Month 4 Pieced Swag Border

[Karen B.]

Page 10- Does straight of the grain mean the 1 1/2 inch cut edge runs parallel to the selvage? So therefore the 5 1/2 inch length has some give when pulled?

[Margo C.]

Yes, Karen. If you will look at the photo on the top of page 11, Sue shows a diagram of the assembled strips with arrows between the diagrams.
The arrows are lined up with the direction that Sue prefers the lengthwise grain to run.

However, she states at the top of page 10:
Follow these step-by-step directions. Begin by cutting the fabrics identified in each of the tables. Note the
straight of grain (i.e., parallel to selvage) requirement when cutting these fabrics – if you cut the fabric as
instructed, there will be less distortion and stretching when you assemble the swag border units. If you find
that you will waste too much fabric to cut all of the fabric along the straight of grain, don’t worry; cut it as
you see fit, but understand that you need to take special care not to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your fabric when you sew it.

I wasn't as particular as Sue was with my grain lines, and I didn't have any trouble with distorting, but I was very careful not to stretch the strips as I sewed.

[Kathryn S.]

Margo, I'm back working on the BOM again, after a couple of months hiatus! Decided that I would work on the pieced swags, since they have the most restrictions on size. I noticed that I'm running low on some of the fabrics, for example the green ombre. Do you have any info on how many running inches of 4 in wide strips we would need for each color for the total of the swags? So far I've cut July and August and would like to know how much to reserve for the swags for the next 4 months. I made a little chart showing how much was used of each one so far but I can't see any pattern to predict what the next months will be, if you get my drift? I also need to get applique leaves etc out of the fabrics. Thanks, hope you can help,
Kathy

[Margo C.]

Kathy, I don't have the totals of each fabric for the pieced swags, but trust me...it's not critical!!
Because there is no way to know exactly how everyone is laying out their fabrics, everyone's version of the exact yardage needed will be a little different and that is why Sue has us making just a few of the pieced swags each month. This way, smaller scraps can be used for them.
If you don't have enough to follow Sue's directions exactly for the color placement of the pieced swags, don't worry about it. All of those units will be mixed up when the quilt is assembled, and you can really use any fabrics for them. Just try not to put two pieces of the same color right next to each other and you will be fine.
If you are concerned about running out of the ombre, just don't cut any pieced swag pieces from it, and save it all for your leaves.