Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Potholder #1 - Squares -

 
 
 
For the first block/potholder - 
 
Take 4 strips 2" wide by at least 8-1/2" long - 
 


Layer them on top of each other - right sides up - 
 
Four layers deep - 
  
 
Using the LEFT-EZE Rule™

Line up your strip on your cutting mat - 

And - starting at the RIGHT end of the strip - 
 
Turn the ruler on its side - 


And trim the end to make it straight -  


Then line up the 2" line at the cut edge of the strip - 
 
NOTE - The 2-1/2" line is the one between the 2 and the 3 - LOL - 
I didn't "label" it because I didn't want to garbage up the design - 
And I figured you guys were smart enough to figure it out -

Make sure the line is ON THE FABRIC - not on the mat - 

Cut straight UP the left side of the ruler -


And slide the ruler to the LEFT - 

Then cut the other 3 squares -




You should have 16 squares - for a 16-patch - LOL - 

And you can lay them out any way you want - 

I chose this layout for mine -
 
 
The GREEN STRIPE ones go in different directions - 
 
Because the potholder will be on the DIAGONAL - 
 
When it is hung - 
 
And I wanted it to look like this when it is finished - 

 
Sew the squares into rows - 

 
And press alternate rows in different directions - 
 
I flipped my rows over - 
 
And pressed the top and third rows to the RIGHT - 
 
And the second and bottom rows to the LEFT - 

 
Sew the rows together - 
 
Nesting the seams - 
 
And press it - 


It should measure 6-1/2" square -
 
 
It will be bigger when I add borders to two sides - 
 
I'll show you that part - 
 
And the rest of it - 
 
After I show you how to cut HST and QST - 
 
For now - I put mine up on the design wall -
 
 
And have more strips on a cookie sheet - 
 
Ready to go -
 
Tomorrow I'll show you how to use the LEFT-EZE Rule™

To cut HST - Half-Square Triangles - ;))
 
If you'd like to make several potholders at a time - 
 
You might like this post - HERE - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 
  
 

Monday, November 29, 2021

Potholder - Prep & Test -

 
 
You can make these blocks - 
 
And/or this potholder - 

Using any method that you prefer - 

But I'd like to show you - 
 
Just how EASY the LEFT-EZE Rule™ is to use - ;))
 
I also have a series of tutorials - HERE
 
Written a while back - 
 
That you can read at your leisure - ;))
 
===
 
I designed the LEFT-EZE Rule™ 
 
To cut HST - QST - Flying Geese - Squares - and Rectangles - 
 
LEFT-HANDED - 
 
Using PRE-CUT STRIPS -
 
From 1/2" to 6-1/2" wide - ;))
 
If you're trying to follow a pattern - 
 
And it tells you what size the STRIP should be - 
 
You're good to go - 
 
That's the ONLY size you need - ;))

If your pattern gives you a "finished" size - 

For HST - just add 1/2" to get the STRIP size - 

And don't worry - there's NO MATH involved - 
 
I have a size chart - HERE - that you can use - 

For QST - and Flying Geese -
 
It even has a section to tell you which STRIP SIZE you need - 
 
If the pattern says to "cut a square"with 1/8" markings - ;))
 
===
 
Anyway - 
 
For demonstration purposes - 
 
I'm going to make some blocks - 
 
For some potholders - 
 
Using some PRE-CUT strips -  ;))
 
You can make them any size you want -
 
And use jelly rolls - 
 
Or fat quarters - 
 
Or your scraps - 
 
Or yardage - 
 
As long as you PRE-CUT your fabric into STRIPS first - ;))
 
=== 
 
TEST -
 
For the first block - I'll be using some 2" strips -
 
And before we go any further - 
 
I want you to TEST - 
 
Your CUTTING ACCURACY - 
 
AND your SEAM ALLOWANCE - 
 
Take 2 scrap strips 2" wide by at least 2-1/2" long - 
 

Layer them on top of each other - right sides together - 
 
Using the LEFT-EZE Rule™

Line up your strip on your cutting mat - 

And - starting at the RIGHT end of the strip - 
 
Turn the ruler on its side - 
 

And trim the end to make it straight -  



Then line up the 2" line at the cut edge of the strip - 
 
NOTE - The 2-1/2" line is the one between the 2 and the 3 - LOL - 
I didn't "label" it because I didn't want to garbage up the design - 
And I figured you guys were smart enough to figure it out -

Make sure the line is ON THE FABRIC - not on the mat - 

Cut straight UP the left side of the ruler -




Sew the two squares together - 
 
 
And press to the DARK one - 


Then MEASURE them - 

They SHOULD measure 2" x 3-1/2" - 
 
We already know that they are 2" tall - 
 
So we're actually just measuring the WIDTH - 


 
I put the sewn squares on the cutting mat - 
 
So that you can see that my camera puts a shadow on the LEFT side -
 
And that makes it look wrong - UGH - 
 
But the 3-1/2" vertical line is on the RIGHT side - 
 
And it DOES measure 2" x 3-1/2" - 
 
Here it with another ruler - with the same shadow on the LEFT side -

 
If they don't measure correctly -

Either you cut it wrong - 

Or your seam allowance is off -
 
NOW is the time to FIX it -  
 
So - try it again - 
 
Or until you are satisfied that it comes out the correct size - ;))
 
Then gather some 2" strips - 
 
If you want to make some blocks/potholders "demo" size - 
 
And we'll PLAY tomorrow - ;))
 
 
 
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 
  

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Holiday side-step -

 
 
Before I check my stash for fabric for potholders - 
 
I thought I would try making some napkins - 
 
So I found a set of 12 fat quarters - 
 
Enough for 6 double-sided napkins - 
 

 
There are plenty of tutorials on the internet - 
 
So I found one I liked - 

And made a "test" napkin - 
 
Cutting my squares at 14" - 
 
Except for the back of this one - 
 
 
I cut it short - 
 
So BOB told me to "splice it" - 
 
Unless I wanted to make 5 napkins - 
 
Instead of 6 - 
 
And who wants/needs 5 napkins - LOL - 

 
So I spliced it - 
 
And you can't really tell - 
 
Unless you know to look for it - LOL - ;)) 
 

 
 I have all of the 14" squares cut out - 
 
And paired up - 
 
So I can use them as tweens* - 
 
While I play with my LEFT-EZE Rule™

And make some potholders -
 
If you're LEFT-Handed - 
 
And don't have a LEFT-EZE Rule™ yet -

You're cutting stuff the HARD way -
 
I have been told - 
 
And have to agree - 
 
That it is a "game-changer" - LOL - ;))

If you want to play along - 

As I make some potholders - 

I'll show you how to use the ruler - 

And how to make some nifty little blocks - 

It should be fun -
 
And you only have to make ONE block - 
 
For a potholder - 
 
PLUS - I have extended the FREE shipping - 
 
Until the end of the month -
 
So - 
 
If you want one - 
 
And you know you do - LOL - 
 
Or if you want something nice for a LEFT-Handed quilter - 
 
On your gift list - 
 
Order it before Wednesday -
 
To take advantage of the FREE Shipping - 
 
As they say - that's an $8.75 value - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta - gotta sew - 
 
 
 
*NOTE: -
"Tweens" - some people call them "leaders and enders" - 
but that's a mouthful and much too long to say - 
besides - I sew them be"TWEEN" other stuff - 
so that's what I call them - LOL - ))

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Holiday sewing -

 
 
This year for the holidays - 
 
I think I'll make some potholders - 
 
In sets of four - 
 
Like these - HERE
 

 
Or in sets of five - 
 
Like these - 



Or I can use my LEFT-EZE Rule™

And make different block designs - 
 
Decisions - decisions - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 
 
 

Friday, November 26, 2021

Black Friday -

 
  
For today only - 
 
FREE SHIPPING on my LEFT-EZE Rule - 
 
No coupon required! - ;))
 
===

A LEFT-Triangle - designed for Left-Handed Quilters -


Use ONE RULER
To trim the selvage -
Cut Half-Square Triangles (HST) -
And Quarter-Square Triangles (QST) for Hourglass Blocks -
And Flying Geese units -
And Squares -

Using Pre-cut strips -

LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

No more "flipping" rulers - OVER - BACK - or SIDEWAYS -

The numbers go in the CORRECT direction -

And are EASY TO READ -

Because -

It's LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

===

Check out the Tutorials - HERE -

The Size Chart - HERE -

And the Free Pattern and Tutorial - HERE -

===
 
ORDERING INFORMATION -
For ordering information regarding my LEFT-EZE™ Rule -
Please go to the "My Store" page/tab at the top of this blog - or HERE - ;))

===


Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 


Thursday, November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving - 2021 -

 
 
Happy Thanksgiving!! - ;))


Today is Turkey Day in the U.S.A. -
 
And a day to Give Thanks! -

And I DO! - ;))

I'm thankful for SO many things -

My family - my friends - my neighbors - my readers/followers/fans -

My stash - my sewing machines - my toys -

And SO much more! - ;))

Here's hoping that you have a very nice Turkey Day with your family! -

And have plenty of leftovers! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -
 
 

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Another "chore" day -

 
 
So all I have to post - 
 
Are more puzzle photos - LOL - ;))
 
 
The colors in the top photo are more "true" - 
 
Than these that my camera thinks are "orange" - 


 
So we only have two more sections to go - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 


Tuesday, November 23, 2021

No sewing today -

 
 
Because I did "chores" all day - UGH!! - 
 
So I'll show you some more of the puzzle - 
 


 
This one is REALLY fun - 

And PRETTY!! - ;))


Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 


Monday, November 22, 2021

Scraps -

 
 
Were dug out for my O Happy Christmas -  

To see if I could find anything useful - 

To use for corner triangles - 

Or a hanging sleeve - 
 
"After the fact" - LOL - 
 
I found some strips that go "length-wise" - 
 
So they are of no help - 

 
But then I found a horizontal strip - 
 
 
That I thought I could use to make some corner triangles - 
 
 
But then I realized that - 
 
Even though the strip wasn't "deep" enough to use for a hanging sleeve - 
 
It was as wide as the quilt - 
 
So maybe it "could" be made into a sleeve - 
 
If I "backed" it with some other fabric - 
 
To give it the "depth" that it needed - 
 
 
THEN I saw - 
 
How PERFECT the "match" was - 
 
On the print on the strip - 
 
And the top section of the quilt - 
 

So - maybe I could make a sleeve - 

And maybe have it blend right in to the back of the quilt - 

If I was careful - 

And I can be VERY careful - 

When I want to be - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 


Sunday, November 21, 2021

Bound -

 
 
My O Happy Christmas
 
Is bound - 
 
Finally - 

Ta Dah! - ;))





 
 Some photos of the quilting from before -
 
 
Mostly "swirls" to look like snow - 


 
With some stars here and there - 

 
And straight-ish lines for the "ground" - 

 
I like the touch of GOLD flange in the GREEN binding - 

 
And the cute backing fabric - 

 
That looks like Santa's toy shelf - 
 
With Raggedy Ann dolls - 


And - silly me - 
 
Because it's been so long since I actually bound something - 

I forgot the dang corner triangles for hanging it up -
 
So now I have to figure out what to do about that - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew - 


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