Wednesday 25 June 2014

Tips for POTC

As promised here are some tips I found useful when English Paper Piecing 
my Patchwork of the Crosses blocks.

I have enjoyed using the Sewline Glue Stick, but don't overdo the amount of glue you add on.

I put the glue onto the card not the fabric and hold it briefly in place to help it stick.
You can always add more glue if the fabric is coming unattached.

I am enjoying the wider seam allowance that these templates allow as if my 
cutting / matching is a fraction out I have room to move to get my motifs 
lining up perfectly.

When cutting eight of one fabric that doesn't need fussy cutting I fold it over and four 
at once.  I  hold the plastic template in place and cut around it.

When cutting my 24 background honeycombs that go around each
block I have my fabric folded in four and I draw around my plastic honeycomb
interlocking each shape as I go, then cut out with my good dressmaking scissors.

I have been using a fine pigma pen recently for this. It is nice and fine and after
all I am only drawing on the cutting line.

Once an area is surrounded I remove the card. This is keeping the card in 
better condition as I was tending to bend the pieces quite a lot when I was 
working further out in my block. My cards are being used many times and 
that is working out just fine.

I found a the beginning my blocks were all in a similar format - with the cross being 
well defined in my first four honeycombs - now I am trying to take my 
focus elsewhere in the block eg: out to the edges.

Next I need to go back and re-use some of the fabrics but put them in 
a different positions within the blocks.

2 comments:

  1. I'm really enjoying seeing your different creative ideas for placing the honeycombs Robyn. And the tips are so helpful. I'm with you on pulling out the paper templates once surrounded and using the glue sparingly. Also to cut slightly larger seam allowances is great for fussy cutting and giving you slightly more "playroom" for accurate matching.

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  2. Thanks for the great tips Robyn.

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