Mini Series Sew Along :: Stretched Geese + Criss Cross

I confess I've been working ahead a bit on my tiny-pieced blocks, and this week it proved to my detriment. If I'd watched the Mini Series video for this week before making my blocks, I would have remembered not to sew quite to the tips of the geese on the Stretched Geese block, and kept my points just a little sharper.

And on the Criss Cross, Giuseppe gave a great hint that would have reduced the pain of paper-removal. Oh well. That said, Criss Cross was a bit more challenging considering several pieced components had to be sewn together. I always find that a tad finicky.

Even so, I think both blocks turned out well enough. Ten down, two to go!

Mini Series Sew Along :: Bear Paw

So does a seriously tiny 4.5" block deserve it's own blog post? Obviously so!

There's a bonus block in the Mini Series Sew Along, the Bear Paw. Talk about tiny piecing! This one was acutally a bit more challenging than the others, with three separately-pieced components to each quadrant. That's 12 in all, and I'm glad to have survived to tell about it.

Actual tiny piecing is one thing, and I don't mind that so much. Sewing tiny-pieced components together though, definiely adds to the challenge, for me at least. The layers are compounded, and I ended up taking out some of the paper to facilitate this finish. But like I said, I got 'er done, and it's a terrific addition to our collection of small blocks.

Mini Series Sew Along :: Triangle Geese + Bloom

After seeing so little blue in last week's Mini Series Sew Along blocks, I knew I had to use it in a larger way this week. For Triangle Geese, I used a simple gradation from my fabric pull.

But for Bloom - which I've looked forward to making since Day 1 - after using my brightest yellow for the center, I chose the bolder colers in my palette, and I love the result.

So with this pair, we're two-thirds of the way through the sew along. Dare I say that I'm enjoying the tiny piecing more than I thought I might?

Mini Series Sew Along :: Hexagon Step + Pineapple

Both of this week's Mini Series Sew Along blocks were really fun for me. The Hexagon Step was repetative but obviously in a fun and unique new way.

And the Pineapple is another of those traditional blocks that I seem to love in just about every way. I tried something different, and used a small bit of selvage as my center fabric. What do you think? I must have had fall on my mind, as both seem to feature those fall-ish colors. 

Not sure why I took a photo of this week's blocks with Week 2 but I do think it's fun to see several of them together. What this is telling me is I need to include more blue in future blocks!

Mini Series Sew Along :: Courthouse Steps + Diamond Sidestep

Well it's week two of the Mini Series Sew Along, and this week's blocks were just as fun as last week! I've really enjoyed choosing what range of my fabrics to use for each block.

First up was a Courthouse Steps block, one I've visited again and again on larger scales.

And then there was the Diamond Sidestep, a relatively quick block, with plenty of that fun background fabric.

Next week is a bonus sewing week - a time to catch up - though obviously I don't need that. ;-) I've been having the opposite problem... it's been hard to stop making blocks!

Mini Series Sew Along :: Log Cabin + Triangle Cabin

Well, the Mini Series Sew Along hosted by Alison Glass and Giuseppe Ribaudo/@giucy_giuce has officially begun! I didn't participate in the popular 2020 sew along, and had only made two tiny piecing designs in the class I took with Giuseppe years ago, so most of the designs I'll be making will be brand new to me. And so far, I'm enjoying them!

All my blocks will be 4" finished, just to give you an idea of the scale of things. First up was the Log Cabin block, definitely an old favorite of mine in any form. 

Then there was Triangle Cabin, a fun variation. 

One of the things to think about as I tackle each block, is what range of color I want to use. I have 14 fabrics in my original muted rainbow bundle, so depending on what each block needs, I'm selecting a sub-range from my overall palette. So far, I've kept the fabrics in the order I received them, but I don't expect that necessarily to be the case as I work through all the blocks.

Anyway, so far so good! With my machine all set up with its 80wt thread and 1.4 stitch length; and with my tools and fabric out and accessible, it's been hard to stop with just these two blocks. Let's just say I've already snuck into next week's block assignment.... and beyond.

Tiny Pieced Chevron + Strings

Though the Mini Series Sew Along actually officially starts on September 12, two extra tiny-pieced block patterns were available through the Meander Quilt Guild hosted by Shannon Brinkley. There was a String block available with Giuseppe Ribaudo/@giucy_giuce's recent Tiny Piecing Trunk Show; and if you joined Meander, you could also access Giuseppe's Tiny Piecing workshop. (Note that you can join Meander annually, or by the month, which is what I did so I could access the workshop and see what Meander was all about. Let's just say, I was impressed.) With the workshop came the pattern for a Chevron block, which is actually the first one I made, after seeing Giuseppe demonstrate.

In addition to my fabric bundle, I had gathered the supplies needed - a seam roller (to use instead of an iron at each step), an add an eighth ruler (for trimming after each fabric was added on), and a small rotary cutter. Giuseppe also suggested 80wt thread, which I don't remember from my previous tiny piecing experience, but since I had the perfect-colored Aurifil 80wt 6722 [Sea Biscuit] spool, that's what I'm using, and it's working great, both as my top thread, and in the bobbin.

I'd been having trouble printing my pattern to the correct size. Even though my settings were set to print at 100%, the result was printing at just a smidge less than they were supposed to. So I actually made two versions of the Chevron block, but at least I finally got it correct. I found if I printed 103%, it printed just right. Still not sure what that's all about, but I can work with it. 

What I do know is that I'm happy to see how my fabric palette played out. The two blues in my 'muted rainbow' weren't needed in the Chevron, so I'll include them in subsequent blocks. But overall I'm really pleased with the result, and was happy with how the construction technique felt familiar pretty quickly.

Up next was the string block, and I started at the other end of my fabric color spectrum so those blues got a starring role.

Gotta say, I love the two blocks together! Coordinated, of course, but each with their own range of color. It'll be interesting to see as I make more blocks, how that range changes. I'm looking forward to finding out!

Mini Series Sew Along 2022

Yup, it's true. Paper-piecing is not my first piecing language, but I love the mini series designs after being introduced to them in a workshop with Giuseppe Ribaudo and Seattle Modern Quilt Guild a few years ago. Here are the two blocks I made in our workshop....

and the projects I subsequently used them in. See how irresistible they are?

For fabric for this new set of blocks, I chose the Muted Rainbow bundle from FabricBubb's recent anniversary sale, which are all Kona solids. With them, as my background fabric, I thought I'd use the Ledger print from Carolyn Friedlander's Architextures, which I've kept long-stashed. 

So the sew along officially began yesterday, though we still have time to gather supplies. Here's the schedule if you're considering joining in:

Week 0 - Sept 1 - Bonus Sewing Week #1 

Week 1 - Sept 13 - Log Cabin and Triangle Cabin

Week 2 - Sept 20 - Courthouse Step and Diamond Sidestep

Week 3 - Sept 27 - Bonus Sewing Week #2

Week 4 - Oct 4 - Hexagon Step and Pineapple

Week 5 - Oct 11 - Triangle Geese and Bloom

Week 6 - Oct 18 - Bonus Sewing Week #3

Week 7 - Oct 25 - Stretched Geese and Criss Cross

Week 8 - Nov 1 - Curved Cabin and Rainbow

Week 9 - Nov 8 - Bonus Sewing Week #4

Week 10 - Nov 15 - Bonus Sewing Week #5

We'll see if I can keep up but it's worth a try!

Using those Tiny-Pieced Blocks

After spending the day doing tiny piecing with Giuseppe/@giucy_giuce a couple of weeks ago, I had in mind to do with my little blocks just what he had done with his.... incorporate them into small drawstring bags. My go-to for such things is Svetlana/S.o.t.a.k Handmade's drawstring bag tutorial. I've used it more times than I can count and it was just what I wanted for my tiny-pieced blocks.

I used a linen-blend for the main portion of each bag, and coordinating fabrics for the linings and casings. For the larger one, I backed the linen with lightweight interfacing SF101, which created a soft yet somewhat structured bag.

For the smaller bag I forwent the interfacing, so of course it's a little more pliant. Both ways totally work.

I totally winged it on the size of the linen, with the larger bag finishing at 9" x 11" and the smaller at 7" x 8". Some waxed twine was perfect for the ties. So that was fun, and I anticipate making more at some point. What are your ideas for using these tiny-pieced blocks?

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Time with Giuseppe

Gotta say, it was a really fun weekend. Giuseppe Ribaudo/@giucy_giuce led two workshops with the Seattle MQG, and I had happily grabbed spots in both of them. First up was Modern Quilt Photography & Branding.

Giuseppe discussed several techniques for us to consider in taking photos of our projects - lots of helpful tips and sharing plenty of examples of each. His suggestion to make clear the message, "Don't forget for a moment that I made this thing," was a good reminder that as much as we want to show off our projects the best we can, they aren't made by machines, and it's ok to add some reality to our photos. I suppose it's a balancing act for each of us, right?

One handy takeaway was learning about the Snapseed photo editing app, which already has been interesting to play with.

After the lecture, we took to outside with our quilts in hand! Kinda fun wandering the neighborhood as a group, looking for possible photo spots and taking photos of each other's quilts. [Here's a few.]

The next day, I went back for some reallllly Tiny Piecing. I had curated a colorful combination of fall-ish scraps and stash to take with me, though after my first block - a micro log cabin measuring 4 1/2" - I realized the scale of some of them wasn't ideal. Still, I like my little block alot, and I'm thinking of making a quilted bag like Giuseppe had. He made a point to suggest that these small blocks are great to add to larger projects.

Anyway, for my next block I gave Giuseppe a wave and asked if he'd help me choose a selection of fabrics from those I'd brought with me. It was obviously second nature for him, and when we needed just one more print, he suggested I see if there was anything among his new Quantum scraps that would work. And of course there was - that dark green "Aquastone" was the perfect final touch. Here's the mix we came up with!

Oh yeah! Love this little pineapple block - just 3 1/2" square!

See? The second block is 'significantly' smaller than the first. ha.

I loved taking a break mid-day and walking around to see all the blocks my bee-mates were making. Really impressive!

So there's a little summary of my weekend. If you'd like to try your hand at tiny piecing, the block patterns are available for sale in Alison Glass' shop, either individually or as a set of four designs. I think I'll try the Stretched Geese next!