Welcome to Part 2 of the tips and tricks series for the Mosaic Ornaments Quilt! This post series is partly to provide extra insights into this pattern and partly to function as a sew-a-long. You can find Part 1 here. If you're following along for the sew-a-long, this is the schedule:
WEEK 1: Fabric selection, cutting fabric, labelling and storing fabric
WEEK 2: Making all our starter blocks - HSTs, flying geese, cat's cradle (or shaded four patch)
Week 3: Making Ornaments 1 and 2
Week 4: Making Ornaments 3 and 4
Week 5: Putting it all together!
We're making our quilt blocks this week! Also known as the starter blocks. We will use these blocks to make our ornament blocks. This post includes tips for making our quilt blocks a.k.a., our starter blocks. The post accompanies WEEK 2 of the sew-a-long. In this POST:
One important tool I would encourage everyone to have in their quilting "tool kit" is a quilting ruler that works well for you. I use a variety in my quilting now, but my favourite is the 12.5" by 12.5" square on by Sew Easy. It is what I used to trim all my blocks for this quilt. It's a good size to deal with most quilty things and I can store it quite easily!
Making flying geese blocks
Flying geese blocks are super versatile quilt blocks. They appear in quite a few quilt patterns, so mastering them can really improve your quilt making game! These blocks are called flying geese blocks because when put together it looks like a goose (or I suppose, any other bird) in flight! Can't picture it? Oh well, that's where imagination comes into place!
Like Half Square Triangle blocks or HSTs, the two fabrics come together at a 45-degree angle diagonal, which is helpful when trimming the flying geese blocks as most quilting rulers have a 45-degree diagonal line marked on them.
This pattern uses the four-at-a-time method to make flying geese blocks. There is considerably less fabric waste with this method - yay! But there is one major point to note when using this method - it is possible to end up with a little fabric edge peeking through at the tip of some of your flying geese blocks. You can see this in Photo A.
This can happen if the measurements of your small squares are a little too large! For comparison, you can see "in progress" photos of two sets of flying geese blocks in Photo B - one with the smaller squares on top and one with slightly oversized smaller squares on the bottom. The overlap at the centre changes with the size of the smaller squares - bigger in the oversized smaller squares, and vice versa. The larger overlap leads to raw edges in your finished flying geese blocks.
To combat this, cut your squares exactly to measurement. Photo C has both flying geese blocks (untrimmed) so you can see how they compare!
Next, on to trimming! This is technically not an ~essential~ part of quilting, but it can be the difference between a good quilt and a great quilt. Even with the most accurate sewing, blocks will need to be trimmed down to size (or at the very least, the dog ears will need to be removed) before sewing it into your quilt. This will help with the overall seam alignment in your quilt, and the quilt pattern will shine.
You can get perfect points all around by keeping a few things in mind:
Line up the diagonal in your block to the diagonal of your quilt ruler.
The tip of your flying goose should sit a 1/4" away the edge of the block.
Best to start with tip down, line up the diagonals, trim two sides, rotate and line up the diagonals and trim again!
But keep in mind that there is no such thing as "perfectly trimmed and aligned" seams in a quilt - chasing perfection can be crippling! So, if you need to skip it or your trimmed blocks don't look that great, it's okay! Your quilt will still look amazing.
And as always, the more you do it, the more confident you will feel.
Make sure to label your blocks! I reused the labels I used for my fabric cuts.
Making Half Square Triangle or HST blocks
Next to flying geese blocks, this is quite possibly the most common quilt block. This was also the first quilt block I learnt to make that was not a simple patchwork square. My biggest concern when working with these blocks were the bias edges along the triangle diagonals. My first quilt ever that used HSTs was this blue and white king size quilt I made. The pattern called for HST blocks to then be made into a square in square blocks (you can see that in the photo). So, I cut out my 2.5" triangles meticulously. But once I started hand sewing the triangles together, I noticed how wonky they were coming out! Lesson learnt - fabric is SUPER suggestible on the bias. That was the last quilt for which I made HSTs that way. Once I realized there was a better way, I never looked back!
My preferred method for making HSTs now, is making them two at a time. But if a pattern needs lots of smaller (i.e., smaller than 4.5" HSTs), then one of the other methods is better.
The pattern includes instructions on how to make the HST blocks using the 8-at-a-time method. In my experience this is the most efficient way for making them!
Trimming HSTs can also seem like such a hassle! But as with all block trimming, you can make it a little more bearable with a few tips:
A sharp blade in your rotary cutter
A trusty quilting ruler + mat
A comfortable workspace at the right height to minimize shoulder strain (I find that a table that's just higher than hip height works really well for my height)
A podcast or TV show you like
Snacks!
When trimming HSTs, it's important to line up the diagonal of your block with the 45-degree diagonal on the ruler, instead of the sides before cutting your blocks.
If you're right-handed, once you've lined up the diagonals, align your ruler on the left side to the correct size. In the image used, that is 6.75", Then trim on the right and the top. Rotate your block to repeat for the remaining two sides.
Don't forget to label your trimmed blocks!
Making Cat's Cradle or shaded four patch blocks
This adorable combination of squares and triangles is my new favourite block. It was my first time working with this block, so I made LOTS of trial blocks!
I am not entirely sure why it is called the cat's cradle block, or the shade four patch block. I have actually also heard it be referred to as a "puss in the corner" block. But what's in a name, right? It's still a pretty fun block and it adds a fun dimension to any quilt.
Now as with any block, it is altogether possible to make this block by cutting out the individual fabric bits. But we may run into that old issue of fabric stretching as you sew along the bias. If you are quite comfortable doing that, then that's the way to do it! I'm a big believer in going with the method that makes you the most comfortable.
In the pattern, I use the two-at-a-time method to make my blocks. It's what I used to make all my trial blocks, and I'm reasonably confident with this method. The pattern goes into considerable detail for this block (I even had my husband give it a try to test out the instructions!) - sewing and trimming. However, what we all found was that if you're making these for the first time, it helps to go with cutting your initial fabrics ever so slightly bigger than what's given. This allows for a larger sewing margin. It means you will need to trim your blocks quite a bit, so do be mindful of that!
Be sure to watch the orientation of your intermediate 'four patch' blocks. Incorrect orientation can mean your blocks end up wonky. Pressing your seams open for the 'four patch' blocks is recommended as it makes a big difference with minimizing seam bulk when sewing your blocks into your ornament blocks and then into the quilt.
The real magic shines once you've trimmed your cat's cradle or cc blocks.
As with your HST blocks, line up the diagonal of the quilt block with the diagonal of your ruler. In addition to this, make sure that centre 'point' is lined up with where the mid-point should be on your ruler. This will keep your block centred. This is especially important if you're working with larger fabric cuts.
Label your blocks and set aside.
Now all our blocks are pressed and trimmed. Label and keep in a safe place until you're ready to sew with them! We won't use all the blocks at the same time, so storing them safely is important.
I hope this blog was helpful! If you have any other questions about making the mini blocks, let me know in the comments.
Next week we'll start to make our ornament blocks. See you then!
Happy Sewing!
Yorumlar