So much fun completing this block! It’s the third week of the Dear Jane Stitch Along group on Facebook, and there is so much variety in the blocks posted by the members. Very inspiring!
This is a perfect block for FPP. But I recognize that I am possibly breaking copyright by posting images of the pages from EQ8, so you won’t see any from this point forward. Here’s a gallery of some of the process:
FPP generates a lot of paper bits, and small scraps of fabric. My vacuum cleaner is going to get a workout!
You can see where I use two pins in the same location. One pin stabs through the intersections of both pieces. The second pin then secures it. I find if I stab, then secure with the same pin, it shifts. So this process gets a better match. I also find that my Magic Pins (Fine) work well for the stabbing process. But I need the Extra Fine size to slide easily and lay flat for sewing.
Successes:
- This is as precise as I think I could get with those tiny quarter-inch triangles
- I was able to use fine tweezers to get most of the paper out. And then I used “The World’s Kindest Nail Brush” from Lee Valley to remove the last bits.
- My investment in the EQ8 software has already paid off with these four blocks completed. I believe I will be returning to this add-on to make larger versions of this block for other quilts.
Challenges:
- I am using regular printer paper, so sometimes I stretch the seams as I remove this thicker paper. (I need to find my stack of Carol Doak’s Foundation paper to print the next blocks….. or order more!)
- With the tiny pieces, there are a huge number of seam allowances on the back, necessitating some careful grading and trimming
- Also due to the thickness, it is challenging to keep the presser foot in line. I had to re-sew a couple of seams where the line was off.
- I chose my strongest “yellow” for this block, but wish I had selected one with even more contrast, to show off that tiny Ohio Star.
Here’s what the quilt looks like now, with G-6 added:
Terry Whitmell, PhD 