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Friday, June 5, 2009

Crazy Piecing with stitching

I had a million errands to run.........
so I never made it back to the sewing machine yesterday. I was stacking things laying on the cutting table last night and remembered I had pictures of this block on my computer.

In this method you just turn the edge under on each piece you are adding and do the fancy stitching over the edge with the stitches on your machine. As you add each piece, the end of the stitching is covered up. When you do it this way instead of after a block is pieced, you don't have to worry about how to end the fancy stitch in a certain place. I'm getting a lot of questions about whether there is batting and backing behind this square. No there isn't. That would make it into a quilt as you go project which means fussy hand or machine stitching to finish the backing after you have joined squares. I have never found a finishing method for the backing block to block, row to row that I was happy with.
I usually am just doing these blocks for pockets on tote bags and not for a large quilt. Another thing to take into consideration is that the fancy stitches don't feed as well through all of that thickness. If you put a piece of paper or stabilizer under a piece of fabric and stitch the fancy stitch you want and then stitch it on a piece of fabric that is on top of batting and backing you will see that the pattern is usually shorter (more compressed). You need to adjust the length setting of every stitch choice for the thicknesses.
I did buy the plants for my porch pots yesterday and got 2 of them planted. I'll take pictures later and post them tomorrow. I admire people who can stay with matching plants in their pots, but mine are a crazy quilt of shapes and colors, all different from pot to pot.

12 comments:

  1. I like the turn under method and stitching under the next block.

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  2. I like this method...all done quickly too, no going back over.

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  3. The pots are more interesting when the plants DON'T match! I admire the people who can mix them up so well. :)

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  4. I wasn't sure from your photo - is that sewed directly on the batting and backing?
    Karen
    http://karensquilting.com/blog/

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  5. I'm sure your pots are like your quilts, filled with exuberant color!

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  6. Thanks for sharing this great technique. It looks so easy and fun! I may try this!

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  7. I think we all want to know, is it on the backing & batting? That would make it finish lots faster.

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  8. I have never made one of these quilts, but this method could tempt me. Very clever!

    I too would like to know if you have batting and backing on from the start.
    I would assume you do?

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  9. I love the block. I agree, I don't think I would use a quilt as you go method on this either. For the same reasons that you put forth. I just love the randomness of the block.

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  10. That is a very neat way to put a crazy block together! And easy! Thanks.

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  11. This crazy quilt top piece has so much elegance with the embroidery and fancy stitching... Love it.

    J~MT

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  12. I love it! It is bold and strong

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