Sunday, 21 April 2019

Seam Allowance Memory Loss

My postage stamp quilt deserved some attention. I made 4 blocks in December 2018 and have done a lot of cutting out since. I made another block in March but because of the sewing break in the project, the last one came up a bit small. My seam allowances were not the same as the previous ones it turned out.




I follow a blog called stitched in Colour and she calls little scraps of fabric which you can cut these squares 'crumbs' which I really like. I have a lot of crumbs.



To remedy this, I purchased a 1/4" seam foot. I had a quiet Easter Holiday morning and decided to relax and sew a few blocks. This time my two blocks came up bigger than the originals but at least they were the same size. I have decided to jettison the first four (they will probably turn into cushions) and stick with the ones I have now. At least I can be sure that if I use the 1/4" foot, even if I have breaks between blocks, they will always be the same.



Seriously, why did I think I could remember seam allowances within my memory amongst the many other projects I have going on? It is just not possible. Anyway, breathe, and sew relaxing mini squares together...that is where I am now.




Back to square one, or four to be precise! Jo xxxx

5 comments:

  1. Ah yes, crumbs. I love this word to describe small scraps of fabric (also love the blog). I have lots of crumbs, too. A quarter inch foot is one of the best investments I have ever made. I just stitched to long forgotten and not needed blocks of James' quilt to a cushion cover and filled it with cherry stones. Best "hot water bottle" ever when heated in the microwave for three minutes. Traditional Swiss but I found cherrystones here on Amazon. Maybe an idea for your spare blocks? Happy Easter and happy stitching xx

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    1. Well I never, Cherry stones. I'm getting some of those. xx

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  2. It must feel nice using your new machine foot! Those patchworks look really fun too. A nice way to mindfully unwind the crazy of your job, house renovations and mum stuff!

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  3. It sounds like you had fun. Can I ask, when you make a quilt, are you putting wadding onto it too. Then throw it over the bed on top of a duvet? I made a duvet cover at school which my Mum put a sleeping bag opened inside. Cx

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    1. Yes I back it with wadding and cotton (usually a sheet) then either hand quilt it or machine quilt it. Finally I add a binding to seal the edges. We have got one over our duvet at the moment but it has been a bit hot these last few days with the warm weather. I have made a patchwork duvet cover in the past though. Jo

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