Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Hawaiian continued..

Before getting to plan A the basic unit of construction is to take 1 short tube and decide where to use your seam ripper and unsew one of the seams.
I break the thread on one side in about 5-6 places.
Then on the other side slip the seam ripper under the thread on the opposite side and pull it out.
Then take the eyelashes of thread scraps out; it's easier to do it now than after you resew the seam and then try to pull them out.
Then take another strip and lay it against the first one and decide where you want the break to be and un-pick that seam. Then sew the 2 sections together. I back-stitch at the beginning and end of each row; I know that this quilt will not have a border added and it will get handled a lot before the binding gets put on. I also shorten the stitch length a little bit. I rarely use any pins but you can pin each intersection. Here is where your pressing everything as directed pays off. Then get the next strip and do it again. I always work from top to bottom.(no sewing in pairs and then sewing the pairs together; just 1 sewn to 2 then 1/2 sewn to 3 then 1/2/3 sewn to 4 etc...) After sewing row 1 to row 2 I stay-stitch the top of row 1. This keeps the seams from popping open with all the handling.
I press everything down after about 3 rows being sewn.

PLAN A
 Only use the strips from the 8 square long pile and make a narrow quilt that is 8 squares wide. (I only did 5 rows on the computer to illustrate.) Press each of the rows' seam allowance down.
Then do the 10 square strips to get something like this;  When constructing the 10 square set you have to pay attention to the fabric being placed in the first column so that it looks good with the 8 square unit. Press each of the rows seam allowances up.
Then sew them together in the middle. (It is not quite the middle).

I have done most of the quilts this way...BUT this quilt is getting PLAN B.

I noticed when I got ready to sew the first rows together that I had a strong print in the 8 square unit but not in the 10 unit...then I noticed a different strong print in the 10 unit that wasn't repeated in the 8...so plan B was invented;
I open up an 8 and a 10 unit and sew them together.
Then I open a 10 and an 8 and sew that together. Then sew those 2 long rows together. I back-stitch at the beginning and end of each row; I know that this quilt will not have a border added and it will get handled a lot before the binding gets put on. I also shorten the stitch length a little bit. I rarely use any pins but you can pin each intersection. Here is where your pressing everything as directed pays off, each seams nests perfectly. Then get the next strip and do it again; play with the placement of the 8 and 10 units in each row. I always work from top to bottom.(no sewing in pairs and then sewing the pairs together; just 1 sewn to 2 then 1/2 sewn to 3 then 1/2/3 sewn to 4 etc...)

After sewing row 1 to row 2 I stay-stitch the top of row 1. This keeps the seams from popping open with all the handling.
I press everything down after about 3 rows being sewn.




Can you see that I just flipped that first strip over? Because the squares are alternating cool and warm colors the squares will never line up the same? You will have some touch diagonally..but that's okay to me.
To get the quilt to 100 inches long you need to 25 rows. If you have cut 9 of each strata you will have 27. With my shortage of 3 strips I will have to make up 1 row with the parts of the stratas that had the short (narrow- less than 42 inches wide fabric) in it. You will have enough to make a pillow case...or top a laundry bag for the dorm room with the leftovers....
Keep going.
I have mine 1/3 together....Back to the sewing machine for me.

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