Laura Nownes

[Renata L.]

Rita, your pinwheels look perfect to me too but I think I might understand why you're saying that some points are chopped off (even though I fail to see the chopped off points in your pinwheels), and my thinking could be TOTALLY WRONG so feel free to tell me!

When I have the actual block right under my nose I can see the infinitesimal differences in the points and even how close (or not) they are to the center and whether the points are touching at just the right place, even by a hair. Then I wonder how I can do better. I became more satisfied with mine when assembling the half-square triangles, I put a pin straight through the points but not back through the fabric to hold the points in place while I pinned on either side of the first pin. Then I pulled the first pin out and sewed. Too bad I figured this out towards the end of the exercise... Truth be told, when I step back a little from my pinwheels, even I don't notice that my points aren't all "kissing."

Your fabrics are lovely! I can see how the flowers will play off of the fabric of the nine-patch square in a very complementary way. Those flowers are really dancing and happy! I also love how you picked a tone-on-tone white stripe to add a different kind of movement to the movement of the flowers. So lovely and it is that kind of attention to detail that makes your quilts so wonderful to look at!

[Lois B.]

Rita, Your pinwheels look so happy! They look great to me & I love that the subtle stripe in the background adds movement.

[Rita C.]

Thanks Renata and Lois. Yes the flower fabric was very swirly so I thought that it with the stripy fabric might give a nice effect. Precision piecing is hard :| Maybe when I grow up I will be better at it.

[E.M. T.]

One old saying is " what is seen from horseback while galloping by" is perfectly wonderful !! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Rita C.]

One old saying is " what is seen from horseback while galloping by" is perfectly wonderful !! :lol: :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Annis C.]

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

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

Marianne

Triangle paper is sheets of paper with sewing and cutting lines marked. You cut strips or rectangles of fabric and sew on the sewing lines then cut on the cutting lines. There are a number of companies that make it to purchase and there are some that you can download free. This is one of the free ones - http://www.blockcentral.com/hst/hst-3inch.pdf. I've designed my own as I prefer to chain piece multiple pages rather than doing one page at a time. If you go to my website under my profile you will find some free downloads of a variety of papers for different blocks that I call Sew-On-The-Line. I only have 1" and 2" triangle paper at this time but will be adding different sizes soon.

To make your machine accommodate a longer diagonal just place something the right height in front of it: books, a box, a plastic container, etc. I use a Pfaff sewing machine with dual feed so I don't normally have a problem with fabric feeding unevenly. I agree "there is a lot more to this patchwork malarkey than meets the eye". It's a never ending learning process, even for those who have been doing it for years.

[Annis C.]

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

Everyone's blocks are looking perfect to me and I'm loving all of the different fabric choices. I say if you have to zoom in to see the cutoff points you're looking too close.

Yes, my Fast to Sew tool does work for these. I didn't use it for the diagonal seam but I did use it for assembling the blocks. Of course it's always on my sewing machine. I would be lost without it. I will be using it for sewing the diagonals on the flying geese blocks without marking. And I used it along with the guide bars for the nine patch blocks. One of these days I will put all of this together in a book. I've been trying to make tutorials for my website but that takes time and it seems most people prefer videos which I haven't learned to do yet. Maybe after we get moved I will figure it out.

[Marianne G.]

Thank you very much, Annis. I will download the .pdf file and will try this method too. One sheet makes enough to make one block so that is very neat. I am not at all a fan of paper-piecing (it is that grain-line monkey thingy sitting on my shoulder that tells me it is not a good thing) but this I can cope with!
Great web-site! I have book marked and will go back and explore more. I am exceeding my online allowance at the moment so when we have finished this sampler I can go back.
I will try building up around the sewing machine. Maybe now DH has retired he will at long last get the time to build me a proper extension table - a girl can dream can't she?
Marianne

[Annis C.]

One sheet makes 8 units which will make 2 blocks. Just so you don't make twice as many as you need. Use a shorter stitch length for sewing (1.5) and a thin foundation paper. I use Office Depot translucent vellum paper, Item #345-854.

[Lois B.]

Here is some news from the Dilly Dallier, me! I never got around to posting my 9-patches last week so I took pictures with the completed pinwheels. Remember I couldn't decide which background fabric to use so instead of Dilly Dallying I made them up with both. I guess I will have two quilts when I am done. Actually, part of the reason for doing this I just wanted to see how the quilt would look with these different backgrounds. I'll just have to wait and see what happens as I continue to work.

[Nancy R.]

Hi Lois - I like both of your backgrounds. You might even be able to incorporate all of your blocks into a single, larger quilt. Maybe making secondary designs by the placement of the different backgrounds. But I really like to play with and push the boundaries of color so I might be going somewhere that others will cringe at (that happens a lot for me). At least it's something to try on the design wall just in case you come up with something unexpected that you really like.

Nancy

[wendy w.]

I like them both Lois they both work. We'd be boring if we all liked the same things. When I go to a quilt show my friend and I always ooh and aahh at different quilts. :?

Still not watched video, I've been out throwing stones in the sea to celebrate my 60th birthday but will catch up.

The baby I'm making this quilt for has popped out a girl :roll: so I shall have to make Rita's jelly roll race quilt for her and can take my time with this one.

[Rita C.]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY :mrgreen: And welcome to the world the little girl.

[wendy w.]

:lol: thank you

[E.M. T.]

Happy Birthday ! and Welcome to the decade !! :roll: