DOUBLE 9 PATCHES INSTRUCTIONS ARE UP!!!

[Barbara B.]

To help you fill any extra time you may have:

MONTH 6 WAS JUST POSTED FOR YOU.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Read my Month 6 Blog FIRST BEFORE CUTTING--you will be glad you did. I just released it too:

https://bbquiltmaker.blogspot.com/2020/03/afternoon-delight-month-6-early-release.html

Alex had a Facebook Live video yesterday--she asks we use #quiltersquarantine on Social Media to show how we are using this time to be productive and creative!

[Margo C.]

This is what a stack of 64 double nine patch blocks looks like!

[Barbara B.]

Margo, so gorgeous and precise!

I have to try your Sta-Flo method.

[Jupergee]

I'm so excited that the double nine patches are up! Guess I wasn't the only one who wished they came earlier. I could calculate them on my own but thought Sue probably had speedier methods to make them. I have chosen to be in self-quarantine for coronavirus, so lots of time on my hands to sew.

[Jupergee]

Wow, Margo! They look great!

[Beverly C.]

Barbara or Margo, what is the Sta-Flo method you're referring to?

[Barbara B.]

NanaPie, I am working on a blog post to show it.

Margo gets great piecing results from saturating chunks of fabric with a 50/50 starch water solution. Allow to dry overnight, press with steam, then cut those narrow strips. The fabric is firm and stable so her piecing is very precise.

[Deborah W.]

Wow Margo. That is quite the stack of 9 patches!

[MaryJo M]

Barbara, Thank you so much for all your hints. After following your procedures I was happy with my "very close" to 2 inches on my first strips. Just wondering, if you or anyone else has had shredding issues with Quilter's Select threads? I put in a new needle, have my straight stitch plate on, rethreaded, checked the bobbin, etc. Love the idea of using it for piecing, but it is getting old stopping to fix all the time. Any hints? I have a Bernina 790 Plus. Thanks in advance!

[Barbara B.]

I don't have trouble with the Quilters Select 60 or 80 wt threads shredding in my Bernina 765--same model as the 770. The usual reasons for shredding is bad needle, wrong size needle or tension too tight or top thread getting caught on the spool pin/guides. They are fine threads so can slip around the spool pin or guides.

I know it's frustrating. When you finally diagnose the reason it's usually a head-slap moment. Good luck and let us know how you solved it.

[Helen W.]

Got my first double nine patch done this morning. Only 63 to go. I am sure my stack like Margo's will
take me a long time to do. HelenW

[Ellen L.]

around doing some upholstering for my daughter's restaurant, and wrangling the two grandsons I started assembling the strip sets for the 9-patches. Thanks to reading Barbara's blog, I was being really careful, did a lot of measuring and a bit of reversing. I think I may starch the next batch before cutting. Hopefully I can begin cutting and putting the ninepatches together tomorrow.

[Patricia S.]

Barbara...what is the Sta-Flo method that Margo used? Also, If I want to use the same background fabric in the 9-patch block, what would the approximate yardage be? Pat

[Margo C.]

Nfiegirl, I “chunky cut” my fabrics (Sue’s instructions call for 8”x10” for these double nine patch blocks) then lay them out flat on an old beach towel. I use a 50-50 mixture of water and Sta-Flo liquid starch in a spray bottle to saturate the fabrics and leave them overnight to dry. I steam them for a crisp fabric that makes cutting and piecing a lot more accurate. I still use Barbara’s recommendations to carefully measure each step of the way. The smaller the pieces, the more important it is to be accurate!



I also used the same background for my double 9-patches, and mathematically figured 3.22 yards for that.
I starched 3-1/2 yards, chunky cut into 10”x 21” pieces.
Hope this helps.

[Barbara B.]

Thanks, Margo, for this info. I am posting a blog with photos of your process—thanks for this.