Paper Piecing -- Mistakes I Made
Bellaboo was right -- it is hard to learn paper piecing from a book.
1.My first mistake was ordering a used Carol Doak book online that was missing the CD -- after all I can read!
However I failed to notice that she wrote "after making copies of sections A and B, cut the triangles 0NE HALF inch from the outside line." I made ALL my outside lines also 1/4". (I am such a creature of habit.....)
2. When I went to sew the segments together, I wound up with less than 1/8" seams in some places and even wound up with only a few threads in other places.
3. To remedy this, I decided to try using some fray block but the tube was dried up.
Okay .... then decided I would try Fray Check. Planned to dab it on sparingly with q-tip then discovered I was out of them too. Mind you, this was in the middle of a bad snowstorm so couldn't get to the mall.
4. Of course, the fray check was slightly noticeable on the right side so resorted to using a Sharpie pen to remedy that. Still worrying the seams might come loose, I used small pieces of lightwt. fusible interfacing for re-enforcement.
5. Also should have pressed some of my seams open and wound up with lumpy centers so took a mallet and clapper to those.
6. Had planned to SID around the star segments but broke several needles trying to penetrate some of the thick seams. Free motioned it instead with my Viking 1+.
With a great deal of regret (over not prewashing) and trepidation, I finally lucked out and not one fabric bled -- not even the black or reds.
Sorry this post was so long.
Now if my luck will just hold out one more time I will try to post a picture...........