Solitary chicken - need advice

[Valkyrie]

Part one. So here we have the square to be filled - see why it doesn't matter if you are neat or not - the joins for the squares are covered by your little window to be. So it's just over 2.5 inches square.

 

 

And here's my chosen window bit. I cut it to about 2.5 inches so that gives me an opportunity to fiddle with the picture. Here I want the bee and if possible the butterfly. I know the green ladybirdy buggy thing will be mostly covered. You need to cut it less than that to make it easy to sew in, but if you cut it too small the corners won't be tucked underneath the folds.

 

 

This is it trimmed so that it's about a quarter inch clear of the folded edges.

 

 

PIN!! If you don't put enough in to hold the picture does wander, so make sure it's firm.

 

 

Slide finger under the flap

 

 

Peel it down as far as you want.

 

 

 

PIN!

 

 

Work your way around

 

 

 

Pinch the corners together

 

 

PIN! Follow round until you have prickled your fingers at least once!

 

 

 

OK ready to sew.

 

Edited December 2, 2014 by Guest

[Valkyrie]

Part 2. Knot your chosen thread.

 

 

Catch underneath the flap

 

 

 

 

I am backstitching this one because i want the thread to show, but there is no reason why not to applique it - I have done that before with a shade that matches the background fabric on another little quilt (unfinished).

 

 

I like to catch the background with the stitches because it stabilises it. You don't need to, but it's what I prefer and it doesn't matter if you don't do every stitch.

 

 

I don't go through to the back - it's double layered - the mark you see is a pin mark. Time to throw that one away I think - when I find out which one it is!

 

 

I did go through the back when I first started though. It really doesn't matter - it's the front that everyone sees.

 

 

Sew to within a quater of an inch from the corner.

 

Put a couple of stitches in to hold it. I do 2 and on the third I carry on.

 

 

This is why I struggle if I add 4 block widths on - too much in the hand. It's OK to start with but when it grows it gets difficult. From now on it's a chain of one around the outside!

 

 

All the way round and fasten behind the flap.

 

 

Hide the end in the flap and snip off the thread.

 

 

Behind the flaps

 

 

Missed a bit but it isn't a problem at all.

 

 

The back with no blue threads showing.

 

 

Done and ready for the next bit.

 

Edited December 2, 2014 by Guest

[Valkyrie]

Every time you want to make it bigger add a chain around the edge. I continued to sew blocks of 4 together and then I add that long line to the side of the quilt. Trouble is you then have lots of squares to sew and the ones furthest from the edge are difficult because of the amount of fabric you are holding.

 

Here is just an idea - I would join all those along not just a bit at a time.

 

 

From now on this is how I want to do it.

 

[Plum]

That's an amazing tutorial. Thank you so much, such detail and the photos make it all so clear and lots of good tips and those fearsome pins again. At least you can't swallow one

 

I'm sorry my work would be red I'll use my little white mini pins

[Valkyrie]

My fingers are quite tough now - prickled so much and I do love my udder cream! But now and again these find other bits of my hands - especially when I roll the quilt up when I turn it. Yup, the pins are extra long and thin. The flower head one is much thicker and I can feel the difference when I push it into the fabric.

 

Thank you. It's all part of quilting isn't it - everyone shares and that's how it's passed on. Other people find different ways and you can choose how you want to do your own.

[Plum]

That's true its about sharing. Though there was a lively conversation and a right old barny all last weekend on FB on the KFC group where someone had made their version of a quilt (shimmer quilt) and the person got in a huff about it. It was a well known block anyway so a bit of a farce, I was almost tempted to work the pattern out myself but it got a bit scary all the comments.

[Valkyrie]

Well that's daft! Doesn't take much for tempers to ignite on FB! Don't think I know that KFC thing unless it's something to do with fried chicken!

There are soooo many blocks that sooner or later someone is going to put the same ones together for a pattern. Most people like to help inspire others though.

[Plum]

Look up shimmer quilts

[Valkyrie]

Looked it up but couldn't find it on FB. Googled it and had a look on Pintrest. But if that's what is being argued about I can't see why - most blocks are the same so it wouldn't be long before someone did that - especially with the Fairy Frost fabric out there (guilty as I have some). And then they branch out using different blocks. Although some make your eyes go funny because you want to try and focus and they look blurry!

 

LOL didn't realise KFC was Kaffe Fassett.

 

Found it. Have to say that if she doesn't copyright it then people will do so. Also with so many out there it would be a handed down pattern in years to come. Her best bet would be to have a book and then people would buy that for patterns rather than an individual one. Seeing as it's just basic geometrics then I don't see how she could make the pattern copyrighted in any case. I'm sure I've seen something similar anyway in another book.

[Plum]

It's a traditional block called Northwind with colours arranged. Now fairy frost will really zing

 

I copy / inspired by others quilts all the time. I'd love an original idea- is there one? No it's all triggered by something else otherwise cavemen would have carved quilts in the caves

[Valkyrie]

Yep I agree, quilts are there to inspire you and with the colours we have available now some different style will certainly make people think ooh yes! And all it is made of are triangles and squares - no inset seams like you get with some stars. I would say it's a very easy pattern as long as you use rotary cutters for the triangles! It's the colours that make it stand out - and you can always tinker with some graph paper and pencils first. And the Amish were there first with their "shimmers" of sorts (guess who got a new book recently, ahem ).

[Luvachicken]

That is very clever

I don't know how you have the patience to make something like that.

[Valkyrie]

Thank you - it's a nice way to relax. I do get bored sometimes though and will be either in the garden or playing on the computer. Last winter and the winter before that I was making different Christmassy blocks.

There is also another option and that is to make the background in the ovals a different colour by popping in a large square before turning down the corners and fixing them - called a reverse window.

 

http://www.cmstatic1.com/124296/c/reverse-cathedral-windows-quilt--UDU2Ny0xMjQyOTYuNDE3MTEx.jpg