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Sunday, January 05, 2014

Texas Braids, All Day Long!

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When students arrive with everything already cut out and ready to go, progress happens quickly!

The pattern for Texas Braid is found in my book Adventures with Leaders & Enders.  Signed copies can be ordered HERE.

Braid seams are normally SHORT seams, so it’s a lot of stitching a bit, taking it out of the machine, clipping threads, pressing and starting again – and that can mean a whole mess of thread trimmings and mess.

So we keep it a bit more continuous by working with two braid sections at one time, using each as the Leader and/or Ender for the other.  Braids grow quickly this way and there is no thread waste or long tangled lines of chain piecing to deal with.  Two in the chain is sufficient for rapid progress!

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A whole lot of easy sewing with a lot to show for it!

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When braids start getting too long to sew with easily, simply roll the bottom end up and pin it – and keep on keeping on!

More fun in our slide show below!

Click the image if you can’t view the slide show on your mobile device.  You’ll be taken directly to the photo album.

Texas Braid, McKinney, TX 2014


This is a bit more of a leisurely morning for me.  After 6 straight days of up at 6am, Today is a half day workshop and doesn't start until 2pm!  Slept in a bit, and planning on a nice brunch out with the Hubster before he drops me off for class.
We've been gone from home a long time.  Tomorrow we leave Texas -- he heads back to North Carolina, and I am headed to Phoenix to go hug on my brother for a couple days.
Remember that tomorrow is our Mystery Monday Link-Up!  Lots of photos of tops in progress are being shared on the Quiltville Friends Facebook page.  You don't need a Facebook account to read the posts, just click the link below to see the Show & Share progress!  And I definitely can't wait to see what is shared in the Link-Up tomorrow.
Have a wonderful Sunday, Everyone!

Click Here to like our Quiltville Friends Page on Facebook for more fun!
You do not need a Facebook account to read the Facebook posts - They are viewable to all! Feel free to read & quilt along with us!

7 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you getting to see your brother! I loved the video your other brothers made! So awesome!

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  2. Hope you get to enjoy every moment with your brother in spite of the stress. Lots of hugs are an essential to enjoyment, as are memories remembered and made anew.
    I wish you all this and more.

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  3. One of my favorite of Bonnie's patterns. I've been setting aside units as I work through scraps for over a year - I'm about halfway there. Lovely work, ladies!

    Enjoy your time with your brother, Bonnie.

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  4. So happy you're getting to see your brother ... huge hugs all around! Travel safe!!

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  5. Wow, these ladies are making great progress. Braid is about the messiest to make quilt top ever devised ;). But the results are worth the effort and mess.

    Thanks for the photos Bonnie.
    Smiles, JulieinTN

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  6. Really loving the different takes on the pattern! And the colors-oh my..... Need to get back to mine as a snow storm "snowed" us at work the last 2 days and I am beat! For once the weatherpeople got it right-we are up to around 10 inches of snow with the temp at 32 F-heavy WET stuff coming down! Oh, well, I am set for at least 3-4 days-enough food and sewing-as long as the power does not go out! A Snowy day in NE Indiana!

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  7. I am really enjoying seeing everyone's finished CS tops. Mine won't be finished quite as quickly but I am already planning on doing another. Thanks ever so much for being kind enough to share this fabulous quilt pattern with us.

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