Sometimes pressing doesn't go the way our brains think it should!
Things like "Always press to the dark." "Always spin the centers of four-patches and hourglass units" may give a false sense of security that any project is going to fit together well -
It's one of those things that sometimes stops me in my tracks as I go merrily along with a stack of blocks that I haven't yet decided how I'm going to set -
I presented the Jackknife block in my Addicted to Scraps column of Quiltmaker Magazine - Sept/Oct 2020 edition.
But what mockups of quilts don't tell you - is that PRESSING MATTERS.
How do I solve a pressing issue?
By putting the block units upside down on the table and LOOKING at what is going to happen.
Look closely at the units.
The seams on the hourglass units are not spinning in a circle - they can't, or they won't work with the corner striped units.
And I found I had to press the center red strip in the corner unit to the LIGHT instead of the DARK so nesting could happen with the hour glass units.
And that's not all - if you look at the hourglass units the red triangle with both seams pointing toward the red is at the outside edge of the block. Rotate that unit the other way and seams will fight.
Doesn't this look like some Merry Ho Ho Ho happening?
Something about red & white is just so festive.
If you look at the seam allowance on that center hourglass unit, you can see that I had to repress what I had previously "spun." once I figured it out that it just wasn't going to work.
Pressing and repressing doesn't make the prettiest block back.
But at least all of the seams are now working and I know what to do for future blocks.
My best quilting tool ever?
My camera. it helps me remember which way to go - especially if I step away from this project for any given length of time and forget before I get back to it.
Yesterday at CVS. LOL!
Of course! It's a 2020 tree! What else did you expect?
But it's still funny to think that we are happy that Clorox wipes are now back in stock in some places. We can get TP currently - but who knows how long that will last!
I stopped by to get my second shingles shot. I've heard stories of folks not feeling well, being sick the next day - but so far so good. I'd rather feel crummy for a couple of days due to a vaccine than get the shingles, wouldn't you?
This morning's glory!
It's going to be a bit of a crazy run around day today.
Three quilts are heading to Iowa!
The Iowa Quilt Museum is gearing up for their January-March 2021 exhibit, and it is all about STRING QUILTS!
I have been asked to send Straits of Mackinac, Emerald City and Serpentine Web, all from my book String Frenzy to hang in the exhibit and I couldn't be more honored and thrilled.
While Straits of Mackinac and Emerald City have been here with me at the cabin - guess where Serpentine Web is? WALLBURG!
And I've been without a car - the van is still at the collision repair place being fixed from the deer attack.
I now have a rental car, and will be making that trip to Wallburg to pick up the quilt, box it up with the others and drop it off at FedEx today. The Museum folks already know of my circumstances - and the quilts should arrive at the Museum by Monday. We will be good.
For those of you close enough to drive to the Museum - I hope you will go see this show. Visit the website linked above for hours and visiting information. I do not know if this will be available virtually.
And of course, you can find String Frenzy and String Fling in the Quiltville Store at discount pricing.
I hope to be back before dark!
Anything fun ahead for your Wednesday? Is your house full of the yummy smells of goodies baking? Do you have something in your crockpot brewing for dinner?
Share a bit of what is going on in your world in the comments section!
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
It's all in how you look at it!
When it comes to my fabric world - it ALL sparks joy!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, Everyone!
54 comments:
I appreciate your pressing instructions so the blocks go together easily!! My Wednesday will consist of rearranging a little in the sewing space, getting my hair cut and highlighted (thank goodness because I've chopped on it several times since the last cut), and picking up hubby after work since the work truck was taken for bodywork due to a piece of large machinery running into it at project site. Happy Hump Day!!!
I got all the goodies purchased to make my Holiday treats, I just haven't set aside the time to get started. I'm doen to my last two customer quilts that were not needed for Christmas so when they are done I'll be ready. With diet restrictions my husband can no longer eat all those sweet treats but I still love making them and will share them thru the mail with family. Crockpot soup or stew sounds perfect!!
You are so creative and your reasoning skills are awesome. I am close enough to drive to this museum in a half day but I am worried that covid will keep me away. Have a sew happy day.
My day will hopefully be a bit low key. I made a trip to Indianapolis yesterday afternoon to pick up a load of poinsettias for our business. It is about a full 6 hour round trip from home. So I still woke up this morning a bit road weary. 465 around Indy is crazy 😜 I plan to to finish trimming up part 2 of the mystery and then keep piecing blocks for my Unity top. It is a sunny day here in Indiana so I will take advantage of it and go work outside. Have a great day!
Your block is very pretty. I made sour cream banana bars with a brown butter frosting for my son's birthday.
Today is about finishing things for me. I am finishing decorating for Christmas, finishinf putting a quilt together, and finishing putting my house in order. Have a great day.
What a coincidence. I am going to town today for my second shingles shot as well. I had a friend who got shingles while we were traveling in France and she suffered terribly. I decided if there was a way to protect myself from this kind of suffering, shoot me up. I feel the same way with the new vaccine coming.
Babysitting my 5 1/2 month old granddaughter. Planning on finishing her Christmas stocking today. Hopefully getting to so more of the hourglass units for grassy Creek. Thank you Bonnie for all of your hard work have a great day
Bonnie, have you heard of a pressing pen? I just discovered it and it's a game changer. Made by Acorn, I put Best Press in it. You can then "paint" your seams before you press. It makes the flatest seams I've ever seen. It might help for those times you need to make them go a different way or when you have a lot coming together at a point.
I'm working on a triple Irish chain, king size. This is a paid job. Ironing is very important too. I've been working on it for three weeks and it looks like another four weeks or so to finish. I hoped it would be done before Christmas but it won't. But I can't go anywhere anyway.
My progress this week on Grassy Creek is I got all my strips cut (have not done your wonderful system yet) and then cut into the units I needed to sew today. It will be great if I get them all done My sweet friend Mona comes every 2 weeks to clean my house so I will be out of her way in the sewing room. Candy making again tomorrow the first batch is gone. It is a beautiful day. Question: do you prewash your fabrics? I am having some bleeding with my reds.
agree about 465..
just back from a shopping trip and it is about 8 a.m.. found the light switcher for the outdoor lights at Home Depot.... on to Target to get a few more things for the Angle Tree peeps..... and toothpaste. The TP aisle was empty of people and TP that is a lot of free space. Then to Starbucks for the small gift cards and finally Chick Filay for MY breakfast. Think it is time to start wrapping.......
There are plans of a group ride to the fire pit for a hot dog roast. We are snowbirds, visitors to the desert southwest for about 6 months of the year. With Covid our socializing has been minimal so even a dusty desert ATV ride to eat a charred hot dog sounds like fun! Celebrating that part 2 of Grassy Creek in done, too.
I have plans today to finish my last few units for Grassy Creek, tidying the house (i set my timer and do it in ten minute spurts across the day, so I actually relax a little on my days off), and baking some cookies to go with chicken pot pie for dinner tonight.
Thank you for being a bright and cheerful point in my day...even when I have the darkest stressful days, I know I can check in here and find something uplifting, and that means so much right now.
Today is my day to bake nut breads for giving and finish the quilting on one quilt, so that it can be bound and finished before Christmas.Soon, I'll be baking Italian anise cookies and some panetone.Fruitcakes have been ripening and are almost ready for giving, other than the decorations of the tops.At some point, we need to write cards, decorate and clean a room a day. Have a most festive holiday season! BTW, I cannot have second shingle injection as I came down with a mild case of shingles with the first shot! Doctor said "No more"!
I was wondering how do you feel about pressing seams open? I tried it once on a quilt that had lots of seams and it wasn't any more difficult and I liked the result. Of course you can't nest the seams that way, but it still worked well.
My morning will be filled with Grassy Creek blocks, coffee and a magic cookie bar for breakfast! (Sometimes I feel like being just a little bit naughty 😉) Good for you getting your Shingrix series. They were in short supply here and when the pharmacy got them back in stock, we were preparing to travel, so I put it off. When I broke out in shingles, I was sure wishing I had got that one done!
This is the weirdest thing. I wasnt' getting any of your posts and I had to go in manually. Today I am seeing all your posts over the last week on facebook and they are popping up every third post. LOL. At least you are back on my facebook page.
Such a lovely block, Bonnie! I loaded up the longarm this morning. After lunch, it's time to rock and roll! :o))
Always enjoy your helpful hints, thanks for sharing. My day is fighting with heavy fabric making cushion covers for the beautiful gliding oak rocker the hubby built for a young couple who are so helpful to us. Dinner will be turkey pot pie from leftover Thanksgiving, the filling was frozen for later and tonight's the night to use it. Waiting for week three of clues...
No good smells here at my house...hubby had my washer torn apart, so I’ve been cleaning the gook out from under and behind it that has accumulated over the past 10 years. Did get a scrap quilt laid out last night. Wouldn’t fit on my design wall, so it was in the floor. After 2 hours of crawling around, I’m feeling the pain in my back and knees this morning. Have to figure out a way to get a larger design wall that’s actually on a wall! Hoping to get that webbed over the next couple of days. It has been one of my yearlong projects and I have loved making it this way. Thinking I may apply this method to one of your mystery quilts...instead of a clue a week, doing one a month. It seems to be a better fit for me. Have 2 quilts pieced that way this year. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but that is in amongst garment sewing, which has been my priority this year. Plus, my back will only let me sew about an hour a day or I pay for it later. I’m thrilled with my progress! I hope everyone else is thrilled with what they have been able to accomplish this year! Have a safe and happy year end!
Washed, dried & folded some new fabrics that I received in the mail yesterday. Snow has been falling throughout the morning here in the Finger Lakes region of New York so it is pretty outside. The birds are flocking to the feeders. Hopefully som sewing this afternoon, and I am teaching myself to play guitar (talked about it for years, this is the perfect time to actually do it!) so I need to practice this afternoon on that as well.
I am baking an apple, carrot, zucchini bread. I made it once before but don't remember anything about it. Sounds delicious! I also have some wintery looking face masks cut out waiting to be sewn. And I have 2 different muslins cut and sewn of dog coats for my Mocha. She is a little hyper......should be fun trying them on her! Busy day!
Getting in some cooking today and a zoom with my sweet sister before returning to work on the string border for my Shoo Fly Shoo!
Pressing/sewing/trimming blocks for Lazy Sunday here. The bright colors are very cheerful! And I agree with red and white quilts being very festive as I just hung a red and white Jacob's Ladder quilt on the wall near my Christmas tree.
Hi, we are preparing for Christmas in Norway as well. Today baking of flatbread on the agenda, which we serve together with fenalår, which is leg of lamb, salted, smoked and is now hanging in the basement drying, ready to be tested maybe next week. Can hardly wait. Good thing we have Grssy Creek to keep us busy in the meantime!
I often print a black and white version of the block, and put arrows for the pressing direction, which I can then keep with the project. I am grateful for your instructions when it comes to pressing. Congratulations on having quilts in the Iowa Quilt Museum's next exhibit. I was lucky enough to visit in the summer of 2019, lovely place. And I was lucky enough to meet Marianne Fons while I was there. The whole town is lovely, a great quilt store, and some darling shops on the square, a fabulous coffee shop for lunch, and the Bridges of Madison County to visit as well. I live in California, so it was a (probably) once in a lifetime visit.
Thanks, Bonnie. I've printed your notes about Jackknife and added them to my Quiltmaker magazine. I know it'll be important.
Thank you so much for all of your shortcuts in producing accurate units!!! Makes the challenges so doable.
Just finished piecing a baby quilt for a great great niece due in March.
I got busy this morning making some Christmas cookies and am now going to attempt to make a calendar (I used to make them for my (adult) kids every year but haven't made one in years! My daughter's bday is Dec 29th & I know she would love to have one. Tonight is meatloaf with roasted carrots and baked potatoes! Yum!
I love your quote of the day. Back in April when everything was shut down, I went on a purging frenzy in my walk in attic. I had some candle holders that had been up there for ages just collecting dust. So, I donated them. Guess what I need for a project now! Isn't that just the way it goes.
I was taught to press for ease of construction, and I think you figured it out on your own! Pressing isn't rocket science, so do what makes the block lie flat and keeps the seams straight. Nice block!! I love red and white quilts because they are always cheerful.
I had this same problem on a quilt I just finished. Repressing with steam helped a little.
Just called an end to my Christmas decorating. Not much on baking with just my husband and myself since we are in a bad Covid area right now and cannot visit grandkids. Thank heavens for FaceTime and videos.
Yea, You figured it all out. The Move is done so it's putting it all away, then I can sew one day later this week. I made Chicken Salad for lunch, it was well received. Happy Hump day!
Deer jerky in the dehydrator. macaroni salad and smoked sausage for supper and a bit of leader ender and clue 2 today.
Trying hard to get clue 2 done but I tested positive this week and haven't felt great. But it's sitting on my sewing table begging me to work on it. I have everything cut but have only sewed 2 blocks! Hope to get it done this weekend. Right in time for clue 3. Please wear a mask, social distance and stay home if you can. Covid is awful!
I learn so much here! Jackknife is such a dynamic block. Thanks for walking us through your process of figuring out what to press and where.
I only live about 2 hours from Winterset. Will try like anything to see the string quilt exhibit while it's on - though it's at the diciest driving time of year in Iowa. I have plans for a Serpentine Web, so I'd especially love to see that one up close and in person.
No good smells in our house! Any smells drove me nuts today and had me in bed! I planned on sewing to my hearts content in our Zoom Stitch & B----, but alas, my stomach wasn't in agreement! We are headed into lockdown in Alberta for 4 weeks so I will have time to sew whenever I can! So excited for your quilts headed to the show! Congrats to you! Thank you for the tip about the camera as well! Love your posts! :-)
We have been outside prepping our birds for their very own lockdown next week!
Love how the star shows on the back of the quilt but I see a much different "yippee" pattern on the finished side!
I never thought of looking at the back to see how seams will come together BEFORE I start sewing them! What an insight! Thank you!! Yesterday, I was putting together the border for my Allietore before it goes onto the longarm. As well, I played with the design of two quilts for a niece and nephew, embroidering the designs I want to include to ensure they sew out well, helped my husband with the remodel of our bathroom, entertained the animals (or are they entertaining me?), cooked and baked. The day flew, as I am sure, so does yours. Enjoy!! Hope you get your truck back soon.
I have a cheap moveable (notice I didn't say portable) design wall solution.
Go to your local hardware store & buy some sheets of foam insulation. It usually comes in 4' x 8' sheets and in varying thicknesses. These can then be laid over your bed & you can then lay your quilt out over the top. Some painter's tape, masking tape or packing tape will hold them together if you need it. You can also stick pins in it. The sheets can easily be cut with a sharp knife or box cutter.
I use them on a dining room table which is my sewing table and have them stacked a couple of layers high so they are level with my machine. It makes for a great cheap extension table.
Let me know if this works for you.
The pictures of the 2020 Covid Tree got me laughing for about 2 minutes solid. Thank you for the healing laughter it brought me.
Thank you for the good pressing lesson. I'll start flipping my blocks over and look. Congrats on your museum show.
I am just rejoining your world again as life got in the way. I was delighted to check my design notebook and found your Leaders and Enders article from Quiltmaker dated Jan 2008. I have made many of your blocks when I had left over fabric from projects. Thank you for the treat of your great photos as we are sheltered in place.
Had my first Shingles shot on Tuesday and other than a sore arm felt fine until Wednesday afternoon when the join and muscle aches started. I had played 18 holes of golf so that may have been part of it. Took some pain killers and went to bed early; feel great today. No shingles is worth a little muscle ache. Planning a sew day but waiting for my ruler needed for part 2. I'm trying the methods I haven't used before to gain new skills. This 80 year old still wants to learn. Having fun and enjoying the ride.
I'm working on a Christmas stocking for a special young lady. I make them from vintage quilts that are beyond repair, decorate with vintage trims, jewelry, & buttons. This is the last gift i have to make for this year. And it's snowing today.
I also have foam insulation design walls. We had to cut about 6" off the top because of the height of our walls. I covered them with batting, although flannel would do as well. They stack together against a wall in a narrow aisle space and I pull the second one out when I need both. They aren't attached to a wall, which gives me more flexibility, I think.
I love reading what everyone is up to since neither of my guilds nor my Quilts of Valor sewing group are meeting. What I'm up to is definitely changing -- we're selling our house and downsizing. Both sides of the deal are under contract -- new house closing is Dec. 30th, house we're leaving is Jan. 15th closing -- how wonderful is that! Through all of the showings I've kept out one quilting project -- machine quilting a queen sized storm at sea -- and packed everything into a storage rental unit so everything would look neat. I can't even cut out the binding for this quilt until well after the move when I find everything again! But -- that said, I'm still able to QUILT and, as you ALL well know, that's a savior for one's sanity. Thanks for keeping on with your posts. I'm looking forward to the next installment of the mystery quilt but I'm just storing the directions for now. Love to all, L
The pressing pen sounds great!!! I love Best Press it is so nice and gets old wrinkles out and creases out of yardage beautifully. Thanks for the heads up about the pressing pen by Acorn.
My husband's family on his father's side are from Norway. Years ago my husband's aunt Shirley and her husband were in Chino, Ca. for a visit. Aunt Shirley showed me how to make flat bread one year while she was here. The family was all from Minnesota. I loved their yearly visits to our dairy.
Congratulations on having your three string quilts requested for the quilt show.
I made Italian Meatball Soup for dinner yesterday and we are having left overs for dinner tonight. My DIL gave me the recipe a few years ago and we have been enjoying it ever since. So easy to make and can go in the slow cooker or on top of the stove. Will be making cranberry bread soon to give to two of my sons who love it. I need to get some Mincemeat pie filling to I can make a pie for my oldest son who loves Mincemeat. Just received a recipe from my husbands cousin in Minnesota for rolled cookies with a piece of candied cherry on top. The recipe came from my father in law's mother.
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