WMUTeach

Tip: When you feel you Must wash precuts or our sweet little "candies", perhaps because they are red, swish them gently in warm to hot water. Let them sit for 5 minutes or so then pop them into that old salad spinner you have hiding in the back of a cupboard or in the basement. Spin, Spin, Spin and lay out the cuts on an old towel to finish drying. Yes... it really works and you don't get birds nests of threads and the cuts don't get stretched out of shape.

happylab

Good evening everyone: It's happy QAL time, step #2.

This week we will make the 4 leaf blocks. [ATTACH=CONFIG]561312[/ATTACH]
1. First we will take our background fabric and cut 1 piece 4 1/2" by 4 1/2", cut 2 - 2 1/2" by 4 1/2" pieces. You will need 9 2 1/2 square pieces.

2. For the 4 stems I selected a piece of fabric 2 1/2" by 24". I folded right sides together short wise where my piece is 1 1/4 " by 24". I sewed 1/8th" from the edge. Turn the piece right side out and iron flat, making sure the seam is in the middle of one side. Now cut the 24" piece into 6" pieces. You should get 4 equal pieces. Now sew them down per the pic #1.

3. Select 8 block 2 1/2". These will be the base of the leaf. Then pick out 8 coordinating fabric ( or if you like any colored blocks). Next Take the background 2 1/2" squares and draw a dieangle to make a 1/2 square block. Theses should measure 2 1/2" sq. Arrange the blocks per #2. [ATTACH=CONFIG]561315[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]561316[/ATTACH]This is a pic of layout prior to any sewing.

4. Once you have your block the way you want sew across, for each row. Then sew each roll together. Then you are done for this week. Next week we put the 4 corner squares together.

Happy sewing/quilting everyone.

SheriR

Oh my! I'm visiting my daughter in New Jersey! I've been here for a week. Two more weeks to visit and I'm in Grandma HEAVEN. I brought two hand sewing projects with me, some EPP hexagons and a wall quilt I am hand quilting.

TIP: When traveling, small projects fit nicely in ziplock baggies. And TINY scissors won't be confiscated by TSA!

I had my November birthday candy card ready to bring so I could mail it from here, but...forgot it. I'll either ask my sweet hubby to mail it or rush it when I get home November 13th.

Is anyone doing the Row by Row Wooly blocks? I'm hoping my daughter and I can find a few QSs in New Jersey! She wants me to help her make some "quilt curtains!"

We've been getting ready for Halloween too. My daughter does a theme every year. This year their theme is "Pig Puns". They made me GrHAMMY, then there is PIGLatin, PIGInABlanket, AbraHAM, PORKChop, HAMSolo, and PickledPIGSFeet! (I made the babies hat. Isn't she adorable?)

Happy Halloween!!

djmat

I use my 2.5" binding buddy to cut 2.5" squares so I don't have to move the fabric OR ruler, just cut on both sides of it, AND it lines up fabric with lined motifs for me!

sewbizgirl

Great tips...
Love the pigs!
The QAL looks like fun too. The leaves look great in batiks.

I'm in Memphis visiting my kids. Looking forward to all the little trick or treaters this evening. We are ready for them with loads of candy.

travelinggramma

Hello everyone - I have taken this year off, but hope to join you in 2017. I have finally gotten this one done. I love all the colors and patterns you sent me last year. I couldn't make a solid back, so I went through my other size squares and made a few large ones. I love controlled scrappy. Thank you all and see you next year.

jaba

Trying to get settled in our new winter home. It's coming along pretty well and for the most part everything is put away and cleaned. Now just the fine tuning of stuff
Mailed the birthday candies yesterday so they are on the way.

Jannie

I have decided to start using my charms from past b'day swaps. I am wondering if I am trying to hard to pair them up. Should I just pull 2 and sew them together, of course, going with light and dark or should I try to coordinate them by colors? How do you decide how to pair them up?

WMUTeach

November Birthday Candies went out yesterday when it was still October. I am just so proud of myself! Ta-Da!

sewbizgirl

That's a beautiful quilt, Travelingramma... and the back looks like another front!

Jannie, I like to have a pattern in mind when I start sewing them together. You can sew them randomly, or by color families as TG did in her quilt, or a dark with a light, or a candy with a white... it really depends on what you are trying to make. I'd look at some patterns before deciding how to sew them together. I have a bunch saved here, and there are others on Pinterest and Google.
https://www.pinterest.com/bonbonevans/scraps/