Laura Nownes

[karen f.]

Marilyn, A little forgiveness is a good thing!

Marianne I guess I've gotten a little lazy since I hardly ever make clothing anymore.

[Annis C.]

I decided I needed 2 odds and ends days so I made the pinwheels today. Now I need to put labels on 2 quilts, then quit procrastinating and get back to my other work.

Like usual, I didn't follow the instructions. I've made many HST's that way but that is my least favorite way to do them. If you're using the line on the index card you don't need to mark that center line. Sometimes it is hard to get a straight seam though. Mine sometimes bow a little, but once the block is steam pressed and squared it looks fine. Since I needed 32 HST's for 8 blocks I decided to use 3" triangle paper. That of course didn't give me any extra for squaring the blocks, so after sewing them into pinwheels, and since I decided to twirl the seams instead of pressing them open, they were just a tad small. I will work that out when I sew the blocks together.



My suggestion is if you're using triangle paper, sew the seam just outside the line. For other piecing methods, square the HST's on the inside seams only to end up with approximately 3-5/8" units. Then after the units are sewn into pinwheels, square the blocks to 6-1/2", with the 3-1/4" mark on the ruler at the center of the block. This way you will not have to be so careful on the size of your seam allowances.

[Betty J.]

Hooray! I just finished my week 2 twirly-thingy blocks. All but one have a nice center, and that one isn't VERY far off. Don't have pics this time. Cheers!

[Betty J.]

Well, I see many of you are ahead of the teacher...and what is 'twirling'? Is there a video somewhere. Might be a neat activity for the Quilting Olympics - sounds like square dancing! :lol:

[Hannelore N.]

Did I hear square dancing?!....... Just one problem. We'd need Arnie Schwarzenegger at his fittest to 'stack the hay' with me.

[Nancy R.]

Wow, this topic sure is going gangbusters right now! I knew this would be a fun group and am so happy that I joined!!

Renata - Glad you got a good cut! I'm sure you'll find a cutting method that works for you quickly.

Marianne - Beautiful 9-patches! I recognize the green and purple fabric with the circle design. Believe I have that one in my stash....

Annis - Love your pinwheels! I'm sure they'll fit fine with a little fudging.

Nancy

[Renata L.]

This is an amazing thread... it just keeps giving and giving! I left for several hours and am having a hard time keeping up with all the rest of the threads too... but happy to be a part of this wonderful group. Marianne, yes, on the right hand side of the ruler there is slot to put the rotary cutter through and cut your HSTs in half. If you want to see a picture of it and description, go to http://www.junetailor.com/Creativity...eTriangles.htm

Annis and Marianne--love your blocks, the fabrics are so different yet they stand out beautifully in their own way. Don't forget you can post your progress in the show and tell section of the Laura Nownes' classroom.

[Annis C.]

Well, I see many of you are ahead of the teacher...and what is 'twirling'? Is there a video somewhere. Might be a neat activity for the Quilting Olympics - sounds like square dancing! :lol:

I call it twirling when I press all the seams in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction which requires removing a few stitches where the seams cross. The location where the seams cross on the backside will look like a miniature pinwheel on pinwheels blocks, or a miniature 4-patch on 4-patch and 9-patch blocks.

[Renata L.]

Here's a picture of my pinwheels. Lois, you will be happy to know that the two fabrics I used for the nine-patch and the pinwheel were pretty fabrics I did not want to touch because maybe one day I might find something special to use them with... WASTE!!! So I started to put my money where my mouth is... :shock:

A couple of the pinwheels are not as perfect as I would like since this is a learning sampler and at least my objective was to get them as exact as I could. I could have ripped and done them over again, but since I understand where my problem was coming from, I decided to accept them and move on. Big lesson for me: getting the pinning correct and not being sloppy about it will give me better connection of my points. At least I remembered to check that my directional fabric was all going in the same direction... :lol:

[Nancy R.]

Renata - Your pinwheels look perfect from here. The colors are really nice!

Nancy

[wendy w.]

and to me 8) , nice fresh fabrics.

I've not watched the video yet but will be twirling if I can

[Marianne G.]

Renata – your pin-wheel blocks looks great. I love the way you have all the fabrics going in the right direction. That must be a bit of a head ache to work out if you make it the way that is described in the video. I have made a note of the ruler video. Could be one to put on my birthday wish list

Annis – thank you for sharing your experience. Can I ask, what is triangle paper?

Nancy – I am glad I am not the only one to have fabric that is 5 years old in my boxes :lol:

Now I have to figure out how to make markings for the HSTs because the table on my machine is too small to accommodate the diagonal of 4" squares. Through the 9-patch experiments I have found that the ¼" foot I have and my ruler do not work well together. The foot takes to big a bite so there is negative space for the thread! I could cut the squares larger that would surely work but I actually prefer to use the ordinary foot on the machine because the ¼" foot pushes the top fabric more than the ordinary foot does and that will surely be important when doing something on the bias despite it being done across the square. There is a lot more to this patchwork malarkey than meets the eye :P

What a great forum this is for learning. Cannot believe I never participated before!
Marianne

[Lois B.]

Here's a picture of my pinwheels. Lois, you will be happy to know that the two fabrics I used for the nine-patch and the pinwheel were pretty fabrics I did not want to touch because maybe one day I might find something special to use them with... WASTE!!! So I started to put my money where my mouth is... :shock:

A couple of the pinwheels are not as perfect as I would like since this is a learning sampler and at least my objective was to get them as exact as I could. I could have ripped and done them over again, but since I understand where my problem was coming from, I decided to accept them and move on. Big lesson for me: getting the pinning correct and not being sloppy about it will give me better connection of my points. At least I remembered to check that my directional fabric was all going in the same direction... :lol:

Ha Rah! Renata, I think your pinwheels are beautiful. Love what the subtle stripe does to the design. How do you feel about having cut into that treasure now that the blocks are done? I have one particular beautiful stripe that's been sitting on my shelf at least a decade that I now know what to do with. Thank you Jan Krentz. All I have to do now is fine the time and continue my determination to use my fabrics. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Rita C.]

Renata, your pinwheels look perfect to me. I have mine done but a couple of the tips are missing No matter how I try I don't seem to be able to get them perfect. But they are still about 100% better than they have been before so I am happy with that.


Annis your pinwheels look perfect too! I think your 'Fast to Sew' tool would work really well for these pinwheels.

[Nancy R.]

Rita - I think your pinwheels look perfect, too! I don't see any chopped points in the photo. And I love your fabric! The fun, wild flowers calmed by the soothing white background.

Nancy