It rained pretty much all day today. I did take a half hour to get myself and my boys outside for a walk this afternoon and we were all soaked to the skin by the time we got home. But, by God, we got out and moved our bodies!
I had a dog agility class in Hopewell, OR, this evening, so had to be on the road by six. I didn’t get home until almost 10 pm. It takes a full hour to drive down there without traffic. But Rico and I had a blast in class. Bender appreciated that he got to run in the field and stretch his legs. The skies had cleared before we left and it was a lovely drive.
I did spend a little time in my sewing room when we got home… playing with the idea of making a freezer paper template for making curved blocks like in the bag I finished last night. So I cut a couple 10 1/4 inch squares of freezer paper, gathered all my tools, and started playing.
And what did I learn after all that? The plate method that I used the other night worked the best!
So I cut some 10 inch squares of more blue and orange fabric to test out this template.
Then I stacked them up and ironed the freezer paper to the top of the stack. (If you’ve never used freezer paper, it has a thin coating of wax on one side and you can press it to fabric to hold it in place. It pulls off really easily, leaving nothing behind.) And using the plate on top of the fabric (to hold it all in place as I cut), I cut the pieces.
The beauty of the freezer paper template is that I’ll be able to use it again. You can press and pull them many times.
Here’s four sets of cut pieces I ended up with.
I did manage to get the one closest to the iron sewn.
It’s better, but I still don’t love it. The little piece in the lower left is too straight and it could be bigger. By the time it’s finished, there won’t be much left. The larger corner piece is odd too… there’s nothing left of it on the right side. But that could actually be a cool feature. I’ll have to see how it works up once finished.
So this template will work fine for this set of blocks, but I think I’m going to be back at the drawing board to make another one that I like better.
OK… I JUST HAD A BRAINSTORM AS I WAS DAYDREAMING MID TYPING… I might try making these curved pieces using different sized round things… a cup, saucer, plate, and my stainless steel bowl. I think that might give me the effect I want. And now I can’t wait to try it!!! I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow night!
**********EDITED TO ADD **********
I couldn’t stand it. I had to try it out, so I grabbed some plates and bowls, and headed for my sewing room.
And after one failed attempt and a few adjustments, I did it! I came up with a template that is what I want. I won’t know for sure until I cut it and sew a couple blocks, but this is looking really good!
… and now I can relax!
I also remembered a small project that I did this weekend that is making things a lot easier in my sewing room. I bought some Command Hooks, stuck them to the side of a file cabinet in my sewing room, and hung most of my square quilting rulers where they are easy and quick to find and easy and quick to put away.
These hooks are supposed to be able to hold several pounds, so they can easily hold two quilting rulers.
I’m a big fan of tricks that make me more efficient.
agilejack 
hmmm. you either have to embrace the wonky and go with it, or use the symmetrical saucer series….. what about using pieces of string tied on to a pencil to create your arcs? loving the colors, of course!
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If you look closely at the first photo you’ll see a pencil with a string on it. I tried it, but it was really impossible to adjust it so I had the distances I wanted on each side. I really wanted it to work because the options are wider. Bur alas…
Anne
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good heavens. I don’t even need to look closely. It’s right there in front of me eyes! sorry!
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Hahaha!
Anne
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Loving the oranges you’ve been using lately. What a bunch of happy. Gaahhh!
I love those little hooks! I should say I’m pretty obsessed with them. I’m using them for rulers, scissors, and rotary cutters. I’ve got them on sides of cabinets and directly on the walls. Everything within arms reach.
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Orange gets a bad rap. So many people hate orange. But it’s a truly magnificent color!
Anne
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We have Coyotes too – they come out at night, terrorize the ducks and usually get a meal from them. Love your idea about using different sizes plates and saucers. Your sewing room looks so organized with the rulers up on the hooks! Another great Anne idea ☺. I am looking forward to your next creation!
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I don’t know why I didn’t think of more of those hooks sooner. I’ve had one where I hang my 2.5 inch square because I kept losing it constantly. It fell into my scrap bucket once and it took me months to find it!
Anne
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Great experimenting with the curved pieces. I’ve yet to sew curved anything… one day….
The jungle paisley in tangerine is my all time favorite. I used it on a queen sized backing.
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Tangerine jungle paisley is soooo good! I used it for a backing for this quilt… https://agilejack1.com/2019/12/08/hexagon-finished/
I have another piece for the backing for an Aboretum quilt kit that I bought for myself last year. A friend gave me the backing fabric.
You should try some curved piecing. It’s not as terrible as you think it is.
Anne
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Love it!
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Thanks!
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Curved piecing isn’t so hard, it’s a learned technique like anything else. It isn’t zipadedoodah, it’s slow and steady! The results are worth it. Love the Command strips on the file cabinet!
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Curved piecing — the one time bias edges are your friend!
Anne
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You could use the curved templates you have hanging there and move them how you want them. Seems like it would work. maybe worth a try. Love your bags and all the colors and materials you ues.
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The same curve doesn’t really work on the small end and large end of the block. I tried! It really helps to have different size circles.
If you use the same curved thing to make the small pieces as the large ones, the small ones appear like more straight lines, and the larger ones have a more pronounced curve. To have similar feeling curves, it works best to change the size of the circle.
Anne
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Makes sense, and good info if I was to try making blocks like these. Thank you.
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It’s amazing what you learn when you try to figure something out. Failure is a strong teacher!
Anne
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Save yourself some some frustration and buy the Radiant Suns Designs pattern by Cara Gulati. She has worked everything out for you. Available for $12 on Ebay or $25 includes all 5 acrylic templates
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For me this isn’t frustrating. It’s fun! I love this process of figuring something out! I find it challenging and really rewarding when I get it all ironed out!
Thanks for the info. I’ll check it out.
Anne
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