Posted on by agilejack

TGIF and Getting Going on X&+

I’m glad it’s Friday. It’s been a tough week and I’m happy to see the tail end of it.

It was a rainy day today and it was wonderful. During our walk last night I felt a few rain drops here and there. By the time I went to bed there was a very light rain falling and it fell pretty much all day. And it was wonderful. I think it’s been at least a month since we’ve and rain and we need it.

After our evening walk tonight I finally hit my sewing room and started trimming some of my X & + blocks in anticipation of getting this top finished.

I’ve been thinking about trimming these blocks for a few days. I wanted to be really careful so I would be able to sew them together and have the arms of the pluses match on all four sides of each block. So I pulled out y 12.5 inch square ruler and marked all four sides for lining up with the plus arms.

I used some transparent and easily removed tape that is made specifically for this purpose. The one I have comes in a package of three different colors. The package has lasted me many years.

I place the ruler on top of the block and line up, as closely as I can, the marks on all four sides of the ruler and then start cutting off the excess fabric.

Since I have two extra blocks I practiced on those first. I’m not having to cut very much off these blocks to get them squared up, but it will make a big difference in how easily the top sews up.

I actually really like squaring up blocks. This surprises even me! I just love taking a somewhat wonky and uneven block to near perfection. Look how gorgeous this is when it’s all squared up!

And there’s something so pretty and cheerful about this…

It would have been more convenient and efficient to square up all the blocks before I tossed them up on the design wall, but since I was indecisive on whether or not I was even going to square them up, I am where I am. So I started with one row, squared up each block and put it back not the design wall. Once I had a row of six blocks done, I started sewing them together.

The first seam didn’t match as closely as I would have liked

After this first block didn’t turn out as nicely as I’d like, I used a pin through the seam of each block to match up the seams.

The next blocks turned out much nicer! I’ll be sticking with this method on the remaining blocks.

So I managed to get one full row trimmed and sewn together. And it looks pretty nice!

I’m just loving looking at each block as I square them up. The fabrics are really gorgeous!

I received photos of another finished quilt from my long arm quilter a couple days ago.

the quilting design combines horizontal bars and swirls. I love it for this pattern with all those horizontal bricks. Here’s the back where you can really see the quilting design.

I’m loving that quilting design! I’m pretty sure I’ve never used a quilting design that has straight lines like this.

The roses are in all their glory right now in Portland. I ran across this beauty tonight on our walk. This must have been nearly six inches across!

Rico has his regular sheep herding lesson tomorrow morning, then we’ll high tail it home to drop off the dogs so I can meet friends for lunch at a new restaurant one friend’s husband manages.

Sunday I have a pickleball class on how to add spin to your shots. I’m looking forward to it.

29 Replies to “TGIF and Getting Going on X&+”

    1. There are two photos on this blog post that show the tape. the first one is just two pieces of tape on the back of the ruler. It’s placed on the lines that I’m going to line up the arms of the plus on. I’ve put that take on all four sides of the block, to line up with the four arms of the plus in the block. the other photo shows the taped ruler over the block so you can see how the tape helps line up the ruler.

      anne

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  2. Nice progress on your X & 0 quilt. Your finished quilt is beautiful. The purple back and binding are perfect!!! I can’t wait to see pictures as the other quilts are finished. Happy weekend. 🙂

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  3. That tape method of squaring off the blocks, genius, thanks for sharing it! Also, in the none of my business department…my fingers are crossed you choose some wild Kaffe orange or green for the binding on the W quilt.

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  4. Alway knew you were a square.    Seriously, you amaze me Lady.   Quilter, trainer to Border collies, and one of the most proficient fund raisers anywhere.  

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    div>Ya dun good girl. More power to ya.   😘. Lo. 

    Lo Hartnett – Sent from iPad.    Here There Everywhere

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  5. Great tip for squaring up blocks. I wait till they are all done to decide as well. I once did it as I went along and it was a disaster. I focused on each individual block and not the quilt as a whole. Probably didn’t measure consistently and was off like a 1/16 or 1/8 here and there. You know what a mess that can make. Oh well it was a lesson learned. I punted and made it work.

    I pin to match seams and put the longer one on the bottom so the feed dogs pull and the foot pushes. Helps with those that aren’t lining up perfectly. But I am sure you already know that trick.

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    1. I had a similar situation once where I started trimming blocks as I went along and got into trouble. So now I wait until they are all done.

      The feed dogs trick is a good one to know!

      Anne

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  7. The blocks are beautiful, I love your fabric combinations. Several years ago a lady came to a meeting and showed up that tape and how to use it. I bought a package that had 3 colors and I’m still using it, but not very often. I do enjoy squaring up too, it keeps me mindful of the ‘scant’ 1/4” seam. I love your finished quilt, the quilting design is perfect. When I have a quilt with straight lines, I always quilt it with some circles or swirls, a designer for our yard told me to make curved areas as our house was shaped like a box. So I apply that idea to quilting my quilts too.

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    1. I’m usually drawn to swirly or circular quilting designs. I’m thinking I’ll use something angular on my Wensleydale quilt. I’m going to bed open minded about it!

      Anne

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  8. It certainly is a slow process lining up and matching seams! You have the patience 😊 and the X & pluses will be fabulous!
    Rico and Bender will enjoy their morning outing 🥰. I started making a “dancing diamonds” bag, but I like your construction and finished look best! So I am incorporating both 😊.
    Enjoy your pickle ball spin lesson!
    Thanks for sharing that beautiful rose!

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  9. Interesting how you found unexpected pleasure from squaring up the blocks. I couldn’t help but think I need to square up my life. Trim some things away, straighten other things out, press in on the important things. Throw away the excess.

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    1. I love it too, but have my favorite color ways. I LOVE the light gray one. So gorgeous. And I love the mint green one but have never used it in a project. I’ve been using the really dark blue on recently and love it!

      Anne

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  13. Your cut off scraps are a great start for a “ confetti quilt”. A friend was a program at a recent meeting and she showed the technique. She followed someone famous for this technique. Was a stunning result.

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