Month 3 Arcs

[Margo C.]

yes, i do have this book. great

[Denise L.]

Thanks Margo for another great video. I started a quilt with this type of piecing and had such a hard time matching up the units your idea of extra fabric on the sides encourages me to try that method. I actually ended up appliquing the arc sections. I guess there are many ways to do things.

I am busy until the middle of the month-vacation so I will not be home to give it a try.

Happy Quilting everyone. I will watch this thread to learn while I'm away.

Denise

[Margo C.]

Denise, adding the extra large seam allowance will work for this month, but probably not so much for adding the assembled arcs to all four sides of the background fabric on the units where we will do the applique.

And you are right about lots of ways to do things. I'm thinking that the Piec-lique method may work better when we get to those units. I'll be interested to see what method Sue Nickels and Pat Holly recommend!

[Margo C.]

For what it's worth, I pieced the 16 arc units today for Month 3 that are to be set aside for later. I assume that they will be set into the corners of background pieces before we applique them, but I'm not sure what technique will be recommended. Just as a precaution, I left the extra seam allowances on the quarter circles until I see how those blocks will be handled. I would rather have extra to trim off later than come up short because I assemble something incorrectly.

[Andree B.]

For what it's worth, I pieced the 16 arc units today for Month 3 that are to be set aside for later. I assume that they will be set into the corners of background pieces before we applique them, but I'm not sure what technique will be recommended. Just as a precaution, I left the extra seam allowances on the quarter circles until I see how those blocks will be handled. I would rather have extra to trim off later than come up short because I assemble something incorrectly.

Margo,
I would guess that we will assemble the arcs AFTER we do the appliqué, since appliquéing (!!!) will probably pull on the fabric (and make things smaller?) Anyway, it is a brilliant idea to leave the extra fabric...

Andrée

[Margo C.]

That would be my approach too, Andree, but I haven't seen any instructions beyond Month 3, so we will have to wait and see!

[Rita C.]

yes I would be inclined to do the applique first too. We will just have to wait and see.

BTW I have been working away on the arcs and have found that it works better for me to leave the papers on until I have pinned the 3-D (1/4 circles) to the arcs. I then remove the bit of the paper where I need to sew. That way when I come to attach 3-C to 3-F or 3-E I still have those arc points on the paper to match up with the registration dots on 3-F or 3-E. It's working for me.

[Margo C.]

yes I would be inclined to do the applique first too. We will just have to wait and see.

BTW I have been working away on the arcs and have found that it works better for me to leave the papers on until I have pinned the 3-D (1/4 circles) to the arcs. I then remove the bit of the paper where I need to sew. That way when I come to attach 3-C to 3-F or 3-E I still have those arc points on the paper to match up with the registration dots on 3-F or 3-E. It's working for me.

Thanks for letting us know how that's working!

[Constance G.]

A question for Margo: I just finished paper piecing my 36 (!) arcs, and will be starting to sew on the quarter-round center piece. While reviewing the written month 3 directions and Margo's video I noticed that Pat/Sue pinned from the arc side and Margo pinned from the quarter-round side. Margo, did you sew with the pins on the bottom (toward the feed dogs)? Are there advantages of doing it that way?

[Constance G.]

And ANOTHER Margo question: Did you starch the background fabrics (the quarter-round and concave pieces)?

[Margo C.]

A question for Margo: I just finished paper piecing my 36 (!) arcs, and will be starting to sew on the quarter-round center piece. While reviewing the written month 3 directions and Margo's video I noticed that Pat/Sue pinned from the arc side and Margo pinned from the quarter-round side. Margo, did you sew with the pins on the bottom (toward the feed dogs)? Are there advantages of doing it that way?

Actually, Connie, I tried pinning from both sides and found that it is probably easier to manage the fullness the way Pat/Sue showed it. Yes, I sometimes sew with the pins on the bottom, and yes...I do sew over my pins, but I am stitching VERY SLOWLY over the pins which gives the machine needle time to roll off the side of the pin if it should happen to hit right on the pin location. It does sometimes cause a broken needle or bent pin, but I find that leaving the pins in place give me more control over the seam line.

The important thing is not what side the pins are on, but that you stitch with the quarter round shape on the bottom so you can see how the machine is stitching over the fullness of the arc shape.

This is opposite of what we do when we use the feed-dogs to ease in fullness. We are NOT easing anything. The seam line does NOT require any easing, only very careful matching so that the seam lines on the two units are lined up correctly.

[Margo C.]

And ANOTHER Margo question: Did you starch the background fabrics (the quarter-round and concave pieces)?

Great question! I starched the quarter round (red dots if using the kit) fabric because I knew that fabric would be laying flat on the feed dogs.

I did NOT starch the arc shape (light tourquoise solid) fabric because I knew it would need to be manipulated to fit the curve and I thought it would be easier if the fabric were soft instead of starched. Now that I am finished, I wish I had gone ahead with the starch because I don't like the feel of limp fabric. I will probably add some starch to the assembled units before joining them to the sashing so that the "hand" is consistent over the entire quilt top.

Has anyone else tried it both ways? Did one work better for you than the other??

[Rita C.]

I starched both fabrics. I also tried sewing with the corner piece up and down but it was all those pins that drove me crazy. So I went back to Susan's link to sewing drunkards path without pinning. I practiced a few times until I was pretty sure I could do it and that's what I did for the rest. A few ended up not right so I just ripped them out and did them again. I think the trick with this method is to hold the corner piece LIGHTLY on top and away from the bottom piece, and to focus on the bottom fabric always going straight under the 1/4" foot. If you pull the top fabric at all it goes wrong. That's how I got them done so quickly. If anyone is going to try that method, please, please practice it first until you are sure you are getting it right.

[Margo C.]

I starched both fabrics. I also tried sewing with the corner piece up and down but it was all those pins that drove me crazy. So I went back to Susan's link to sewing drunkards path without pinning. I practiced a few times until I was pretty sure I could do it and that's what I did for the rest. A few ended up not right so I just ripped them out and did them again. I think the trick with this method is to hold the corner piece LIGHTLY on top and away from the bottom piece, and to focus on the bottom fabric always going straight under the 1/4" foot. If you pull the top fabric at all it goes wrong. That's how I got them done so quickly. If anyone is going to try that method, please, please practice it first until you are sure you are getting it right.

I'm glad you were successful with that technique Rita! I didn't have luck with the first one I tried then chickened out for the rest and reverted to a bazillion pins. :roll:

[Andree B.]

And ANOTHER Margo question: Did you starch the background fabrics (the quarter-round and concave pieces)?

Great question! I starched the quarter round (red dots if using the kit) fabric because I knew that fabric would be laying flat on the feed dogs.

I did NOT starch the arc shape (light tourquoise solid) fabric because I knew it would need to be manipulated to fit the curve and I thought it would be easier if the fabric were soft instead of starched. Now that I am finished, I wish I had gone ahead with the starch because I don't like the feel of limp fabric. I will probably add some starch to the assembled units before joining them to the sashing so that the "hand" is consistent over the entire quilt top.

Has anyone else tried it both ways? Did one work better for you than the other??

I starched all fabric - I think for the arcs, it makes the points more "stiff" and holds better. As for the 1/4 round, it holds perfectly. I used a gazzilion pins, and stiched VERY SLOWLY - this is not a race! I still have 32 units to do... :wink:
I thought that the Drunkard path method looked quicker and will definitely try it, but not on this project! I was afraid of the "pull" on the triangle unit, and would make them uneven... too many things to watch for.

Andrée