Paper Piecing Workshop

Had a fantastic day sharing my love of paper piecing with some other quilters. I introduced them to two projects. Each sewist finished one block from the one project and got started on the other. I was able to explain the whole process but wish I could have demonstrated more about putting the whole thing together. But I gave them some handouts with step-by-step instructions and hope that we will get to see the end results soon.  Everyone was hard at work.



We also took a look at different paper piece quilt block designers and explained what the different styles/techniques were. Shared lots of books and patterns with examples as well as some different paper pieced quilts I’ve done. Everyone stayed busy working on their projects and seemed to like the end results. Not sure they’ve turned into a paper piecer lover like I am but at least they don’t hate it and won’t be scared of paper piecing from now on.


I had never been to Honey Hill before but it sure was the perfect location for this workshop and I would love to spend a whole weekend there sewing. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back in the near future so I can finish at least some of what I've already started. Everyone had enough space for everything they needed. Just wish we had more time to spend sewing.
 

Here’s some pics of the finished hexi-drive blocks. It was a fun and productive weekend. And I enjoyed getting to know everyone a little bit better. Just wish we had more time.

Body Bag Class

If you dared travel up to Borne through the Interstate 10 closures on Saturday, October 18^th, then you were treated to an intimate class of dedicated and determined bag makers. Joanna Marsh, pattern designer and teacher, treated her students to Bear Moon Bakery pastries and to a class full of new techniques including two different zipper installations.

Her pattern is for The Body Bag Duffle (#bodybagduffle), a bag big enough to fit a body. A fact participant Regan Peters verified when her 50lb son put her seahorse bag to the test.

Because it was an intimate class, participants were able to work at a pace that was comfortable for them as Joanna wandered around offering one-on-one help. Though the participants would like to claim that this was truly an advanced bag making class, the fact remains that beginners and experts alike left the class with new ideas, skills, and a fabulous bag that can easily haul whatever you just can’t bear to be without.

October 2014 Demo Days - Glue Basting

October 2014 SAMQG meeting was "Demo Days" in a round robin style where there were 4 stations set up and 4 guild members each demo'd a technique or style or method used in their quilt-making.

Glue Basting for everyone!  Thanks so much to Christine, who showed us how to glue baste our seams for more speed and accuracy.

This is the super-expensive, hard-to-find, elusive, magical quilting tool needed for the Glue Basting technique. (*sarcasm implied*)  Glue.  White Elmer's School Glue.

Christine does recommend using a fine-tip from Sharon Schamber's shop online.

Let me appolgize in advance for not having the best pictures from this Demo station.  She really did a great job and I didn't document it as well.  SORRY!!

Ok, so in this picture (or more accurately NOT in this picture)  Christine had added a small bead of glue within the seam allowance of one square.

Once the glue is applied, you add the second piece of fabric, right sides together, just as if you were getting ready to add in pins.  Instead of pins, however, you line up your edges and hit that glue with a hot iron.  

The glue becomes every-so-slightly stiff and your two squares are joined.  (She's holding the joined pair up, right outside the camera's frame in the photo above.  Dangit.)

Because fabric can shift a tiny bit when pinned, glue keeps the pieces ridiculously accurate.  This is a perfect no-shift option to exact intersections on your quilting designs.

Christine recommends cutting one day, pressing the whole pile of squares another day and then stitching the third.  Or at least, doing these steps in 3 different processes.  She also shared this awesome tip:

Use the WHITE glue, not the gel glue.  The gel doesn't set at strong.  With the Glue Basting method, you can actually glue and entire row of blocks at a single time, without having to get up and down to go to the sewing machine.  Just park that ironing board right by the design wall.

Turns out, you can also glue baste those English Paper Pieced hexagons, too!  

(!!! Get right outta town !!!)

Use a glue stick and remember the elementary school adage "A Dot is A Lot" when adding glue to the back of your prepared pieces. 

 Once all the glue is applied and the fabrics are folded over, simply whip stitch your project together and remove the paper.