Quiltingboard Forums - I finally made one!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chairjogger

WOW!! Good job ! Just comments on another three-D looking window one..

thinking thinking thinking.. maybe get some nerve up for one of these.

How did you cut your pieces?

Ell

Thank you for asking because this is one of the things that both surprised and challenged me. Before beginning I was smart enough to purchase the 60 degree (8") ruler, but too cheap or stupid to buy the little ruler to cut off the ends of the triangles. If I had bought that little thingy I would have saved myself a lot of trouble and time!!! :shock:

The directions are to choose the colors "carefully" and that was the first challenge that intimidated me. Choosing dark, light and mediums was not as easy as it sounds.

Then I had to cut strips - Dark and med were to be 1/2 inch narrower than the light. So the light was 3" and the others 2 1/2" The strips are sewn together in 2 sets - one is 2 med with a light between and the other is 2 darks with a light between.

The next step is where it got tricky for my challenged head. But after finally understanding "why" I was able to cut the triangles without a problem. I cut the first entire strip with the angle backwards and couldn't understand why the 2 sides didn't fit together. It is "essential" that you understand which way the top of the ruler is supposed to face when cutting the strips into their triangle parts because it is this step that makes the 3D effect. My best advice - watch the utube video while you are also looking at the pattern book and your fabric at the same time. After about 2000 views, I got it - :idea: and it all clicked together.

After cutting the triangles, watch the video to see how she puts them together and chooses how to sew them together. THIS is where I got so frustrated I wanted to throw it all in the trash! :twisted: Marci explains about how to make sure the tips of the triangles area the right size (again IF I had bought the stupid little ruler this would not have been so frustrating). I finally figure out that I needed to have exactly 1/4" allowance where the triangles overlapped so that when sewn together they matched into a straight line. Had been able to cut off the right amount I would only have needed to match the 2 sides. STUPID me fussed and fumed until "I got it" right.

All that being said, the next one will go much faster because my head comprehends the process and the whys and where-fores. The joints are very forgiving when sewing them together in the final strips and very quickly one gets payback through the sense of accomplishment after only a row or 2 put together.

It takes longer to write this than it would to share over a cup of coffee or tea... :thumbup:

I am going to start a 2nd one (again without the little ruler) and try to take pics along the way to see if that helps anyone else who is slightly "LD" :lol: