I usually eyeball it when I'm doing half square triangles(and they never seem to work out), but this time I decided to draw the sewing lines on the wrong sides with my Frixion pen. Woa! What a difference that makes! I never realized how much my machine(and my hands) move the fabric around, making slightly wobbly lines instead of nice straight lines.
In all fairness Pfrancine(my Pffaf) is in dire need to be cleaned and have the motor timer reset but I got this pretty pile done in no time flat!
I wanted to show you what happens when put your iron on the marks made with a Frixion pen. You can see the pen marks on the bottom triangle, below the stitching.
I pressed the seam quickly, and as you can see on the top triangle, the marks disappeared completely. It's like magic!
I have been seeing others around blog-land who are pressing their seams open and thought I would give it a try. A small project is a great place to see how it goes. I liked how crisp the seam was.
Here is one of the finished HSTs, now all I have to do is *ug* trim these squares down.
I can't tell you the specific dimensions as this was a free-with-purchase pattern and it is not available on the Timeless Treasure website. I did go there to check, so that I could share with you, but no I can't. Sorry…but, you can probably figure it out!
I wanted to talk about thimbles…do you use them???
I have never been able to use a conventional thimble, they always felt 'wrong' on my finger. I have been using a leather thimble(pictured above) for years, but wear them out very quickly as I push the needle with the side of my middle finger. These thimbles cost around $10-$15 plus shipping and I have gone through several in the past 18 months, while I have been working on two enormous hexagon projects.
I saw the blue one(a Roxanne's mid-priced metal thimble) on clearance so I ordered the largest size. I have mentioned my thick fingers before, and I really thought the XL size would fit. Well, it only fits if I rub a tiny dab of hand lotion into that finger…and, well it still didn't feel all that right. Plus after just a few hours of use, the pretty blue paint started to come off!
I was shopping at a favorite Etsy shop and noticed the metal cuff-style thimbles there. They were ultra cheap…I think 4 for $1, so I bought them. Well, they work great! I have been using one for a couple of months now, with no problem! Just goes to show you that expensive doesn't always mean the best!
Don't forget to enter Craftsy's #SecretStash Contest here.
Prizes include a box of secret stash goodies(and they have tonnes of things to choose from!!!) as well as a Craftsy class of your choice! Cool!!!
Also, the person I awarded my consolation prize to in my last giveaway never got back to me, even though I allowed 48 hours for a response.
I have contacted Pam P. and hope she will get back to me asap!
I did notice that a lot of the people that commented were "no-reply bloggers" which means they didn't have an email connected to their open id and therefore I had no way of contacting them. So, if you would like to win …and receive your winnings, please check your Google+ account and see if your email is visible in the top right drop-down window. If it isn't, just Google how to fix the no-reply blogger issue on your Google+ account and you will find a few tutorials to show you how to fix it!
By the way, a big HELLO *waving happily* to my new followers. Thanks so much for joining up!
Question of the day:
Do you wear a thimble, and if you do, what kind of thimble do you use?
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Quilty Huggs,
Jacqueline
Batiks were my first love, but I haven't done anything with them for quite a while...need to let them know I still love them...hope you share the table topper when it's finished!
ReplyDeleteHello from Pam P! Super happy you could find me! Thank you for the give away. I have never worn a thimble but I have inherited a leather one. I know my grandma always wore one. The open one looks pretty neat.
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever wear a thimble because I do almost no hand sewing at all and when I have to I just wear a plastic thimble because I have very thin fingers and just need something to push the needle through the fabric once in a while. I even sew buttons and beads on by machine!
ReplyDeleteI love the batik table topper and am anxious to see the finished product. I notice that you ironed open the seams and that's what I always do because I learned to sew by making clothes and that's what you do then. I came to quilting late and have never understood why the seams are pressed to the side because you really can match seams up better if they are pressed open. I know they are only 1/4" but when I free motion quilt I hate sewing over bumps! I avoid getting "steamed" fingers from my iron because I use the potholder glove with fingers that I stole from my kitchen when I have to press anything with my fingers close to the iron. One of the things to remember is that you iron fabric and press seams. They are two different ways to use your iron! Pressing means you don't glide the iron across the seams, you press down with it in a thumping motion. That is especially important to remember when pressing bias seams (like half square triangles) because if you iron them they will stretch! Can you tell I used to teach beginning quilting?
Love the batiks! It will be a gorgeous table topper. When I hand sew (which is pretty rare nowadays), I use the metal ring on my middle finger. Works great, and I always found it much more natural and comfortable than any other kind of thimble I have tried.
ReplyDelete