Thursday, August 16, 2018

Oh, I Could Do It This Way!

How many times has a task
felt insurmountable.  
Just the idea of getting from here to there.

What if you just let your mind dance on air.


Possibly you'd find a
new idea that would work. 

That's just what I did when it 
came to tackling the next border 
of Di Ford's Sutton Grange pattern.

Can you believe this is the only photo I took of Di's quilt
when I saw it in person!!!

Oh, well.  (sigh)
Remember, I had those 320 tiny drunkard path blocks to make.

I couldn't get past the idea of prepping and then 
appliqueing each one individually.
I started thinking of each little block
as a quarter of a circle that was appliqued on a square.


I did some experimenting.
I had to figure out the size of the squares and circles 
including the extra seam allowances.
I finally did it and
it was going to work!

So rather than prepping 320 quarter circles
it was down to 80 full circles.

I decided to go with the freezer paper method
and was so happy how quickly it went especially
using Missie's Fingertip Stiletto


It works as a fingertip stylus allowing you to get
very close the iron to gently fold the seam allowance into place. 




Next I had to decide how to
applique 80 circles in a reasonable amount of time.

I recalled Angie, whose blog is
reviewed some different threads for machine appliqueing
and it reminded me of Wonderfil's Invisafil thread.

I even had a spool and gave it a try.
It's a 100 ply poly thread that is soft, comes in lots of colors
and has a matte finish.
I think I had my solution.
I ordered a few spools from 


They had a good prices and also had the smaller spools.

I was in business.

I used the overlock stitch flipped and crunched way down.

It's hard to even see the stitches!

Once the 80 circles were appliqued, I quartered them, 
and finally, sewed them into blocks.


I was pretty pleased.  The edges matched up
as well as if I had done it by hand.
Plus it was done in record time.

My nanny Nana duties are resuming this week
for these two Lovelies, as my daughter heads back to the classroom.


So, my sewing time will be spent in
a different way.
Finding some time efficient methods
 is essential.

Keep in mind, the
next time you're stuck on a project,
let your mind do an air dance 
and see what you come up with.
Until Next Time-
Kyle

27 comments:

  1. That was very clever of you! Looks beautiful so far! I made a Drunkard's Path quilt for my daughter when she was 2, not knowing that it was a difficult pattern that as a relative beginner I shouldn't really attempt. It's purple and white and is one of my favorite quilts! I machine pieced the blocks, I think your method would have been much easier! Can't wait to see the next round!

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  2. When I saw the first photo I thought you were going to tell us you were up to your neck in alligators and the stilts were a solution. :)

    The blocks turned out beautifully. I'm not familiar with this applique' method. At what point do you remove the paper - or do you? This border is going to be amazing.

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  3. Brilliant!! As fabulous as Di’s quilt patterns are - who can resist them...they are definitely labor intensive. You have found a way to make things happen very efficiently and Wow! They turned out beautifully. Will be adding that Invisafil thread to my wish list of things to try...love the colors they offer. Thanks for sharing your technique.

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  4. Pure genius and they look fantastic!

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  5. The pictures you choose to illustrate your blog always bring a smile to my face. I love your way of working out a difficult situation. Hugs

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  6. Great that you found a solution that works for you! Your blocks look fabulous -
    fun fun vintage photos.
    what a beautiful photo of your Daughter and Children - happy Nanny Times

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  7. That is a great way to tackle those drunkard path circles. Looks beautiful!

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  8. Quilters are so ingenious! That's one of the best things about blogs, getting to read about homegrown solutions to quilting dilemmas. Your drunkards path blocks are fabulous. Now to try out the overlock foot/stitch on my machine.

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  9. WOW! All those drunkards in one place... very impressive.
    Love the picture of the two darling girls.
    have a wonderful Nana time. It's the best.

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  10. Great colors/prints for your drunkards path blocks! I would have wanted to make them in applique too. Funny how that seems easier for some of us!

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  11. Singing "I did it my way.."! Looking good I say!

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  12. You are so clever! What a wonderful solution for making all those drunkard path blocks. I always enjoy reading about the sewing tools you use and thinking that I need to try some of them. Happy Nana time!

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  13. Brilliant! The Drunkard Path blocks look great! I’ve been wondering about Missy’s tool—your endorsement makes me think I need one ASAP—lol!

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  14. Oh, you are one smart lady! I am very impressed. :)

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  15. Brilliant! It's coming along beautifully, and your fabrics are to 'Di' for. That little stiletto tool is very cool; I think that I need to add it to my list.

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  16. Great solution, Kyle. That little tool looks perfect for the job. That last photo is beautiful - enjoy your Nanna duties!

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  17. That first picture remind me of my childhood! I had those 'stelten' as we call them here in the Netherlands. My grandfather made them for me. I spend hours walking around on them, even went walking like that to school!
    Love the way you did your applique! You really hardly see the thread. Good job!
    Have a good weekend!

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  18. Clever method for tackling those circles. I have some invisafil...will have to give it a try.

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  19. Wow, this is going to be another gorgeous quilt. I'm so glad you found a way to make it work for you. Give those sweet babies a hug from me, and soak up all the time you can with them. Fabric won't grow up, they will.

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  20. That’s a brilliant solution and they are gorgeous!! I love, love the fabrics you are using.

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  21. Great result. That is a very smart solution and a great result. Still a huge task but made so much better with the way you did it.
    Enjoy your nana time!

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  22. What a great idea! I'm keeping this one in my mental file - you never know when it will come in handy! Glad you liked using the Invisafil thread. I love doing hand work, but there are too many quilts on my Bucket List to do everything by hand!

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  23. Beautiful photo of your daughter and grandbabies!
    Now that was a great solution for your drunkards path blocks. 320 does sound daunting! Thanks for the info on Invisafil thread.

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  24. Wonderful post! That photo of your daughter and her children is outstanding. It calls for being blown up and framed. Thank you for the tutorial on your drunkard path blocks. Breaking it down with step by step photos does make it look almost possible to do. Almost possible, but I'm just not that brave:) Looking forward to your finished quilt. Your talents are amazing:)
    Keep Smiling!
    Connie :)

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  25. Oh my you are so resourceful! You found a perfect solution and they are lovely!

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