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Thursday 22 September 2016

Never Stop Learning


I am a great believer in the adage that you should never stop learning. Not only do new experiences keep your brain working, but it also helps build confidence and provides a great feeling of wellbeing, which can only make you happy, right!?

So having spent far too much time lately staring at the Mac screen or cutting up fabric for kits, I decided to take a whole day to myself to learn something new. I actually ended up trying a couple of new things – foundation piecing using freezer paper, and sewing curves!



http://www.todaysquilter.com/
Inspired by Jo Avery’s New York Beauty pattern in last month’s Today’s Quilter, I thought it was time to try these curves I’ve been seeing all over Instagram. I then remembered that one of the classes I have on Craftsy was Playing with Curves with Ann Petersen - a class by a very talented lady who takes you through everything slowly and methodically – highly recommended. 

http://www.craftsy.com/class/playing-with-curves/382?_ct=sbqii-sqjuweho-dum&_ctp=2&rceId=1474453511386~phowirpb

Anyway, I thought I’d just refresh my memory on foundation piecing, and found that Ann's method uses freezer paper and that she doesn’t actually sew through the paper at all… this I had to see!

 
I got stuck in and soon found my rhythm, so much so that I forgot to take any photos of my process! Next time… I think I do prefer this method and it was a joy to just peel back the papers at the end rather than all that ripping. I will do a tutorial on this method for a future project, but for now, why not pop over to Craftsy and have a browse through their classes, they really are worth every penny!


Back to the block... so once the pieced arcs were complete, next came the curves, and they weren’t actually as bad as I thought… I have made some Drunkards Path blocks before, and these were just the same. A few pins and a very slow pace at the machine, and they came out ok. Phew!

 
Unfortunately I only have fat quarters of these bluey greens, my mum who claims she doesn’t do colour’ bought them for me, and I think she did pretty well! So I think this may be a cushion, and I will try my hardest to not lose it in a box and to actually get it quilted!

So do you feel inspired to learn something new? Why not have a look through my free tutorials and see if something catches your eye? 

Even better, you could subscribe to my Newsletter to recieve a free pattern based on pre-cuts, every month straight to your inbox? Click below to subscribe.
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For even more inspiration, pop along and visit these great Linky parties;
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation 
Building Blocks Tuesday at Quilter In The Closet 

11 comments:

  1. Congrats on taking a day for yourself. Those days are the best! Your block looks great - I love those colors. I've heard of using freezer paper for PP, but have never tried it. It sounds intriguing, especially the part about just peeling off the paper at the end. :) 'll look forward to your tutorial!

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    1. Thank you Beth, making time is definitely something I'm going to try to do more often! The freezer paper method is great, thanks for stopping by :)

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  2. It isn't often I take a day to learn something new! You may be on to something though! I've tried the freezer paper method one time. It showed promise! Your block is gorgeous! The colors and the design are a big winner in my book!

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    1. Thank you so much Jayne, yes, it's definitely a technique I would like to use more, if only I had the time! I definitely recommend taking a day though, mind you, you've got to be in the right frame of mind, which today, I am not! ;) Thanks for stopping by. x

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  3. The freezer paper method is my favorite! One experience of ripping out a ton of paper switched me over. Thanks for sharing on Midweek Makers

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    1. Hi Susan, yes, I'm so glad I've discovered this great method! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  4. That New York Beauty is on my list! I've never heard of using freezer paper for paper piecing and now I'm off to check that out. Thanks.

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    1. I've been wanting to try one for years, and now I've got so many ideas running around my head!! :)

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  5. Wow! This block is certainly a stunner and will make a great focal piece as a cushion. Those colours are really appealing to me!

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  6. Wow! What a really pretty NY Beauty block. The white fabric really makes it come to life. It's it fun to learn something new too!

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  7. Ooh, beautiful block! And your mother did a great job with the fabric, too! I'm a big fan of paper piecing, both the traditional type sewing through the paper, and the kind you mentioned here. Which one I use depends on the project. Isn't it great having all these techniques in our quilty toolkits?

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