Some background info....

The Kaffe quilt I'm making....I must say I have re-arranged those blocks to make an entire quilt no less than 8 to 10 times...really!  The blocks are now finished shuffling around and the top is almost put together!   If the elves didn't have an appointment today, it would have been together.

Now for the background info.

Waldo and I agreed to start our quilts in January and this is her quilt in progress:

The minute I saw hers I was itching to get to mine and naturally I wanted to make one just like Rosemary's.  She discouraged me from making one like hers because my design wall is not very large and she didn't want me to be frustrated.  Welllllll....hells bells....I could have had 12 quilts done with all the time I've spent tweaking the blocks in my quilt. I really love how her quilt starts with light in the center and expands out gradually getting darker.

Some of the other options I tried after struggling with my blocks:

This would have a pieced block in every other space just like the center one.  I like this pattern as well because it looks great with any fabrics as long as the centers are light.

This was another option I could do and not have to re-cut any of my blocks.  It is a Lady Eleanor Burns pattern.

Piece of Cake by Quilt in a Day

Believe it or not, I went back to my original pattern, Big Ten by Swirley Girls...LOL.   Why?  Mainly because I had the purple borders on 8 blocks and I have already re-sewn them once....I have a tearing out limit...and I've reached it.

Today while I was sewing a few things came to mind that I want to share.  The first is something I learned in my first quilting class...baggy bottoms down.  Have you ever heard of that? I was told that after piecing fabrics that sometimes they may stretch a bit and are no longer the same size.  You pin the fabrics together and then place the larger one down on the bed of your machine.  When sewing them together the feed dogs will pull the fabric through and take up a bit of the overage. It works!  

The other thing I was thinking about is how much I appreciate great pins.

I have three magnetic pin catches and each has a different pin based on what I'm using them for.  I use the long glass head pins for piecing...as shown above.  They glide into the fabric and don't distort or move the fabric.  I can keep the pins in when I press because they are glass head and won't melt.

 

Crystal Glass Head Pins can be found HERE.

Clover Flower Head Pins can be found HERE.

Bohin Flower Head Pins can be found HERE.

 

I use the flower head pins to mark the tops of blocks so I know their position after I piece them.  They also work nice for piecing I just don't iron because the tips are plastic and will melt.

Then I have a catch with cheap-o pins that I use on my design wall.  They are not as sharp or nice but I don't have to worry about that because I'm only pinning to my design wall.

If you don't have pins that you love, I encourage you to try some of the one's I've suggested above.  I promise you that you'll like them or I'll pay the return shipping.  Also, if my website overcharges for postage (which it can on light items) I will refund the overage.  That also happens with patterns....no worries....I'm not into postage gouging.

If you have pins you love or a pattern that is your go to pattern....I'd love to hear about them. 


Smiles,
Kelly

Clover To The Rescue - Wonder Clips and Flower Head Pins

Waldo and I are still feverishly working on our quilt as you go charity quilt.  Every evening this week we have gotten together to get our blocks joined and now our rows.  Waldo is determined to have this quilt done by tomorrow, Friday.  Ya gotta love a woman on a mission....she keeps me hopping :)

I have to say it really is great to have the right tools for the job.  I am a person who gets annoyed when things don't go smoothly and I've found myself annoyed a few times with this project.  

These are the 10 count package of Wonder Clips.  They also come in 50 count packages.  If you are like me you are thinking...why do I need these...I could use the metal clips for paper right?  That was my first idea too...then I remembered Clover came out with these new clips and I wanted to try them. 

What I like about the Wonder Clips is that they did not crease my fabric and there is no risk of tearing your fabric like with the metal ones (I've actually done that).  They have a nice grip and I dropped them on the floor a few times and they did not break....which to me means they were made well with good quality and strength plastic.  The other neat thing about the Wonder Clips is they have a 1/4 and 1/2 inch seam allowance markings on the clips....and the clips lay flat.  As you can see in the photo above, I've clipped the roll together.  Before I did that, I found myself very frustrated the roll would unwind and I kept having to move my hand that was guiding the fabric through my machine to straighten the roll....then my stitching was crooked.  It does not take too much ripping out to tick me off .....really now...lol.

Waldo (Mrs. Rosemary) is joining the blocks so we can join the rows....we did that last night...whoo hooo..almost done :)

We have to fold and pin the fabric that will be the binding and the borders for this quilt as you go project.  I kept getting the fabric wobbly and I found it hard to grab the glass head pins that I love....so I grabbed the Clover Flower Head Pins and gave them a go.  They were perfect because I could grab the head so much easier with my fingers and they were nice and long...holding that fabric for a greater length.  Now I'm not saying our binding and borders are perfect....although I'd like you to believe that....but I did find the Flower Head Pins to be a great help.

I have to say I love my job!!!  I get to try all the new notions and tell my friends about the things I find to be helpful....it beats scooping "you know what"  in the circus.  LOL

Smiles,
Kelly