Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Auditioning Quilting Designs
I have been playing with Photoshop Elements to cut and paste a quilting design onto the Pink Star quilt. The quilting would actually be done using white thread but I used black paintbrush to see if I like the placement. I would like to just outline the star blocks and use the "Kitty and Daisies Block 13" design from One Song Needle Arts in the other areas.
For now, I've just been working on stitching out the design block and making sure the quilting works with the threads on scrap fabric and batting. I'll have to switch over to white thread and see how it goes too. I think the challenge will be placing the block design just right to make sure the center circle goes over the 4 points that come together in the non-star areas.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Quilt Backing - Cutting it Close
It was great getting a chance to visit with Mom this past week. Now it's back to the normal routine and finding time to finish the Pink Star quilt. I was able to finish the quilt backing early this morning. There are two things about this quilt backing that bother me. One being the one tumbler die (with the big white arrow pointing to it) I did not center the white stripe. It did not look as obvious when it was the other direction. Maybe I'll just rotate the backing.
The second item is that I am cutting it close on length. I think I only have a 1/2 inch on top and bottom extra. I'm debating whether to piece an extra strip or take a chance. More than likely I'll add a pieced strip just to be safe. It would be so disappointing if I started quilting and then the backing ended up short. So, one more step to finish the backing and we'll be ready to start pinning. Looking at the photo, I should have ironed it before photos.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
The second item is that I am cutting it close on length. I think I only have a 1/2 inch on top and bottom extra. I'm debating whether to piece an extra strip or take a chance. More than likely I'll add a pieced strip just to be safe. It would be so disappointing if I started quilting and then the backing ended up short. So, one more step to finish the backing and we'll be ready to start pinning. Looking at the photo, I should have ironed it before photos.
~*~Trish~*~
Copy of your Blog
I'll be stepping away from the Pink Quilt for a little bit. Off to visit with family. So, I have a couple of non related items to share along the way.
Over the summer, I shared a way to publish your blog into a book using a service I found SharedBook Blog2Print . I am not compensated by them, just a happy customer so far. The previous blog that I had printed to a physical hard copy book was a smaller private blog that was not too expensive to print to hard copy. However, my craft blog would have been over 300+ pages. So, I opted to have a pdf file created from the blog. This way, I don't have to click on the blog navigation to look back at the different entries. They still lay it out with all entries being indexed in the front of the file and rearrange all photos to be able to display them more efficiently on the page.
The price to create the full pdf of my blog from June 2008 until yesterday was $7.95. So, just an option I wanted to share with the bloggers out there. It was super quick and easy.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Over the summer, I shared a way to publish your blog into a book using a service I found SharedBook Blog2Print . I am not compensated by them, just a happy customer so far. The previous blog that I had printed to a physical hard copy book was a smaller private blog that was not too expensive to print to hard copy. However, my craft blog would have been over 300+ pages. So, I opted to have a pdf file created from the blog. This way, I don't have to click on the blog navigation to look back at the different entries. They still lay it out with all entries being indexed in the front of the file and rearrange all photos to be able to display them more efficiently on the page.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Part 2 - AccuQuilt Hunter's Star Quilt Instructions - Adding Borders
Now, I’m a little unconventional on how I measure and apply
my borders and corner blocks. So, I
completely understand if you want to use your own method of accurate measuring. The borders are basically 3 strips of fabric sewn together alternating dark, light, dark and then 4 corner blocks. If you are continuing
to follow from part 1 instructions, you probably already have your half square
triangles for the corner blocks cut out and sewn together to make the half
square triangle squares such as the one pictured below image7.
You should have 16 of these created from sewing the 16 light half square triangles with the 16 dark half square triangles cut and set aside for the corner blocks.
Since I have two strips of dark on each side of the border, I would cut 3 strips of dark fabric the full length of my fabric width for each side of my quilt. This ends up being 12 strips of the dark fabric cut in total. This was not scraps. The fabric width is usually anywhere from 41-43” long.
Since I only have 1 strip of light fabric on each side of the border, I would cut 6 strips of light fabric the full length of my light fabric width for the whole quilt. Again, this was not scraps. The fabric width is usually anywhere from 41-43” long.
I cut 2 strips in half and adjoin each half piece to a full size piece. This gives me approx. 4 strips at about 61” each of strip. I know I’m about 10-20 inches too long. I like to use the extra on the backs for use on a pillow in the future.
Repeat this process 4 times to create a side border for each side of the quilt. Once ironed, set them aside.
~*~Trish~*~
You should have 16 of these created from sewing the 16 light half square triangles with the 16 dark half square triangles cut and set aside for the corner blocks.
 |
| Image7 |
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
Border & Corner blocks
- 16 light 2 1/2"half square triangles **** Probably already cut and sewn in Part 1 instructions ****
- 16 dark 2 1/2" half square triangles****
Probably already cut and sewn in Part 1 instructions ****
- border strips (2) 2" dark strips and (1) 1.5"
CUTTING THE STRIPS
I like to cut my border strips too big for the quilt. I like to be safer than sorry and anything
that is left over, I try and add to the back of the quilt or use somewhere else
like a pillow or something. I currently
do not own the strip cutter dies for the AccuQuilt Go product. If you had the 2” and the 1.5” strip cutter
dies, this would work great for you as well.
So, if your finished center measured approximate 50+” long and approx.
41+” wide, this is how I generally measure it.
Dark Strips Cut 2”
wide
Since I have two strips of dark on each side of the border, I would cut 3 strips of dark fabric the full length of my fabric width for each side of my quilt. This ends up being 12 strips of the dark fabric cut in total. This was not scraps. The fabric width is usually anywhere from 41-43” long.
I cut 4 strips in half and join each half piece to a full
size piece. This gives me approx. 8
strips at about 61” each of strip. I
know I’m about 10-20 inches too long. However,
I like to use the extra on the backs for use on a pillow in the future.
Light Strips Cut 1.5”
wide
Since I only have 1 strip of light fabric on each side of the border, I would cut 6 strips of light fabric the full length of my light fabric width for the whole quilt. Again, this was not scraps. The fabric width is usually anywhere from 41-43” long.
I cut 2 strips in half and adjoin each half piece to a full size piece. This gives me approx. 4 strips at about 61” each of strip. I know I’m about 10-20 inches too long. I like to use the extra on the backs for use on a pillow in the future.
ASSEMBLING THE BORDER
SIDES
Each side has 3 strips (2 dark and 1 light) 1.5 times the
length of your fabric width. Or
approximately 60” long.
Sew one light strip onto one dark strip right sides facing
each other. Open and iron the seam to
the dark side the whole length of the strip.
Now attach the second dark strip to the open side of the light strip
with right sides facing each other. Sew
the full length of the strip using a ¼ inch seam. When completed, open and iron the new seam to
the dark side of the fabric. Your top
and bottom of the strip will look like the sample below in image8 and image9
below. The borders should measure 4.5
inches wide when completed as in image10.
 | ||
| image8 |
 |
| image9 |
 |
| image10 |
Repeat this process 4 times to create a side border for each side of the quilt. Once ironed, set them aside.
ASSEMBLING THE BORDER
CORNER BLOCKS
Each corner block is made up of 4 dark and 4 light 2.5” half
square triangles which when sewn together above, gives you 4 half square
triangle squares. I use two different
types of corner blocks to represent the two different centers of the stars on
the quilt. You could very easily use all
4 blocks the same if you would like. The
two layout of square I use are positioned as such:
| ||||
In both cases, flip block B onto block A and sew right sides
together on the right side. Flip block D
onto block C and sew right sides together on the right side. You end up with two rows for each block. Reposition rows to match the photos
above. Flip AB row onto CD row and sew
right sides together. Make sure to match
up your seams and sew the right side to produce the matching blocks. You should repeat this until you have 2
complete blocks to match image11 and two complete blocks to match image12. Your blocks should finish out at 4.5” square.
ADDING THE BORDERS TO
THE QUILT CENTER
I add the left and right side borders first. These are straight basic seams adding the
border to the quilt right sides together.
Trim the top and bottom edges of the added border even with the quilt
center.
 |
| image13 |
On the last two borders (top and bottom), I trim one edge on
each border to have a straight edge to sew one of the corner stones to. I leave the rest of the border length and end
alone. I only use one pin on the seam of
the attached corner block to make sure it lines up with the seam of the left
border.
PLEASE NOTE: The following photo examples are from
another quilt I was working on. I did
not take pictures when I added the borders to my hunter’s star quilt. However, the process is still the same.
I stop sewing the top border all the way across the top and
stop about 3” away from the right side seam where the corner block should be.
I then measure with a ruler to mark ¼ inch past the right
border seam to know where to trim my newly added top border.
Then I trim the newly added
border on the line just marked. I
usually just cut with scissors while sitting at the sewing machine.
Next, I pin the last corner
block for the top border to the newly trimmed edge. Reposition this newly added block under the
machine and sew the corner block on to the attached border. This is why I leave about 3” not sewn on the
border. It allows me to rearrange the
quilt to get the border block under the needle to sew. Then I realign my border to my quilt with the
newly attached cornerstone, pin the seams and continue sewing the rest of the
border on.
When the top border is
attached, you’ll see the corner blocks match up perfectly.
REMEMBER: The border photo examples are from
another quilt I was working on. I did
not take pictures when I added the borders to my hunter’s star quilt. However, the process is still the same.
Repeat for the bottom border. However for the bottom border, I start on the
right side of the quilt first. This
allows me to have the border on the top of the quilt when I sew and the quilt bulk is to
the left of my machine. Just a
preference of mine. I try and use the
excess border strips for the back of the quilt or a matching quilt pillow. I hope these instructions allow you to make
a hunter’s star quilt as well. If you
have any questions or corrections, please feel free to contact me.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Part 1 - AccuQuilt Hunter's Star Quilt Instructions
Pin It
Let’s try this again.
I wrote most of these instructions up yesterday and accidentally deleted
them. I was so sick, they were so
detailed. O-well… Back to the drawing
board. I usually do not write a lot of quilting
instructions so please let me know if you find any errors or have any
questions.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Let’s try this again.
I wrote most of these instructions up yesterday and accidentally deleted
them. I was so sick, they were so
detailed. O-well… Back to the drawing
board. I usually do not write a lot of quilting
instructions so please let me know if you find any errors or have any
questions.
HOW I CUT WITH MY ACCUQUILT GO
I used the small AccuQuilt Go Value Die for this quilt. It works with the AccuQuilt Go Baby but I don't have a Go Baby just yet. I usually cut a maximum of 4 layers of fabric on my
AccuQuilt Go. It just works best for me
to help in making sure the cuts stay as accurate as possible. Also, I always line up my fabric edge (you
know the one with the manufacturer’s name on it) parallel with the long edge of
the die. There are also some great tips
on the AccuQuilt Go and Yahoo Group.
I usually cut or rip my fabric into strips and then I accordion
fold it over closely over the one die needed.
My strips are just a little bit wider than the item trying to be cut. This allows me to minimize my scraps.
And before I know it, I have a whole pile of cut out blocks.
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
Center Quilt Blocks
- 240 Light 2 1/2" half square triangles
- 240 Dark 2 1/2" half square triangles
- 30 4 1/2" light squares
- 30 4 1/2" dark squares
Border & Corner blocks
- 16 light 2 1/2"half square triangles
- 16 dark 2 1/2" half square triangles
- border strips (2) 2" dark strips and (1) 1.5" light strip
PREPARING THE BLOCKS
First step is to pair up all 240 dark half square triangles
with your 240 light half square triangles and sew right sides together. During this time, I feed them one by one into
the sewing machine and then snip separate them later. Iron each one open
pressing the seam to the dark fabric.
Repeat the steps above with the half square triangles for
the border . Match one light with one
dark and sew right sides together. Iron
each one open pressing the seam to the dark fabric.
PUTTING THE BLOCKS TOGETHER
Now, it is all about direction on the blocks. There is really one base block to this quilt
that when repeated creates the star.
Make 24 full blocks and then we'll make 6 blocks without the final seam.
In image1 you can see the direction placements for the half square triangle blocks. We'll start working in the top left section, place 4 of your half square blocks to match the image. Make sure you keep track of which side needs to be sewn to keep the blocks in the direction originally laid out. Sew TL1 to TR1 to make a row 1 in image2 (below) and then sew TL2 to TR2 to make row 2 in image2 (below). Ignore the 4 1/2 inch blocks for now. In the bottom right quadrants of Image1, position 4 more half square triangle blocks in the right directions to match and then sew BL1 to BR1 to form row 3 in image2 (below) and then BL2 to BR2 to form row 4 in image 2 (below).
In image1 you can see the direction placements for the half square triangle blocks. We'll start working in the top left section, place 4 of your half square blocks to match the image. Make sure you keep track of which side needs to be sewn to keep the blocks in the direction originally laid out. Sew TL1 to TR1 to make a row 1 in image2 (below) and then sew TL2 to TR2 to make row 2 in image2 (below). Ignore the 4 1/2 inch blocks for now. In the bottom right quadrants of Image1, position 4 more half square triangle blocks in the right directions to match and then sew BL1 to BR1 to form row 3 in image2 (below) and then BL2 to BR2 to form row 4 in image 2 (below).
 |
| Image1 |
 | |||
| Image2 |
Position your rows to match the layout in image2 above. Now sew Row 1 to Row 2 with matching up the
center seams. Once completed, the block
will match block1 in image3 below. Move
on to sew Row 3 to Row 4 to create block2 in image3 below.
 |
| image3 |
 |
| image4 |
To finish the block, match the positioning in image3 and sew
Block1 to a Dark 4.5” plain block. Then
sew a light 4.5” plain block to Block2.
Finally, sew the two block top half to the two block bottom half to
complete the block as in image4. Repeat this process to create 24 of these individual
blocks. There are 3 more blocks to complete. However, on these 3 blocks, do not sew the
top half to the bottom half. This will
leave 24 completed blocks and 6 halfs.
ASSEMBLING THE QUILT CENTER
Then assemble each of the 24 full blocks to match image5
below. I usually complete the rows first
and then assemble the rows. All you need
to do is make sure your blocks match the layout in image4 below. You basically rotate the individual block to
match up the “feathers” of each star.
Also, I took a lot of time to match up the seams and pinning.
 |
| image5 |
The
six half blocks will be going on the right and left sides of the center
quilt. Assemble the half blocks to match
the layout below in image6. 3 half blocks for each side. Then attach the two rows to the left and
right of the center quilt. Be careful to
match up all the different seams. I like
to use pins to make sure my seams line up.
 |
| image6 |
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Finished Hunter's Star Quilt Top
The Hunter's Star quilt top is now completed. I added the borders and corner blocks yesterday. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Especially since this was created completely with the pink scraps that were cut off of the backing to the Breast Cancer Quilts. I used all the scraps cut from the two quilt backing sides. I ran them through the AccuQuilt Go and created all the blocks necessary to create the pink portions of the quilt. The white was from my stash. I used a different white on white in the border. You can't really tell.
Next step is to decide on how I want to quilt the top. I'm leaning more towards stitch in the ditch. My other option is an all over design. For now, it's hanging in my entryway and I'll keep looking at it to decide how to finish it.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
Next step is to decide on how I want to quilt the top. I'm leaning more towards stitch in the ditch. My other option is an all over design. For now, it's hanging in my entryway and I'll keep looking at it to decide how to finish it.
Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~
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