Long. Sewing blocks to each other

Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs. A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling, pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If, instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

I have learned this method. I think one of the people on Alex Anderson's
show mentioned it. I seem to find the most valuable information on Simple
Quilts in the asides, or off hand remarks. Kay
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on
down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs.
A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to
the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling,
pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If,
instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another
requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more
thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on
top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

Howdy!
Piecing in sections; that's how Mary Ellen Hopkins does it,
and it works for me! g
There's much less distortion, esp. w/ large quilt tops.
I lay out the blocks on the living room floor, carry them into the
dining room (preferred sewing station); I keep a long pin w/ me
to hook the squares together because just crossing the hallway,
those blocks will get turned around the wrong way, I dunno' how! g
I work w/ a quarter of the top at once, first making doubles out of
singles, then sewing together the doubles, then the 4-squares, etc..
This way I get a better idea of how things are going, one section
at a time. There are fewer of the lonnnnnnng seams (only 1 or 2),
and it makes the whole project more manageable for me.
Thanks for the reminder, Pollllly.
Ragmop/Sandy
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on
down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs.
A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to
the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling,
pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If,
instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another
requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more
thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on
top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

I have no idea why I was putting them together in rows or columns. It is
just so easy to get off by 1/8 of an inch here and there which totals a
disaster at the end. With pairing, I get to prevent a battle coming up.
Polly

Ellison wrote in message
news
Howdy!
Piecing in sections; that's how Mary Ellen Hopkins does it,
and it works for me! g
There's much less distortion, esp. w/ large quilt tops.
I lay out the blocks on the living room floor, carry them into the
dining room (preferred sewing station); I keep a long pin w/ me
to hook the squares together because just crossing the hallway,
those blocks will get turned around the wrong way, I dunno' how! g
I work w/ a quarter of the top at once, first making doubles out of
singles, then sewing together the doubles, then the 4-squares, etc..
This way I get a better idea of how things are going, one section
at a time. There are fewer of the lonnnnnnng seams (only 1 or 2),
and it makes the whole project more manageable for me.
Thanks for the reminder, Pollllly.
Ragmop/Sandy
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged
them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across
and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are
called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on
down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works
for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together
would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs.
A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to
the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling,
pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If,
instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop
a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another
requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more
thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on
top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be
sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

This makes so much sense! You are my hero...erm, heroine??
Martha in IN
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on
down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs.
A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to
the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling,
pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If,
instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another
requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more
thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on
top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

I just lay the quilt on the floor in my studio and then pick them up two
at a time. Go get the next block and sew it on and so on. Then when each
row is done I do each column the same way. The big difference is now I
have a full row to sew a single seam. It takes a few more steps but I
rarely get them out of order. I have tried any number of ways to do this
but am prone to making mistakes and having to then pull them out.
juliasb

Polly Esther wrote:

Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs. A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling, pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If, instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

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Hot dog! I don't think I've ever been a hero. Well, maybe the time I did CPR
on an iguana, but that was a long time ago. I hope "pairing" makes your
quilting easier. Polly

Martha in IN wrote in message
...
This makes so much sense! You are my hero...erm, heroine??
Martha in IN

I did my quilt top that way just this afternoon! It makes the handling
of the bulk much easier!

Laurie G.

Polly Esther wrote:
Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs. A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling, pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If, instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

This is the Mary Ellen Hopkins' technique I've been using for years. Piecing
blocks by 2's and then 4's is so much easier than making rows. If I'm sashing
between the blocks, I add the sashing to the blocks before I sew them together.

Sandy
in Chapel Hill, NC

Polly Esther wrote:
Let us say that you have finally finished all the blocks and arranged them
until you're pleased. There are 80 blocks. They are arranged 8 across and
ten down. Going across, they are called "rows". Going down they are called
"columns". Are you with me here?
Okay. You safety pin their names on. The top, left block is A-1 and
across the row through A-8. The second row is B-1 through B-8. And on down.
Now - here's what I believe Marti Michell suggests, and it works for
the beginner, challenged or downright dippy quilter:
You think sewing A-1 to A-2 etc, stitching all the rows together would
be the next step. Nope! That's the hard way.
Thinking of stitching A-1 to B-1, creating long columns would work?
Sure, but that's the hard way too.
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs. A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling, pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly. If, instead,
you make long rows or columns, is it very likely that they will develop a
mind of their own and distort. And, sewing one long row to another requires
you to do lots of matching
This works so much better for me. I hope you'll try it. One more thing -
When picking up the pairs to be stitched together, lay one face down on top
of the other and safety pin them together at the edge that is to be sewn
together. Firmly. Those rascals do love to turn and spin while you are
walking from the layout to the SM. Trust me. Polly

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...

(snipped)
Marti recommends making pairs, bigger pairs, and even bigger pairs.
A-1
to A-2, B-1 to B-2, C-1 to C-2 etc. Then, the A-1 + A-2 pair is sewn to
the
B-1 + B-2 pair.
Sewing "pairs" gives you an easy opportunity to do whatever pulling,
pushing
and easing necessary to make the blocks fit together perfectly.
(snipped)

Hi Polly,

Thanks for a great tip. I had never thought of that and have been merrily
sewing rows and columns together trying to match all the pieces. This
sounds like a much better way.

Shawn

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mslibra
www.cutcakes.ca