Wednesday, June 1, 2011

There's one in every crowd

I watching a you tube video yesterday on the 10 minute block----which is the 3-D Bow Tie block only larger, much larger, using 10" squares.  What was different was her layout and the curved edge she created in the "knot" area.  Very neat.
  Anyway, I noticed another  video  by Ricky Tims  (and now I can't find it!) where he made dimensional flying geese.  How neat and quick with just one seam!  I thought I would experiment and try it out.  It took me a couple of tries to get the proportions right, so there are a couple of geese that are slightly smaller.  Soon I had a flock of geese.....I tried the curved edge trick on  a few of the geese and love the effect.   I turned the experiment into a journal quilt....There's one in every crowd.   (I left one 3-D and unstitched.)
  I used up some strip scraps, new technique, and curves for this journal project.....yay!
Here's a quick tutorial on the construction I used.

Two squares of background fabric----2 1/2"
One rectangle of goose fabric-----2 1/2" by 4 1/2"
   NoteUse any size square.  The rectangle strip should be the same width and the length is the sum of 2 squares minus 1/2".

  Make a sandwich. 
Fold the goose fabric in half with the right side out.
Place folded goose on top of one background square which is right side up.  Align the bottom raw edges and keep the fold at the top.
Place the second square on top--with the right side facing the goose fabric.   Be sure to keep the fold of the goose at the top of the sandwich.  Note that the folded edge should be 1/4" below the cut edge of the background square. 

Now sew a 1/4" seam along the right side of your sandwich.
When you open it up...this is what you should see.  The goose fabric will be caught in the seam  but loose on the other 3 sides.
Now spread out the goose fabric  along the base of the sandwich to form the triangle. 
Press....How neat is that!
 Final trick is the curved edge, sort of like the cathedral window edge.   I have this one just pinned in place.  Now you just stitch along the folded curve edge ---up one side and pivot to follow the second curve.  Done!   
  Since I do little hand work, this is the perfect technique for me to get this effect.  I may go through the stash for large squares  and make a large version for a lap quilt.  At the very least, I would use up some fabric. 
  Happy stitching.

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