LHQ - Christmas Sukoku Quilt - Tutorial - Part 1 -

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Note - these instructions are written in LEFTISH.
If you are right-handed - just reverse the directions.
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I decided to try to make a little Sukoku Quilt -

Mind you - I have NO IDEA how you are “supposed” to make one -

I don’t have a book or a pattern or anything -

But I thought that it couldn’t be THAT hard to figure out -

And it wasn’t - ;))

Then when I was trying to decide on the colors/theme -

It dawned on me that I could make it in Christmas colors -

And enter it into the little “Race” that Linda - HERE - and I started - HERE -

So I did - ;))

This is now officially another episode of -

Leisurely Turtle Race to Christmas with Squirrels Allowed - 2013 - ;))

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First - for those of you who haven't heard about Sukoku puzzles -

Or for those of you who HAVE heard and are afraid of them -

Contrary to popular belief -

There is NO MATH involved in solving one - ;))

They are LOGIC puzzles -

Not MATH puzzles - ;)) -


A Sudoku puzzle is a grid of 3 boxes by 3 boxes -

Just like a 9-Patch -

Each “Box” has 9 squares -

Just like a 9-Patch -

It is simply a 9-Patch of 9-Patches - ;))

To solve the puzzle -

You need to place the numbers 1 through 9 in the squares -

In such a way that each number appears in each “Box” once -

Each “Column” once -

And in each “Row” once -

That’s it!!

NO MATH - just numbers!!

I repeat -

They are LOGIC puzzles -

Not MATH puzzles - ;))

You could just as easily have 9 different FLOWERS -

Or 9 different pieces of FRUIT -

Or 9 different FABRICS/COLORS - ;))

The numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 are used -

Because it is the easiest series of 9 different things -

That you can run in your head - QUICKLY - ;))

You can race through those 9 numbers in your head -

So fast that you can tell VERY quickly which number you are missing -

Much faster even than the letters A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I -

It’s as simple as that - ;))

I repeat -

NO MATH IS INVOLVED - ;))

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So - enough of the lecture -

Here’s How To Make A Sudoku Quilt -

You will need -

• One Sudoku puzzle SOLUTION -
• 9 squares 2” x 2” EACH of 9 different fabrics - 81 squares total -
• Sashing strip - 5” x 10” -
• Sashing strip - 5” x 16” -
• Cornerstone strip - 1” x 16” -
• Cornerstone square - 1” x 1” -
• Border fabric - to be determined later - ;))

STEP 1 - Choose and cut your fabrics -
I chose 9 different Christmas fabrics -
Cut 9 squares of each one - 2" x 2" -
And made 9 sets - in no particular order -

These are cut at 2” x 2” -
And will finish at 1-1/2” x 1-1/2” -

NOTE - Aren’t those little clothespins cute?
I got those at Walmart -
They had them in two different sizes -
So I got one set of each size - ;))

STEP 2 - Create a “cheat sheet” -
I cut a little strip/scrap of each color -
Scotch taped them to an index card -
Wrote the numbers 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 across the top -
And assigned one number to each fabric - in order -

STEP 3 - Put your little stacks in order ACCORDING TO THE INDEX CARD -
Sorry - I forgot to take a photo of that step -
And somehow mixed up the order from the photo in Step #1 - ;))

STEP 4 - Choose a Suduko puzzle SOLUTION -
NOTE - You don’t need to SOLVE the puzzle -
You only need to find a SOLUTION to one of the puzzles -
From a magazine - a book -
Or - katiemaytoo - you can ask your mother - haha - ;))

I chose one from this book -
A Christmas present from years ago - ;))

Hip Pocket Sudoku - by Frank Longo
(c) 2006 by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

STEP 5 - Use the SOLUTION as a guide for your fabric placement -
And lay out your fabric squares in a grid -
To match the SOLUTION -

Start with the top left “Box” -
Where the SOLUTION has a #1 -
Put a little square of fabric #1 in that spot -
Then put each of the other fabrics in the “Box” -
According to where its number appears in the SOLUTION -

Make SURE that you keep the squares and blocks IN ORDER -
Or the puzzle won’t work - ;))

STEP 6 - Make 9 - 9-Patch “Boxes” -
Because all of my little squares didn’t fit on my mini-design board -
I started with the three bottom rows -
And made three little 9-patches -
And numbered them 7 - 8 - 9 -

Then I laid out the other 6 “blocks” -
Each on its own mini-design board -

And made 9 little 9-patches -
Numbered 1 through 9 -

Mine measure 5” x 5” sewn -
And will finish at 4-1/2” x 4-1/2” -

I put little stickers with the numbers 1 through 9 -
In the MIDDLE of the TOP LEFT patch of each block -
You don't want them too close to the edge -
Or you might sew through them -
Ask me how I know - ;))

It’s as simple as that!! - ;))

It’s a 9-Patch of 9-Patches -

Easy!!

And - as promised -

NO MATH IS INVOLVED - ;))

The placement of fabrics and orientation of these blocks -
Is what makes the puzzle work - ;))

And that’s as far as I got -

They still need sashing/cornerstones and borders -

I’ll show/tell you how I do that next time - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Spool labels -

I LOVE the thread that comes from Connecting Threads - HERE -

BUT -

I do NOT love the messy cellophane wrappers that come with them - ;))

I don’t dare throw them away -

They are the only way that I can tell -

What the Color and Number are for the spool -

Unlike other brands that have the Color/Number ON the spool - ;))

I actually mentioned that to a Customer Service Rep once -
When I called to ask why they no longer carry variegated thread -
Apparently there is NO demand for variegated thread -
Are you kidding me?!?!?!? -
NO demand?!?!?!? -
How about me?? -
I want some!! - ;))
And as far as I know - they still don’t label the thread spool - ;))

But I digress -

Why do I care if the Color/Number is ON the spool?

Well - if I knew the Color/Number of the spool WITHOUT the wrapper -

I could THROW AWAY the dang wrapper -

And still be able to pull another spool just like it from my stash - by “Name” -
When the spool was empty -

Or re-order another one just like it -
When my stash ran out - ;))

SO -

I decided to label the spools MYSELF - ;))

I used a sheet of regular address labels -
And typed four lines -
All lined up nice and neat -

Line #1 - Color - Color - Color
Line #2 - Number - Number - Number
Skipped a line -
Line #3 - Color - Color - Color
Line #4 - Number - Number - Number

Ran it through the printer -

Pulled out my tweezers - scissors - and a mechanical pencil -

Cut the label apart -
This one is the Color/Number for the “BLUE” spool -
Trust me - not all of the spools have a name as obvious as this one - ;))

Carefully folded the label in half -
And used the tweezers to stick it inside the spool “core” -

Used the tweezers to smooth it out -
Or the mechanical pencil if the label didn’t want to play nice - ;))

There you go -
Cool, huh? - ;))

And no more messy wrappers - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -