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Tell me the truth on hand-piecing



 
 
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  #11  
Old April 15th 07, 04:14 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Marcella Peek
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Posts: 817
Default 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  
Old April 15th 07, 09:49 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Pati Cook
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Posts: 733
Default 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  
Old April 15th 07, 09:51 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
polly esther
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Posts: 1,775
Default 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  
Old April 15th 07, 10:15 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Pati Cook
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Posts: 733
Default 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  
Old April 15th 07, 11:10 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Patti
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Posts: 5,076
Default 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  
Old April 16th 07, 01:57 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
AuntK
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Posts: 421
Default 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  
Old April 16th 07, 02:45 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
janice142
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Posts: 77
Default 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  
Old April 16th 07, 03:24 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
polly esther
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Posts: 1,775
Default 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  
Old April 16th 07, 07:12 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
[email protected]
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Posts: 14
Default 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  
Old April 16th 07, 09:19 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Kathy Applebaum
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Posts: 1,031
Default 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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