My Wife Is “Cutting Up” Again....
06-29-2014, 02:25 PM
#41
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Location: Frederick, OK
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Well, not really. She cut the 2,460 off-white squares (plus extras just because), plus the strips and rectangles that she needs, while I was out mowing the lawn (2 lots, front and back yards, about 2 hours because I ran out of gas and had to refuel), and she still had time to help me move things to get a good mowing job done, and then move them back. She even brought me cold beer when I needed one (only in the fenced-in backyard, away from traffic, of course).
You forget that there are tools now to do these kinds of things. She has a ruler that makes it possible to cut 336 1-inch squares at a time, and simply turn the cutting board one time. In the photos, there are 4 layers of off-white fabric. The ruler (shown to the left in the first photo) she used is from June Taylor called a “Shape Cut”, and it has slots on the 1/2 inch so that you can cut several times without moving the ruler. She used the 1” slots in this case. After the two cuts, she simply placed the 1" squares into a basket for future use.
Tricky, huh? But, she’ll still have to cut the print fabrics individually......and you guys thought this was going to be hard.....
CD in Oklahoma
You forget that there are tools now to do these kinds of things. She has a ruler that makes it possible to cut 336 1-inch squares at a time, and simply turn the cutting board one time. In the photos, there are 4 layers of off-white fabric. The ruler (shown to the left in the first photo) she used is from June Taylor called a “Shape Cut”, and it has slots on the 1/2 inch so that you can cut several times without moving the ruler. She used the 1” slots in this case. After the two cuts, she simply placed the 1" squares into a basket for future use.
Tricky, huh? But, she’ll still have to cut the print fabrics individually......and you guys thought this was going to be hard.....
CD in Oklahoma
Last edited by ThayerRags; 06-29-2014 at 02:28 PM.
06-29-2014, 03:13 PM
#42
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
She loves to make scrappy quilts, and has decided to begin making a “99 Bottles” Quilt (62” x 78”) that she found in the Scraptherapy Scraps Plus One book by Joan Ford.
It calls for 2460 1-inch squares of one off-white fabric. Then, there will be an additional 1968 1-inch squares of print fabrics that she plans to get by cutting 492 of her 2-inch squares into quarters. Then, there will be some 31 2”x14” strips and 40 2”x2.5” rectangles that will need to be cut to go with them.
She’ll have to sew things together as she goes to keep all of the print fabrics together (mini 9-patch blocks), but I think she’s just getting to be a real cut up, don’t you?
Anyone else enjoy this kind of cutting up?
CD in Oklahoma
It calls for 2460 1-inch squares of one off-white fabric. Then, there will be an additional 1968 1-inch squares of print fabrics that she plans to get by cutting 492 of her 2-inch squares into quarters. Then, there will be some 31 2”x14” strips and 40 2”x2.5” rectangles that will need to be cut to go with them.
She’ll have to sew things together as she goes to keep all of the print fabrics together (mini 9-patch blocks), but I think she’s just getting to be a real cut up, don’t you?
Anyone else enjoy this kind of cutting up?
CD in Oklahoma
06-29-2014, 03:20 PM
#43
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
06-30-2014, 02:09 AM
#45
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: north Alabama
Posts: 1,880
CD, I can't wait to see the quilt when she finishes! I'm glad some people have the patience for this, since they are so pretty. I'd have to do it in the leader-ender type of way, but it is very doable. Please post pics of her progress. Tell her I said "You go Girl!"
I also enjoy working with small pieces, and have many squares for postage stamp (1.5") squares.
06-30-2014, 06:03 AM
#48
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Barling, Arkansas
Posts: 828
She loves to make scrappy quilts, and has decided to begin making a “99 Bottles” Quilt (62” x 78”) that she found in the Scraptherapy Scraps Plus One book by Joan Ford.
It calls for 2460 1-inch squares of one off-white fabric. Then, there will be an additional 1968 1-inch squares of print fabrics that she plans to get by cutting 492 of her 2-inch squares into quarters. Then, there will be some 31 2”x14” strips and 40 2”x2.5” rectangles that will need to be cut to go with them.
She’ll have to sew things together as she goes to keep all of the print fabrics together (mini 9-patch blocks), but I think she’s just getting to be a real cut up, don’t you?
Anyone else enjoy this kind of cutting up?
CD in Oklahoma
It calls for 2460 1-inch squares of one off-white fabric. Then, there will be an additional 1968 1-inch squares of print fabrics that she plans to get by cutting 492 of her 2-inch squares into quarters. Then, there will be some 31 2”x14” strips and 40 2”x2.5” rectangles that will need to be cut to go with them.
She’ll have to sew things together as she goes to keep all of the print fabrics together (mini 9-patch blocks), but I think she’s just getting to be a real cut up, don’t you?
Anyone else enjoy this kind of cutting up?
CD in Oklahoma
06-30-2014, 11:08 AM
#49
Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Plainfield, IL
Posts: 55
I tryin' to decide if your braggin' or complainin'... <giggles!> Totally agree with you about the shape cut. Made working on the Birthday Quilt and Ohmigosh so much easier!
She's going to have a blast...the hardest part will be stopping once she's got the quilt finished...those little blocks are like popcorn!
Julie
She's going to have a blast...the hardest part will be stopping once she's got the quilt finished...those little blocks are like popcorn!
Julie
06-30-2014, 01:21 PM
#50
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 983
I see where you’re going with this, but she already has her print fabric cut into 2” squares, so it won’t help to make strips with them. It could have, had she decided to use 1” strips, but she’s using 2” squares instead. Also, during her selection of 2” squares, only 6 squares of the same fabric print will be used, so it will end up being extremely scrappy with no repeating color scheme which using strips lends itself to very nicely.
So, yes, she will actually cut all 1” squares and sew them all together, but will be using the Bonnie K Hunter method from her book “Leaders & Enders” for most of the blocks while she works on other quilt projects. Sort of like “multi-tasking”. In other words, while she’s working on a table runner, small seasonal throw, or any other sewing project for the next several months, she will sew two of these 1” squares together as an ender every time she needs to remove work from her presser foot. She will sew two 1” squares together, or strips of them, instead of lifting her foot and cutting her threads. Once a mini 9-patch is completed, it will be set aside and another set of 1” blocks with a different print will become the leaders and enders.
There may be times when she sets down to simply make mini 9-patch blocks for the 99 Bottles quilt, but probably not that often. She’s going to take advantage of the Leaders & Enders method to get them done.
I should add that even though she does alterations and repairs at the shop for 9 hours each weekday, she usually sews at home for several hours each evening, so she spends a lot of time sewing. She won’t do any of these blocks at the shop, because of different stitch lengths, stitch patterns, and thread colors/types involved in alterations. She’ll make them all at home in the evenings and weekends.
Did I mention that my wife loves to sew?
CD in Oklahoma
So, yes, she will actually cut all 1” squares and sew them all together, but will be using the Bonnie K Hunter method from her book “Leaders & Enders” for most of the blocks while she works on other quilt projects. Sort of like “multi-tasking”. In other words, while she’s working on a table runner, small seasonal throw, or any other sewing project for the next several months, she will sew two of these 1” squares together as an ender every time she needs to remove work from her presser foot. She will sew two 1” squares together, or strips of them, instead of lifting her foot and cutting her threads. Once a mini 9-patch is completed, it will be set aside and another set of 1” blocks with a different print will become the leaders and enders.
There may be times when she sets down to simply make mini 9-patch blocks for the 99 Bottles quilt, but probably not that often. She’s going to take advantage of the Leaders & Enders method to get them done.
I should add that even though she does alterations and repairs at the shop for 9 hours each weekday, she usually sews at home for several hours each evening, so she spends a lot of time sewing. She won’t do any of these blocks at the shop, because of different stitch lengths, stitch patterns, and thread colors/types involved in alterations. She’ll make them all at home in the evenings and weekends.
Did I mention that my wife loves to sew?
CD in Oklahoma
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