I put together a hotpad using 1 inch postage stamps, ironed onto a quilter's stablizer grid. Then realized I don't know what to do next. Does the quilting hold the fabric in place? Do you stitch down each intersecting line of fabric? I don't want to fold and stitch 1/4 inch seams as this would leave 1/2 blocks of material. What do you quilters do when, God forbid, you make a quilt out of postage stamps? I have 100 stamps for one large hot pad - it would be 10,176 for a quilt! I can hardly believe there actually are postage stamp quilts really made.

Now you stitch each row...fold on the line and stitch a scant 1/4" row. When done in one direction, do the other.

The quilt my MIL has was made with 1 1/2 inch squares so after being sewn it became the 1" needed. (It was quilted in the ditch) I was taught to make the pieces into a 9 patch and put those together as a 4 patch and then make those into a 4 patch. That should make it a bit easier.

After you stitch all the horizontal rows, clip at each intersection and alternate the seams (just like you would do if you were doing a regular simple 9-patch).

Now sew all the vertical rows, just taking care to keep the seam allowances in the correct position.

After the first step, I normally "split" that horizontal seam and press it open carefully. Much less bulk to deal with.

Did you cut the squares 1.5" for a finished "postage stamp" of 1"? Or did you cut them 1" hoping to finish with..what?

If you've miscalculated, you can save it all by sewing with a 1/8" seam, but sew carefully, reduce your stitch length a bit, and make sure your horizontal and vertical seam allowances are all consistent.

And, yes, that's why viewing postage stamp quilts always results in "was she crazy?" comments. Because of the thousands and thousands of squares.

This gridded interfacing is to make sewing these little tiny pieces easier.
Fold and sew like the others have described :D:D:D

i know you said you don't want to fold and stitch now, but that is the next step when using the fusable grid...sorry-- you fold each row on the line, stitch your scant 1/4" seam, press to one side and keep going in one direction, then turn it and do the same in the other direction....my postage stamps i cut 1 1/2" square so when it is stitched i end up with 1" blocks.

I cut them 1" because the grids were marked into 1" squares and I carefully filled the grid.

And so the finished product will be 1/2" squares. At least that's the way that particular project is supposed to be used.

So your pot holder might turn out a wee bit smaller than you originally thought it would be. ;-)

Maybe use it as mug rug, or whatever they call those things?

Ok. Thanks for the advice. I think I will use it as a sample of the built-in embroidery stitches my machine does and do one stitch down each row and keep it for reference. Didn't we use to call those mug rugs coasters?

I have an ongoing P stamp quilt - because I couldn't get one inch graph paper, I am doing mine in 2cm squares (finished), in the English paper piecing method. I sew blocks of 16 squares together before adding them to the quilt.

yes you fold one line over to another, fabrics facing. then stitch 1/4 seam. then do the next one and the next till you have all seams done going one way, turn the quilt and start folding and stitching seams going the other and you are done.

See, like I said upthread,

IS SHE CRAZY?

@lacelady:
It's really lovely, and nice to have as an ongoing project. I love a controlled scrappy look.

Using my trusty little calculator (for those of us non-metric folks), that's a finished ~3/4".

Yikes!

That's beautiful. How are you going to quilt it? And why did you choose to do a postage stamp quilt? I am astonished at the sight of all the seams meeting! I cut mine with a rotary cutter and had a devil of a time getting 90 degree corners on the pesky little things. I think personally I am better suited to sewing 10 blocks of material or something - but as I am determined to make a watercolor quilt, I am trying to find a method I can do. First I have to learn to cut, then sew, then quilt! I admire your skill.

Ooops.

But that fusible is perfect for the watercolor. Just maybe do it with 2" squares instead. And you squares don't have to be perfectly cut. That's one of the advantages. I mean, they can be scrappy wonky, but if they at least are enough to be caught in the seams, then it's fine.

Lesley, you continually amaze me. That's beautiful!

pretty quilt!

I have been saving to start one of these and am in the swap that is going on, Now I am really confused with all the talk of paper piecing and fusable . I thought you just hand sewed them togeather. Yikes I am so confused......

You make YOUR quilt via any method YOU'RE comfortable using. There are no rules. You can machine piece, hand piece, paper piece, English paper piece, use fusible backing or....whatever works for you.

that is alot of blocks

Amazing and inspiring, Lacelady!

I use the English paper pieceing method, where the fabric is wrapped round a 2cm square of paper, and basted in place, then two squares are held right sides together and whip stitched together.

I began it as I had lots of trips to Dublin hospitals by train. The journey is nearly 3 hours each way, and I needed something portable to do. I took a small zip lock bag with a good selection of fabric squares ready cut, plus paper squares, needle, thimble, thread and scissors. In fact I often got that lot in a make up bag!

Now I don't need to go to Dublin very often, so the stamps don't get done very often either, usually when I need a break from other quiltin projects. I will probably quilt it diagonally, but not every square, perhaps every 16 as I have been sewing them. The reason it looks controlled (apart from the blue, that is, is because I put one white and one black square in each group of 16. That tends to even out the wide variety of squares.

That's a good idea. You're " making lemonade."

I used to always try to make lemonade when faced with an abundance of "lemons". Now I try to squeeze some in a glass, add some vodka, some ice, drink down and get on with life. However, most of my Baptist friends disapprove of my new philosophy. (I'm southern Baptist, born and bred) But I like it although it is a figerative expression. LOL