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 - 

  

 

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 - ;))

 

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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 - 

  

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 - ))

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 - 

 

 

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 - 

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 -

 

 

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 - 

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 - 

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 - 

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 -