Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Crazy Quilt Along #7 - Liberated Fans

Fans are a common motif in traditional crazy quilts.  

This crazy quilt is made entirely of fan blocks (source).



While this one features fans in selected squares (source).  While the quilts are crazy, the fans are not.  They are pieced with exactness.  I am going to deviate from tradition and will show you how to make "liberated" fans.  Cheater fans if you will.


Step 1:  Cut 5 or 6 wedge shaped pieces of fabric 6-7 inches long.  Don't stress too much over it.  Just cut.  They don't have to all be the same, in fact the ones on the edges should be shorter than the one in the middle. If it makes you feel more comfortable you can use one of your "favorite" wedges as a rough pattern for the others.


Step 2:  As you cut, lay out your wedges on the foundation fabric to check that they cover the block.


Step 3:  Sew them together off of the foundation fabric.  Let me say that again because the pictures are deceptive - Do not attach the fan to your foundation.  Add any fancy machine top stitching you desire.


Step 4:  Check to make sure the fan is large enough and trim edges.  The seam allowances will cause the size of the fan to shrink and you may have to add another wedge to the edge (I love how that rhymes).  Mine shrunk but was just wide enough to work.  Trim off any rough edges and fashion a smooth curve along the top and bottom edges.


Step 5:  Free hand cut a quarter of a circle.  I like to error on the side of safety and cut mine too large and trim off any excess from the sides.


Step 6:  Turn under the edge 1/4 of an inch (or so) and top stitch onto the fan and foundation fabric.  Add decorative stitching as desired.


Step 7:  Place a piece of fabric under the top of the fan and do a rough trim around the edge of the foundation block.


Step 8:  Lift the fan and trim away any excess fabric.


Step 9:  Turn under the top of the fan 1/4 inch and top stitch to the background and foundation fabric.  Add decorative stitching as desired (or in my case trim).


Step 9:  Trim you block to size - 9 1/2 inches.  Fini!


Here are some other fan blocks I made.  This one ended up smaller and lopsided, but I kinda like it.  I added some trim and another patch in the upper corner so the rest of the block didn't look so empty.  I also used a straight piece as the center of the fan, instead of circular.


This one had skinnier wedges so I used 6 instead of 5.  Can you tell I have a thing for ric rac?  It curves well and is so cheerful!

 If you have any questions let me know.  I hope to see some fun liberated fans on the ORBQA fickr page.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Crazy Quilt Along #6 - Stitch and Slash

This block is quite fun to make. 

1.  Start off with four squares of fabric between 9 and 7 inches "square".  Of course, they don't have to be square, because this is a crazy quilt after all.


2.  Sew the four pieces into a 4-patch block.  Add trim and decorative stitching as desired.  (Notice how mine isn't quite at all square?  That's ok, because we are going to be cutting it up anyway.


3.  Cut - Make a semi-random cut across your fabric.  One thing to keep in mind when planning your cut is,  "Is the length of this cut more or less equal to the length of one of the other sides?"  Because what we are going to to next is....


4.  Take the cut section and line it up with another side of the block.  If your cut piece needs to be longer or shorter feel free to sew on a scrap or slash off a hunk.


5. Sew the cut piece onto the block.  Add decorative stitching and trim as desired.


6.  Slash off another hunk of fabric.  The idea is to cut up and distribute the different pieces of fabric throughout the finished block.  Here I cut a swath off the bottom of the block.


7.  Line it up with another side...


8.  And sew it on.  Take a second to look at your block.  Where are there still large pieces of fabric?  What can be done to cut and distribute them?  In this block the bright pink plaid and light pink solid are still pretty big, so I cut into them next.


9.  I cut right across the block (and trimmed up a side while I was at it.)  Don't be afraid to really slash the block apart - it all works out in the end, I promise.  :)


10.  Reposition - I flipped the fabric down to the bottom of the block and sewed it together.


11.  Evaluate - The block is starting to look pretty crazy, so I put my ruler on top of the fabric to see what the final block would look like.  The fabric is bigger than I thought it was and I could place the ruler here....

...or here.  I like this second position better because the pieces of fabric are smaller and more "crazy."  The only problem is that I don't have quite enough fabric in the upper right hand corner.


...so I add some.


12.  And do the final trim.


13.  Oooh and Ahhh as desired.  ;)

And don't worry, that large leftover piece is going to be the starting point for my next block.

Here is another block made with the same method.

Go give it a try and remember to post your pics at the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along site on flickr.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Crazy Quilt Along #5 - Corner Start Block

Alright, today I'll show you how to make a corner start block.  It is sometimes called a landscape block because of how the fabric in the finished block looks like rolling hills.  The same steps are used in making this block as the center start block.

Step 1:  Place a piece of fabric in the corner of your foundation block 

Step 2.  Audition, sew and top stitch your next piece of fabric

And the next...

And the next...

The piece of denim I added had a finished edge in one side, but I didn't top stitch it down right away.

I added another piece of fabric...

...and then zig-zagged it down.

Keep adding fabric.  The curved coral piece was pressed under and top stitched directly to the block.  I find that is the easiest way to add curved pieces.


Ahhh...Finally, something new.  Let me show you a trick for attaching trims in your seams.  This works especially well for laces.

First, cut your trim to the right length.

Sew the trim to the RIGHT SIDE of the fabric you are attaching to the block. 

Place the fabric and trim on the block right sides together.

Sew together, stitching just to the left of the stitching line left by sewing on the trim.

Flip.  Top stitch if desired and Voila!  The perfect amount of trim peeking out.

Just a few more pieces to sew on...

...and we are done.

Trim the block down to 9 1/2 inches (or whatever size you are making).

And admire your handiwork.  :)

Here is another one I made.  
It almost looks like a braid, huh?

Give this block a try and post your pictures on the ORBQA flickr page.

Monday, March 7, 2011

#4 - Embroidery Resources

I was looking for great sites that teach embroidery stitches and I found Sharon b's Dictionary of Stitches.  It has thousands of stitches arranged alphabetically, with great pictures and instructions.



Sharon b's Dictionary of Stitches for Hand Embroidery and Needlework


http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html

Stitch School - look on her left sidebar for links to stitches
http://stitchschool.blogspot.com

Does anyone else have a favorite stitch site?  Leave a comment with the site name and address and I will add it to the list.

#3 - Center Oriented Block

Here we are!  Ready to start sewing?  Today we are going to make a crazy quilt block starting in the middle of our foundation fabric.   This is my favorite way to make a Crazy Quilt block and most of my blocks are made this way.

Step 1:  Choose a piece of fabric for the middle of your block.  I choose a piece of green plaid skirt complete with the embroidered pocket.  Your piece of fabric does not need to be square.  In fact, do not make it square.  Try a rough hexagon, trapezoid or triangle.  Lay it face up in the middle of your foundation fabric.


Step 2:  Audition pieces of fabric.  I decided on this pink plaid for the top.  It is a little too wide so I trimmed it up to be about the same size as the top of my green piece.


Step 3:  Flip the fabric face down onto your first piece of fabric.  Pin if desired.


Step 4:  Stitch the pieces together using a generous 1/4 inch seam allowance.


Step 5:  Flip the fabric up.  Press if desired.


Step 6:  Top stitch.

This is where all of the fancy stitches on your machine come into play.  I only have 7 stitches on my machine, so I will be doing a lot of zig-zagging, but feel free to experiment with what stitches you have.  You might want to keep a piece of scrap fabric by your machine to test your stitches on before top stitching your actual block.

Thread.  You will want to use thread that contrasts nicely with your fabric.  I, personally, hate changing thread so I sew on all the patches with the same bright pink thread that I top stitch with.  And yes, all the top stitching is in the same color.  Why?  Because I am lazy.   But please, feel free to change your thread as much as you want.

If you are going to add decorative hand stitching, wait until your block is finished.

Those are the basic steps.  We will repeat those steps until the block is finished.  On we go!


Next:  Audition, trim, flip, stitch, flip and top stitch the pink piece of fabric.


Notice the square in the corner.  I wanted to take care of that next.


I thought this piece of denim would do nicely, but I wanted to lay it diagonally across the corner to break up the boxiness of the block.  (Be Crazy not square!)   However, I didn't want the block to be too bulky, so I did a rough trim of the light and dark pink fabrics.


Much better.  Let me show you a trick for cutting that corner piece.


Lay the piece of denim underneath the block.  Be sure the denim overlaps the pinks by at least 1/4 of an inch.


Next, simply rough cut around the edge of your block.  Voila!


Next:  Flip, pin, sew, flip and top stitch.


Oops!   I didn't overlap the pieces enough and missed the corner of the light pink.  I could unpick and restitch (eek!!)  but let me tell you about a crazy trick.  Trim.  If you have any problem spots, raw or puckered seams, feel free to cover them in trims.  My favorite trim is ric-rac.  It is a happy trim that curves beautifully.


To fix my problem spot, I simply did a little zig-zag over the raw edge and stitched on some ric-rac.  You could also stitch on a button or appliqué another piece of fabric on top.  If you are adding a thick ribbon or lace you will want to top stitch near the edge on both sides of the trim.


Ah...Much better.

Next.  I wanted to add some cute onsie fabric to the upper right hand corner of the block, but it was pretty flimsy and stretchy.

I had picked up some SF101 Shape Flex pellon at JoAnn's and decided it was time to iron it on.  The Shape Flex is a light weight muslin backed with iron on adhesive.  There are many kinds of fusible interfacings you can use, I just liked this because it had more of a fabric feeling.  Be sure you get an interfacing that only has adhesive on ONE side.


Since I knew I would be using this fabric in other blocks, I cut off a large square and ironed on the interfacing following the instructions on the package.


I auditioned the fabric, but there was just too much white.


Maybe some white and stripe?  Much better, but too straight line-y.  We are trying to make a Crazy Quilt after all!  So I cut two strips of the fabric and rough cut some complementary angles.


It is easier to sew them together at this point and then stitch them to the block together in a straight line. So, line them up like so....



Stitch, flip and top stitch.


Kind of wavy, huh?  Trim one edge to a straight line and sew onto the block.


Flip and top stitch.


Notice how I decided to put the stripe in the corner instead of the white like I had first planned on?  It is ok to try things different ways.  If things go differently than you planned, roll with it.  It's a Crazy Quilt.

Next, I decided to focus on the lower left hand corner.  There is no order to where you should add pieces.  No need to go clockwise or counter clockwise.


The next piece I added was from the bottom of a shirt and still had a hemmed edge.  That is one nice thing about working with clothes - you can just lay the finished edge where you want it and top stitch.


Voila!  Easy as pie.


Next, I added a piece of blue to finish off the corner.

 Notice how the empty area in the corner looks kind of like a quarter of a circle?  I decided to add a curved piece next.


When adding curved pieces it is usually best to iron under the edge in a curve and then top stitch it onto your fabric.  Knits are especially easy to turn under in a curve.  After pressing and top stitching on the striped fabric, I was left with one wedge shaped area to fill.


A beautiful green corduroy would look nice, but notice I have to attach it on two sides.  This is a sticky place that will happen often as you put your blocks together.

The best way to deal with it is to:

  1. Iron under one of the edges that need to be attached.
  2. Sew on the other side like normal
  3. Flip and top stitch the loose side that you pressed under

Iron under and Stitch on opposite side

Flip

And Top Stitch

Did you notice the raw edge peeking out?  Again!  I just zig-zagged over it this time to reinforce it.



Almost done!  Just use the 9 1/2 inch ruler (or whatever size you are using) and trim it up.


Beautiful!

So, just to summarize, today we learned:

  1. How to use the basic flip and stitch method to attach fabric to the block
  2. How to top stitch on trim
  3. How to use interfacing
  4. That you can sew pieces of fabric together BEFORE you sew them to the block
  5. That if the edge of the fabric is finished you can simply top stitch it onto the block
  6. That the easiest way to add curved pieces is to turn under the edge and top stitch and 
  7. How to turn under on edge of the fabric before sewing it on to the block when there are two edges that need to be attached.

Augh!  That was a lot!  Basically, you just want to keep adding on odd sized pieces of fabric until your foundation block is full.  That is what it all boils down to.  So, go give it a try and let me know if you have any questions.  (This is the longest post I have ever written, so I am sure there are a few rough places.)

Now go Crazy and get sewing!