I started my work day by cutting out the fabric for the Superbowl Sunday Mystery put on by Homespun Hearth. There are only 3 colors and good-sized pieces. She says this is for beginning quilters so it should go pretty fast. If you have not done a mystery before, clues are given throughout the day and often there is a site where you can post your progress and see what others are doing. There are usually virtual foods and most quilters have lots of fun.
After that it was time to cut my pieces for the pattern I’m testing for the July issue of “The Quilt Pattern Magazine” Sorry I can’t show you the pattern, but I can show you how one of the parts was created. Here are the fabrics I’m using for the throw and crib size pattern. Don’t they look fun?
For beginning quilters or even someone who wants to get their feet just a little wet, this is a flying goose. Rarely will you see one alone. They are used in numerous ways, such as 4 of them used to make the points around a star. Sometimes they are used one after the other to make a row of geese flying. If you look for this shape, you’ll start seeing them all over quilts.
There are several ways to make these geese, however, since I am testing the pattern, I did it the way she instructed. I started with a square and a rectangle. The pattern will specify the size of the two pieces of fabric to cut. I started with drawing a diagonal line corner to corner and then because these are generous sized geese, and I am going to have to cut off the corner, I drew a second line 1/2″ away from the first one.
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To get a scant 1/4″ seam, sew just to the outside of the line you drew. This allows room for the fabric to fold over the thread and still be 1/4″.
I chain sew as it is faster and I don’t have problems with the machine trying to eat the corners.
After sewing the first line on the pieces, I cut the pieces apart and then go back and sew the second line I drew. When done with this step, I take the pieces to the cutting mat and cut between the two lines I have just sewn. This gives me the little half square triangle (above) to use in another quilt instead of tossing it in the trash.
You will be amazed how many times in the quilting world, you will need this information.