PIECING A WORD

 Here is how I'm going to piece a word for an upcoming project.  There are lots of ways to go about this.  You may have a way that suits you better.  This is only one method.

My instructions are to piece the word into an 18" square.  I started with freezer paper, mine is only 17-3/4" wide.  I cut an 18" length and drew a red line on one side of the short side to remind myself to add a quarter inch.

My word is 5 letters so I divided 18 by 5 to get the width of each letter - 3.6".  I then divided the paper up with pencil lines and drew each letter within it's area.

I cut the G from the square and then drew blue lines where there would be seams.  I hope you can see them.

I realized later I probably should have shaded the parts that would be the letter.

Then I went about making each section.  The width of each line could vary or they could all be the same, dealer's choice.  I started with the top of the G which contains two curves.  I tried several methods to make those, then decided to just make staight lines to indicate the curves instead.  I start with fabric pieces a lot bigger than I need.  I made a tracing paper template from my original drawing.  I cut out how the yellow fabric should be shaped and cut away the angle of the 'curve' and sewed black into it's place.

I added the black to the right.

I added the upper part.

I measured the next piece on the pattern and added a quarter inch to each side.

I made the next little section on the pattern and added seam allowance and sewed it all together.

For the next section I measured each piece from the pattern, cut out the pieces with seam allowances, first the yellow needed the corners to be black, I used the flip and sew method.  I cut two black squares, lined them up on the bottom corners of the yellow, and sewed diagonally down each, flipped the corner over to make triangles.  Then I added the side black section and the bottom black section.

Once I had the whole section together I added a long strip of black to the left side of the whole G.  I made that piece a bit wider than it needed to be, just in case.  It's always easier to trim it away than to add to it later if needed.

But I still had to make the bottom of the G have curved corners.

Then the same at the top, to give the G a rounded top.

I drew chalk lines where the 18" top should be and how I wanted the corner angles to be.

Using an oversized piece of yellow I set it on the corner.

Then I folded it over to match the angle line (somewhat) and finger pressed it.  Then took it to the machine and sewed down the pressed line.  Once it's sewn I cut away the undersides, leaving a quarter inch seam allowance and then cut away any excess on the top part.

And it's a G!  As you can see, there is a bit of extra at the top and bottom, and the left side.

I have four more letters to make and then I will sew them all together and make sure when that is done that they come out to an 18" square.

I MADE A WHY

 I watched Joe's Quilt Freedom Workshop this morning.

And while I did, I worked on my Maybe.

I made the Y.

We went for a walk in Lincoln Park this morning.  It was very windy!

DAY FOUR AT MISA

 It’s Thursday, the fourth day of the Piecing Perspectives Workshop.

We are working on building a composition and making fillers, coping and bridging pieces.

Here’s how my work wall looked at the end of the day.

THIRD DAY AT MISA

 It’s the third day of the Piecing Perspectives Workshop.  We are just starting to think about composition.

Here is how my work wall looked at the end of the day.

SECOND DAY AT MISA

 Today we worked on pointy pieces.

Here’s how my work wall looked at the end of the day.

TINY POINT

 I was enarmored with this tiny little pink triangle today as I worked on Voltron!

EASY PROJECT

I started this yesterday and worked on  it for a short time.  Today I finished cutting out the parts, making a few fabric changes along the way.  I sewed them into blocks, then sewed the rows together.  I've got all but three seams left to do.  Easy peasey.

(It doesn't look anything like I thought it would when I started it.)

This picture is before I sewed the blocks together.

JOE RETREAT DAY FOUR

Today will be our last day of all day sewing.  Joe gave us a pep talk, reminding us to just "Cut, Sew, Repeat."  He gave us all stillettos that his friend had made for us with the instructions to focus our attention where the pointy end is pointing.  Patricia was videoing the talk, which Joe has since turned into his Quilt Report #40.

It was a day to try to finish up our projects.

I'm way behind and somewhat frustrated.

I'm not really happy with the way it's looking.  Joe says this is normal at this stage and to push through.  I realize that if I was at home doing this, I'd probably give up.  Being here, with nothing else to do, I feel like I might as well keep working on it.

All week, while all of us are working away, Joe entertained us with his guitar.  It's one of the great things about being at a Joe Retreat.

My new friend Patti loved picking through the garbage looking for usable chunks of fabrics that others have cast away.  I'll admit to grabbing a few of these myself.

Another participant, David, was really good at taking portraits.  He wanted to take advantage of the natural light coming through the window, next to my sewing station, to take a portrait of Joe and Patricia.

Here are some closeups of things I've been working on.

Here's what my project looked like at the end of the day.

PARTS MADE

Okay, all of the parts and pieces have been made and are up on  the wall.  

I noticed that when you pull the freezer paper off of the backs of the ones that have been pieced with the 1/4" lines in them it pulls the threads of the seam allowances, making a bit of a mess.  All of the stray threads need to be trimmed so they don't shadow through to the front.  I figured it would be best to do them at the time, instead of waiting to do them when the top is all together (which I never seem to do).

Now I just have to sew them together. 

I got a few sewed together today.

Darrell and I took the dogs to Seward Park for a walk.  We haven't been there in a while - I had forgotten how special it is.

EXCITED

I'm starting a new project and I'm really excited about it.  I'm still working out how to do it, how to make it.  That's probably why I'm excited.

I got a few pieces up on the wall.  I'm going to play it by ear, or should I say eye, as to what colors go where.

I don't have  my head wrapped around how to make these pieces.  I think I was starting to understand on the last piece I did.  Hopefully, I'll remember tomorrow when I get back to it.

PLAIDISH STARTED

Jeez, I'm off on another tangent.  I've got lots of homework to do for my Design Class, but instead of working on that, I'd rather start on a new project.  I'm easily distracted.

I saw this quilt on Instagram by KitchenTableQuilting and she was giving away the pattern and instructions, I was intriqued.  

I started cutting out the parts yesterday.  I'm using the fabric samples I picked up at the local saleswoman's annual sale. She sells them by the pound. I haven't had any ideas about what to do with them until now.  This project seems perfect.  We'll see.

The main idea is to divide the fabrics into lights, mediums and darks.  The instructions say you can use any fabrics, any colors, as long as you divid them into their values.

I made the dark valued blocks today.

Parts waiting to be sewn together.

3 PROJECTS

I sewed together some of the pieces for my Pi quilt.  It's coming along - still a long way to go.

It didn't take long to sew together the pieces I had glue basted.  Next they need to be trimmed to size.

Afterwards, I worked on this other new project - something quick and easy (more or less).  I've switched out the fabrics for the 'sashing' parts a few times now.  I may just try something else - because it is not making those center squares, with the bird fabric that I just had to have and love, stand out.  This bright sashing is making them look dull.  Jeez.

I even managed to finish up my project repairing this one side of the outdoor fireplace.  I got this piece of quartzite custom cut and we set it on top of the old bricks that I had poorly re-mortared into place. 

It used to be a barbeque grill with a place for a woodfire below - see the neat old metal door?  I cleaned out the old ashes and things that were growing in there.  We have been thinking about what to put behind the door now - maybe a collection of bug statues?  or slugs?  maybe frogs?  We'll see.