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#11
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
You've gotten wonderful advice already. The only thing I'd add is to
test hand piecing the batiks. I once tried to hand piece a batik top and wore my fingers off. That was just the first two pieces! Machine for me when it comes to batiks. You may have a different experience, but check first before you are stuck. marcella In article , "Polly Esther" wrote: There's the beginning of a wonderful tumbling blocks quilt here. Still in the just playing stage, I'm auditioning many interesting combinations including batiks, checks, 30's and bugs. There's already a caterpillar inching up the side of a block. The batiks work great because they are lovely and can be flipped and turned to make the contrast just right. This will be a scrappy tumble. The one over at quilters cache called me. Now, for you hand-piecers. These blocks don't seem to need the hefty smash I customarily give SM piecing and there are bias edges all over the place. Do you just give them a gentle glide with a little iron? What steps do you take to be as sure as you can that hand-piecing is as sturdy as you can make it? I would simply croak if this beauty fell to pieces if anybody dared to sit on my quilt. Polly |
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#12
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
Polly, you have gotten a lot of advice already. BG
I enjoy hand piecing, and do a bit of it. VBG I use a running stitch, very tiny, and finger press as I go. Most of the time the finger pressing is good until things are ready to be checked for size, trimmed and so on. Then I press very well, just up and down on the whole project. first from the wrong side to "set" the seams in the correct direction. Then from the right side to make sure everything looks good. I don't do as much backstitching as many, just don't see the need for it. I do back stitch before and after each intersection. Some of the best directions for hand piecing I have seen are Linda Franz's, she even has an almost 2 hour DVD in her second book, Quilted Diamonds 2. That is the method that I used for the Hoffman quilt last year. VBG (This year I am using Inklingo and doing the 1" on a side hexagons by hand.) The bias edges are actually easier to deal with by hand, because if you match intersections/or match points along the way you can easily ease in any stretch that has happened. So much easier to do those "Y" seams by hand too, especially with continuous stitching. (You don't have to stop at the end of a seam, add the next piece and keep on going. With a little planning you can do a lot of short seams with one thread. ) Have fun, Pati, in Phx Polly Esther wrote: There's the beginning of a wonderful tumbling blocks quilt here. Still in the just playing stage, I'm auditioning many interesting combinations including batiks, checks, 30's and bugs. There's already a caterpillar inching up the side of a block. The batiks work great because they are lovely and can be flipped and turned to make the contrast just right. This will be a scrappy tumble. The one over at quilters cache called me. Now, for you hand-piecers. These blocks don't seem to need the hefty smash I customarily give SM piecing and there are bias edges all over the place. Do you just give them a gentle glide with a little iron? What steps do you take to be as sure as you can that hand-piecing is as sturdy as you can make it? I would simply croak if this beauty fell to pieces if anybody dared to sit on my quilt. Polly |
#13
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
You might have just saved me some $s and agony, Marcella. There are only 5
or 6 batiks in my stash and those have behaved very nicely in hand-piecing. I had sort of thought I'd add a lot of them but methinks I will go slowly on that one. Polly "Marcella Peek" wrote in message ... You've gotten wonderful advice already. The only thing I'd add is to test hand piecing the batiks. I once tried to hand piece a batik top and wore my fingers off. That was just the first two pieces! Machine for me when it comes to batiks. You may have a different experience, but check first before you are stuck. |
#14
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
Polly, I don't have a lot of problem with hand piecing batiks. It partly
depends on your needle and your hands. And the fabric itself. A new, sharp, thin needle works best, but not a long one. I use Roxanne #11 betweens to hand piece with. Works for me. G A note about using a backstitch for the whole seam. IF this is a quilt to be used, understand that the extra bulk of the stitching on the "back" side of the seam can make it wear more quickly than the other side. Especially if the seam is pressed over the bulky part. So do be careful there. BG (Think about the chain stitch in clothes and how that area can really show wear quickly, and is usually where the fabric ends up tearing.) Pati, in Phx Polly Esther wrote: You might have just saved me some $s and agony, Marcella. There are only 5 or 6 batiks in my stash and those have behaved very nicely in hand-piecing. I had sort of thought I'd add a lot of them but methinks I will go slowly on that one. Polly "Marcella Peek" wrote in message ... You've gotten wonderful advice already. The only thing I'd add is to test hand piecing the batiks. I once tried to hand piece a batik top and wore my fingers off. That was just the first two pieces! Machine for me when it comes to batiks. You may have a different experience, but check first before you are stuck. |
#15
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
I should make it clear, then, that my seams were about 1" long, curved
and they will never see any wear at all! so I should be OK. Phew g Thanks for the warning, though, Pati. .. In message .net, Pati Cook writes Polly, I don't have a lot of problem with hand piecing batiks. It partly depends on your needle and your hands. And the fabric itself. A new, sharp, thin needle works best, but not a long one. I use Roxanne #11 betweens to hand piece with. Works for me. G A note about using a backstitch for the whole seam. IF this is a quilt to be used, understand that the extra bulk of the stitching on the "back" side of the seam can make it wear more quickly than the other side. Especially if the seam is pressed over the bulky part. So do be careful there. BG (Think about the chain stitch in clothes and how that area can really show wear quickly, and is usually where the fabric ends up tearing.) Pati, in Phx -- Best Regards pat on the hill |
#16
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
On Apr 15, 2:46 am, Patti wrote:
Which way are you doing the Tumbling Blocks, Polly - it does make a difference! Are you doing them over papers, or marking the sewing line and following that? If the former, then close 'whip' stitching, done from the back, will be sturdy. If the latter, then I'll just tell you a recent experience that changed my mind on what to do! I usually do what most suggested - running stitch with a few back stitches thrown in. But on a recent complex little piece, I did that, and the top side did not look at all good. The pieces were small, admittedly, but I ended up doing what Phyllis explained that she does; and, for those seams, you really would not know the difference between hand and machine. Also, of course, it would be immensely strong. Mine isn't going to have to stand up to any hard treatment, but it looks good g I, too, do the 'down and up' kind of pressing on things with bias edges. . In message , Polly Esther writes There's the beginning of a wonderful tumbling blocks quilt here. Still in the just playing stage, I'm auditioning many interesting combinations including batiks, checks, 30's and bugs. There's already a caterpillar inching up the side of a block. The batiks work great because they are lovely and can be flipped and turned to make the contrast just right. This will be a scrappy tumble. The one over at quilters cache called me. Now, for you hand-piecers. These blocks don't seem to need the hefty smash I customarily give SM piecing and there are bias edges all over the place. Do you just give them a gentle glide with a little iron? What steps do you take to be as sure as you can that hand-piecing is as sturdy as you can make it? I would simply croak if this beauty fell to pieces if anybody dared to sit on my quilt. Polly -- Best Regards pat on the hill Miss Polly, I agree with Patti. I did mine over papers with whipstitching. Made a lap size for my niece as a baby blanket. Of course, I also hand- quilted - 1/4" away from the seams. As far as I know DN is still using this 4 years later. Then again, most people that I give something hand-made to are of the opinion - 'oh it's too too pretty to use' regardless that was the intent of the gift! As others have said, I'm sure whichever hand-piecing technique you select will be done exquisitely and last a lifetime! Kim in NJ |
#17
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
I would suggest going over everything twice. What I mean is this:
Stitch - - - - - (up down up down) until you're at the almost half-way point of your thread Now fill in the blanks (return to where you started, filling in those empty spots. Two benefits doing it my way: #1) IF the thread breaks, it's still going to be there for the other direction and #2) people will think your stitching is REALLY GREAT ('cause they aren't going to realize you've gone both ways) And officially let me state right now, even if you only go one way, USE decent thread. My former spouse's grandmother "saved money" and used the cheapest thread on the planet. Her quilts fell apart -- at the stitching. Some of the polyester fabrics disintegrated too. Buy good thread. |
#18
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
That's sort of what I'm doing, Janice. It does look great and seems to be
quite strong. The thread I'm using is Kinkame's silk. It behaves nicely, is soft and strong. Polly "janice142" wrote in message oups.com... I would suggest going over everything twice. What I mean is this: Stitch - - - - - (up down up down) until you're at the almost half-way point of your thread Now fill in the blanks (return to where you started, filling in those empty spots. Two benefits doing it my way: #1) IF the thread breaks, it's still going to be there for the other direction and #2) people will think your stitching is REALLY GREAT ('cause they aren't going to realize you've gone both ways) And officially let me state right now, even if you only go one way, USE decent thread. My former spouse's grandmother "saved money" and used the cheapest thread on the planet. Her quilts fell apart -- at the stitching. Some of the polyester fabrics disintegrated too. Buy good thread. |
#19
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
I'm in the process of hand piecing a queen size tea leaf block quilt.
I find that starching the fabric before I cut it works great. Bias sides do not stretch out of shape. The pieces are easier to stitch with a little stiffness - they don't flop all over. When doing a running stitch, I take a little back stitch every time I re-insert the needle. As to hand stitching with batiks - it can be done but you need strong fingers and hands. They can be tough to needle through. |
#20
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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing
wrote in message oups.com... I'm in the process of hand piecing a queen size tea leaf block quilt. I find that starching the fabric before I cut it works great. The first time through I could have sworn I read "STRETCHING the fabric before I cut". That was sure a new technique to me! Clearly time for a nap. -- Kathy A. (Woodland, CA) Queen of Fabric Tramps http://fabrictramp.typepad.com/fabric_tramping/ remove the obvious to reply |
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