Easier Than Pie is in rows and an expanded sneak peek

It is cold today and it is only going to get colder; I do love this kind of weather because it is perfect for sewing! The forecast for tonight is -23C and I expect there will be some wind which will only make it feel colder. Brrrr! As a result of the cold temperatures frost/ice quake warnings have been issued. Frost quakes are caused by ground water freezing and expanding until the pressure is to great. The the earth cracks and there is a loud explosion caused by the release of the build up pressure. We had several last winter but there was no damage. They are a very strange phenomenon.

Back to sewing matters. This is the third row made of my Easier Than Pie & Beyond quilt made with hexagon rosettes from my booklets. For those who are interested the patterns are available in my Craftsy Store.

The first three rows are stitched together and I think that the effect is quite pleasing and there was a little unexpected surprise! More on that it a minute. You will notice that there are voids on the sides. My plan is to fill those with half rosettes and I will use the same rosette pattern and fabrics for each of them. What those fabrics will be will be decided after the rows are all stitched together. I will want to use something subtle to keep the eye in the body of the quilt. If I use a dramatic fabric/design my worry would be that the eye would be drawn to the edges.

So what was the little surprise that I mentioned? When I was cutting my two fabrics for the hexagons that surround the pieced blocks I used the print to line up my paper hexagons. This rosette is called Barn Swallows and it is from Book 5. If you look at the hexagons in the 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 o'clock positions you will notice that there are little brown circles at the outside edges. When I was cutting I was more focused on the brown "crowns" that are along the inside edges so I didn't realize that those little brown dots would create a secondary design when they were stitched to the beige triangles in the path.

Below is a picture of what happened. It isn't a big deal but it is a little detail that adds some extra visual interest as well as another design feature. The point I want to make here is that no matter how much you plan you never really know what a quilt will look like until you start stitching it together! There are always little surprises that emerge as you stitch it all together.

Thank you for all of the positive feedback on the sneak peek of my 2016 Quilt Along. I showed you the head of one of the applique birds in the quilt. Want to see what the birdie looks like? Well here she is, my little strawberry thief! I showed her to someone and he his comment was "a strawberry tree?" Listen buddy, it is my quilt, my bird, my strawberries and I'll do them my way! If I want a strawberry tree or strawberries clustered like grapes, that is what I will have. It is artistic license!

Time to make a nice warm drink and settle down for some cold weather sewing on my QAL quilt top. Until I post again keep warm, happy sewing and listen for those frost quakes!
Karen H

Mixing the ingredients for my Easier Than Pie Quilt and a sneak peek

Thank you to everyone who has purchased my Easier Than Pie & Beyond hexagon booklets. I hope you are having fun making beautiful hexagon rosettes. I've made open donuts of twelve hexagons from two fabrics and surrounded each rosette with these rounds. This rosette is called Chubby Star and it is in Booklet 4.

So now it is time to assemble the rosetted into a quilt top and I'm pretty excited about how it is looking. The rosettes need to be joined with a path (think of the path as a sashing). I could have used whole hexagons between the rosettes but instead I decided to use diamonds and triangles. I just think that they look more elegant. I have a soft beige fabric in my stash and the print looks like a linen. That is the fabric I will use for the diamonds and triangles.

To make the diamonds I cut hexagons into diamonds which are one third of a hexagon.

To make the triangles I cut hexagons into triangles which are one sixth of a hexagon.

Each rosette will need six diamonds and two triangles. I baste a goodly amount of diamonds and triangles and then attach them to each rosette. This keeps the project portable and manageable. I will also need to add two extra diamonds and one triangle at the left side of the first rosette in each row but I do that after I've decided how to lay out the rosettes. There will also be diamonds and triangles added to the bottom edge of the bottom row. This rosette is called Ground Floor and it is in Booklet 1.

This is the first row stitched together.The path fabric is very subtle but that is the look I am going for and I think it will work just fine.

This is row 2. You can see how it will attach to row 1.

Also I am working on my 2016 QAL. I still haven't come up with a name for it but I am SUPER excited about how it is looking. I've remade one block and have two more to make for the outer border. Then it is filler bits and I can sew it all together. I think it is going to be a stunner of a quilt! Want a sneak peek? Well here it is! This little guy will be in the centre block. He is appliqued but if applique isn't your thing then a lovely large fussy cut print will make a great substitute. My plan is to show you the entire quilt top put together before we start the QAL so that you know what you are getting into.

I'm linking up with Val's Quilting Studio where the Tuesday's Archives theme is butterflies! Pop on over if you have time and see what other bloggers are sharing.

Time for me to do some more sewing. Stay tuned for more updates on my Easier Than Pie & Beyond quilt top. Until I post again, happy sewing!

Karen H

Easier Than Pie and Easier Than Pie and Beyond!

At last the promised booklets are now available! The first, Easier Than Pie discusses English Paper Piecing (EPP). I've provided the basics of EPP techniques that work for me. I've included information about making homemade tools to make the job easier, fabric cutting, fussy cutting, basting, piecing and assembling.

The second booklet is titled Easier Than Pie and Beyond - Where Foundation Piecing Meets English Paper Piecing. Again I've provided the basics of how I foundation piece my hexagons. This booklet is a follow up to Easier Than Pie.

Both booklets are under a new tab, English Paper Piecing & Hexagon Fun. I'll also post other tutorials that I've published and I'll add links to my posts with hexagon and English paper piecing how-tos!

In addition to the booklets I've also posted Master Hexagon Templates in three sizes, 1/2", 3/4" and 1".

You may have to resize them to get an accurate measurement. In addition there are lots of places on the internet where you can find free templates.  The hexagon size is based on the length of each side, not the width or height of the hexagon.  I like to use these masters for my hexagon projects for a variety of reasons:

• it is inexpensive. You can purchase precuts however if you need thousands of them it can get pricey;
• when I don't feel like sewing I'll spend some time cutting hexagons and then I just store them in a zip lock bag;
• I've always got them on hand;
• I can resize the Master Hexagon Templates if I need an odd size and then that resized Master becomes a new master from which I make more copies. I needed hexagons that were larger than 1/2" and smaller than 3/4" so I was able to resize to 5/8". It doesn't sound like much but when you start adding up all those 1/8" differences it adds up and can make a significant difference in the final size of the quilt.

I hope you like the booklets and that they will give you lots of ideas for creating some beautiful quilts. As always if you have a blog or website please feel free to link back to my blog so that these instructions can be shared with others. I put a lot of time and effort into them and ask that you give me credit and please don't take my work and reproduce it as your own!

So the brown border on Butterscotch Ripple is finished. All that was left was the creamy toffee inner border and I decided to go with figure 8s. I did the straight edge first and was very pleased with the effect.

I next worked on the uneven edge and it filled in nicely; I am happy with the effect. The figure 8 is so easy to doodle and it is just as easy to quilt. Best of all if the loops are uneven it really doesn't show. I just fill in a space freehand but if you want to try it and are nervous, draw a line with a fabric save marker through the centre. It will give you something to aim for so that the loops can be similar in size.

Here it is all quilted and waiting to be bound. I love the backing fabric.

Until I post again, happy sewing!

What to do when the fabric isn't quite right and a BIG surprise!

Sometimes you have a fabric and it isn't quite right. I have a lovely red maple and oak leaf fabric and it has the odd bunch of acorns here and there. I love this fabric and used it to make a quilt and have fussy cut leaves for wallhangings.

I used this fabric to make a One Block Wonder quilt. I was very happy with the finished quilt top however the white highlights on the acorns stuck out like a sore thumb and since the similar blocks are clustered together when making a One Block Wonder the white was more prominent than it was in the fabric. Problems need solutions so what I did was use a Sakura Pigma Brush (it is like the Sakura Pigma pens only it has what looks like a felt tip so it gives more ink coverage) and I gently ran it over the white highlights.

In the picture below the acorns is the upper left corner have not been altered. The acorns in the lower right corner have had brown ink applied to them.

 This is the quilt. I think is looks rich and elegant....maybe a bit like a Persian carpet or a paisley.

These are some of the blocks which had a lot of acorns. The white has been softened with the brown ink so that they are much better.

And the corner with a mitred corner - I used my sneaky mitred corner technique (you'll find it under Tips and Tutorials). I also touched up the acorns in the border fabric and on the binding!

 



You can also use this same technique if you've quilted with a light coloured quilting thread and have inadvertently strayed onto a darker fabric. If the quilting thread is noticeable simply take a fabric marking pen in a colour that works with your fabric and gently touch the quilting thread to mute the colour. You don't want to hold the pen on the thread because it will wick up the ink - just lightly touch the stitches to soften the colour.

 

Well I've got some good news for you! The English paper piecing and foundation pieced hexagon instruction manuals that I've been promising should be posted tomorrow! The first is titled Easier Than Pie - English Paper Piecing for Beginners. The second is titled Easier Than Pie and Beyond - Where Foundation Piecing Meets English Paper Piecing. Here are some foundation pieced hexagons to tempt you!

  

 

I will also be posting Master Hexagon Templates for your use. You will be able to print or copy what you need and then cut them out. I prefer to cut out my own hexagons because precuts can get expensive if I am making a large quilt. 

 

I hope you'll enjoy the instruction manuals and the templates and if you want to post a link my blog so that others can access my instructions that would be terrific!

 

Until I post again, happy sewing!