbled a bit. For whatever reason, we are in danger of losing that precious point.

The trick to saving it is simple. Stitch with the unit on top that needs the point.

When you come to the point, watch where your needle is coming down and make sure to stitch closer to the edge of the fabric. Having your seam allowance just a little off in that one spot won't hurt your blocks. I show how I sew my slightly off blocks HERE. Remember, I never trim. Shhhhh! I know, but I don't, and my quilt tops turn out very well. :)

If you can't stitch with the unit on the top, maybe you are sewing rows and there are points on either side, you should take a close look at your rows. Note where there might be an issue with a point and put a pin in it. When you reach that point you can adjust your stitching line just a hair and continue on.

If you stitched off a point, it is worth ripping those stitches out and resewing. Press carefully and enjoy your pointy points.

Sometimes you can do all of the above and you still get points that just aren't pointy. Case in point (hahaha) my newly released Gradient Stars. That blue would not listen and refused to be pointy. Every. Single. Unit. I had to let go of control and let that stubborn unit be. If it's not enjoyable, let go and move on. 

Happy Stitching!

Jen

1) Intro - May 2 

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6

7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - You are here

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginners Unite! Strip piecing

This week there will be two shorter posts for Beginners Unite! This first one will have tips for strip piecing and the bonus post will be on Thursday with tips for keeping your points. 

I touched on the topic of strip piecing HERE in the Strips and Squares post. This time we're going to talk about how to stitch multiple strips without getting those frustrating waves.

Start with four strips cut at 2 1/2" x 8 1/2". It's important that any strip you cut is cut accurately. For cutting tips go to THIS POST. 

Lay your first two strips right sides together. Stitch on the long side.

Note that the blue strip is on top. Press towards either side, making sure to lift your iron and move it. Do not press and move at the same time, this will distort your strips.

Lay another strip right sides together with your newly sewn unit. When you stitch this time, make sure you are stitching the opposite direction. In this case, the blue will be on top again. Press.

Using your last strip, lay it right sides together. Again, stitch the opposite direction of the seam you just stitched. In this instance the white will now be on top. Carefully press.

You should now have a pieced strip that doesn't wave at you when finished. 

Happy Stitching!

Jen

***Tomorrow Victoria from Fabric At Work  is a guest blogger. She's going to share her experience testing Gradient Stars and a little about her on-point version.***

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily shots into the life of PBJ.

1) Intro - May 2 

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6

7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - You are here

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginner's Unite! Blocks that don't match

What do we do when our blocks aren't the same measurement?

Many people say trim them all the same size, but then you run the chance of losing your points. If you have used the same seam allowance for all of your stitching, then I say, don't even think about trimming!

Here are two squares. One is 8 1/2" square and the other 8 3/8" square.

When I come upon blocks that are off just a bit, my go to tip is: pin, stretching just a little bit if you need to, and stitch with the larger unit on the bottom.

I pin each end first. Then holding each end I pull the blocks straight to find the middle, and pin. If the block needs a lot of work, I will pull the block straight between the end and middle pins and put in another pin. With these blocks I had seams that I needed to match up as well.

Once pinned, stitch with the larger unit on the bottom. In this case, the 8 1/2" block. The feed dogs will pull the bottom fabric more than the presser foot will pull the top fabric, and this will help make the blocks the same size.

Blocks are now matching at 8 1/2".

Press, and continue.

If you are putting blocks with sashing, the same tip applies. Pin ends, then middle, and in between. Stitch with the longer piece on the bottom.

When you put your units and/or blocks together in this manner, there is no need to trim before piecing them together. However, if your blocks are 1/4", or more, off I recommend grabbing your faithful seam ripper and fixing the block. Trying to stretch that much fabric will distort your finished block.

Share your tips for dealing with units/blocks that are not the same size in the comments.

Happy Stitching!
Jen

1) Intro - May 2

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6
7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - June 20

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - You are here
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15

Beginners Unite! Flying Geese

Flying Geese is the next unit in the Beginners Unite! series.

Flying Geese units are heavily used in quilt patterns and it's worth getting them trimmed and perfect. Just like half square triangle units (HST) there are different ways and rulers to use when making Flying Geese.  In this post I will show you how to  make them the old fashioned original way and how to make them using the No Waste method. I will also show how to trim them if you make them over sized, using a Wing Clipper® from Deb Tucker 180 Design Studio (no affiliation) and just a square from Creative Grids. 

No Waste Flying Geese

The measurements I'm using in this tutorial are for over sized FG units. but the instructions for piecing are the same even if you make them to be exact. 

For this tutorial you need:

1 - 5 1/2" square

4 - 3" squares

On the wrong side of the 3" squares draw a diagonal line.

Place two of the 3" squares on the 5 1/2" square, right sides together, as shown.

Stitch 1/4" on either side of the line.

Cut apart on the drawn line.

Press towards triangles.

Place a 3" square on each of the units made. 

Stitch 1/4" on either side of line.

Cut on the drawn line.

Press towards triangles. This method will give you four Flying Geese units.

Trimming with a Wing Clipper® ruler

The lines on the Wing Clipper® make it really easy to know where to trim. 

We are trimming these to 2 1/2" x 4 1/2". Find the little diagonals for the 2 1/2" mark and line it up with the point. Trim.

Rotate the FG unit and line up the lines again on the point. Trim

Trimming with a square

I like to make a mark on the half way point on the ruler. Use a sharpie and put a piece of scotch tape or packing tape over it if you have a lot to trim, because it will wear off.

Line the half way mark (in this case 2 1/4") with the point, making sure to give yourself 1/4" seam allowance as well. Trim.

Rotate FG unit and line up the cut edge on the 4 1/2" line. Trim.

Original Flying Geese Unit

For this unit we need:

1 - 2 1/2" 4 1/2" rectangle

2 - 2 1/2" squares

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the 2 1/2" squares.

Place one square right sides together on the rectangle. Note direction of drawn line. 

Stitch. I like to stitch just a tish off the line, towards the outside corner.

Press and trim.

Place the other square on the rectangle, noting direction of drawn line.

Stitch. 

Press and trim. This will give you one Flying Geese unit.

All 3 Flying Geese units, and you can't tell which one is which, so do the one you enjoy doing. Quilting is about joy and beauty.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

1) Intro - May 2

2) Quilting supplies ~ What makes the process easier - May 9
2a) Side Trip ~ Maintenance - May 11
3) Choosing fabric and color - May 16

4) Accurate cutting - May 23
4a) Side Trip ~ Cutting Large Yardage - May 25

5) That crazy scant 1/4 inch seam allowance - May 30

6) Sewing strips and squares - June 6
7) HST - Half Square Triangles (My one true love) - June 13

8) Flying Geese - You are here

9) What about those blocks that are just a tad off? - June 27
9) Strip Piecing - July 11

11) Is there a trick to keeping those points? - July 13

12) Adding Borders - July 18

13) Sandwich that top - July 25

14) Quilting - August 1

15) Binding - August 8
16) Labels  - August 15