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Bow Tie Strippy Tut

Bow Tie Strippy Tut

Old 03-20-2013, 08:15 PM
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Default Bow Tie Strippy Tut

Today we're going to have fun making a great big Bow Tie quilt! It reminds me of Cat in the Hat's bow tie! The types of fabrics that can be used for this quilt are just unlimited as to what you could do and the many different ways to lay the block make it a versatile pattern! It's my own creation and the only Bow Tie of its kind that I know of in the world! Even though I made the pattern, let me say first off that it's not for the fainthearted! If you have low patience levels, get frustrated easily and are confused easily, this pattern is not for you! First let's take a look at the pic of the quilt we're making.
Attached Thumbnails bow-tie-strippy.jpg  

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Old 03-20-2013, 08:19 PM
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Let me say that no other pattern I've ever made has given me such a challenge as this one! I was half-way done before I even got the technique down pat! It was also when I was more than half-way done when I decided I didn't like the blocks the way they were laid so I inverted them into the bow tie shape! The hard part of this quilt is not that there are opposite blocks to make, but that the 2 blocks that are identical have opposing positions to be sewn in, i.e., strips are sewn flush to the left or flush to the right.
Here's a pic of the quilt in its early stages where the blocks are laid with the bulk being in the middle and tapering to the ends. I thought the shape resembled a cummerbund or obi that is worn around the waist. Believe me, I was so relieved to see the blocks inverted to being narrow in the middle and wide at the ends, the Bow Tie position! Is shape important in a quilt? You bet it is!!! What can be cuter than Cat in the Hat's bow tie? When it comes down to abstract or familiar, we humans always love the familiar better that we can relate to! Therefore, the Bow Tie has more of a 'connection' factor to us and we love that! (When cropping this pic, the color button got stuck and wouldn't shut off so that's why the colors are off key.)
Attached Thumbnails cummerbund-layout.jpg   other-shapes-appear.jpg  

Last edited by n2scraplvr; 03-20-2013 at 08:21 PM.
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:26 PM
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Now let's take a look at the block:
Attached Thumbnails template-positions.bmp  
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:29 PM
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Also, don't worry about the knot area if the seams don't line up well. Here's a pic:
Attached Thumbnails bow-knot-area.jpg  
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:31 PM
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WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Aside from the typical quilting tools,
Attached Thumbnails strip-sizes-needed.jpg  
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:33 PM
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SPECIFICATIONS:

Quilt top: 72 x 82

# of blocks: 20
# of 2.5" strips needed: 240 (cut in lengths of 5", 6" and 7" or uncut)
# of 2.75" strips needed: 80 (cornerpiece)
# of 2" squares needed: 20 (bow tie knot) (fin. size: 1.5")

Inner border:

cut size: 4" x 55" muslin
cut size: 3" x varied lengths - assorted colors

Final border:

cut size: 6.5" x 60"; 6.5" x 70" muslin


Well, now that we are going with the Bow Tie layout, let's talk about how we are going to tame down this confusion factor with these blocks! I've never given as much thought to other blocks as I have this one because it demands some considerable thought!
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:37 PM
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THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE THIS QUILT:

Before we start on the process, let me say this. If you decide to make the 20 blocks in the quilt (so that's 80 quarter sections ~ 20x4=80) and there are 2 types of blocks to make, (one is a mirror image of the other), you could always just strip piece 40 blocks**, cut the corners off, turn the template over and make the remaining 40 blocks and repeat. Then lay the blocks on the design board and try out your colors for the Bow Ties then and finish the quilt off. There would be absolutely no confusion there! In fact, the easy way I'm going to show you will be easy but it may take a little longer because I like to design as I go and I am also using up odds and ends of pre-cut strips. Therefore, 3 identical blocks strip pieced is not my goal. We are going to first do the blocks that are identical and then the last 2 that are opposites. This will hold down some of the confusion factor!

** Please note: If you do strip piece this quilt, you cannot flip the template as you will then be making its opposite side. You would have to rotate the template and not flip it to get the same block.**

ABOUT THE BLOCK:

I took the background cornerpiece of this pattern and made it the focal point of my quilt. Adding the bow tie knot just adds another layer of depth, dimension, color and design element to the quilt. I did not intend to do another tut on creating depth in a quilt like my most recent one. It is just coincidental that this is a quilt all about depth and dimension, but a lot could be learned because we are adding another layer of depth when we put the knots on.

If you want the block to come out at 6.5" cut like I did, you will want to use SCANT 1/4" seams to make a 12" finished block.



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Old 03-20-2013, 08:43 PM
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ALL ABOUT THE TEMPLATE:

Here's a pic of the template for you to download. Just for those who need it, right-click on the image and save to your file. The template measures 4.25" x 6.50" if you want to make your own and not print this one out.



Attached Thumbnails bow-tie-template-front.jpg   bow-tie-template-back.jpg  
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:46 PM
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In order to make it easy and to keep you from getting turned around, I drew arrows on the widest end of the template showing you where you are to lay the template lengthwise on your longest strip. I found I needed to do that very much to keep things straight!

While taking pics for this tut, before I've even finished the quilt, I found that I had sewn strips together the wrong way and had to take them apart for 2 blocks!!!! Then I discovered I was showing you how to assemble the blocks according to the old way in the cummerbund position!! Need I say more?? I think if we go nice and slow, we will get the bugs worked out of this and lick this problem for good!

ABOUT THE KNOTS:

The knots can be machine appliqued, needle turn appliqued, hand appliqued, or simply raw edge and/or fused and reinforced with topstitching. They can be square, round, oval or wonky. Be sure to mimic fabrics to give it that 'designer' look.

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Old 03-20-2013, 08:48 PM
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WHAT WENT WRONG:

So you can learn from me and have a better idea of where the trouble lies in this block, you'll need to know what went wrong, how and where and what to do to avoid it.

Nothing could be more frustrating than having your colors picked out with all strips laid out and ready to sew thinking you are doing the bottom right block when you find out by laying the template on top that nothing jives!! It won't work! You can't cut the corner off because it's not at the correct end of the block! You accidentally had the template turned on the WRONG side! And the shortest piece is at the wrong end! After awhile, I just used all strips the same size from my pre-cut stash. This prevented material waste as well. You might want to just do the same.

To avoid this, simply stop chainsewing 4 quarter sections at a time, slow down and do one block at a time to avoid picking up the last strip and either sewing it to a previous block or the wrong end!! I did both of those numbers too!! What a bummer!!

First, test your strips out that they are either at one end or the other by laying the template on top before sewing anything! Do one block at a time and you'll avoid having to resew the strips a 2nd time or take the suggestion from above and just do all strips the same length!

When laying your cornerpiece face down on the block ready to be sewn, make sure the design you want to be shown is at the correct end of the block and won't be cut off! The very flowers I wanted in a print to be included got cut off!

Slow down on joining it all and you'll conquer the ins and outs of this block! The whole goal of this quilt was to use up odds and ends of 2.5" strips so maybe I would've done better not paying attention to the order of things or colors and just sewn my strips together and let them fall where they may have turned out just as well!!

For that reason, this quilt could be good for a beginner's type quilt for someone who is new to scrappy quiltmaking since the background is easy putting mediums and lights together and the bow ties are deep solid colors. I don't think it would be that hard for them.
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