Do you want instant satisfaction? Make a block and in a hour you can claim that. I think this is why I like making blocks so much!
I actually like the whole process of making a block. I enjoy deciding where I will put the emphasis and select a good colour and fabric combination. I like to iron and pre-starch my fabric and yes I love figuring out how many pieces to cut in every size. When cutting I am already planning the order to sew the pieces in and armed with this knowledge I do the first round of sewing. Here I concentrate on keeping my seam allowances just right. I also chain piece so that there is no unnecessary threads to trim.
For me the pressing stage is very important. I first press the pieces on the ironing board before I flip the top patch up and with the side of the iron press it down. Only then do I give it a shot of steam to make it lie flat and not get distorted by the steam.
The final round of sewing is make or brake. If you take to deep a seam allowance or pinning push the points that need to meet away from each other instead of keeping them right in place- some unsewing will be necessary. But after some quality control checks and fixing these problems it only need the final pressing before the "Ahah" moment!
I have completed another 3 of the Civil War blocks and is well on my way to catch up to the 20 that Barbara Brackman has already made available.
While making a quilt also provide this satisfaction, it can take days or weeks before that final "Hurah, It's done" feeling is achieved. A quilt where every block count and is a stepping stone towards the end goal is for me far more rewarding than a quilt where I need to repeat the same block a number of times for the striking end product. Therefore I had not made a quilt like that.
On second thought- I has made many quilts with Half Square triangles and there one sew and sew and sew many triangles before you get the satisfaction one block provide! When working on a project like that- it is good to schedule "Making a block for satisfaction" in between.
Do making a block give you satisfaction?
Marié
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| Tears for Texas |
I actually like the whole process of making a block. I enjoy deciding where I will put the emphasis and select a good colour and fabric combination. I like to iron and pre-starch my fabric and yes I love figuring out how many pieces to cut in every size. When cutting I am already planning the order to sew the pieces in and armed with this knowledge I do the first round of sewing. Here I concentrate on keeping my seam allowances just right. I also chain piece so that there is no unnecessary threads to trim.
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| Little Blue Basket |
For me the pressing stage is very important. I first press the pieces on the ironing board before I flip the top patch up and with the side of the iron press it down. Only then do I give it a shot of steam to make it lie flat and not get distorted by the steam.
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| Ford Sumter |
I have completed another 3 of the Civil War blocks and is well on my way to catch up to the 20 that Barbara Brackman has already made available.
While making a quilt also provide this satisfaction, it can take days or weeks before that final "Hurah, It's done" feeling is achieved. A quilt where every block count and is a stepping stone towards the end goal is for me far more rewarding than a quilt where I need to repeat the same block a number of times for the striking end product. Therefore I had not made a quilt like that.
On second thought- I has made many quilts with Half Square triangles and there one sew and sew and sew many triangles before you get the satisfaction one block provide! When working on a project like that- it is good to schedule "Making a block for satisfaction" in between.
Do making a block give you satisfaction?
Marié
Oh, yes, most definitely!
ReplyDeleteLiri
I'd never thought of it like that, but I guess I do get that small satisfaction of completion each time I do one of Barbara's blocks.
ReplyDeleteIn between making a larger project, where I do some sewing and then return it to the work table for the next step, I get to finish a block, press it and put it away in it's box, finished!
Most of the time when I finish a large project I've already started planning the next. That is often the reward to finishing something... getting to start something new. But with Barbara's blocks it's different. I finish the block, I pack it away and that is that (until the next one of course). It's not part of the continual motion of my sewing room. It is a small, finite diversion that is off the main path.
Marie, just wanted to let you know that I ordered Mary Ellen Hopkins book on double wedding ring quilts. Maybe I will reconsider giving the blue & yellow one away after I read her book. Thanks so much for the tip!
ReplyDeleteLiri
Your blocks are so precise and very pretty! Lovely colors you have chosen for them.
ReplyDelete