My Approach to Mitered Borders

 In my real life, I have to solve complex problems--not that mitering boarders is a complex problem.  But I rarely put borders on my quilts largely largely because I don't like the way they joins look and mitered corners seemed too complex.

Although I have watched videos in the past (maybe 18 months ago), on my Flutterby quilt I elected to figure out for myself how to miter my corners using my own tools and problem solving approach. While my result was "fine" it was not great.   Accordingly, I re-engineered my approach to ensure that I had consistently excellent results. That forced me to consider the anatomy of the miter. I share that approach with you today.

The difference in my method v. other methods is that I am manipulating the borders, not the entire quilt. I happen to find that easier. I represent it as an alternative method, not a better method. It works for me because of the tools and techniques that I'm using. I know that it will be right every single time. Further, it avoids having to do the overly-complicated marking/measuring of the quilt length/width etc to get averages.  Simply ensure that you have enough length on any sides to cover the quilt and the two borders with another 2-3 inches for safety.  We will work with one corner at a time and trim each to perfection.  But we first sew each of our pieces to within 1/4" of each corner.

 


 

I use my Creative Grids 45 Degree Diamond Dimensions Ruler because it had exactly the markings that allow to to achieve 4 points of alignment:  

  1. Top of the project (Top of ruler)
  2. Side of the project (through ruler marking)
  3. Seam line (1/4" ruler marking from top)
  4. Strip width, (through ruler marking).

My Antler Designs, Simple folded Corners (large) also had the exact visuals that I needed.  Most of the rulers do not have this level of markings as these two rulers do.  I did not find any other rulers that I would use for this method. Either of these rulers would be a wonderful addition to your sewing tools.  I would not be without either. Both enjoy MVP status in my sewing room (lair).

In my video, I demonstrate each of the 4 anchor points to ensure that you get a perfectly mitered corner EXACTLY from your 1/4" sewn points for your border.  To make this work, you have to sew a PERFECT 1/4" seam that is not one stitch too short (gap) or 1 stitch too long (pucker).  Always use your hand wheel coming to your point, and be mindful if your machine takes an extra stitch when you use your backstitch.  Otherwise, you will need to unpick and try again.  Another tip is to shorten you seam length which will help you hit the mark perfectly.

Accordingly, you are making the cut without gritting your teeth or shutting your eyes (or both) because the mechanics of this method are such (so long as you follow the alignment instructions) that there is no way that you can go wrong except:

  • the 1/4" seam is not a 1/4"
  • the corners are not a perfect 1/4" sewn at the intersect.
    • If you stitch one stitch further in, you will get a pucker
    • If you stitch one stitch short of your mark, you will get a gap.

For perfect markings for 1/4" marks regardless of of the angle,  please consider investing in Marti Michell's Deluxe Corner Trimmer, or a similar tool.  It is an MVP in my sewing room.

If you try this method and find it useful, please let me know.

 


Flutterby Quilt Top Finished

 

I have finished my Flutterby Quilt top.  I moved it on my KanbanFlow board to "Quilt Sandwich".

I wanted to codify my learnings through the above video and a few comments here.

As an aside, I ran across "Split Personality"designed by Jackie O'Brien of Studio 180.  Below is the quilt pattern:


It is similar in its coupling of 4 patch with split rectangles, with a different use of colorways.  Another reminder on how the use of color and color values can create strikingly different results...but of course you knew that.

My quilt is 81 x 81 square...larger than I typically make. If I were to make this again, I would make my blocks 1/3 smaller....6" v. 9" finished.  And I would make the quilt commensurately smaller too. Here's the block/piece count at a 9":


Am I sorry that I used a 9" block for this size quilt?  No! Had I made this at 6" blocks (1/3 smaller), I would have used 1/2 as many pieces...or 1361

You see, then, why I am tenacious in finding time saving ways to execute my quilt blocks in terms of cutting, piecing and trimming.  Small changes over many pieces = better efficiencies.  My piecing had a 100% success rate due to the construction methods I employed.

Design Board Notes: I have covered my batting-covered design board with my old upholstery cloth--I bought it on a close out for maybe $20 20-30 years ago! I was in a "beige phase".  As a protective cover, it is a nice repurposing of something on hand by protecting my design board. 

I cover my batting to protect it from spray basting, but also my batting has accumulated many threads, and I don't want those transferring to my new quilt sandwich. Plus, I don't want to cause a bubble on my new project backing because it has grabbed against the batting on the design wall. 

I'm not looking toward this sandwiching as a dreaded chore.  I resorted to this method after I had "unsquared" my backing on my last project which resulted in my having having an awkward swath of  uncovered backing .  Thankfully, my quilt back was a dark gray tone on tone, so I cannot even see where I patched it.  Never again was I going to fly blind.

Thank you YOUTUBE for helping me find videos on how to do this on the design wall.  There are not many videos out there, so I'll add to the knowledge base on that with this effort.

My goal is to get this finished this week.  I will probably quilt this simply using my walking foot.



 

 

 




Melanie Ham's Passing

 I was sad to see that Melanie Ham had passed on January 12, 2022. She was not yet 36, and had a husband and two children.  Such a terrible tragedy to be struck down so young.  I so feel for her husband and children.

She was an accomplished maker with a gift and enthusiasm for teaching.  Though I was not a regular follower, her videos with her bright beautiful face and smile would show up in my feed. When  I did land on her space, I found it enjoyable. It was clear that she was a beautiful person on the inside and out.  And she inspired and taught many her various crafts.

From updates that I would see from time to time, she reported her struggles with her cancer diagnosis to include the surgeries and treatments. It was not a battle she could win.  Her husband had a picture of her with him.  She was unrecognizable, and it was heartbreaking.

My husband lost one of his best friends to cancer last year, and another acquaintance also lost her battle with cancer.  Neither were as young as Melanie.  But like her, left a family that will feel the ache of that terrible loss.

The internet certainly lost a bright star.  Her family lost a solar system.


More Winter Bird Friends

 This weekend, I welcomed 

Pine Warbler (though he is here year round, I don't see him often).

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker:  Migration in

Yellow Rumped Warblers:  They overwinter for about 6 weeks

I'm still waiting for the Brown Creeper.  We also have Red Breasted Nuthatches that occasionally visit.  I'm keeping my eyes peeled for both.

We have  a wintery mix here is central Virginia...so bird activity is high.

Take a moment to see who is visiting your yard over the winter.



Wildlife Voyeurism


As you know, once you click on anything of interest to you, YouTube grabs a content shovel and sends it your way.  This video of the Deer Pantry in Brownville Maine showed up.  These troughs contain native wild oats and acorns to help sustain the deer population through difficult winters.

I clicked on it, because we help out our local deer population in winters where the acorns between the red/white oaks are off cycle.  With the close of deer season in VA, we begin to put corn out.We also keep a salt block to include a dense mineral block.

Living in the the woods with a hardwood swamp behind us means that we have much abundant wildlife. Last year, we witnessed an orphan deer who had attached himself to another deer family.  At first, I thought the doe had triplets until she and the larger offspring flattened their ears and attacked him.  Nevertheless, he stayed close the to smaller offspring.

I would then see him come up by himself.  Sometimes he would lay right atop the pile of food.  Other times, he would nestle in the curve of a dead tree surrounded by tall wild grass.  I enjoyed looking out my window and seeing him find safety and comfort there.

Other times I would see the big racoon come up (through the help of an infrared spotting scope manned through the kitchen window).  He would eat alongside the deer--rubbing the corn between is paws.  In other years, I have spied a rabbit eating alongside the deer.

So with the close of hunting season and the opening of our deer pantry we will see what wonders await.


Snow Birds + White Throated Sparrows

 Virginia became a national news treasure this week with the arrival of the season's first snow.  It has been unseasonably warm here, but that changed quite quickly.  With the snow came the first Juncos (snow birds).  Also, I have a gang of White Throated Sparrows that typically over winter here.  I had not seen them yet...until this week with the snow. I like to post in my blog for as much as anything it is an easy index of my life.  (You can create a personal, private blog to do the same--though you could accomplish the same thing with OneNote.)

I'm still awaiting the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker and the Brown Creeper.  My Hermit thrush arrived early.  He sits daily on my deck rail.  

The White Throated Sparrows are vegetarians; they eat only the suet and the sunflower seeds.  The Juncos, the same.  The Hermit Thrush, Bluebirds, and Carolina Wrens eat no seeds but devour mealworms + suet.  Everyone else eats everything else.

When snow comes, the bird activity is nothing short of frantic.  We ensure that the feeders are full and that there is some ground swept clean for the ground feeding birds.  Our reward for being a reliable food source, is that we have created an avian neighborhood.  My Hermit Thrush has been visiting for the last  5 years.  I think it is the same due to the same habits (sitting on the deck rail), and the fact that s/he is not scared of me.  

Now that hunting season is over, we will put some corn out for our deer friends.  We also keep a salt block out for them.  


Block Detective | Holidays and Beyond Free Quilt Pattern

 I created a video after I wrote this post which you can see below.


Holidays and Beyond Quilt
This beautiful quilt featuring Laura Berringer's fabric "Winter Botanicals" for Marcus fabrics "Holidays and Beyond Quilt is available for free at Hancock's Free Pattern Download Page.  To download the PDF for this particular quilt, click HERE.

Here are the particulars of this free pattern:

Marcus Fabrics Winter Botanicals Quilt
Finished quilt size: 87 ½” x 87 ½”
Finished block size:10” x 10”
Backing: 96” x 96” (2 3/4y of 108” wide fabric)

This quilt is now the 3rd quilt that I have found that I wish to make using Laura Berringer's fabrics.  In reading the pattern, I wanted to re-engineer some of the techniques to save TIME, FABRIC, and SEAMS while improving accuracy. I want to share these techniques with you.

How do I do this:

  • Reduce seams:  Don't use multi blocks when 1 will do.
  • Save Time:  
    • Use precision cutting with Stripology and Folded Corner Clippers or other methods
    • Use rectangle cutting measures for angled cuts to make one unit that when cut is two units, and more when stacked with fabric.
      • observe mirrored (WST/RST--) or non-mirrored guidelines (RSU (right corner clipped), WSU (left corner clipped)--address correct angle before you cut by making test cuts/blocks)
  • Phase Work:  Use glue basting to precision piece and be a chain piecing demon with no shifting at the machine.

The quilt is made with alternating "Ribbon Blocks" (Block A)  and Featured Blocks (Block B).


In the above block, there are "ribbon squares" of green/red values that come together in the center to form the pinwheel.   The balance of the blocks (2.5"C/2"F) are squares of fabric. Alternating this block in the pattern with the Featured fabric block creates a charming diamond pattern which I love.   

💡💡  Adding this ribbon block to any block pattern would provide a beautiful counterpoint to your featured blocks.

Here are the changes that I would undertake in making this block construction to reduce cutting, fabric utilization and seams.

  • The three cream squares on the right and the left of the block (with dotted rectangle), I would construction not from 2.5" cut squares but rather from  2.5" x 6.5" rectangles for a 2" x 6" F unit.
  • The Dark/Light/Dark squares at the top and the bottom, I would sew three strips of dark and light cut at 2.5" WOF, and then subcut with my Stripology ruler to 2.5" units. 
  • The ribbon squares are constructed using the folded corner technique using squares 1.5" corner affixed to the substrate fabric; sewn on the diagonal and then trimmed 1/4" away from the seam.  These are not mirrored units, but the same unit rotated.  To reduce waste (for the corner fabric), improve processing speed for cutting (there are 400 of these),   I would do the following:
    • Substrate fabric (light cream) cutting
      • Use the Stripology ruler to make 2.5" WOF cuts. 
        • because these are not mirrored units, I would cut at the fold, and put fabric RSU before subcutting.
      • Use the Stripology ruler to make the 1.5" subcuts (ensuring that both pieces are RSU).
      • Use folded corner clipper to measure 1.5" corner cut (aligning the top of ruler and fabric and the 1.5" mark on the right of the ruler with the right of the unit, and clip the corner of all substrate units. 
    •  Corner fabric.  To efficiently cut exact corner pieces, I will calculate the rectangle needed that will produce 2 identical halves when I align my Folded Corner clipper to the right side. Stacked fabric allows for even greater cutting efficiencies.  I employ this method using Split Rectangles as well.  It is remarkably efficient.
To make the calculation for Folded Corner Clipper, take your required strip height and add .75" to it. In this case it is 1.5 + .75= 2.25.  Because this measure is not on the 1/2", I will cut the strip 2.25" with my regular ruler, and use the Stripology Ruler to make the 1.5" cuts.  I will mark the ruler with Post It arrows.
 
When you align your ruler on the left hand side of the rectangle, you will make 1 cut to your unit  the right side (having been cut cut as part of the rectangle) is already perfectly sized.  You now have 4 corners (2 layers of fabric--move if you layer more). 
 
If you are cutting from a strip, you have to rotate your ruler.  You will find that the rotation causes the angle to require recutting.  Not so with the rectangle (v. strip) method.
 
  • Affixing the corner to the substrate.  You now have perfectly engineered cuts for both pieces.  I would glue baste the corners and stack them by the sewing machine. 
  • 💡💡  Sewing with a scant 1/4" seam will ensure that the fold over fills the space needed.  Make a test block and gauge your seam allowance accordingly.  You may have a sliver to cut...sewing on the bias does create small movement.

Block B which uses featured fabrics is more straight forward.


HST Construction: Use the Magic 8 Method.  For this method, I would cut 6" squares of the cream and pink for this block.  
 
💡 Use a triangle ruler to trim the HST's (using the seam line) while still folded..  It requires less handling and is very accurate.

Center 9 patch construction: Cut 2.5" strips of fabric in A/B/A and B/A/B configurations, and subcut into 2.5" sections with my Stripology Ruler. 

💡  Make a test block 9 patch to ensure that your seam allowances are correct for your fabric and thread choices.  💣💣Any error gets along the seam body count.

Yes I KanBan! Quilt Project Management

 

 


 

 I don't plan to overload my list of resolutions with too much stuff.  I can dump my resolutions into the following buckets:

  1. Learn More (about anything)
  2. Move More 
  3. Less Mess
  4. Pair Starts with Finish
 
 Most of the above are self explanatory.  I'm a life-long learner, and I know "things"--not anything that I can blackmail you with--so no wink, nod and raised eyebrow--but "things" that many in my offline life are not interested in. I'm a font of useless information.  But it suits me.
 
Move more:  Yes, we all can and should do this.  Who doesn't have this as a resolutions except for the people that have adopted this as a habit. One thing that I have been doing is "squats".  I've seen several articles on the efficacy of squats.   I laughingly call it my "squat my way to fitness".  Squatting paired with mindful breathing can be a very powerful wakeup for you body.  Given that I sit at my desk for so long, and I don't get up regularly, doing a few squats and breathing is a good thing.
 
Less Mess:  I moved out of my parents's house and into a temporary home at the river, and then into the home that we built in 1985.   I have 37 years of "stuff"--each piece of which I have an intimate, personal relationship with.  I have much relationship evaluation to do. 

Pair Starts with Finish:  The trouble with having an active mind over many interests or tasks is that if you don't pair a finish with a start, you have many things that are undone, half done, unknown done.  To this last point, I'm kicking ass and taking names.

To this last point, I have 2.5 years of quilting under my belt. One of my goals is to create a Kanban Board for my quilting projects.  I use KanbanFlow.   I did that over the weekend, and I'll talk more about that.  The objective of the board is to keep track of work in process projects.  The goal of course is to not have too many starts and no finishes.

I'm in my "beta testing" stage for my board which is below.  You will need to click on the image to make bigger.





The objective of my board was to create columns that correspond to discrete processes that are endemic to quilting .  I first started with a "Quilt Master" template.  





The master template captures the essential elements of the quilt. To further provide visual elements for planning, you can add an image to your project.  Once you click on this project, you can see your notes, any files that you have uploaded (to include your pattern, fabrics, etc).  Where this project is on your board is where you move it as you progress.  This particular project of mine is in the "Sandwich" stage.  I need to complete the backing, adhere it, and then finish quilting and binding.

Because I can add images that I can easily see, I think that this provides a clear way to keep track of things.


  • Plan/Organize--Column 1
    • This column is for creating discrete projects.  I created a quilting Master Template.  Each time a project is started, it is simply duplicated, renamed, and becomes the project avatar (with detail)  to guide the process for
      • Essential elements of planning.  
        • Who is it for?
        • What style? (modern, traditional)
        • Pattern/organic
        • Special construction techniques
          • pattern reviewing and optimizing fabric use and construction techniques
            • how to cut/use precuts
            • using strip ruler for cuts/subcuts
            • using rectangles to make split rects
            • using strip cutting of corners for clipped corner techniques
            • no waste flying geese
            • magic 8 method for HST's 
            • rectangles for split rect cutting.
        • Fabric
          • Purchase?'
          • Stash? 
          • Combo?
        • Special tools/templates 
          • Here is where I suggest that careful consider of  buying a ruler to save you time rather than employ hacks that get the job done but cost you time.
        •  Making a test block
          • evaluate seam allowance for your planned thread and fabric and make adjustments so block components finish correctly.
        •  Create a production plan
          • cutting
          • piecing
          • joining rows + columns.
          • backing
          • binding
          • quilting
Of course, you might have different ideas about the process...but this is my first pass.  Once you create your project, it is a discrete unit that you can use as your guide to moving through the other processes.  You can also record the time that you spend.  It is mobile friendly.  And if you use the Pomodoro Technique, it supports that as well.
 
Now that you have created your project, undertaken the needful steps toward planning it, you have to go through the endemic processes of quilt production:

  • cutting your pieces
  • piecing individual blocks
  • piecing rows and columns
  • making quilt sandwich
  • quilt
  • bind
  • DONE!
I also put "design wall" as a process as I do MUCH 'organic' stuff...which means that I'm creating as I go along.I don't work with patterns very much.
 
So with this simple, yet effective method you can easily visualize your progress (or lack of) for your quilt projects.

For another time, I put some swim lanes on my board.  Once a quilt is done, it can be duplicated and then put in an inventory swim lane, or a gift swim lane.  Therefore, you can see all the quilts that were "done" in the done column.  They are duplicated and then put in an inventory column where they stay until they are gifted/sold/or FPU (for personal use).

I hope this post provided an introduction on how Kandbanflow can help you stay atop your quilt projects, and indeed anything in your life.  You can create boards for anything.  And the cost is $5 per month.