Don’t you love the cool colors of her double wedding ring in progress?
I just love seeing what things look like on YOUR side of the monitor!
She writes:
Hi Bonnie!I'm new to quilting this year and I never thought about stitch length until tonight. Thank you! You are my quilt hero!
I'm working on my curves with the double wedding ring. Question....what stitch length do you use when piecing?
DaphneNew to Quilting! THIS YEAR?!?! And she is tackling a Double Wedding Ring no less – way to go Daphne!
As far as stitch length – it depends on what I’m sewing and how big the pieces are. If I’m piecing very small things..I tend to use a smaller stitch so there are more stitches securing the patches.
If I’m doing paper piecing or foundation piecing and the paper is to be removed, I like a very small stitch, about a 1.5 on a digital machine, 16 to 18 stitches per inch on a vintage machine.
For normal sewing, again depending on the weight – I like about a 2. When I’m sewing on a binding, I can go up to 2.5 because the fabric does not feed as fast with that many layers, so sewing a binding at 2.5 gives me about the same stitch as sewing patchwork at 2.
And in all cases of “regular” piecing – my rule is – the stitch has to be large enough to allow the point of a seam ripper underneath it. No one wants to fight with stitches that are too small if you have to take something out!
I’ve been hijacked by another project. I need this like a hole in the head right now, but I have a few instances of Boxy Star workshops coming up in the new year, and I would like a new sample – the old one is very pink and brown and proper – and okay, BORING! I want something brighter, more e3xciting and I’m digging in my scraps to see what I can come up with.
I hit the 2-1/2” strip bin heavy this evening and have cut out a few of the many block quarters I’m going to need.
Block pieces laid out on my 1950s pink MODERN machine, Barbie, and ready to go!
It’s easy to just plop my strips up on the cutting board…I cut through 4 layers. Each block takes pieces in 2-1/2”. 4-1/2” and 6-1/2” so I just work my way down the strips.
Click HERE for the Boxy Stars pattern!
I’m using left over black on whites from Easy Street as my background – should be fun!
This quilt will have ALL colors in it, but I just cut from a few color bundles for now – oranges, yellows, blues and greens – it’s enough to keep me busy for tonight.
2013 Leader & Ender Project – Split 9 Patch!
I’ll have my Split 9 Patch leader & Ender project going on the side as I sew….hopefully I can increase the amount of blocks I have ---which is not many, since I’ve been stockpiling half-square triangles, seen in the zip lock bag there…Time for blocks!
Are you ready to sew? Click the arrow on the screen below to start the feed!
32 comments:
Tonight I'm pressing 40 scrappy trips blocks. I got the idea of making them seeing your blog post on the Scrappy Trips class you just did. They are perfect for lap robes that I make to donate to our local nursing home at Christmas. I cut up 2 1/2 inch strips for me and with the left overs cut some 1 1/2 inch for hubby for his pineapple blocks that he's making. Thanks for sharing your patterns.
Sue
Upstate NY
squeel ! ! ! I finally get to wlatch LIVE. Glad you're back,
YEA, I am stitching together a bunch of 5.5" blocks to Flimsy while I watch. I had to go and re-boot so I missed a bit. Error on my end, of course. 9am is 6am my time, YEA!!!
Traveling on business so just watching Quiltcam but not able to quilt along. Looking forward to this years mystery quilt. I really enjoyed Easy Street. (I live in Cary - so hello NC Neighbor!)
Hi Bonnie, Good to see you again. I loved your workshop in Eugene. I am still working on the cathedral star. my question is: how do you figure out the needed yardage for your quilts. Nelda
Hello from East Tennessee...I just finished the hand work on the binding of a charity quilt made from the fabric donated by a long time quilter who is moving into assisted living and gave two of the guilds I belong to all of her stash. We have been sewing like crazy. I am just enjoying watching you sew. I love all of your machines and appreciate your advice about them. Sharon
Hi, Bonnie: Joining once again from beautiful BC, Canada! Tonight I'm putting together the rows of my king-size Easy Street - hopefully to have it quilted by the time you start the next mystery. Looking forward to tomorrow!
hi bonnie, i'm here in my sewing room working on your dancing 9 patch, i'm going to be a grandma, were having a boy so it's recycle shirts. I have the center done and working on the piano key boards. will send pictures later when it's together. i'm thinking of tying it. from Lecanto fl.
Hi, Bonnie! I'm watching you live for a change while I clean up my sewing room. I need to bind a quilt but it's too chaotic and there's too little space on the table for me to wrangle the quilt. Thanks for helping me to stay on task.
--C.B.
This is my first quilt cam. Hi from Cincinnati. Just got home from work. No sewing tonight. Can't wait for tomorrow morning. I worked on a Christmas quilt this weekend. Lazy Sunday is on it's way to the long-arm quilter. I'm still working on the spools leader and ender project...just not tonight.
Working on bazaar items tonight, but recently finished Road to Oklahoma. Looking forward to mystery quilt. Thanks, Bonnie , for all your tips! Theresa
I'm working feebly on your pattern of Blue Ridge Beauty from your book, Adventures in Leaders and Enders. I'm a fairly new quilter, self taught, and my squares aren't quite lining up as well as I'd like, but it's still beautiful to me and I'm excited to see it come together.
I love Quilt Cam! I'm going to be sewing on my Quilt of Valor using your Star Struck pattern. I'm going to have a ton of red & white and blue & white bonus triangles when I'm done. I love bonus triangles! Thanks for the emery board and sand paper triangle tips. I'm going to start using them immediately.
how can I find you on YouTube? I can find the archived ones but not the live one for tonight? Thanks, Tricia....Denver,Colorado
SHOUT OUT TO DIANE IN NYC! I miss you at the Dear Jane Retreats. You too Bonnie.
SHOUT OUT TO DIANE IN NYC! I miss you at the Dear Jane Retreats. You too Bonnie.
Hi, Bonnie. I'm not a fast as the other Peoria girls. I do have about 150 half square triangles for the pinwheels. Extra can't hurt and I am doing king sized. I had such a good time!!
I love all your little stories on Quilt Cam. NW Ohio is cold and rainy tonight. A good night to stay in and piece. My first time doing your mystery and looking forward to tomorrow. Debbi
I feel the need to get a furnace filter and ? At Lowe's tomorrow! Deb
Hello from Amy in Utah! I appreciate your passion for vintage machines. I too have a passion for them. I love love love scrappy quilts. As you can tell from my moniker, scrappyendings. Do you plan on the size of quilt you will make with your blocks before they are sewn, or do you just lay out the blocks when you feel you have enough & go with that?
I was at the QSC White Oak retreat last weekend and sewed on a mystery quilt project. I finger pressed my bonus triangles and counted them, I have 152 and still have more to do on the project. Yea!
Not to beat a dead horse but how are people watching you on You Tube then?? Thanks again...Tricia...
Emery boards---why is it necessary to cut the emery board in half as they are narrow anyway?? Good idea to use those since they will really hold that fabric in place.
when you purchase fabric how much do you purchase?
Hi Bonnie, loving quiltcam! This timeI'm doing what you did last time-- paper piecing the little squares in squares on a hand crank. It was my mother's and I am thrilled to have it. If my sister in Oakville Ontario is watching, chris says "Hi!"
Hi! Bonnie
Joining you from Savannah, GA. Love quilt cam. Had a hard time getting on to quilt cam. I will be flying home to Honolulu, Hawaii as we await out
rd grandbaby it's a girl. I will watching you from there. Thanks for all that you do, I love your friendly way with us. You make us feel right at home. I got me an old antiqued singer either 27 or 28. Just got it in. Thanks for motivating me to get her. She runs good but needs some work on wiring. I think. I was so surprised it had the shuttle and a few bobbins and some attachments. Dont have time to check her out better because Im flying. Im really new to QV. I really enjoy it tons. Aloha girl.
Hi Bonnie - I missed you :(. That's ok coz my DD has just arrived home from 5 weeks travelling through Mongolia & Russia... I WAS trying to finish a flannel quilt I've been making for her, but between my Singer 222k (with walking foot) skipping stitches, my "Loren", Necchi Supernova for which I can't find a walking foot, I ran out of time... oh well...- can't have everything, you know?? Do you have any ideas on a walking foot for the Necchi?? I know you were also having trouble with your "Sophia". I'd be chuffed if you can advise me. Thanks honey. Catch you on the flip side :)
How about a Boxy Star sampler? I'll bet many of us would be willing to make a block to send to you.
I am not sure if this will work for you, but for me i went to YouTube and subscribed to Bonnie Hunters Channel. I thought from that link I could watch it live through YouTube. But I am also a google user so maybe there is something happening in the background that allows me to do that, Not sure don't know if this helps have a nice day
I am not sure if this will work for you, but for me i went to YouTube and subscribed to Bonnie Hunters Channel. I thought from that link I could watch it live through YouTube. But I am also a google user so maybe there is something happening in the background that allows me to do that, Not sure don't know if this helps have a nice day
More power to you Daphne!
In 1995, I started learning how to quilt. I knew NOTHING about sewing/quilting. I was being taught the handquilting part by the "quilting ladies" at my church. They would make the tops and bring them in for us all to quilt together. I was hooked the first day. On the way home I went to the store and bought the nicest fabric and the prettiest pattern I could find! My first quilt EVER was going to be a queen sized DOUBLE WEDDING RING.
The next week when I told the quilting ladies what I was making, they all looked at me like I'd lost my mind! They said that in all their 175 years combined quilting experience, they'd never tried to make one! That was my first hint that I'd jumped in over my head, lol. Let's just say it was a quilt lesson I'll never forget! Nothing fit together no matter how many times I ripped it out and re-sewed it, and none of the women could tell me how to fix it either. So, I ended up donating all $200 worth of the fabric to the woman that made the tops. I had just gotten so frustrated that I didn't want to see that fabric ever again! She made it into something beautiful. I got to hand quilt it. It was donated to some overseas missionaries. So it was a win/win for everyone involved in the long run.
Good luck on yours! Can't wait to see it finished!
Again I missed your live Quilt Cam, but I do enjoy listening while I sew.
Post a Comment
If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.
Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.
Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)