This unexpected blessing showed up at my door today, from dear members of my husband's family. Looks like I need to balance them a little.
I've been working on a little girl's pink QAYG. In the past, I disliked finishing the sashing seam on the front, leaving forever stitches but recently learned a better method from Marti Machell. Her sashing is finished on the front and with careful measuring and a lot of pinning on the back, and sewing in the ditch from the front, a pretty neat stitching line is the result on the back. In this case a busy sashing and backing helps even better. I know, you can't see anything. There IS one visable vertical seam on that middle sashing.
Below is the stitching line on the back, stitched in-the-ditch from the front.
This is the pinning on the back, with a folded 1/4 in. seam carefully folded and pinned over the previous sewing line. In almost all cases, I did NOT have to redo anything. I stitched in the ditch from the front, carefully, pulled the pins out from underneath as the needle got close. I would guess that each of us has our own version of 1/4 inch, in the ditch, etc., and I would advise a practice bit before you get YOUR measurements. My sashing was cut 1 in., and my backing sashing was a 1 1/8 in, and then folded over 1/4 inch., then sewn to the back These are MY measurements. Also, in previous QAYG, I carefully pressed those sashings neat and tidy and flat, whichever way seemed necessary. But this time I did NOT press and just let the kissed seam allowances kind pooch up when they wanted to. After all, this IS a child's quilt, and it IS machine quilted. NOT a masterpiece, just a nice quilt. I did NOT do any pressing of the sashing once it was sewn to the blocks.
The finished project should be ready in a few days. I'm liking it - not soft and sweet but pink and bold!
How kind of your husband's family to send you flowers -- I need to remember to send flowers more often. I forget how much they can brighten someone's day (and, like the quote in the sidebar of my blog from Anne Frank, my mother taught me that flowers are for the living). Glad you found a way to make QAYG work for you - it never has for me.
ReplyDeleteA lovely bouquet!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing the entire quilt. I have never done any QAYG, and wonder if I even have the patience to try it. But what I can see of your project certainly looks good!
Beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteI haven't done QAYG for ages and when you mentioned it I wondered why I hadn't chosen that route for my latest log cabin quilt... It might have made quilting it so much easier but its too late now.
Looks great!
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