A plea for help with a little bit of background story
03-08-2010, 03:39 AM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,877
Originally Posted by deranged_damsel
Im sorry for your loss. loss is a great motivator. you find you are capable of things you didnt know you had in you.
I hope I can help you with your quilting question
ok! use the string idea to draw your circle, I use newspaper taped together, and a big marker. its super cheap! then you can draw how big you want your smaller pieces to be. dont cut up your circle, you want it for referance later. get printer paper and trace each section and number so they dont get mixed up, then add your seam allowance on to each piece. when your fabric pieces are all sewn together you can use your newspaper circle to compare the fabric circle and do any trimming or resewing that is needed.
Good luck!
I hope I can help you with your quilting question
ok! use the string idea to draw your circle, I use newspaper taped together, and a big marker. its super cheap! then you can draw how big you want your smaller pieces to be. dont cut up your circle, you want it for referance later. get printer paper and trace each section and number so they dont get mixed up, then add your seam allowance on to each piece. when your fabric pieces are all sewn together you can use your newspaper circle to compare the fabric circle and do any trimming or resewing that is needed.
Good luck!
03-08-2010, 04:21 AM
#32
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Headed home
Posts: 2,372
John, I'm sorry for your loss. I hope working on this quilt helps you work through your grief.
As you can tell, we love to help people with their quilting projects. Everyone else has said what I might have. Hope you will share pictures when you are done.
As you can tell, we love to help people with their quilting projects. Everyone else has said what I might have. Hope you will share pictures when you are done.
03-08-2010, 05:37 AM
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 3,371
John - depending on where you live I bet a quilter would love to help you out with this project - If you lived near me you could come over and I would help out. You might have already had a lot of offers... Crafty folk have big hearts ;)
If you go the paper route - contact a local newspaper and ask if they give the paper "stubs" away - it's the end bit left on their monster rolls that they usually give away for free - it's newspaper so it would tear nicely and really wide so you'd be able to piece together the size you need super fast.
If you go the paper route - contact a local newspaper and ask if they give the paper "stubs" away - it's the end bit left on their monster rolls that they usually give away for free - it's newspaper so it would tear nicely and really wide so you'd be able to piece together the size you need super fast.
03-08-2010, 11:10 AM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: East Hampstead, NH
Posts: 481
Hello John,
My sincere condolences in the loss of your husband.
I make round table cloths, using the following method, that would also work very well for your circle. It is fast, easy, accurate, and very cheap!
Tape together some newspapers (any paper will work) to get an area large enough for the circle needed (you said 4'-5') Trim the paper to a square the size you need (in this case, you might make the square between 5.25 and 6 feet, being a bit larger than the finished circle. You also don't have to be exact with the edges, you just have to be sure that once it is folded, from the center to the edge, you have enough space (this being half the diameter of the circle) to draw the sized arc needed. The most important area being the exact center.
NOTE: You can do this with fabric too! Either seam two pieces and cut into a square, or purchase wide broadcloth or quilt backing, and do the same. One piece of fabric and you will be done!
Find the exact center of the paper or fabric and mark it (stick a pin in it or punch a small hole). Now fold the paper in half length wise (top to bottom) and then widthwise (side to side)being sure to make the folds go through the center in both directions, matching your edges, resulting in a square, four layers deep, with your exact center being in one corner.
Using something flat that you can stick a pin into (I used to use a large piece of cardboard), tape this down to a table, sometimes I would use a long pin that I would stick between the leaves of my dining table to hold the paper/fabric down also would work. What is important is that the area must be flat.
Using a push pin, tie a piece of string to it and tie the other end to a pencil or thin marker. The area from the pin to marker of the string needs to be 1/2 the size of the circle you need. So, if you want a 60" circle, then the area has to be 30" of string.
Push the pin into the paper (or just hold it steady) where the folds meet in the center and into the card board. Now tug on the string so that your marker is exactly 30" (tape or tie) from the center, hold it straight, and draw an arc, side to side. Do the same thing again, but this time, 20" of string from the center (that will give you your 10" depth of the circle).
Cut along the marked arcs and open up and you will have that perfect donut shaped circle. (don't cut anything until you have read the whole post!).
NOTE: What ever your finished size is, you will need 1/4 inch seam allowance on both sides of your circle, so remember to take that into consideration. That would mean that the arcs you draw should be 10.5" apart, giving you 1/4 inch on both sides of the circle for seam allowance.
Now, this is your pattern for the circle. I will use 5' for the remaining example.
You said you would be using random blue fabrics. If they don't have to be exactly the same size, then place some fabrics around the circle to cover it, randomly draw some lines on where to seam the fabric pieces and sew away makeing a rough circle of fabrics. Use your paper pattern to cut the finihed circle to the exact size you need.
If your fabrics in the circle all need to be the same size, then you first need to figure out how many different fabrics you will be using. Let's say it is 8 different fabrics of equal size blocks. BEFORE YOU CUT THE ARCS out of the paper pattern, mark your area between the arcs for the 8 equal sizes so the markings are on your circle pattern. You only have to do this on the top piece of your pattern (1/4 of the circle). Now take some tissue paper for something your can see through, and trace the size of the equal piece of fabric outline. This becomes the template for your equal fabric pieces. (please check out some websites that show how to paper piece a double wedding ring quilt block to get a better idea).
Transfer the template pattern to something sturdy, like card stock, thick paper, or thin platic and be sure to include the 1/4 inch seam allowence on all edges. Cut all your fabrics from this template, sew together 1/4 of the circle units (you will have 4 units made of 8 fabrics) and then sew the 4 units together to make the complete circle.
Before you get to the real thing, practice this on a smaller paper, like a 3 foot square so that you can let us know if you have any questions before you do the real thing.
I hope I have helped in some way. I know this got very wordy, but knowing you had never sewn before, I wanted to be as clear as possible so I didn't confuse you.
Good luck!
Diane
My sincere condolences in the loss of your husband.
I make round table cloths, using the following method, that would also work very well for your circle. It is fast, easy, accurate, and very cheap!
Tape together some newspapers (any paper will work) to get an area large enough for the circle needed (you said 4'-5') Trim the paper to a square the size you need (in this case, you might make the square between 5.25 and 6 feet, being a bit larger than the finished circle. You also don't have to be exact with the edges, you just have to be sure that once it is folded, from the center to the edge, you have enough space (this being half the diameter of the circle) to draw the sized arc needed. The most important area being the exact center.
NOTE: You can do this with fabric too! Either seam two pieces and cut into a square, or purchase wide broadcloth or quilt backing, and do the same. One piece of fabric and you will be done!
Find the exact center of the paper or fabric and mark it (stick a pin in it or punch a small hole). Now fold the paper in half length wise (top to bottom) and then widthwise (side to side)being sure to make the folds go through the center in both directions, matching your edges, resulting in a square, four layers deep, with your exact center being in one corner.
Using something flat that you can stick a pin into (I used to use a large piece of cardboard), tape this down to a table, sometimes I would use a long pin that I would stick between the leaves of my dining table to hold the paper/fabric down also would work. What is important is that the area must be flat.
Using a push pin, tie a piece of string to it and tie the other end to a pencil or thin marker. The area from the pin to marker of the string needs to be 1/2 the size of the circle you need. So, if you want a 60" circle, then the area has to be 30" of string.
Push the pin into the paper (or just hold it steady) where the folds meet in the center and into the card board. Now tug on the string so that your marker is exactly 30" (tape or tie) from the center, hold it straight, and draw an arc, side to side. Do the same thing again, but this time, 20" of string from the center (that will give you your 10" depth of the circle).
Cut along the marked arcs and open up and you will have that perfect donut shaped circle. (don't cut anything until you have read the whole post!).
NOTE: What ever your finished size is, you will need 1/4 inch seam allowance on both sides of your circle, so remember to take that into consideration. That would mean that the arcs you draw should be 10.5" apart, giving you 1/4 inch on both sides of the circle for seam allowance.
Now, this is your pattern for the circle. I will use 5' for the remaining example.
You said you would be using random blue fabrics. If they don't have to be exactly the same size, then place some fabrics around the circle to cover it, randomly draw some lines on where to seam the fabric pieces and sew away makeing a rough circle of fabrics. Use your paper pattern to cut the finihed circle to the exact size you need.
If your fabrics in the circle all need to be the same size, then you first need to figure out how many different fabrics you will be using. Let's say it is 8 different fabrics of equal size blocks. BEFORE YOU CUT THE ARCS out of the paper pattern, mark your area between the arcs for the 8 equal sizes so the markings are on your circle pattern. You only have to do this on the top piece of your pattern (1/4 of the circle). Now take some tissue paper for something your can see through, and trace the size of the equal piece of fabric outline. This becomes the template for your equal fabric pieces. (please check out some websites that show how to paper piece a double wedding ring quilt block to get a better idea).
Transfer the template pattern to something sturdy, like card stock, thick paper, or thin platic and be sure to include the 1/4 inch seam allowence on all edges. Cut all your fabrics from this template, sew together 1/4 of the circle units (you will have 4 units made of 8 fabrics) and then sew the 4 units together to make the complete circle.
Before you get to the real thing, practice this on a smaller paper, like a 3 foot square so that you can let us know if you have any questions before you do the real thing.
I hope I have helped in some way. I know this got very wordy, but knowing you had never sewn before, I wanted to be as clear as possible so I didn't confuse you.
Good luck!
Diane
03-08-2010, 12:30 PM
#36
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Out searching for some sunshine :-)
Posts: 58,856
I am so sorry for your loss (((HUGS))) I think it is awesome that everyone is taking part in this quilt, be it sewing, playing, singing...what a great way to memorialize your DH. (((HUGS)))
The only thing that I have to add, is to press your seams open, so that they will lay flatter in your circle.
The only thing that I have to add, is to press your seams open, so that they will lay flatter in your circle.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
misseva
For Vintage & Antique Machine Enthusiasts
5
06-02-2019 11:03 AM
Plumtree
Main
12
06-06-2011 11:03 AM
grann of 6
Pictures
24
08-23-2010 03:26 AM
