Sunday, December 31, 2017

Happy New Year's Eve - 2017


In the last few days I quilted the rest of "Do You See What I See?" -


And a little over half of my "Pinwheel Polka Dot" -
Quilting some "Lazy Eights" in the pink/green squares and side triangles -


I still have the pink/white squares to finish - ;))


I was on a roll and was going to try to finish it today and then see what else I could quilt before tomorrow. I have a bunch of labels already printed with "Quilted - 2017" - they don't say anything about being bound and labeled - so I was going to count them as a 2017 "finish" - haha - ;))

But then I thought -

Nah - I'll be good and change the labels to 2018. They've been "unquilted" and "unfinished" for this long - one more year isn't going to make any difference - and I don't really count them as "done" until I have them bound - labeled - the Scrap Card done - the Heart done - and my Scrapbook updated. I have some of the cards and hearts done - but the rest is too much to get done by midnight - so I'll just play with my FMQ and the new toys that Santa brought me - take the pressure off - and enjoy myself.

Tomorrow is a new day and a NEW YEAR -

Maybe I will be able to get some of my quilts "finished" in 2018 -

If not - there's always 2019 - ;))

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas - 2017


For the past few years -

I have shared a beautiful Christmas Card -

That I received one year from a dear friend - ;))

It is one of the most beautiful Christmas Cards -

That I have ever seen -

So I wanted to share it with you -

Again this year - ;))

Please click - HERE -

And -

Have a Very Merry Christmas!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Sunday, December 24, 2017

Merry Christmas Eve - 2017






Jingle Bell -

Jingle Bell -

Jingle Bell -

Rock - ;))

===

Yeah, I know that I posted this last year -

But I couldn't resist posting it again -

Hope you don't mind - ;))

===

Merry Christmas!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - Santa’s coming -



Tuesday, December 19, 2017

One more thing -


On my last post - Cutting Squares and HST using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule - HERE -

There is a part where I said -

===

Now I have two squares with "wings" -
I could cut a HST using a 3-1/2" strip -
And attach it to the other side -
(The whole thing would finish at 3" - but I think that's TMI - ;))


===

How did I KNOW that a 3-1/2" strip would work???????

Because my handy-dandy super-duper LEFT-EZE™ Rule told me so - ;))

Let me explain -

I designed the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with horizontal lines every 1/2" -

The INCH lines are numbered while the 1/2" lines are not -


I thought that numbers on the 1/2" lines would just clutter up the design and make the ruler more confusing than it needed to be - too much information (TMI) -

I tried to keep it SIMPLE -

And thought that it is/was easy enough to figure out that the 3-1/2" line is the one HALF-WAY between the 3" line and the 4" line - ;))

Anyway -

After I made the two squares with "wings" -

I simply put the LEFT-EZE™ Rule on top of it -

With the black triangle tip at the top -

And the bottom of the "unit" on a line -

Then I marked the bottom of the "unit" and the line with a post-it note -


Removed the ruler -

And checked the line that was marked with the post-it note -

It was on the 3-1/2" line -


SO - if I used a pre-cut 3-1/2" strip - I could cut a HST from it - and it would fit perfectly! - ;))

Now I know that designers/pattern writers always talk in terms of "finished" unit size - and that's all well and good - because when they design a quilt they want to know how big the unit will be in the "finished" quilt -

But I get confused with "cut" size and "sewn" size and "finished" size -

And I don't really care about the "finished" size -

When I want to follow a pattern -

Or have a pile of strips that I want to use -

Because that is way too much information - TMI - ;))

All I want to know is -

What SIZE PRE-CUT STRIP do I want/need to make the unit?

I can use the SIZE CHART to find the finished size the designer/pattern writer is talking about -

And then to find the STRIP SIZE that I want/need -

Once I have that -

I'm good to go - ;))

All I need to do is gather my strips - and my ruler -

The strips are PRE-CUT -

And the LEFT-EZE™ Rule has numbers for the STRIP SIZE -

Because that's the only number that matters - ;))

I think sometimes SIMPLE is better - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Sunday, December 17, 2017

Cutting Squares and HST using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule

Is simple - ;))

I started with some 2" pre-cut strips -


Trimmed the end to straighten the edge - this way -


Or I could do it this way -

Lining up the strip between ANY two parallel lines -


Cut a 2" square using the 2" mark on the LEFT-EZE™ Rule -
(It will finish at 1-1/2" - but I think that's TMI - ;)


Measured off another 2" square -


Until I ran out of strip -
Granted, it was a short strip - but I only wanted two - ;))


For the HST - I grabbed the other two 2" strips -


Layered them Right Sides Together (RST) -
To give me 2 HST that will be "mirror" images -


Trimmed the end -


Turned the strip around so that the trimmed end was on the RIGHT -


Lined up the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with the little black tip at the TOP of the strip -
And the BOTTOM of the strip on the 2" line -
Cut UP the LEFT side of the ruler - from bottom left to top right -
The black tip is a dog-ear that is automatically cut off because I used a strip -


Turned the ruler around with the black tip at the BOTTOM of the strip -
And the 2" line at the TOP of the strip -


Cut straight UP the LEFT side of the ruler -


Opened them out with the "flat" ends in the middle -
And they can be "wings" for the 2" strip -
HINT - They will fit together automatically -
because I used the same size strip for both the squares and the HST - ;))


And - if I fold the left HST over onto the top of the square -
The flat top lines up with the edge of the square -


I turn them around when I go to sew them - so the flat tip is at the bottom -
The top lines up with the other end of the square -
And I prefer to sew from that end toward the flat tip -


Ran them through -


Pressed them open -


Time to add the other "wing" -
Fold it down on top of the square -
And the bottom of the HST lines up with the side of the square -


I turned it over to start sewing at the flat end of the square -


Ran those through -


Pressed them open -


Now I have two squares with "wings" -
I could cut a HST using a 3-1/2" strip -
And attach it to the other side -
(The whole thing would finish at 3" - but I think that's TMI - ;))


Or sew them together - ;))


And that's how I cut squares and HST using my handy-dandy super-duper
LEFT-EZE™ Rule - ;))




Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Sunday, December 10, 2017

Diamond in a Rectangle using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule

I like to figure out if I can make "standard" units using my LEFT-EZE™ Rule - ;))

This time I wondered if I could make a Diamond in a Rectangle -

Using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule -

And the answer is -

YES, I CAN!!

I made a couple of 2" x 5" Diamond in a Rectangle to finish at 1-1/2" x 4-1/2" -

I could have used the LEFT-EZE™ Rule to cut 5" rectangles from a 2" strip -


Lining up the 5" line on the RIGHT edge of the fabric -


And cutting UP the LEFT side of the LEFT-EZE™ Rule -


But I wanted to see if I could use a pre-cut 5" charm square -

So I started with a 5" square of dark green and a 2" strip a little over 7" long -


I want/need two rectangles 2" x 5" - so I lined up the 2" line on the LEFT-EZE™ Rule on the edge of the fabric - using the lines on the mat and ruler to keep everything straight - you can see the tip of the ruler extending up at the top of the fabric -


Cut the first strip - 2" x 5" -


This time I lined up the bottom of the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with the bottom of the fabric - still using the lines on the mat and ruler to keep everything straight -


Cut the second strip 2" x 5" -


Now for the HST -

I used a 2" strip a little over 7" long -

I could cut them one at a time - but since I need "mirror" images - I can cut "both" the left and the right sides at the same time - if I fold the fabric right sides together -


So I folded the 2" strip - and needed to square up the end -


Which I did - using the Vertical lines on the LEFT-EZE™ Rule to keep it straight -


Trimmed off the left edge -


Turned it around so the cut edge is on the RIGHT -


To cut the HST - I lined up the RIGHT edge of the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with the RIGHT edge of the fabric - and with the little BLACK triangle on the TOP of the fabric - the bottom of the fabric will automatically line up with the 2" line - because I cut the strip 2" wide. The little BLACK triangle on the TOP is the dog-ear that is automatically cut off because I used a pre-cut strip - ;))


Cut UP the LEFT side of the LEFT-EZE™ Rule - from BOTTOM LEFT to TOP RIGHT -


Turned the ruler so that I could line up the RIGHT edge of the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with the RIGHT edge of the fabric with the little BLACK triangle on the BOTTOM of the fabric - the top of the fabric will automatically line up with the 2" line - because I cut the strip 2" wide -


Cut UP the LEFT side of the LEFT-EZE™ Rule - to get two sets of HST -


So now - for the Diamond in a Rectangle -

I took one set of HST and placed one on each end - RIGHT sides together - with the FLAT end of the HST lined up with the edge of the dark green rectangle -


I sewed the first set of HST to the rectangle - starting with the FLAT edge on the first one -


And the pointy end of the second one - because I need the "corner" to the right of the needle -


Because the 1/4" seam allowance is BUILT IN the LEFT-EZE™ Rule - the needle falls in the "groove" where the pointy end of the HST extends beyond the dark rectangle -


Both HST sewn on -


Pressed them open -


And got two "mirror" images - for one end of the rectangle -


Took the second set of HST - for the other end -

Which way to "orient" them? -

The same way the other one is - only WRONG SIDE UP -


Stitched those on the same way I did the first set -


All sewn on -


Pressed open -


TWO Diamond in a Rectangle - Mirror images -


And they measure 2" x 5" - which is the size of the original rectangle -


If I were making a bunch of them - I would probably set up an "assembly-line" where I could cut a bunch of rectangles from strips - and a bunch of HST "sets" - separate the HST into two piles - flat side on the LEFT - flat side on the RIGHT - then sew one pile on one end of a bunch of rectangles - then the other pile on the other end. Trim the dog ears and the corners as I went along - probably AFTER I pressed them open - just in case I had to re-sew them for some reason.

There are lots of different ways to do it -

Do whatever works for you - ;))

===

So -

Trim the dog ears -

And the extra fabric "behind" the corners -

And there you have it -

Diamond in a Rectangle using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule -

ONE ruler - AND - LEFT-Handed - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



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