Bonnie Hunter's 2019-2020 Frolic Mystery
#662
I agree starch, and be sure you can see the cutting line On the fabric. It may not be your cutting, but the piecing?
When you stitch 3 1.5" strips together do they come out 3.5" wide. On the money? I can't tell you how many 9 patches I've made over the years with 1.5" strips checking the 1/4" mark on my different machines! 4 dozen maybe? Lots!
Using the easy angle and companion ruler we need a minimum of 17" strips, I will have to piece some of my fabric to get full length matches. No problem. I'm starting with fabrics I can get at least 20" strips from. Might be an earth quake and I'll jiggle and have to cut another pair
Now we can coagitate on whether the big triangles will eventually be stitched short sides for a 4 patch or long sides for a pair. Wonder how many will go ahead and stitch those today. Oops! We may eventually cut matching constant units for those if they will be 4 patches, that would be so cute.
When you stitch 3 1.5" strips together do they come out 3.5" wide. On the money? I can't tell you how many 9 patches I've made over the years with 1.5" strips checking the 1/4" mark on my different machines! 4 dozen maybe? Lots!
Using the easy angle and companion ruler we need a minimum of 17" strips, I will have to piece some of my fabric to get full length matches. No problem. I'm starting with fabrics I can get at least 20" strips from. Might be an earth quake and I'll jiggle and have to cut another pair
Now we can coagitate on whether the big triangles will eventually be stitched short sides for a 4 patch or long sides for a pair. Wonder how many will go ahead and stitch those today. Oops! We may eventually cut matching constant units for those if they will be 4 patches, that would be so cute.
Last edited by KalamaQuilts; 12-20-2019 at 09:10 AM.
#663
Ugggg...... I have to say that I really dislike (bordering on hate) the easy angle and companion rulers. I can never get accurate finished unit when I use those. I'm not sure if it's the bias edge or what, but it just doesn't work for me. So now I'm in the conundrum of do I cut the triangles anyways and pray that I can get them to work? Or do I just wait until the clue that we use them in and figure out the best way for me then?
The reason I'm concerned is I bought fabric specifically for this mystery and don't have extra and really don't want to buy more if I can help it. And I don't want to have to remake a bunch of units because I can't get the bias edges to work for me.
The reason I'm concerned is I bought fabric specifically for this mystery and don't have extra and really don't want to buy more if I can help it. And I don't want to have to remake a bunch of units because I can't get the bias edges to work for me.
#664
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 141
I have never used starch before. Is there a special one to use? Do you just spray it on, iron and then cut? I have so many questions now...
Just to clarify... I do the 8 at a time for the HSTs. I'm more concerned about the other ones. I guess I'm going to have to track down some starch and see if that helps things out.
Just to clarify... I do the 8 at a time for the HSTs. I'm more concerned about the other ones. I guess I'm going to have to track down some starch and see if that helps things out.
#665
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Philomath, Oregon
Posts: 2,076
I just spray on the starch and iron it in. Some people let it set for a few minutes first. You will love how much easier it is to cut starched fabrics. I starch everything now.
i use best press for most things, bought at the quilt store or when I really need a thick starch, Niagara’s from the grocery store.
i use best press for most things, bought at the quilt store or when I really need a thick starch, Niagara’s from the grocery store.
Last edited by PamelaOry; 12-20-2019 at 09:48 AM.
#666
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Asheville, previously Lake Vermilion, Tarpon Springs, Duluth, St Paul, Soudan
Posts: 1,651
I was sooooo glad to read that she is extending the clues into January. This will keep it manageable for me.
And QuiltingLawyer, spray starch will be a great help, especially on the bias edges. I use Best Press.
It is also easy for the ruler to slip, especially for me on diagonal cuts. All my rulers now have the 3M stick on dots to help prevent slippage. And have that line on the rulers, not off the edge when measuring.
If none of these help, check your seam allowance.
And QuiltingLawyer, spray starch will be a great help, especially on the bias edges. I use Best Press.
It is also easy for the ruler to slip, especially for me on diagonal cuts. All my rulers now have the 3M stick on dots to help prevent slippage. And have that line on the rulers, not off the edge when measuring.
If none of these help, check your seam allowance.
Last edited by Krisb; 12-20-2019 at 10:25 AM.
#667
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,168
I put a double thickness of the 1/4" masking/seam tape on my trimming ruler, gives me a tiny amount of lip and does help a lot with the HST slipping. Haven't shown it because it shows a measurement... the dots are also a great help.
I'm about halfway cut for this step (only about 12 sets completed and trimmed so far though) and decided I was unhappy with my limited amount of aquas and have gone back to the rejected fabric stack to add a couple of fabrics. If I'm going to be unhappy, I'm going to be unhappy with more/wider range of tones rather than unhappy with less when now is the time to change/add. My color range for the aqua was much tighter than my other colors and I decided I could go further into other shades, my "blues" are just dark and have green, purple, and blue and despite some of the pictures there is no black!
I'm about halfway cut for this step (only about 12 sets completed and trimmed so far though) and decided I was unhappy with my limited amount of aquas and have gone back to the rejected fabric stack to add a couple of fabrics. If I'm going to be unhappy, I'm going to be unhappy with more/wider range of tones rather than unhappy with less when now is the time to change/add. My color range for the aqua was much tighter than my other colors and I decided I could go further into other shades, my "blues" are just dark and have green, purple, and blue and despite some of the pictures there is no black!
#668
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Utah
Posts: 8,847
I have never used starch before. Is there a special one to use? Do you just spray it on, iron and then cut? I have so many questions now...
Just to clarify... I do the 8 at a time for the HSTs. I'm more concerned about the other ones. I guess I'm going to have to track down some starch and see if that helps things out.
Just to clarify... I do the 8 at a time for the HSTs. I'm more concerned about the other ones. I guess I'm going to have to track down some starch and see if that helps things out.
https://www.amazon.com/Purex-Sta-Flo...s%2C184&sr=8-1
#669
Super Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ballwin, MO
Posts: 4,256
Carol, the individual units may seem boring, but it will be beautiful when put together (and probably have greater clarity in the pattern than busy-scrappy versions). I did a single fabric per color version last year with tonal neutrals; I did not have as much fun with the units, but it looked pretty put together and the pattern was very clear.
I'm really late getting to the clue today. I thought we'd be pairing dark blues with medium blues, but using aqua with either med. and dark blue will give many more options. I don't have many aquas and med. blues, but have lots of dark blue. Bonnie is so sweet and encouraging in her clues, and it sounds as though she has just as much fun with this as we do!
I'm really late getting to the clue today. I thought we'd be pairing dark blues with medium blues, but using aqua with either med. and dark blue will give many more options. I don't have many aquas and med. blues, but have lots of dark blue. Bonnie is so sweet and encouraging in her clues, and it sounds as though she has just as much fun with this as we do!
Last edited by joe'smom; 12-20-2019 at 12:49 PM.
#670
Well, in my enthusiasm to get this clue done so I can do some baking I over looked the instructions that say each set is to use the same two fabrics, per page 1. So I had all the one of the clues finished and half of the others before I noticed. It is off to the quilt store tomorrow so I can get more aqua. Just want to try to save anyone else from making the same mistake. Usually Bonnie is so scrappy with her quilts and I just started cutting and thought I was so smart in getting so much done.
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