The Art of Mutual Learning: Piecing The Top
June 08, 2016
June is here.
Steph and I started this series on April 11th, but with Quilt Market prep, we paused it for a bit. A bit over a month, although it feels like the first post was published two weeks ago at the most. So June is here, and it's a good reminder to focus on the things you love, and I love the word June, and learning new things. For the new readers, you can find more about this blog series here and here.
Now we're back on track. We're done with all the cutting, and our quilt tops are pieced. Steph has been a great student, and I love that I can see she's interested on the subject. Once the cutting part of the lesson was over, we moved to the sewing machine. Those of you who sew, or want to learn, KNOW that a sewing machine could be scary at first. The thread going in all directions through different loops, and the bobbin, AND the needle. Teaching Steph, I realise why not everyone sews. It is simple but it takes skill.
Steph is calm and methodical (she is my go-to tech-person), so teaching her how to thread the machine was easy. After that, it was all about the sewing foot, and of course, the 1/4" seam allowance (emphasis on that). In order for her to be more comfortable with it, I asked her to do lines. I had to do sewing lines in fashion school, and it made me more comfortable. As far as pressing the pedal, my best conclusion was to use a driving reference, you press the car pedal in a progressive way, not all the way (unless you're a car racer, I assume), so it's a similar move when one sews:
After each line Steph made, we checked the seam allowance with a ruler, until she did many that were accurate:
Once she was more at ease with it, she started piecing her top (she'll go into more detail about her experience), and I started piecing mine. We both have the privilege to be sewing on Bernina machines. I did tell Steph that most people don't get their first go at sewing on these machines, and again, the reference to the car came afloat, "it's like learning how to drive on a (insert luxury brand here)," so it does alter the quality of the experience.
For my mini I combined Pure Elements and Pastel Thrift in HST. What captivates me about HST is how many shapes you can create around the fabric placement. I'm into optical illusions, so quilting feeds that. Being able to tell how to construct a block, or deciphering the block pattern really speaks to me. In the case of my mini it's not hard to decipher, but it was still fun to create rhombi with HST. For this small project I used the basic HST technique, because it is my favourite. Cut two squares, cut each diagonally, and join opposite halves. It might take a bit more time, but I feel I have more control of the pieces, and ultimately it's a thing of personal choice (I have used other HST techniques like the 4-in-1 for time-saving purposes). This is the pattern that I followed:
SO NOW THAT JUNE IS HERE AND THE EVIDENCE OF THE NEW SEASON IS ALL AROUND, WHAT ARE YOUR NEW PLANS, AND IN WHAT NEW TECHNIQUES ARE YOU INTERESTED LATELY?
Stay tuned for the final post where we'll talk about the quilting and binding processes and reveal our finished quilts.
r'n's!
Lauv