SIZZLE--Block 2

This is the  2019 Block of the Month from The Quilt Show. This quilt pattern designed by Becky Goldsmith is FREE to Star Members. Join today  to be part of the fun.

See Previous Posts:

Block 1  Tips there apply to this month also

If you made Block 1, you will really like Block 2. The Wedges only have 3 pieces, not 4 and the Diamonds are made of 3 sections. The process is very similar to Block 1.

FIRST,  a note about Fabric Selection: If you are using one of the kits, just use the fabrics Becky has designated for each space and the design will be  perfect. If you are using your own fabric, take note of the fabrics Becky selected in either the Warm or Cool Kit. 

For example, in the Cool Kit, Fern, one of the woven cottons, appears in Sections 1, 2 and 3. Whatever fabric you want to use in its' place, be sure you put your fabric everywhere Fern is--this will ensure you get the pattern design. Seaside is used in Sections 2 and 3, the same applies here.  In the Warm Kit, Fern is in Sections 1, 2 and 3 and Sangria is in Sections 2 and 3. Your colors may be completely different, but it is the placement of those fabrics that creates the pattern. 

In the Cool Instructions, Becky writes NOTE: The values in parentheses on the foundation paper-pieces may not match the values of the fabric in the Cool Colorway.  

If using your own fabrics, I suggest you use the words light, medium, dark as a simple guide--as long as there is contrast between the fabrics you choose for the block, the pattern will work. Whether you start with a light or dark fabric for piece #1 in Section 1, just be sure the fabric you choose for pieces #2 and 3 contrast with it--and remember, fabric 2 and 3 have to be the SAME fabric.

WEDGES:

Align the #1 fabric on the pattern, being sure the entire piece that needs to be covered, is covered. Remember, butt side of fabric 1 to the butt side of  the paper:

Align #2 fabric with the raw edge of fabric #1, sew, and press toward #2 fabric:

Paper side up, ready to trim #1 Fabric so I can sew #3 Fabric:

I use and love the Add-A-Quarter ruler. Fold back the #3 paper piece on the sewing line, using a post card, then place the lip of the ruler snug against the paper edge, and trim 1/4" away from the sewing line:

This triangle is the excess #1 fabric that is removed--I am saving these for some future project--it meets my "big enough to save" rule--each person has their own standard for this:

 Ready to add #3 Fabric:

 Ready to sew #3 Fabric:

Use a dab of glue stick on the paper, to secure #2 and 3 pieces--this makes cutting the curved edge easier and more accurate:

NOTE: I've been asked about the vellum paper curling--it does. I lowered the heat of the iron just a bit, that helps, and I use those small dabs of glue stick to keep the larger pieces in place. Another trick that can help is to put something on top of the units after pressing--a ruler, a book, a clapper, something to hold the paper flat as it dries from the heat of the pressing. The paper is only on the fabrics for a short while so I have learned to cope with the curling--being able to see through the paper is such a help. Usually, I use newsprint, which does not curl this much, but you can't see through it like you can with vellum.

DIAMONDS:  NOTE--Becky has a great video for the Diamonds--be sure to watch it before sewing this block:  Tips for Making Block 2

The diamonds are made from 3 small sections. For some reason, I found it easy to get confused with Section 2 as to which fabric went where. SO I wrote on the paper with a pencil:  BL for blue, AQ for aqua. GR for green. This really helped me. The one time I didn't, I sewed the AQ where the GR goes--not good, I had to remove them both and re-sew.

HOT TIP: I bet you have colored pencils--quilters love office and school supplies. Here is my Block 2 Warm/Cool combo Diamond pieces--I used colored pencils to quickly mark which fabric goes where on the 3 small sections that make up the Diamond unit. You might notice, the fabric that is FERN in the Kit quilts, is HOT PINK in this version I created. As long as I use it everywhere in the Block where FERN appears, my finished pattern will be correct.

The pencil is marked on the TOP side of the paper so the markings will not touch the fabric:

Back to the Cool Kit Block 2:

The first thing I did was cut out all the fabrics. Keeping them organized with the paper sections they are sewn to helped. After making all the sections, they are trimmed. Because they have 90 degree angles, I carefully set the square ruler with the 1/4" line on the ruler on top of the sewing line, and cut two sides away at a time:

Be sure you trim the point off as shown on the pattern. This makes it very easy to attach sections 1 and 3 to section 2:

Becky has a brilliant way to be sure you sew the sections together in the correct order. Sections 1 and 2 are sewn so the two STARS in the seam allowance are aligned. Sections 2 and 3 are sewn so the one STAR in the seam allowance is aligned. Here are the sections trimmed and ready to be joined:

Remember, every time you sew one paper unit to another, REMOVE  the paper in the seam allowances before the next step.

NOTE: If you want to be sure your Diamonds are the correct size once you have sewn the 3 sections together, compare them to the Diamond pattern from Block #1--they are identical in size.

Once the Wedges and Diamonds are made sew them together exactly as we did with Block #1. This time I followed the directions and sewed the Wedge to the right side of the Diamond:

Four Wedge/Diamond units become a half circle, just like last month:

Make the other half and complete the block exactly as we did last month.

If using either of the Kits, be sure you select the correct Block Corners for the background. The Cool Kit uses two English Cream and two Mist block corners so the block will go on the middle row, left.

As I said last month, if you want to change the block positions, you certainly can--just wait until the circles are all done to decide which you want to place where on the quilt.  If you are using your own fabrics and have decided to only have one background fabric, you can put the blocks wherever you like.

Be sure to post photos on the Forum to share your progress. I also encourage you to check the Forum frequently--that is the first place new tips are posted. And you can ask questions there--you might get several good answers. We want you to be successful and happy with this quilt--it really teaches us a lot.

The first day someone asked for a Coloring Page/Line Drawing to play with arranging fabrics, not from the Kits. Becky made that available and that news was posted on the Forum right away. The drawings will remain available under the Month 1 downloads.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Paper Choices for Paper Piecing Quilt Blocks

I love Paper Piecing, especially complex blocks. Currently, I am making two Sizzle quilts, so I am getting lots of practice. I have written about paper piecing before--if you want lots of tips for this technique, Read this Tutorial.

The paper I use for piecing has to have certain qualities:

It has to be easy to print on a home printer
The ink cannot smear once dry
It has to be easy to sew on
It  has to be easy to press the sewn fabrics flat
It has to be easy to remove

I am testing 3 different "vellum" papers on a Sizzle block:

 Here are my results:

1. C&T Simple Foundations Translucent Vellum Paper--this is the product Becky Goldsmith recommends and it is included in the Accessory Kit for the Sizzle quilt, the 2019 Block of the Month for The Quilt Show.

   This is the medium weight of the 3 papers I am testing. It works well, is easy    to  run through my printer, the ink doesn't smear, and tears off pretty easily. It curls just a bit but not enough to be a problem.

2. Master's Touch Tracing Pad, 25 lb., 9" x 12"--bought at Hobby Lobby.
This is the thinnest of the 3 papers I am testing. I had to trim to 8.5" for the printer. Even though I separated each of the 8 sheets from the stack to "un-stick" them, each time I printed 8 copies, one page stuck to another and I had to re-print that one--and had one page printed on regular paper. The ink also smeared a bit even days after printing. It curled the most of the 3. It was easy to remove.

3. Vellum Paper Value Pack, bought from Amazon online. Amazon
This the thickest of the 3 papers I am testing. It printed easily, the ink did not smear but the thickness of the paper made it difficult to press the fabrics as they were added. It took a hard press to get the fabrics as flat as possible, without having a pleat at the seam. It was more difficult to remove than the other two papers, I really had to pull the paper away from the stitches.

I know a couple people who like to use lightweight tracing paper. They have to print one page at a time since the thin paper does not feed easily in their printers. This would be inconvenient for me--the printer is on the other side of the house from my studio where my computer is.

So, for now, I am sticking with the C&T vellum paper. It does what I need it to do and is dependable.

If you search online for "vellum" be aware there are many weights and levels of transparency. Much of the vellum I saw online was being marketed for Wedding Invitations--the little page that goes between the fancy papers. Those are most likely too thick and not transparent enough for paper piecing quilt blocks, especially complex designs like these.

This is half of a Sizzle Block, showing where a lot of seams come together. You can see it is important that the paper work well with this kind of project:

Paper Piecing allows for the kind of precision I just could not get with regular piecing. Here is the center of that block, finished:

If you have a paper you love, please let me know about it.

Le'ts quilt.

Barbara

SIZZLE Preparation--the Excitement Grows!

The 2019 Block of the Month on The Quilt Show will begin January 1, 2019. It is FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show--reason enough to join, but you get so much more for your $49 investment. I encourage you to JOIN if you haven't yet.

Watch Becky Goldsmith's show to see how fun this will be: Here

The Sizzle Introduction can be found HERE--Fabric Requirements for both Warm and Cool colorways will help you if you want to make your own fabric palette.

Here are suggestions to help you be prepared to jump in January 1:

1. Have plenty of ink and paper on hand--in addition to the Month 1 pattern, you will have access to a 30 page General Instructions document--I am referring to this frequently so, for me, it is worth the ink and paper to have a printed copy.

2. Have Vellum or very lightweight, translucent paper to print the paper piecing pattern pages--each month there are 8 pages to print, giving you all the paper piecing patterns for that month's  20" block.  The Accessory Kit provides this product--I found it very easy to print 8 copies with my printer, they did not stick together and the ink was dry by the time I walked from the studio to the office to get them:

3. Watch Becky Goldsmith's show, it airs December 30, 2018--this will get you excited for the upcoming Block of the Month. An excellent designer and teacher, you will really enjoy watching her in action.

Things to know:

1. There are GREAT videos from designer Becky Goldsmith, showing you exactly how to make this quilt. PLEASE watch them before you begin--her method is a bit different from what you may be familiar with--follow her instructions for success.

2. Each month there are 2-3 pages of instructions, in addition to the paper piecing pattern. If you purchased the Kit from The Quilt Show, print the Warm or Cool instructions--this will give you the Key to which fabrics to cut for that month's block and exactly HOW to cut that fabric.

3. If you are using the Kit, I strongly recommend you put a small piece of each fabric on your Fabric Requirements pages. I am using the Cool Kit and found some of the blues look very similar--and each person's printer may show different depths of color. With the Kit, you want to know which fabric is which:

Sometimes I found it helpful to use the amount of fabric in the kit to determine which was which, 2 yards vs. 1/4 yard, for example. I cut 1" pieces of each fabric and used double stick tape to put in my notebook. Once this is done, it will be a snap each month to select the fabrics for the block.

4. The first month's instructions include the Block Corner Template, printed on two pages then taped together to make the 10.5" quarter circle. Becky recommends using Laminating Sheets to make this template you will use to make 36 quarter circles. I taped my paper template to the bottom of Quilter's Template plastic--my local quilt shop sells a large piece of this for about $3. I carefully cut out the template plastic, following the lines on the paper--this creates a very sturdy template:

5. The last thing I want to tell you is this is EASY--even if you are new to Paper Piecing, you will catch on quickly and be delighted to see your sections grow into a beautiful block--here is a Teaser, Block 1 parts under construction:

On the first of each month, I will have a Blog that shows how I made that month's block, following Becky's instructions. I am also prepared to answer your questions--please post them on the Forum where there is a Category for this quilt. 2019 SIZZLE Topic--go there to see the previous blogs I've written on this project--Introduction and Fabric Selection and Preparation--full of more tips and suggestions.

During 2019 I am teaching this locally to a class of 15 people at a quilt shop and to The Sunday Sew and Sews, a group of 25 of us who have been working on the TQS Block of the Month quilts since January 2017. All these people ask good questions that will find their way into instructions on my blog. I encourage you to follow my blog for the latest information.

The Sunday Sew and Sews saw my pieces last week and they said the fabrics were even prettier than they thought they would be. If you want a Kit, Cool or Warm, it's not too late to order it HERE.

We are going to have a great time in 2019 making these beautiful quilts. I hope you will join us.

Let's quilt,

Barbara

Get Ready to SIZZLE!

Recently, the 2019 Block of the Month for the The Quilt show was announced. Sizzle is a quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith, of Piece 'O Cake Designs. It features nine 20" blocks that are paper pieced with Becky's terrific, easy method and four applique' borders. And it is FREE for Star members of The Quilt Show--join now if you are not a current member, so you can get ready to SIZZLE with us.

I want to encourage you: IF you love this quilt and want to make it, you CAN! Becky will provide wonderful videos to show you her process, step-by-step. throughout the year. I will have a Blog Post on the first of each month, showing my progress and that of the Sunday Sew and Sews--yes, they are on board too. It is NOT a quick, slap-it-together quilt project, but it is one that will teach you so much if you take the time to READ the directions and WATCH  the videos.

Kits are currently available while supplies last from The Quilt Show Store. The Cool Kit is for me, those colors are just so beautiful. Of course, I love the Warm one too, so if I had time to make two, I'd get them both.

Now the Fabric Requirements  have been published so if you want to use your own fabric, you can start getting your palette together. Introduction--Fabric Requirements

 Just for fun, I have pulled fabrics from my stash to create a possible palette. One of the things about this design that is different from how I usually work is, the fabrics are all SOLIDS. I have a substantial stash of prints, but not a lot of solids. Here is what I came up with, all the fabrics just have to "read" as solids. The white background is only a possibility, the Warm quilt does not use a white. The Cool quilt uses 3 white to gray backgrounds:

One of the things you can do NOW to get ready is to prepare a Notebook, a place to keep all the pages of Instructions and Patterns you will print. Now you can print the Fabric Requirements--there are two, one for Warm, one for Cool--pick the one you prefer and print that, they are about 8-9 pages and the colors will  help you select your own, if you choose not to use the Kit:

3-Ring Binder--mine is 1.5" wide size

We will have General Instructions, Applique' Instructions, and Patterns in addition to the Fabric Requirements pages

Monthly Tabs help me stay organized

At the end of the Fabric Requirements, you will find the suggested NOTIONS for this project. It lists specific products by  name, making it easy for you to get the exact item Becky recommends. You may already have some of these items that are similar. You can try them to see if you get a good result or buy the recommended products.

For example. Becky recommends using Translucent Vellum paper. I agree--you need to be able to see through the printed patterns to place the fabrics correctly. While I prefer to paper-piece with newsprint, for this quilt I will use Vellum. I bought two to try. This tracing pad came from my local Hobby Lobby--it was on 50% discount that week, making it worth the need to trim the  pages from 9" x 12" to 8.5" x 11". We will need 71 pages so it would take two of these 50 sheet pads for the quilt:

 This package of paper came from Amazon, 100 sheets, 8.5" x 11". This is enough for the quilt:

I test printed a Block with each paper. Neither smeared, and each is thin and very easy to see through. Once I can start sewing, I will test each and decide which I prefer--I really expect it to be a toss-up. The pattern is designed in eighths that fit on one page, so we will print 8 copies of each pattern each month:

Other notions on the list apply to the applique' borders--these appear after the nine blocks are completed, so there is no rush to buy those notions right now. If you do needle-turn applique', as I like to do, your supplies will be different.

Plan now to watch the show, premiering December 30, where Becky will show you how easy this can be with her method. The pattern for Block 1 will be available January 1, 2019--as always, the first of each month we get a new pattern.

My last TIP--be sure you have printer paper and ink on hand January 1--the General Instructions are comprehensive--about 30 pages. I think you will want to print them rather than looking at your computer frequently for that information. It is your "Instruction Book" for this paper-piecing process.

I hope you will join us on this year-long journey while you make a wonderful quilt. Why not find a few others in your area who want to work together--having a group is fun and a great way to learn a new technique.

Let's quilt!

Barbara