I've been trying new things.
So far, so good.
Paper pieced this little mini:
The whole thing is 8" x 8" and those blocks are each 3" finished. I used Tamiko's pattern, reduced it by 50% and traced it on to freezer paper. After ironing the pieces on the back of the fabric, I cut out each piece and used my Add -a-Quarter ruler to give me the 1/4" seam allowance for each side. (That ruler rocks!) You can use a regular ruler if you don't have an Add - a- Quarter.
I trimmed the first square down to 2.5" then added the outer triangles.
I used a scant quarter inch seam for the outer triangles and think I would use that for the whole block when making these again. You have to be careful not to cover the points of the squares when sewing on the triangles.
I trimmed the blocks to 3.5" and tried my best to center everything. They aren't perfect but they are pretty good.
I will admit that the first go round of these blocks I trimmed too small (3" x 3") and when I went to sew them together, the points of the squares were cut off. Boo. :(
You can see what I mean below.
They aren't sewn together but see how close the points are to the edge? Not good.
Plus those inside squares are not so straight! Oh well. I'm doing a lot of learning these days!
Next up was my attempt at improv curves. This was fun and I am definitely trying this again with cuter fabric. (This is my test fabric!)
Then last night I spent 2 hours on this little guy.
Y'all I am not kidding, 2 hours seems like a long time to spend on a 4" block! A very sweet friend lent me her copy of Patchwork Patterns 318 so this was my first attempt at one of those. I think it would have been easier (and maybe quicker) if I had made it bigger.
I followed my same method of tracing on freezer paper and cutting out, ironing on, adding seam allowances, etc. I forgot of course that the image is reversed when you trace it so I had to make some adjustments along the way.
It is not perfect and I couldn't get that part on the left exactly right but I am pretty pleased with the little guy. With the borders, the block is 6" x 6."
Now though, what do I do with it??
So tell me, after reading all of this, are you game for a little paper piecing yourself? Any suggestions for me? Bring them on!
Oh and mark your calendars for a really fun blog hop and contest coming your way in February. You won't want to miss it! That's all I'm saying for now!
OK y'all! Have a great Friday!
xo,
Jennifer
25 comments:
They are all adorable! I am mighty impressed. Paper piecing seems like way too much work for me, I just always do improv and go with " good enough" instead of perfect! Oh, and love your fabric/colors on that mini quilt - so fresh and fun!
Hi Jennifer,
Those look beautiful. I've only done a little paper piecing and have a lot to learn. I wanted to let you know about a product I bought at the Cabarrus Quilt Show. It is a pack of 8.5x11 freezer paper sheets. They go in my inkjet printer and print great. My pack says C. Jenkins Freezer Paper Sheets. They are good for printing multiple copies or detailed plans that you don't want to retrace.
Have a great weekend - Karen E. in Charlotte
Beautiful! Great work! I especially love the tiny sewing machine, I really need to make one of those! ^-^
I used paper piecing a bit in the past when working on Dear Jane blocks, but I tend to use small blocks like this (that are so intricate and have such short seams) for hand piecing so that I can do them wherever I want (watching tv, sitting by the fireplace, or on the go...).
I also made a Dear Jane quilt and used lots and lots of paper piecing. Check out Anina's blog post on foundation paper piecing at http://www.twiddletails.com/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=21. I also used this method to make a twin sized flying geese quilt. All the points were perfect. It's the only way that would ever have happened for me.
Wow! Look at all that tiny sewing! They turned out great! I love the freezer paper idea, and I just got one of those rulers, so I need to try that! And you are so good at building excitement - I can't wait to see what your blog hop is!
It looks ACE friend! Loves xxx
How fun, they look fantastic. I have to give paper piecing a try. Thanks for inspiration.
These all look amazing! Paper piecing is definitely something I'd love to learn to do, very impressed that you're tackling it on your own :-)
you crack me up! What an ingenious idea to use freezer paper and add-a-quarter ruler. Usually I skip over paper piecing posts, but I'm sure glad I stopped this time!
Unfortunately I haven't gotten to sew anything this week so far. Hopefully tonight I will correct that problem.
Oh I want to be doing what you are doing!!!
Uber cute minis Jennifer - can`t believe the size of the first blocks!
Ahhhh, your little creations are darling. I definitely want to try paper piecing but not yet. I'm still favoring wonky and improv and am just not accurate enough for little pieces!
Yay for learning new things, it seems like you had a blast playing with things this last week! I'm hoping to get some similar playing done this weekend :o)
Great job! Love your minis! You have been busy! You're inspiring me to try paper piecing....
I love it! Can't imagine the time spent, but I can totally appreciate it! did you see my "new thing" I just finished up? I was thinking of you & a couple other quilters as I wrote it up for my blog:
http://cadamscreations.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-buckeye-princess.html
I have a question, forgive me if it's silly. I'm super new to quilting and was wondering, how many ways of piecing are there and what makes you decide to use one over another. Or how do you know which method to choose? Thank you. :) I love the sewing machine block.
i wish i was paper piecing. i wish we lived next door to each other and you could encourage me to do it! ;) very cute blocks! i would make that sewing machine into a name tag! ;)
So great!! How tiny are those blocks?! Super cute :)
Looks like you're on a roll!
Love the wee mini blocks!
super tiny and super cute, for sure.
Oooh love the bright colours you have used. I do love paper piecing although I find foundation piecing much easier. With paper piecing I seem to struggle to get everything to line up for some reason
Really fun! You're doing great with it, Jennifer! I know it is time consuming. I would recommend Oh Fransson's Map of the States tutorial. It's fun because you can draw it yourself, and it's a great, easy paper-piecing practice. I'm about to try my hand at some paper-pieced stars. I'm excited! And your sewing machine is so fun!
Those are really cute! I'm impressed by their tiny size. Smaller is always harder, and you did a great job.
I love your mini quilt. The colors are gorgeous. And the sewing machine is awesome! Really nice.
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