Friday, August 10, 2012

Spools Progress . . . .

Ta Da!  I'm working away on my Spools blocks!


One thing that was continually annoying me with my blocks was that little corner where the spool top or bottom met the thread.  

This is how it should look.


Trouble was, on a block with four of these intersections, I was only getting 3 perfectly aligned.  I would then take the bad corner,  un-sew it, fiddle with it, sew it again, and get it right.  After doing this for four or five blocks I got to thinking there must be a way to get all 4 corners perfectly aligned on the first try, and there is!

Using my Pilot FriXion pen I measured a quarter inch from the edge and marked the front of this seam.


Then I measured and marked a quarter inch down this diagonal line, on the back of this piece.


I then ran a pin through the line on the back, then the line on the front, to get the proper placement.  Then I would pin and sew.



Now I'm four for four on those corners, every time!  The pen marks disappear when I press the seams.


I've not heard anyone mention that they struggled with this part of this block,  some folks probably were able to sew their corners more accurately than I and got it right the first try.  So if you make this block and have no issues with those corners, don't worry about the marking and pinning, but if your blocks are off a little give this a try!

24 comments:

  1. This is a great tip Thelma! I'm all about sewing once, not twice!

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  2. Ingenious! I completed another pattern for a spool quilt about a month ago, and some were on, and some weren't. With this little tip, my next set of spools should be perfect, or close to it! Your spools are perfection in the making!

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  3. Great idea! I do love those marking pins.

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  4. You are so clever!!! I love your little tips. And I love your pink and green spools! Your quilt will be so happy and fun!

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  5. I love those FriXion pens! I've bought a bunch of them and find I use them for all kinds of different sewing tasks. Your spools are coming are along just beautifully. I really like the color combination.

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  6. I haven't made the blocks yet, but I encounter those problems on angles and when matching seams so I usually pin to match too. Great reminder! And someone just gave me a pink FriXion pen. Wow, its great! Keep it up Thelma...you'll "git her done".

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  7. A great tip! I must try out those marking pens. Your blocks look so pretty!

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  8. I so admire your standards in your sewing. Perfection! Have a great weekend, Thelma.

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  9. They look so pretty. Lot's of people (that would be me) might be more careless in their sewing. But they (that would be me) are taking time and being much more accurate these days. Thanks for the tip.

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  10. They say, "necessity is the Mother of invention" and you've proven that point well, my friend in this post. Great tip for a perfect block! Have a wonderful weekend. XOXO

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  11. Wow, that is a fantastic idea to use the FriXion pen. I was ending up using a pencil to do similar marking after un-sewing the first 3 or 4. Your spools are beautiful!

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  12. Pretty blocks and fabrics! Sometimes we have to revert to more traditional patchwork methods - thanks for the tip!

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  13. I have the same problem with my spools blocks , some of them were just not lining up. I used the same method as you & it worked like a charm. Your Spools blocks are really coming along, wait .... is that a little baby spool block I see ? CUTE !

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  14. Thanks for the hint, Thelma. I'm starting my Spools Monday after company leaves Sunday... that is a day of rest and I really NEED it. Love your pinks and greens and that Bliss makes my heart go ZING!!!

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  15. These are looking great. Thanks for the reminder that we can use all sorts of tools when quilting: marking pens and pins, as well as rushing things through the machine at top speed.

    Elizabeth E.
    opquilt.com

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  16. I love the spools. I have not put the tops or bottoms on yet, so I will definitely try this. Thanks for the tip!

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  17. Looks great! I'm glad the FriXion pens are working out for you. A note of caution with them, I'm working on a multi-colored patchwork quilt top now, and I used a purple FriXion pen to label each piece, so as to not get the order messed up. The pen marks did disappear with a hot iron on lighter colors, but they turned white and are visible still on brown, purple, red, and darker blue & green fabrics. I'm hoping the white ink residue will come out in the wash...

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  18. Love your spools and the fabric is delightful! This is a great tip and thanks for sharing. I love your spool "tops". I can't decide on what color to use for mine.
    Hugs,
    Donna

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  19. I struggle with it. Thanks for the tip. Mine are smaller.
    Thanks for sharing!

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