It’s week 5!! As Bon Jovi would say, “Whoa, we’re halfway there!” It was so satisfying seeing everyone’s blocks come together last week!
This week, we’re foundation paper piecing our thin strip sets. No big deal, right? Straight lines? We’ve done straight lines. We got this! So… why is there a wobbly feeling in the pit of your stomach??
How to Quilt Along
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Schedule
Week 1: Pick your fabric, get your pattern, print your foundations, plan your coloring sheet
Week 2: Cut
Week 3: Make Thick Strip Sets
Week 4: Make Block 1s
Week 5: Make Thin Strip Sets
Week 6: Make Block 2s
Week 7: Make Blocks 3s & 4s
Week 8: Sew blocks into pairs
Week 9: Sew pairs into quadrants
Week 10: Finish quilt top
Before we go any further, make sure you’ve made the following corrections to your pattern!!
If you see “Revised 2020” under the Materials chart on the back cover of your pattern, these changes are already incorporated into the pattern.
Cutting Instructions (pages 1-2):
Quantities for Fabrics 1 & 6 are incorrect. Refer to the quantities in the Fabric Requirements Table on page 3.
Thin Strip Set Combination Table (page 8 of paper pattern; page 7 of PDF):
1. The column labels should read “A: Odd Strips” and “B: Even Strips”. A and B are in the correct spots but the Odd/Even were reversed.
2. There is an extra row: Fabrics 1 and 7 are listed twice. Only 13 units need to be made (first row). Scratch out the row that indicates 1 unit using template E (second-last row).
Tips for even narrower, long FPP
We’re following the same process as Week 3, but with narrower strips. So here are the same tips I gave in that post, but I’ve added a few tweaks (in bold below) that can save your sanity.
Before you stitch:
- Mark the color for each foundation piece directly on the paper.
- Pre-fold your papers along the stitch lines.
- Don’t leave a lot of extra space on your papers beyond the seam allowances.
- Use lots of pins to prevent your fabric from shifting around. This is where I have the best tweak for you! It’s easiest explained in a video.
- Decrease your stitch length. 1.7 works well on my Janome. This will make it easier to pull out your papers when you’re done.
While you stitch:
- Backstitch inside the seam allowance area to keep your stitches from coming undone when you pull out papers.
- Stitch directly on the line.
After stitching
- Press each seam after stitching. This is even more important for narrower strips!!
- Trim excess fabric AFTER you’ve pressed the fabric open.
When you’re done, cut the triangle units apart and stitch on the little corner strips B8. This can be tricky!! But it doesn’t have to be!
Corner Tweak 1: Use scraps from your THICK strips for the final corner, if you have some in this fabric. It will give you a bit of extra width to make sure you get all the way to the corner.
Corner Tweak 2: Square off the corner. Yes, the template goes all the way to the corner, but you really only need your seam allowance to go beyond the stitch line by about 1/4″. When you start sewing blocks together, you will use the edges of the blocks to line things up, and it won’t matter if you’re missing the very corner. In fact, things will be less bulky if you don’t have that extra little bit. So don’t get caught up on reaching all the way into the very end of the seam allowance line at the very corner. As long as you have about 1/4″ past the corner of the stitch line, you’re going to be FINE.
Leave the papers on for now; we’ll use them to help line up the two halves of the block next week.
Share!
Remember to share your progress on Instagram using #glitchalong
Giveaway!
This week’s prize is any 3 PDF patterns of your choice sponsored by On Williams Street!
Hello! We are Kimie and Missy from On Williams Street, two sisters who love quilting. We love to use lots of color and an assortment of techniques to make quilts that really stand out. We offer easy to follow modern quilt patterns, tips and tricks, classes, and custom longarm quilting. Our favorite part of quilting is sharing it with others and helping them succeed, from start to finish!
You get to pick your prize! The winner will be able to choose which of Kimie and Missy’s patterns they love most. You will receive any 3 of their patterns in PDF format emailed directly to you. So, go ahead, browse their store and see what most catches your eye to create your wish list.
Head over to today’s Instagram post for the details!