A Value-able Lesson - Cool Threads

My Farm Girl Vintage book

is really getting a workout these days,

as I try to catch up with the sew along!

I'm learning along the way.

I'm using my pre-pressed technique

for my block corners,

which minimizes distortion from pressing.

Also, I use skinny thread,

(Aurifil 50 wt)

to make my block sizes very close to 

a perfect 6 1/2" square at the end.

Today I'm showing my version of the Cool Threads block.

Now, I have a confession to make...

here are the "spools" I made at first.

When I laid them out for assembly,

I didn't love the way the colors looked together.

They didn't clash, but they didn't excite me.

I really liked that light blue one,

so I whipped up three new spools,

and this time I was satisfied.

I started to think about what made me react

differently to two similar blocks.

The difference was...value!

Here's the first block,

photographed in black and white.

One of the blocks "stands out"

from the others, being too dark.

The others are of similar value.

In the block that I liked,

there are two blocks that are darker,

but they are balanced by placement,

and the four blocks seem to belong together.

I really like those "extra" spools,

especially the navy one, and will save them

for another block to be made someday.

I like the way that teeny stripe looks like twine.

Never mind...in my final block,

I liked the way this spool looks like

variegated thread.

While I've been stitching from this book,

I noticed that a whole lot of blocks need

1 1/2" squares from the background print.

I cut some extra squares, to keep in a pretty bowl.

{I like "pretty" organizing tips, don't you?}

I hope you've enjoyed my value-able tip

and will stop by again soon!

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Do You Want to Build A Snowball Block?

Hello, Friends!

Buds are blooming,

birds are singing,

but I'm in the mood for making

SNOWBALL blocks!

You know what I'm talking about, right?
When you take a quilt block

and round off the corners a bit,

by adding half-square-triangles,

it becomes a "Snowball" block.

It's a fun design element that is seen

all over quiltland.

These are some blocks I've made,

following the Missouri Star Quilt Company

YouTube tutorial,

for the Jump Ring quilt.

If you're short on sewing time,

like I am, you might enjoy some tips

for sewing snowball blocks.

1.

I love to precut my precuts...

if you follow me...so that I've got a couple of blocks

ready for sewing.

{I've been able to stitch 2 of these Jump Ring blocks in less than 30 minutes.}

2.

As you can see from the off-white pieces above,

as well as the tiny squares below,

I like to use an iron to "mark" the sewing lines.

I just press the pieces diagonally,

right sides out.

They are ready for stitching in no time.

3.

When I begin my stitching,

I always use a fabric scrap at the beginning

and again at the end,

stopping with the needle down.

This eliminates loose threads that need trimming later!

{It also makes the stitching nice and even, start to finish.}

4.

Another time-saver is chain-piecing.

Just keep the needle down between pieces,

and butt the next set up against the last one.

For snowball blocks,

it helps to alternate the direction of each block.

See the photo below.

I've started stitching the corners

from a different direction each time.

The pieces line up perfectly this way.

5.

I like to snowball all four corners,

before trimming and pressing the finished block.

{Because I've already pressed the sewing line,

there's less distortion of the block.}

6.

Have you ever made "bonus" half-square triangles...

a.k.a. HST's...

from your snowball blocks???

If your corner squares are at least 2 1/2" square,

this is a really cool tip to try!

BEFORE trimming away the layers

that are not needed for the finished block:

You can use a ruler to mark 

a SECOND line of stitching parallel to the first,

in the part of the square that will be cut away.

I make my second stitch line about 3/8" from the first,

to maximize the size of my bonus HST's.

Stitch this second line along all of the corners of the block.

I usually "eye-ball" the 3/8", to save even more time.

Just be sure the seam is parallel to the first stitchline.

NOW it's time to trim away the excess,

cutting in the space between the two stitchlines.

Take those formerly wasted edges to the ironing board,

and now you have a set of little bonus HST's!

Trim them to size,

and you've got a headstart on a new project.

I trimmed these to 1 3/4",

but you could make them into 1 1/2" HST's if you like.

I hope you'll stop by again soon

for more sewing tips and projects.

Wouldn't you like to see what I'm making

with all of those snowballs?

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