twiddletails

Binding - Take 2

2012-01-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

Better, right?

The yellow may be a little too bright, but this is it.

(Not) Finish #2

2012-01-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

This should have been the celebration post for finish #2.
Alas, it's not to be.

After a lot of pondering, I chose a fabric for the binding.
Yes, it was kind of checkered/striped, but I thought it was a "forgiving" kind of check/stripe.
Not so.

The quilt has been sitting on the kitchen table for 2 days while I was trying to convince myself that it's OK.

It's not.

The seam ripper and I will be spending some quality time together today.

Almost to #2

2012-01-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

Finish number 2 all squared up and ready for binding.

2012 - Finish #1!

2012-01-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

When the power went out yesterday morning (for a full 14 hours!), I was in the middle of finishing the binding on the 12 Days of Christmas Quilt.
I'm a hard core quilter though. I just pulled my chair up close to the french doors and kept going.

This morning I can show off my first finish for 2012!

Yay!

I still have some 12 Days of Christmas fabric in the store (40% off until 1/21/12 to celebrate this finish.)
There is also a fabric bundle in the Etsy store. The sashing stripe is this fabric.

Snowed in!

2012-01-18T12:40:00.000-08:00

By Seattle standards, that is. I have about 6" of snow in my back yard. (This photo was taken earlier this morning.)

A perfect day for quilting!

Quilting Day!

2012-01-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

Today two quilts will hopefully be quilted!
By the end of the week I should have my first two finishes for 2012.
Yay!

(Some of you may recognize the top one as my quilt from SewConnected 3 back in 2009/2010.)

Backs

2012-01-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today I'm making a couple of quilt backs with the aid of my little helper.

I have some time booked on a long-arm tomorrow.
Trying to make a dent in the WIPs.

I'd say that I've resolved not to start any new projects until I'm caught up, but we all know what'll happen to that plan...

There's an App for That

2012-01-07T04:13:00.000-08:00

I've been absent from everybody's blogs the last year or so.
I can come up with all kinds of excuses but mostly it was because I couldn't have my reader on my home page any more. Out of sight, out of mind...

But...

I'm back!

Portable blog reading!

Yay!

(In case you were wondering - the lovely blog on the iPad is Karen's. You can always find a whole bunch of inspiration over there.)

2011 Books Read

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm only posting this because I want to keep a record.
I'm definitely a little embarrased.
I did love "The Art of Racing in the Rain" though.

	David Baldacci The Whole Truth
	Elizabeth Berg The Last Time I Saw You
	Garth Stein The Art of Racing in the Rain
	Anna Quindlen Every Last One

A Little Bare

2012-01-05T02:53:00.000-08:00

When I "put Christmas away", I forgot to take a different runner out. Now I'm thinking I may have to make a new one...

Maybe a Strippy one.
Sure wish I hadn't sold this...

2011 - The Year of Nothing

2012-01-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

I fondly remember the time long, long ago when I was prolific.
Then I became a little less so.
And a little less.
And then there was 2011. Same number of projects as in 2010. Just MUCH smaller.

1. Garden Tea Party, 2. Street Scene Pillow Cover, 3. Bright-Side Quilt, 4. Poppy Field, 5. Summer Runner

My wish for 2012. At least 6 finished projects. At least three of them quilts. Not too much to ask, right?

The Winners Have Been Notified

2011-12-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

The winners of the Blog Hop Party Giveaway have been notified and their prizes mailed.

No sewing or crafting of any kind is happening over here. Unless you consider DIY "crafting".

I Have Not Forgotten

2011-12-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

About the Blog Hop Party, that is.
I will announce the winners before Christmas, I promise.

I've been very distracted by my bathroom remodeling project.

If you're at all interested in my trials and tribulations, I have a Flickr Set chronicling my progress.

A Quick Reminder

2011-12-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

Entries for the Blog Hop Party giveaway close at midnight tonight. More than 300 entries so far! If you haven't entered yet, there is still time.

On a shop note, I have added a bunch of bolt-ends to the store. These are the last little bits off the bolts that are just taking up precious space around here, so I've priced them really low.

I've also added some happy fabric bundles to the Etsy shop:

Have a happy weekend!!

The Cost of Selling on Etsy

2011-12-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

I, like many of you, love Etsy. This weekend I stumbled upon some lovely, neutral buttons. Many of them. Too many to keep.
So, I decided to list some of them in my Etsy store. Share the wealth, so to speak.

When I plan to list something, I always browse around to see what a reasonable price would be, based on similar items for sale.

I have noticed that some sellers may not take into account the cost of selling their items when they price them. I made the same mistake a couple of times and thought you may find it interesting to know, either as a buyer or a seller. Even if you're not looking to make money, it's nice to know that you're at least breaking even.

Example 1: 100 buttons for $2.50
Etsy Listing price: $0.20
Etsy commission: $0.09 (3.5%)
Paypal: $0.30 + $0.07 (2.9%)
Total cost to sell those buttons: $0.66 (26% of the listing price)
Money in your pocket: $1.84

Example 2: 3 yards of ribbon for $1.50
Etsy Listing price: $0.20
Etsy commission: $0.05 (3.5%)
Paypal: $0.30 + $0.04 (2.9%)
Total cost to sell the ribbon: $0.45 (30% of the listing price)
Money in your pocket: $1.05

Example 3: 1 yard of fabric for $9.25
Etsy Listing price: $0.20
Etsy commission: $0.32 (3.5%)
Paypal: $0.30 + $0.27 (2.9%)
Total cost to sell the fabric: $1.09 (12% of the listing price)
Money in your pocket: $8.16

Obviously the net effect is much larger for smaller items. Smaller items are what we most often list though...

(Edited to add: I was just reminded that PayPal charges for the full amount, including the shipping. Accounting for the $1.75 shipping, the $2.50 buttons actually cost me $0.71 to sell! And the ribbon $0.50, which leaves me with $1 in my pocket, barely covering my cost - not to mention shipping supplies. Maybe I shouldn't have analyzed this...)

It's Christmas!!!! And Blog Hop Party Time!

2011-12-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

As many of you probably know, Michele at the Quilting Gallery is leading the way in a GIANT Blog Hop Party with tons of giveaways. At last count she had almost 250 blogs participating. The participating blogs will be listed over there tomorrow morning.

I figured "the more, the merrier..."

So....my contribution is this:

For one winner - pack of baby rick rack in EVERY COLOR!

For 2 winners - a 30's Charm Pack

For 4 winners - a twiddletails pattern of their choice.

Choose from:

or, of course,

Geese in the Forest

What do you have to do to win something?
For one chance, leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite color is.
For a second chance, hop on over to my Facebook page, and "Like" me over there. Then come back and leave another post telling me. If you already like the Facebook page, just leave a second post lettting me know.

PLEASE make sure I have a way to contact you. Quite a few giveaway winners have lost out in the past because their comments have no links.

~~(This giveaway ends at midnight PST on December 17th.)~~
Entries for the giveaway are now closed.

Focus, Focus, Focus

2011-12-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

This seems to be my mantra lately.

Tax time is nearing, so during the day I'm doing this:

At night I've returned to the hexie quilt. It really looks like I'm only picking her up about once a year.

A conservative calculation has determined that I need AT LEAST 16 more hexies just to get her semi-square.

The (not so) Quick Tree Skirt

2011-12-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

This was going to be a tutorial post for a quick little tree skirt. Two hours or so. Five hours later I was still not done.

If I hadn't decided to make my own bias binding...
Out of teenie scraps of fabric...

I could have showered, gotten dressed, driven to the store, bought some pre-made tape, had a leisurely lunch, and the project would still have been finished sooner than via the painful process I went through.

In short, what I did was:

Cut three circles - one out of focus fabric (from the 12 Days of Christmas collection), one out of batting, and one out of background fabric.
I folded the fabric in half and used a disappearing marker attached to a piece of string to draw a half circle.

Cut a little circle in the center.

Layered all three fabrics, pinned them together and stitched half an inch from the edge all around. I also stitched two lines 1" apart from the center to the edge, so I could cut the opening without the layers shifting.

After that I made the aforementioned bias tape. More than 100" of it!

Sewed on the tape.

Discovered that the hole in the top was too big and the skirt kept sliding down the tree trunk. Inserted some elastic. Still too loose. Pulled the elastic tighter. Yay!

Took probably an hour to figure out how to sew ties to the skirt. Don't ask...

Anyhow, I do like the way it turned out, so I suppose it was worth a lost Sunday.

(I made the little tree topper last year. Instructions here.)

Really?

2011-12-02T09:59:00.001-08:00

Tree Toppers Christmas Block

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm today's designer in the Quilting Gallery's Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along!

My block is called "Tree Toppers".

Download PDF Tutorial here
or
here

(If you can't download it, please email me at twiddletails(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll send it to you.)

When I designed the block I was quite convinced that the stars were classic star blocks but I haven't been able to find a star like this or a name for it anywhere!
The tutorial is pretty comprehensive but it does assume that you know how to make half square triangles and, I thought, the basic star. Apparently not.
So....here's a photo tutorial for making the squares that are the points of the stars.

First make a half square triangle (or two, since they come in pairs).

(You can find a more detailed tutorial for HST's here.)

Then cut two squares the color of the star, and the same size as the half square triangles.

Draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the wrong side of each square.

Place a square right sides together with a half square triangle.

Sew 1/4" away from the line on both sides.

Note how the seams are perpendicular to the seam on the half square triangle. (You can see it showing through the fabric in the photo.)

Cut along the drawn line and press open.

You will actually end up with 4 of these:

Another thing:
In this tutorial you will be cutting squares in multiple sizes.
To ensure that you don't get lost in a maze of squares, I recommend grouping them by size as you cut.
You can even label the little piles with Post-it's if you want, but I just laid them out from large to small:

The fabrics I used to make my block are:
Moda Marble Dots - Yellow
What a Hoot Dots - Green
Squiggle - Lime
Hallmark Christmas Snow Flake Circles - Blue
They are all available in the store.
I've also added the tutorial to the free patterns in the store, so you'll be able to access it at any time.

Don't forget to visit the Quilt-Along home page and have a look at all the other wonderful blocks!
Oh, and you can post photos of your blocks to the Flickr group and have a chance to win some very pretty buttons!

This is not all I'm doing

2011-11-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

I promise.
I've spent couple of days getting my tutorial ready for the Quilting Gallery Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along. (You can see little clues in the photo below.)

But at night, I work on Baltimore Christmas.
This block has more than 70 applique pieces!

In my last post I mentioned that I was having trouble getting smooth curves.
Thanks to everyone who sent their suggestions, especially Lynette.

The bottom line is that everything was just too big: my basting stitches, my seam allowances and, most importantly, my applique stitches.

Before

After

Not perfect yet, but I can live with this result. (Yes, I did have to redo 12 leaves!)
Another thing I learned was that not all fabric is created equal when it comes to applique. If the weave is too loose, there's a lot of fraying. If the weave is too tight, it gets doubly hard to get those curves smooth.

Remember to come back on Wednesday for my block tutorial.

Baltimore Progress

2011-11-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Working on Block 8 - "Mistletoe Wreath"

I find that I'm having trouble getting smooth curves using the backbasting technique. Any advice from the backbasters out there?

Baltimore Christmas - first block done!

2011-11-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

Minus the eye. Still figuring out how to tackle a teenie circle.

(Estimated time spent making this block: 25 hours)

The Appliqué Station

2011-11-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Complete with TV remote and M&M's.

A little obsessed

2011-11-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Still having fun with back basting.
The block is a little wrinkled from all the handling. Maybe I should use a hoop.

Many people have asked about back basting. I thought I'd write a tutorial when I get the hang of it, but why reinvent the wheel?
Marjorie has an amazing tutorial on her blog: http://appliqueaddict.blogspot.com/
Just look in the top right corner. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Marjorie!

I really need to focus!

2011-11-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

I used to be organized and focused but in the last year or so I've become a little scattered with a very short attention span.

Last night I played around with my new iPad (love it!) and a free sketching app.

I'm no artist but I don't think this is too bad for an hour or two's work.
Maybe I should just embrace the "new me".

(If you have an iPad, I used the free version of Sketchbook Pro but I may buy the full version. I love it so far.
I did all the line drawings as well as the coloring on the girl with my finger. Don't you just love how her hair and her hat become one?
I bought a stylus and colored the spools using that.)

Hand Appliqué

2011-11-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

I've been on a quest to find the best and most accurate hand appliqué technique for a couple of years. Unsuccessfully.

When I started the Baltimore Christmas quilt back in March, I decided to try using plastic templates. Bad idea. The pieces are so small that the little bit of bulk the plastic adds enlarges the sections so much that they won't fit.

I was very discouraged. And gave up.

This weekend at our local quilt show, I spoke to a lady who was working on a beautiful hand appliqué project. And had actually made this quilt.
She recommended that I try backbasting.

I think I may have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I've got a couple of kinks to sort out (thread, needles, etc.) but I like it. I really like it.

Back from Houston

2011-11-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

I'll be sharing photos soon. In the mean time, this is what I spent every spare moment in Houston working on. Because I've become an expert procrastinator.

It's a challenge quilt for my local quilt guild's show this weekend. And it was due yesterday.
The inspiration is supposed to be the "Red Poppy" painting by Georgia o'Keeffe. Not sure how successful that was.

Please excuse the poor photo quality and the magnets. It's dreary outside and the only white surface I could find with some decent-ish light was the refrigerator.

Hexie Happiness

2011-10-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Making wonderful progress on the mini hexie challenge quilt.
This is the top basically done. I'm going to remove all the white hexies. They're really distracting.
It's supposed to be a little art-quilt-y, so I think it'll work.

Tiles or Scales?

2011-10-25T03:27:00.000-07:00

I had to make a fish-themed block as part of a gift quilt.
Trying to find appropriate fabrics, I found these yellow "Roof Tiles".

Amazing how taking something out of context can sometimes change your perception.

Getting distracted

2011-10-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have SO much to do. A quilt to finish for a quilt show. Getting ready for Houston. Finding/making a Halloween costume. Cleaning the house. Doing the dishes. Redoing the guest bathroom.

Instead, I make hats.
I was at the store looking for blunt-nosed scissors to take on the plane, but got distracted by this lovely cotton yarn.
And had to make something.

(It's a baby hat. Size 12-18 months.)

Little Storage Binder

2011-10-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple of questions about the little binder in the photo in yesterday's post.

I love that little binder.
I received it as a gift from Brenda (the Dear Jane lady) a couple of years ago.

The little "ziplocked" pockets are 8.5" x 5" in size and perfect for little projects like my 1/2" hexies.
(The poppy is my inspiration picture for the little challenge quilt.)

So, you want to know where Brenda found this little binder?

Bass Pro Shops. That's where!
It's a little worm/tackle binder.

I looked around on their web site and I think mine is the large bag here: $11.99!
If this was a "quilting accessory" it would probably cost $29.99 at least.
I hadn't seen the double bag until I started scouring the web site and I think I may need one.

After Brenda sent me the little binder, I did buy myself a bigger one. This one. It has bigger zip bags (7.5" x 9") and more storage for scissors, thread and such but only has one handle which makes it kind of hard to carry.
(You want the "Finesse" bag, not the "Extreme".)

If you hop over to Bass Pro Shops, tell them I sent you. Maybe I'll get commission...
Yeah right!

Off to go order the double bag now, since I have the page open and all.

Edited: OMG! Search for "hard tackle boxes". I think I need this.

Getting things done

2011-10-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

My current small WIPs. It feels so good to be sewing again!

A New Project

2011-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

I seem to be starting a lot of projects lately and not finishing many. Maybe it's time to get working on the WIPs...

This one I have to finish because it's my challenge entry for our local quilt show. Yes, I know it seems a little back-to-front, but I entered it before making it. Yes I did.

The challenge is to make a small quilt inspired by a painting.
I'll share the inspiration soon.

Batik Jane

2011-10-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not doing much myself right now, but a friend and I went "Stash Dashing" on Friday.
As you may or may not know, I'm a little obsessed with Dear Jane quilts.
This one is made with batiks.
Stunning!

(It is on display at Heirloom Quilts in Poulsbo, WA. The lady who made it works there but did not want to pose for a photo. Hats off to her for this absolutely lovely work of art!)

It's Fall Y'all!

2011-10-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

There's no more denying it.

This was my Saturday project:

I used my pattern for the Street Scene pillow.

Here's the trick for fussy cutting.

Make a template frame with an opening the desired size of your finished section. I taped two pieces of card stock together.

Move this around on your fabric until you find a "picture" you like.

Use a disappearing marker to trace along the inside of the template. Remove the template and cut the fabric 1/4" outside the marked lines.

(Center and border fabrics are from the Farmyard collection. Red and green sashings are Wee Woodland stripes.)

A Little Busy

2011-10-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

It's done though. And I'm OK with it. I think once it's quilted it will be very pretty.
In the end I decided to use the striped fabric as sashing rather than borders for the blocks. This involved some seam ripping but made it a more manageable size.
Now I just have to decide on a border.

These Blocks are Ginormous!

2011-09-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

They started off at 15" but then I found a fabric that coordinates SO perfectly that I felt the need to add a 1" border all the way around.
Now I have 17" blocks!

I wasn't planning on making a twin sized quilt. Without sashing or borders this will be 51" x 68" and I'll have to add sashing.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

UPDATE: I think I found somewhat of a solution. Let's just say that, if stupidity was a disease, I'd be dead. Stay tuned.

(Fabric used: http://www.etsy.com/listing/82324772/12-days-of-christmas-quilt-fabric-bundle & http://www.etsy.com/listing/82877305/bright-striped-cotton-quilt-fabric-1)

Still Sewing

2011-09-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day!

I just had to share my completed blocks and layout!

I LOVE it!

(If you're trying to purchase the fabric bundle and it's sold out on Etsy, please convo me or send me an email and I will list another one. Thanks!!!)

Sewing!

2011-09-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!
I'm SO happy to be sewing again. My sewing machine seems a bit foreign to me. I haven't seen her in a while.

I've decided to tackle the WIPs, starting with Christmas since it's around the corner. Really!

This was a quilting bee project with my quilt group. The blocks shown here were made by the group members. I'm hoping to add the missing ones today.

The blocks are 15" x 15". There will be 12. I'm using a fabric panel as the centers and just a random log-cabin-ish design. (I probably should have ironed these before I took the photos...)

The 12 Days of Christmas!

Twelve drummers drumming...

Eleven pipers piping,

Ten lords a-leaping,

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming...

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens...

Two turtle doves...

And a partridge in a pear tree!

Merry Early Christmas!!!

(I've added a listing for fabric bundles to my Etsy store. These contain enough fabric to make all the blocks although I haven't quite decided on sashing yet. Probably white.)

On my way back...

2011-09-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been MIA for a long, long time! I won't bore you with the details.
Suffice it to say that my "new life" starts on Monday and my plan is to be back on a very regular basis.

I'm a guest designer in the "Celebrate Christmas" quilt-along over at the Quilting Gallery.

It started this week. It's not too late to join in. 36 free Christmas Block patterns over 12 weeks!

Still Buried in Yarn

2011-08-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is fun!

Today's Yarn Project

2011-08-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Wash/dish cloths

Quilting Escapes Me

2011-08-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

For some or other reason I can just not bring myself to sew this summer.
I like to keep my hands busy, so I thought I'd do a bit of knitting. Tiny knitting since I'm not ready for big knitting projects either.
This was REALLY fun!

Since I don't have any babies to knit for, I listed the little hat on Etsy.

Shameless Plug

2011-08-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm really hoping to get back to sewing soon but I have a feeling that, until I can get the munchkin off to college, not much will be happening.

In the mean time, here's something I just added to the Etsy store:

I was asked to create a custom listing for a customer and thought it was a great idea.
It's a "layer cake" (don't think I can officialy use that name) - 30 little 10" x 10" squares of 1930's fabric, all different.

My next post will, hopefully, be a "real" post.

Finally, the winner

2011-08-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not announcing the winner of the Go! Baby fabric cutter on Monday as promised.

I had completely forgotten that I had to take my son to college orientation and class signups. One step closer to an empty nest. Sniff, sniff.

It's a very, very pretty campus.
View from the dining hall:

Seen on the walk to the dorm:

Just pretty and green and leafy all around.

Oh right... You want to know who won the drawing!

After sorting through all the "no reply" comments and anonymous comments...

The winner is.....Char!
She has a lovely blog you may want to go have a peep at: http://clothstitched.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!!!

Go! Baby Giveaway Time!!

2011-08-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

I promised that I'd be giving away a Go! Baby fabric cutter and if you've been hanging in there, your chance has come!

The folks at Accuquilt are kindly providing a Go! Baby and three dies for me to give away to one lucky reader!
Good news: They ship internationally!

Here's how to enter. You can have up to FOUR entries in the drawing - one for each comment.

1. Become of follower of this blog (see link in the left sidebar) or like the Facebook page. Giveaways, tutorials, etc. are usually posted on the Facebook page before they show up on the blog. Come back over here and leave a comment telling me you did one of the above.

2. Sign up for the Accuquilt Newsletter and receive 22 free patterns. (Many of these patterns can serve as inspiration even if you don't have a Go! Baby yet.) Then come back over here and leave a comment confirming that you signed up for the newsletter.

3. Post about the giveaway on your blog or Facebook page. Come back here again and leave another comment telling me that you posted about the giveaway on your blog or Facebook page. (Remember to add a link to my blog on yours.)

4. Go check out the Go! Baby dies on the Accuquilt web site and leave a comment over here telling me which three dies you would pick if you won.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you or I'll have to draw a different name.

~~Entries close at 12:00 PDT on Friday (comments posted after this time will not count)~~
~~I have decided to extend the entry period. Entries will DEFINITELY close at 6pm PDT today, Friday August 5th.~~
Entries are now closed.
I will announce the winner on Monday, August 8th.

Good luck!!!!

Go! Baby Appliqué Pillow Tutorial Part II

2011-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Part II of the Go! Baby Appliqué Pillow Tutorial.
Today's instructions will be relevant for both Go! Baby owners and those who don't own one yet. (Keep watching for the giveaway.)

(I had some trouble taking photos in our rainy Seattle weather. You can click on each photo to see a larger version.)
At the end of yesterday's tute, we had all the little appliqué shapes ready to go onto the background.

Now...
Out of white fabric, cut a 15" x 15" square. (I like to oversize things and trim them back afterwards.)
Using a disappearing marker, draw a 12" x 12" square onto the right side of the bigger square. Do this by drawing a line 1.5" in from the edge on all four sides of the fabric square. This is going to be your placement guide for the appliqué shapes.
Mark the center of the square and apply the yellow circle shape using the fusible web manufacturer's instructions.

Now we're going to add the other shapes. I just eyeballed this.
IMPORTANT: We're just laying them down, not actually ironing them on yet!
Follow this sequence:

3. (Remember the 12" x 12" square? Do not let any of the green shapes extend beyond this.)

When you're happy with the layout, iron all the shapes on at once.
Trim the square to 13" x 13" exactly.

A note before we continue: We'll be pinning. I normally hate pinning anything but this project needs it so don't try to take a shortcut.

I've seen the following trim in many quilts recently and thought I'd try it.
Out of blue fabric, cut 4 strips 1" x 13", fold them in half wrong sides together, and iron.

Pin a strip to the right side of the center section, lining up the raw edges carefully.

Sew a seam just a little over 1/8" from the edge. We're doing this because we don't want this seam to show on the front of the pillow.

Attach the bottom blue strip next and then the two side strips.

Out of red fabric, cut 2 rectangles 2.75" x 13".
Out of red fabric, cut 2 rectangles 2.75" x 17.5".
Sew the 13" rectangles to the top and bottom of the pillow center. (It doesn't matter which sides you choose to be "top" and "bottom".)
Remember to pin!
Press away from the pillow center.

Sew the 17.5" rectangles to the two remaining sides of the pillow center and press.

Now we're going to make a teenie little quilt. The great thing about it being so little is that you can use a kitchen counter or table to make the "sandwich".

Out of white fabric, cut an 18" x 18" square.
Out of batting, cut an 18" x 18" square.

My method:
Using painter's tape, tape the 18" x 18" square onto the counter/table right side down making sure that it's laying flat. (Do not use the green painter's tape I used here. It doesn't stick. Use blue.)

Place the batting on top and smooth it out.
Place the pillow top over it and smooth out. Pin. Try to pin only on the background, not through the applique shapes.

"Quilt as desired."
I quilted the applique shapes first and then free motion quilted the background doing a little "echo" line around each shape.

Trim the top to 16.5" x 16.5".
I used the edge of the blue trim as a guide to get the whole thing straight since there is likely to be a little distortion on the red border when you quilt the top.

Now we'll complete our pillow cover.
Out of yellow fabric, make a quilt binding at least 60" long.
(Cut 2.5" wide strips, fold them wrong sides together, and press.)

Out of white fabric, cut two rectangles 16.5" x 11".
Fold over 1/2" toward the wrong side of the fabric along one long side of each rectangle. Press.

Fold it over 1/2" for the second time. Press.

Sew the seam about 3/8" from the edge on both rectangles.

Place one rectangle right side up on the back of the pillow top, lining up the raw edges.

Place the other rectangle right side up on top, once again lining up the raw edges. It will overlap the first one.

Pin along the outer edge. Be 100% sure that your edges are lined up!

I forgot to take a photo here...
**Place the pins at a 90 degree angle to the raw edge with their dull ends extending past the raw edge a little. If you don't quite get it, read on and you'll see why I did this.

Turn the pillow top over (right side up).
We're going to attach a binding just as we would with a regular quilt.
Line up the raw edge of the binding with the raw edge of the pillow top.
Pin.
Here's where my **previous instruction regarding the pinning of the pillow back comes into play.
Notice how the pins I placed on the pillow back are sticking over the edge. This allows you to pull them out as you pin the binding on, keeping the layers from shifting.

Attach the binding and complete as you would any regular quilt.

And there you go!

(If you like the fabric combinations I used in this pillow, I have added a fat quarter bundle to the store using this fabric combination: Fat Quarter Bundle - Abby)
~~I am also planning to list the pillow cover on Etsy~~ I just listed the pillow cover on Etsy at my cost because, goodness knows, I can't keep everything I make!
(and I made two of these because I forgot to take photos the first time round.)

Go! Baby Appliqué Pillow Tutorial Part I

2011-07-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

Finally! Summer (what little we've had) has certainly been distracting me.

When I was sent the Go! Baby I could choose three dies. I decided to make one of them appliqué shapes since there are already so many pieced Go! Baby tutorials out there. I chose the "Feathers" die.

Even though this tutorial is for the Go! Baby, you can use it for any other pillow with a center design. I will also be giving away a Go! Baby soon...

This is what we're making.

(cover for a 16"x16" pillow insert)

You will need:

1 Go! or Go! Baby fabric cutter

1 Go! Feathers fabric die

1 5" x 10" Go! Cutting Mat

1 yard white fabric(I used Bella Solids)

1/2 yard red fabric

1/4 yard blue fabric

1/4 yard green fabric

1/4 yard yellow fabric

3 sheets of fusible web for applique. I like Steam-A-Seam.

(these are very generous fabric requirements. You probably won't need quite as much.)

Cut 3.5" x 5" pieces of fabric:

2 x blue

4 x red

6 x green

Out of fusible web, cut 12 pieces a little bit smaller than 3.5"x 5".

Attach fusible web to the wrong side of each fabric piece according to the manufacturer's instructions.

(To save on web, I did patch it in places and it worked just fine.)

Place a section of fabric right side up on the foamy side of the die, making sure that you're covering the shapes with fabric. It's a little hard to see in the photos but you can see the shapes on the foam.

Place the Go! Mat on top of the fabric and die. Line up.
Turning the handle, move the fabric and die through the cutter.

Remove the mat and the fabric.
Voila! Three little blue raindrops.

Following this method, cut the rest of your shapes.
As you may have noticed in the first photo, some of the feather shapes are mirror images of each other. To cut these, simply place the fabric on the die right side down.

You will need to cut:
5 blue raindrops
5 red feathers
5 red feathers mirrored
5 green feathers
5 green feathers mirrored
5 green raindrops

Using a 3" x 3" piece of yellow fabric and fusible web, create a 2" circle shape. I used an egg cup to trace the circle.

That's all for today.

I decided to split the tutorial over two posts because it started getting REALLY long. Please come back tomorrow for the rest.

Almost there

2011-07-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Putting the finishing touches on a tutorial for my first Go! Baby project.

Playing with my Baby

2011-07-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

I finished my first project using the GO! Baby today. Tons of fun!
Here's a little sneak peak until I can get all the photos taken.

GO! Baby

2011-07-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

The UPS guy brought a box...

..which I tore open in a flash...

...and what did I find?

My very own GO! Baby.
Yay!

In the next week or so I will be testing her out and reporting back over here.
Then there will be a giveaway! Yes, you'll have a chance to win your very own Baby.
Stay tuned!

Sorry...

2011-06-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't had any time for quilting or sewing but I can do this in little snippets of time throughout the day.

I don't mean to bore you...

2011-06-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

...but I really am addicted.

Trying to think of ways to combine this with quilting.

A New Obsession

2011-06-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

I spent hours and hours drawing these yesterday.
Not the best, but I hope that with practice (and better tools) will come a little more perfection.

(They are called Zentangles and really are very, very relaxing to do.)

Finish #4!

2011-05-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yay!
I used Rachel Griffith's Flip Side pattern, but not Jelly Rolls. I just cut the fabrics myself and had to think about the colors a little, but I think it turned out pretty well.

(~~I am planning kits for~~ ~~the store, as soon as I have time to rewrite the cutting instructions a little to add as an addendum to the pattern~~. Kits are now available.)

Winners and a resolution

2011-05-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

I finally picked the winners for the 30's charm pack giveaway!

Kim, who said 'Love the Storybook VIII flowers, any color but my favorite is red!'

Paul, who said 'My favorite is Tick Tack Toe from Recess by American Jane for Moda'

Jackie, who said 'Love the ToyboxII bunnies & dots. My two favorite things bunnies and dots.'

Robyn, who said 'I like the happy flower dance, because it is really fun to say, happy flower dance.'

As for the resolution.
I'm destashing a bit and was taking photos of stuff for my Etsy store yesterday. Looking at how pathetic they are (and how bad my photos have become in general), I had a flashback to the days when I took really lovely photos with a "real" camera.
I think it's time to dust off the old SLR...

Almost done

2011-05-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have about 30 minutes worth of quilting to do on this quilt.
It will be my fourth finish this year (and this month). I clearly got a late start.

The gloves on the left are my Machingers. Once you have a pair of these you will never want to free motion quilt without them again. Trust me.
And your jazz hands will look GREAT! LOL

Spring Street

2011-05-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Every so often I make something I love. That makes me smile. That reminds me why I love to sew.

This is one of them.

Doesn't it look right at home on the chair with all the other "happy projects"?

I made this little pillow a while ago, but I knew I wanted to write instructions to share and that took a while.

The fabric is "Spring Street" by Carolyn Gavin for P&B Textiles. The focus fabric contains many little scenes but I wanted to make a rectangular pillow, which is why I chose this particular one.

I had lots of fun quilting little details.(Excuse the photo quality. Natural light is still kind of iffy around here.)

You can find a free pattern, including fabric requirements over here in the "Free Patterns" section in the store.

Or, if you don't feel like figuring it out yourself, I did make up a couple of kits, which contain everything but the pillow form.

(I will announce the winners of the giveaway tomorrow. I got a little carried away by the pillow this morning.)

Oh and the flower in yesterday's post was supposed to be a camellia. I don't think it matters though. As long as it's pretty.

Worth it?

2011-05-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

This took me a day and a night to figure out.

What do you think?

And a question: What flower do you think this is supposed to be?

(Don't forget that the giveaway ends at midnight.)

Update: I'm getting a lot of "pansy", which is what I was worried about. How about this one? Just squint and ignore all the seam lines.)

100!

2011-05-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

That's how many 1930's reproduction fabrics I now have in the store!

I've spent the last week or so frantically scanning in fabric. Every fabric in my store is scanned in by me. This way I can ensure the most accurate color representation and scale.

Anyhow, you're probably thinking, "Why is she telling me this?".
Just thought I'd give you something to read before I got to the important part.

To celebrate this milestone, I'm giving away FOUR 1930's Charm Collections. These are little charm packs I custom-created - each consisting of 30 different 1930's fabrics.

Pefect for SO many projects, I think.

The exact fabrics in each charm collection:

So what do you do to be in the running?
One of three things (or all three). You get one entry for each one.

Visit the store Facebook page and "like" us (http://www.facebook.com/twiddletails) then come back here and let me know in a comment. If you already like us over there, just leave a comment telling me. If the name that shows up in your comments is different from your Facebook name, let me know.
Do a blog post about this giveaway then come back here and let me know in a comment, including your blog url.
Visit the store and find your favorite 1930's fabric. Leave a comment telling me which one it is.

This giveaway ends at midnight PST on Sunday, May 22nd and I will announce the winners on Monday.

Pink

2011-05-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Most people know that pink is my favorite color.

30's fabrics are my new love.

Today I needed a little pink fix.

Thank you for indulging me.

Finish #2 - A Garden Tea Party

2011-05-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll! I actually did the quilting on this one at a retreat a couple of weeks ago, but I struggled with the hanging sleeve and finished the binding a couple of days ago.
This is also the first quilt I've hung on a wall. And I did it without making holes in the wall. Totally removable without a trace. Stay tuned for details on that.

I had lots of fun quilting in the little details.

All in all, a happy little project.

(The pattern is by Lauren & Jessie Jung. I'm all sold out of them, but I have made a couple of pre-orders available, if you'd like your own little tea party in your house.)

A Finished Project!

2011-05-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

My first for 2011. Can you believe it? I hope to be more productive from now on.

The pattern is in the Summer 2011 issue of Quilts and More Magazine.

(Please excuse the photo quality. It was early and (surprise!) cloudy.)

If you'd like to make one and not be bothered with picking or shopping for fabrics, I do have a couple of kits in the store, with or without the magazine.

Hanging Sleeve %&&*#!

2011-05-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for clear instructions on how to attach a hanging sleeve to a quilt.

It took me a couple of hours to figure out after following the incorrect instructions on the pattern with disastrous results.

On totally different note, aren't you glad you're not in high school any more?

(The fabric in the quilt project is Hideaway from Moda. Lovely stuff.)

Binding time!

2011-05-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

I know this may not seem like a great moment to most of you, but I can't remember when last I had a project at the binding stage.

I use Heather Bailey's binding tutorial.

Yearning for Summer

2011-05-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

I hope Spring/Summer arrives over here at some point.
In the mean time I'm working on a summer-y project.

Ready for Spring

2011-04-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Spring still hasn't really sprung in Seattle but hope springs eternal. (Great pun, right?)

Doesn't this bring a little smile to your face?

It's called "Spring Street" and is from P&B Textiles.

(You can find it here, of course.)

On my way back

2011-04-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

My crazy life is getting itself sorted out.
I'm hoping to be back here soon.
I miss blogging.

In the mean time, a little more inspiration from back in November in Houston.

Jill's Geranium

by Jean K. Smith

Venice, FL

Yo-yo Wow!

2011-04-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Just in case you thought I had dropped off the face of the earth...

The Houston International Quilt Festival is an amazing place. Thought I'd share these from way back in November.

Thought yo-yo's were boring?

Think again.

Let's step back a little further:

Wow, right?

~~(If you know who made this quilt, let me know because I'd like to give him/her credit.)~~
Quilt info: 'Grace' by Shin-hee Chin of McPherson, Kansas

A New Obsession

2011-03-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

Darn it if my ADHD didn't kick in again this weekend. And make me cheat on my own rules. Kind of. Since the previous project is under the sewing machine, it's not in a box any more, is it?

I promise I'll work on it today. Promise.

Working on the WIPs

2011-03-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

While I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new project, I figured I should try to empty some of my project boxes.
You may remember that back in January, when I reorganized the sewing room, I limited myself to 10 WIPs at a time.
If the new one is going to have a home, I'll have to empty a box...

Inspiration

2011-03-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Visited the QA Show in Monroe, WA yesterday.
It's always fun to see what other quilters are up to.

First my favorite, favorite, favorite quilt of the day.

I found a lot of inspiration and ideas for using my scraps.

Even though this is not something I would make, it was very, very impressive and quite beautiful.

How does anyone get their satin stitches this perfect? Even around corners?

Lovely!!

What would a quilt show be without Jane?

And now I think I'll sew a little.

Anyone want to join me?

2011-03-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this quilt in Houston and now my crazy self is seriously contemplating tackling this project.
Why, I don't know, since my applique skills leave a little to be desired. This should vastly improve them though. (And I have a couple of bloggy friends who may be able to give me some guidance...)

Any"buddy" want to embark on this nutty escapade with me?

Random Stuff

2011-03-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

I've had this yarn for more than two years.
I think I'm going to knit a scarf but, since I'm now on my 4th attempt, I'm not so sure any more.

A new and bright project is in the works.

And last, but not least, Rachel Griffith's Flip Side patterns are available in the store. Lovely!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Busy (but not really sewing)

2011-03-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

I've been working long hours at my other job. Worked until 10:30pm last night and have to be back there by 8:30 this morning. I'm not complaining because I'm saving this money to open a "real" store somewhere down the line.

Anyhow, not much sewing has been happening.

I DID start another Dear Jane quilt. I'm a little nuts, I know.
Between the 30's Jane BOM (signups are still open) and all the 30's fabrics staring me in the face every day, I just couldn't help myself.
This time I'm keeping track of the number of pieces in the blocks as well as how long it takes me to make them.
So far: 95 pieces, 5.5 hours.

If you're interested in my progress on this one, you can add my other blog to your reader: http://thatquilt.blogspot.com/
On the twiddletails Facebook page, other than "store stuff", I also post regular updates on my quilting comings and goings. You can "like" it in the sidebar over here, if you'd "like". Ha ha!

Thank you Oscar!

2011-02-28T05:08:00.000-08:00

5 more Rainbow Jane blocks d-o-n-e!

Red Carpet Ready

2011-02-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Oscars start in an hour and I'm ready for my close-up.

Oh my!

2011-02-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

I'm still here. I've been getting concerned emails...
Life is just a little hectic at the moment but I have 4 days off work and I'm hoping to sew a little.
In the mean time, I just saw this on Facebook:

Read more about it over here. I want to go!!!

Inspired

2011-02-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of empty project boxes, I started thinking about new projects last night.

I was playing around in EQ7 and managed to whip up something I loved.
But I used EQ7's block designs and I REALLY want to be able to share this project with you, so...

...I'm going to have to redesign every block.

This could take a while, but stick around and it may eventually come to "fruit"-ion.

Today's project

2011-01-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm doing the last bit of machine applique on my little Tea Party quilt. It's tiny, so I'm hoping to get the quilting done today too. That will mean another empty box...

Chain Reaction

2011-01-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

The completion of the "That Quilt" top (yes, she's done, exept for the scallops) set in motion a small chain reaction.

She will move over to the "unquilted quilt tops" box.
Rainbow Jane moved into her old box because it's bigger and she's next on the "Jane List".

Geese in the Forest moved out of two shoe boxes into Rainbow's old box.

And I now have two empty shoe boxes.

In the House of a Quilter

2011-01-26T12:55:00.000-08:00

I'm in the final throes of the assembly of my Dear Jane quilt top.
It's huge, so I'm doing the ironing downstairs on the big ironing board with the "real" iron as opposed to the mini iron in the sewing room.

At one point I left the room and when I returned I was struck by this.
Seriously. No staging.
Poetic, isn't it?

How many quilty projects do you spy?

Phew!

2011-01-24T09:14:00.001-08:00

Only parents who have sent kids off to college will understand how much relief this brings.

Jane in progress

2011-01-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

If you're following my other blog, you know that I've been working on this giant project since March 2007.
225 different 4.5" blocks.

The end is in sight!
Today my hope is to complete the center of the quilt top.

(If you'd like to learn more, check out the blog or visit my Flickr set or the Flickr group.)

Now you see it...

2011-01-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Now you don't.

I apologize if I'm boring you with this but I just can't get enough of my newly organized quilting life.
This is the project that will soon vacate a box, meaning I can start something new:

(The fabric is Hideaway from Moda)

Very, very slow progress

2011-01-19T04:09:00.000-08:00

Gee! The last time I posted a photo of this quilt was June 2009!
The first time was June 2007!
She's definitely a golden oldie.
Maybe I'll complete her this year, now that she's out in the open in her own little box.

Books Read in 2010

2011-01-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Every January I do a post with all the books I read the previous year.
If you can recommend any for this year, please leave a comment. I'm always on the lookout for new reading matter.

Split Second - David Baldacci
Until I find you - John Irving
The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood
Simple Genius - David Baldacci
The Summons - John Grisham
The Colour of Water - Angela Green
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder - Rebecca Wells
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Scarpetta - Patricia Cornwell
The Pact - Jodi Picoult
The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Hour Game - David Baldacci

My favorites:
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
The Lovely Bones
The Pact

My Least Favorites:
The Colour of Water
Until I find you
The Year of the Flood

I bought myself a nook for my birthday in October.

Our library is rapidly expanding its ebook selection and it really helps not having to fit library visits into my hectic schedule as well.

WIP-ing

2011-01-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

I've been trying out my newly organized sewing room this weekend.

I worked on three different projects. Having each WIP in its own box is amazing! When I tire of one I can put it away in mere seconds and grab something else. And everything stays neat.

I predict a productive week. Fingers crossed.

Quick, take a photo!

2011-01-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

Before the perfection disappears.
(Warning! This is a photo-heavy post.)

It took 40 days and 40 nights...well, more like 3 days and 3 nights, but still.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Each WIP has its own box. Thanks Jodi! (UFOs are combined in other boxes until I feel like working on them.) I have 10 actual WIPs. Ones I'm working on. My new unwritten rule is that I can't start a new project until I finish one. So, no more than 10 at a time. Doable, right?

Scraps are in their own boxes too. By color.

I didn't get a before photo of the closet but, trust me, it was just as bad as the rest. As in, the doors couldn't close!

To the left is stationery and stuff. On the floor to the right is my new baby.
And then there's fabric organization.

It doesn't look like a lot but, using the method I did, you can stuff a LOT of fabric in a box!

Blue & Aqua

Red & Pink

Purple, Yellow, Green

The rest

I'm SO excited about all this! I feel like I can now move mountains.

(Edited to add: I used these tips to organize the fabric.)

It's gonna get worse...

2011-01-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

...before it gets better.

Slow progress

If you're following the Facebook Page, you've already seen this, but here's a little hint as to the identity of the new "person" in the sewing room:

Organize - Step 1a

2011-01-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I think you can make a "right now" resolution any time you want.

That being said, the office/sewing room has become a space I cannot function in any more.
Cluttered with all kinds of stuff I don't use on a regular basis.

Art supplies
scrapbook supplies
old software
old computer cables
books that don't inspire me
recipes I'll never try
etc.

Not to mention assorted piles of fabric and unfinished projects.

To ensure a productive year, I HAVE to tackle this.

Step 1.
The shelving - before

Stay tuned for the "after".

(Yesterday someone new arrived in the sewing room. I will reveal her soon.)

2010 Completed Projects

2011-01-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

Rather pathetic, but here they are:

1. Perfectly Pink Runner
2. Fall Inspired Mini Quilt
3. Spice Market Quilt
4. Pinwheel Party Quilt
5. Soul Mates Mini Quilt

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

I only finished 5 measly little projects in 2010. Five!
This year I'm doing better. Yes, I am. I said this last year too and I did even worse than in 2009. Crossing my fingers for 2011.

This morning I started Project #1.
I've been collecting 30's fabrics for the new fabric clubs and BOM in the store and itching to use them for something.

Aren't they pretty?

Last minute Santa Hat tree topper

2010-12-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

This year Christmas is a little befuddled in our house. I won't bore you with the details.

Anyway, we didn't have a tree. And I was OK with that, I thought.

Yesterday afternoon the Christmas Spirit visited Mrs. Scrooge and I decided we needed a tree after all. Where would Santa put the gifts if we didn't?

A mad rush to the nearest craft store ensued. The good thing is about being a procrastinator is that you get REALLY good deals on trees.
The down side is that decorations are in short supply.

Since our cute new little 4 ft tree is too small for our giant tree topper, I had a problem.

I internet surfed a little looking for quick tree toppers to make but had no luck. I really didn't want an angel made out of paper plates.

On some decorating web site - can't remember which one - I saw a Santa hat topper. C-U-T-E!
But no time to order one, I'm afraid.

My brain sprang into action.
I know we had a couple of old hats somewhere.

Here's what I did:
1. Measured how tall I'd need the topper to be.
2. Cut the hat to size - chopped off the bottom.
3. Trimmed off the white trim and reattached it to the new smaller hat.
4. I had to reinforce the top of the tree a little, since artificial trees have really flimsy tops. I just stuck two wooden skewers in there.
5. I also had to wrap the top bit in ribbon to allow the hat to slide down and not get stuck on the pine needles.
6. I stuffed some of the fabric remnants into the hat to help the pom-pom stay up because it was flopping over.

I'm happy!

Fabric Overload!

2010-12-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

I took this photo of all the overflow this morning. These are mostly 30's reproduction fabric, which has grown that collection significantly.

Since then 33 more bolts of fabric have arrived and I'm expecting 24 more today.
It's like Christmas!
Ive been waiting a long time for these.
It's Hideaway by Lauren + Jessie Jung for Moda.
Won't this make a lovely, lovely Spring quilt?
So many ideas, so little time...

A Glimpse

2010-12-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Of something in the works

Those weather people!

2010-12-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

The forecast

Reality

No complaints here.

Flying Geese Tutorial

2010-12-07T10:14:00.001-08:00

Oops, I was going to post this tomorrow but my scheduling went a litte wrong.
So here it is...

Since the Holiday project I'm working on contains flying geese units I thought I'd put together a super quick and easy tutorial.
This took me about 15 minutes to write, so please excuse the crudeness...

First of all, to calculate the size of your fabric pieces:
"Real" flying geese units are always twice as wide as they are tall.

Let's say we're making 4" x 2" finished flying geese.
We're going to add 0.5" to the dimensions as we would when making any other quilt block.

Cut:
One rectangle 4.5" x 2.5"
Two squares 2.5" x 2.5"

Lay a square right side down on the rectangle and stitch corner to corner as below.

Trim the seam to 1/4".

Press toward the triangle.

Lay the remaining square right side down onto the flying geese unit and sew corner to corner.

Once again, trim the seam allowance to 1/4".

Press toward the triangle.

Woohoo! You have a flying geese unit for your quilt.

(The fabrics used here are: Fizz Dots - Lime and Shine - Sun.)

I've added a PDF version of this flying geese tutorial over here.

Still here

2010-12-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Working on something Holiday-ish.