They have been watching me in the sewing room, talking to me. Does anyone else have their fabrics and blocks speak to them? Anyway each time I've gone into the sewing room there they are looking up at me wondering when I was going to finish them. Today was the day, actually I made a start on finishing them yesterday but got interrupted to do the grocery shopping. So this afternoon I decided I"d see if I could get them all put together and into a flimsy. I did have grand ideas of actually getting it finished and pinned out ready to quilt. What a joker I am....So here's the flimsy, now waiting to be pinned out.
Not as big as I had visualized, but a good lap size to snuggle under on cold winter days.I was reading Su Bee's blog yesterday and she had an audition for her FSQS and I very rudely asked if I could pinch her idea (slapping myself). Anyway it got me to thinking about what I could do, time was speeding past and I hadn't even given it much thought. Then I remembered I had a pattern for a whole quilt done in red work embroidery, 11 or 12 blocks I think. So I decided to scale down the size of several of the blocks and re-trace them into one single block. So here's a peak at the embroidery design and the fabric I'll use to stitch on.
I want to end by asking you all a question about pressing. I've noticed that it seems to be the practise here to press your seams to one side when piecing a quilt. Which way do you press your seams and why? It must be the dressmaker in me coming out, but I always press my seams open. I find it causes less bulk on the seam line which makes it easier to piece and less bulk when it comes to quilting.
Happy Stitching, and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.
24 comments:
Your quilt top is lovely!
Oooo -- those embroideries are going to be so pretty! Hmmmm....maybe I need to change my tact now? LOL! Too many good ideas, not enough lives to try them all.
I usually press to the side because it's less likely that my stitches will show plus I'm too lazy to do all that seam opening. There's many times however, that pressing open is the obvious choice. So the answer? - "It depends"
Lovely flimsey...I was thinking it will be nice to cuddle under in your cold Illinois winters! It is snowing so beautifully now....like the inside of a snow globe all shook up.
Pressing...I am a pro. You have no more bulk if you press to the side and butt your seams up against each other. When pressing rows I press the even # rows to the left and the odd # rows to the right. In block assembly I try to press toward the dark if possible. Like SuBee sometimes it is necessary to press seams open.
I just came up here to look at some patterns for my 4 seasons swap...great minds think alike, or maybe it is just that we read Subee's blog!
Love your quilt top. I wish my eyes were still as good as in the past I can't do much embroidery anymore. That pattern looks a lot of fun.
I iron all my seams to one side because the books say that otherwise my stitches will show LOL! Last week however, while ironing a pinwheel, I thought there was an awful lot of bulk in the middle. I might not listen to the books in future anymore ;-).
I like those blocks. The colors are the ones we have in our house.
Your stitchery is cute. I can't to see it finished.
That stitchery project looks like a good one. I press my seams to one side. When doing clothes I always pressed them open. Sometimes though the bulk makes it better to press open. I think it's a matter of preference.
I press my seams to one side, but one of my friends now have started to press open and she is very pleased with that. So I might try it next time.
Those stitcheries look sooooo cute!!! When i started quilting i did press seams open but now i try and visualise how im going to quilt it and press the seams to one side, to eliminate the bulk!! If im going to quilt around a stitchery, i press to the border etc.......hope that helps!!!
Love the flimsy, Linda! The idea with the embroideries is a great one!
I press my seams to one side although I have tried to press them open - way too much work for me - LOL. I have a couple of friends who press every seam open and some press whatever the seam needs (some are open some are to one side)
Nice top :-)
As a general rule I press the seams to one side - to the darkest if possible. When I butt up the next row, with seams pressed to the oposite side if possible, it does not add any more bulk at all.
If you press seams open, you expose the thread, sort of, and it weakens the seam. However, no rule without exeption, so sometimes I press the seams open if it feels like the right thing to do, like when doing some of the Dear Jane blocks.
Just my 2 cents :-)
I love that top, doesn't it look effective!!
Don't even tell me about fsqs due dates...argh!!! No, not really like that, but you know!
Your embroidery idea looks great,
I press to the dark side-just how I was shown, Tracey
Great looking flimsey! I usually press to the side. I like to do that when I can piece opposing seams so they nestle up to each other. It seems like I get better accuracy matching seam lines when I do this. There are times however when I do press open because of bulk. It all depends on the block being pieced as to the way I press the seams.
What a great feeling to get that top put together. The stitchery looks great.
Linda, as always, your stitchery is fabulous!!
I press my seams to the side. I also press every other row in the opposite direction so it makes butting seams easier. I don't see a problem with seams being pressed open as long as you know you are not going to stitch in the ditch on those seams (otherwise, you would actually be stitching on threads instead of fabric). Hope this helps. Good luck! Looks good!
Wonderful stitcheries. Now about pressing, I usually press to one side, but occasionally because of bulk I will press seams open.
Love the winter swap idea . . . I *MUST* get started on my - thank you for reminding me.
In most instances I press to one side - usually toward the darker fabric. I was told this would prevent 'shadowing' in my finished piece. Do I know what that means? No - like a lemming, I just do it *s* But I find that pressing to one side lets pieces nestle together when they are joined making it easier to achieve accurate seams and nice pointy points in my finished piece. Occasionally I press my seams open. Particularly when I'm working with very small pieces. It helps keep distortion to a minimum
Mostly, my seams are pressed to one side. Then, I'll decide one day to press them open. There now, totally mixed up which doesn't help you at all! :o)
The embroidery will be precious! Thanks for showing the quilt top. It looks so warm and inviting in those colors. I press to the side and find that it makes butting up the seams and matching points easier and almost flawless.
The stitchery is going to be very nice. I always press to one side, towards the dark. This way the seams will butt together for less bulk.
Good question.
I press to the side but sometimes I press it open if there seems to be a large bulk.
I press to the darker side when I can, I like the way opposing seams nestle up for matching purposes. I press ope when I have a lot of seams coming together, like in the center of an eight pointed star; I tighten up my stitch length when I know that I'm going to do that. With everything machine quilted now, though, seams pressed open really do lay flat with less bulk and create a much neater appearance. And, oh yes-- your other question... my fabrics speak to me all the time! ;)
I LOVE your quilt top!
as far as the pressing goes, it depends on where it is on the quilt. for most I press them to the sides, but with triangles and the quilt backs I press them open.
Linda, I sew with a lady who was a home ec teacher (when you could still BE a home ec teacher!) She says the reason quilters ironed to the side was when quilts were hand pieced, opening the seams put too much stress on them. And hand quilting thru 2 layers (on the non-seam side) was easier than 3 layers (if you pressed it open) or 4 (on the seam side) I usually do it 1) because its a habit 2) like Bren and Marilyn I like my seams to "nestle together" and 3)...well. just because I dont' like to THINK too much so I do it all the same way everytime!
Lovely quilt!
I press to the dark side when possible. If there are more than 6 seams coming together then I'll press them open (like on a pinwheel block)
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