One
of the key elements of piecing any quilt pattern is making sure your
have a true and accurate 1/4" seam allowance. There is one way to test
to make sure you have a true 1/4" seam allowance.
Cut
3 strips 1 1/2" x 4" (approximately), using 2 different fabric colors.
Sew 2 of the different fabrics together along the length of the
strips. Then sew the remaining strip on the opposite end. Press the
seams toward the center.
Now, using a ruler measure the center it
should measure 1". If the seam doesn't measure 1" your will need to
adjust your needle positions. The picture below shows the seam allowance
is just short of the 1" so the needle position will be adjusted
slightly.
After
making the adjustment retest by make another set of strips and
remeasure the strips, they should measure out like the picture below.
If you don't find your correct adjustment, Be Patient,
just keep adjusting and retesting until you find the correct setting.
Once you have the correct adjustment, it will make pay off on your next
project.
How do you test your Seam Allowance Accuracy? Comment Below!
Have a Great Sewing Day,
Tina
This
Labor Day Weekend was a great get away for Me and my Husband. On
Friday, we flew out to Denver, Colorado to visit our youngest son who is
stationed at Buckley Air Force out there. We spent most of the rest of
that day deciding what we want to do for the 3 days we were there. We
also spent time in my sons and husband favorite store, Bass Pro Shop. 
Saturday,
we got up early and headed out to Boulder Area to Heil Valley Ranch to
do some hiking. We hiked through heavy rocky trails approximately 7
miles round trip. We had to be cautious for other hikers, trail
runners, and Mountain Bikers. At the top was a nice looking overlook
point of the valley. The weather was great for a nice mountain hike, it
was nice to get out of the city. Driving through Boulder, I never seen
so many Bicycles in one city in my life. Boulder has designed the
streets through Boulder with their own turning and riding lanes. 
Sunday
morning, we head out to Evergreen, Colorado for more hiking. Parked at
Lair o the Bear Park, a very popular park, it was difficult to find a
parking spot. We had to again be cautious for the Mountain bikers and
other hikers along the other trail. We hiked about the first part
following the the creek which was a really nice trail. Then we head up
the Bear Creek Trail which was a challenging climb over big rocks and
tree roots. Hiking another 7miles that day. My feet and legs were
tired by the end of that day. 
On
the last day, Monday, we had got advance reservation for the Cog
Mountain Train, in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The Train takes you all
the way up on Top of Pikes Pike. It is a nice ride up to the top, they
point out different sites, animals and fun facts about the area as you
climb up to the top at a 14,115 ft altitude. The top was cold at 30
degrees with wind chill of about 15 degrees. They have a nice gift and
food shop at the top. The food shop sells fresh donuts that were made
at the top of the mountain. Was a nice way to spend the day.The
trip was to short for all 3 of us. My husband and Myself didn't want
to leave the Mountain to go back to the big cities of the East Coast,
but work and normal of life was calling us home. I have become very
addicted to hiking, so we are now looking for day hiking trip here in
Maryland and Virginia for us to explore.Well time to get back in the sewing room and finish up my patterns. Hope you all had a great weekend like we did.
Tina
Today, we will be finishing our “Let It Snow Man!!” pattern, by going over the hat, hair, and borders.
The
next steps are for the Yo-Yo hat and Zig Zag hair. Note: If you use
the optional 2 ½” circle template and hair template, fuse them into
place and blanket stitch all the way around.
Now for the Yo-Yo hat and Zig Zag hair. Let’s start making paper templates of the hair and hat, by tracing the pattern
on a blank piece of paper and then cutting them out. Then lay the hair templates to the side.
Using the hat circle template trace and cut out the circle on the back of the fabric you have chosen for the hat. 
Before
making the Yo-Yo, I suggest taking the hat flower and fusing it onto
the hat fabric and using a blanket stitch, sew around the flower edge.
Next fold the raw edge of the circle approximately ¼” in toward the
wrong side of the fabric. Then
with a needle and thread with a heavy knot at the bottom, use a long
running stitch with medium stitches, sew near the folded edge of the
circle. Do not cut threat at the end. 
Gently pull on the thread ends to gather the fabric circle, to make a 2 ½” circle.
Now
that the Yo-Yo hat is made, position it on your quilt top where it
should go. Then slide the hair template under the hat. With an
erasable marking tool trace around the hat and the hair template. This
will get you an idea to where you will sew the Zig Zag Stitches for the
hair. 
Remove the hat and hair template and set aside.
Note before you begin the Zig Zag Stitches, I suggest with a 
separate
small piece of fabric sew a line of stitches at varies widths and
lengths to find the right size. I use a 3.0 width and a 2.5 length. 
This
will vary on different sewing machines. Also suggest using the hair
diagrams in the pattern instructions. Start with a thin layer of Zig
Zag stitches all around the trace template area, in straight lines.
Begin and end each of the stitches like you did in machine applique by
tucking the ends underneath under a few stitches. 
Once
you have a thin layer of Zig Zag Stitches, you can go back and fill in
bare spots with more stitches that are different width and lengths if
you want. In my project I used a different thread color to add some
highlights to the hair. I used a Brown-Black Rainbow Thread by
Superior. I suggest, as you finish, lay the hat on the hair to make
sure it is to your liking. 
Once you are done with the hair, press the quilt top to make sure there is no puckering.
Next, place the hat in its correct location and sew a blanket stitch all around the hat to complete the girl. 
Now
time for the borders. Press once again to make sure everything is
lying flat. Trim the Background to a 16 ½” x 17” rectangle.
Assemble
the 3 borders, following the directions with the top and bottom first
and the right and left sides. Once your borders are on, will finish be
adding the Snowflakes and dots following the Pattern Diagram. Fuse and
sew them on with blanket stitches. 
After they are all sewn on then press again to make sure no wrinkles and finish the Quilt as desired.
Other Blogs in this Series:
"Let It Snow Man!!" Pattern Tips – Preparing
"Let It Snow Man!!" Pattern Tips – Fusing Webbing
"Let It Snow Man!!" Pattern Tips – Pattern Pieces and Background
“Let It Snow Man!!” Pattern Tips – Machine Applique
“Let It Snow Man!!” Pattern Tips – Finishing
Tina
The
last couple days I have been showing you how to make the Quilting
Affection “Let It Snow Man!!” Applique pattern. So far we have
discussed Preparing to make the pattern, Fusible webbing and Piece
Placement and Background. Now we are to the point we start the Machine
Applique around all the pieces.
Note
before you start Machine Applique on any project practice on a practice
piece of fabric before working on you main project. Also keep a piece
of paper or notepad nearby to write down any setting you use so you have
them for future reference.
Now
the pieces are fused to the fabric we will be using a blanket stitch
around the stitches. I suggest we gathering a few tools to have close
by: First, Self-threading Needles and pin cushion, scissors, and Thread
and bobbins. I love Superior Thread, so when I’m appliqueing I use a
#40 to #50 wt. threads, like Masterpiece and King tut. But you can use
Aurifill or your favorite brand but just make sure it is a #40wt to #50
wt. thread. When selecting your threads also try to match the 
fabric as much as possible to make sure the thread blends into the fabric. You really don’t want your stitches to stand out.
I
also recommend cleaning your machine before starting. Also starting
with a fresh 75/11 Microtex or 80/12 needles for this project, they work
well with these weight sizes.
Now we are ready to start, I
would find your blanket stitch on your machine. If you not sure where
it is on your machine I would refer to your owner’s manual. After you
have found your blanket stitch, I would recommend using a 2.0 width and
2.0 Length only on the larger open areas like the Shirt, Snowman body.
For your tight areas I would adjust to a 1.5 width and 15 length and
sometimes you will have to drop to a 1.0 width.
I start with one color and do all the areas with that color before moving on to the next color area.
When
you’re ready to sew and have picked an area to start. Place your needle
just outside the fused area and make sure your needle is lined up next
to it and touching. Pull your bobbin thread and then put your needle
down. 
Make
a couple of small stitches and look to see if you need to adjust the
width and length you will be using in that area. Then continue sewing
until you get to the end of that piece (Don’t clip any threads if you
have an auto thread cutter). Bring the need up and move the fabric to
the side clipping the bottom and top thread about 2” away from the last
stitch. Now with your thread clipped one on the bottom and one on the
top. You
will now need to get your self-threading needle or our favorite sewing
needle, and bring the top thread through the last stitch hole with your
needle. Once you have the top and bottom thread at the bottom tie a
small knot and thread your needle again with both thread. Then tuck the
thread under about 3 to 4 stitches and clipping thread. 
For the beginning stitch for that area on top, you will have to bring
the top and bottom thread to the bottom, tie off and tuck the stitches
the same way as before. Repeat this for every applique area.
Once
all the blanket stitches are done on the girl and snowman, we will
start working on the hat and hair, which will be in tomorrow’s blog.
Then we will finish off with the borders and the snowflakes.
Other Blogs in this Series:
"Let It Snow Man!!" Pattern Tips – Preparing
"Let It Snow Man!!" Pattern Tips – Fusing Webbing
"Let It Snow Man!!" Pattern Tips – Pattern Pieces and Background
“Let It Snow Man!!” Pattern Tips – Machine Applique
Tina
Sister's out on a stroll on a rainy day in a meadow make up the "Rainy Day Play" Pattern