My cold is getting the best of me. Last night I went to bed early with a book and stayed in bed this morning with Tucker by my side finishing it. "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce was a charming book. It started out slowly but with each chapter the characters were brought to life and I was totally engaged. I think it will stay with me for awhile and remind me of how fragile life is but also how joyful it can be if you are able to reconnect and forgive.
This is the 2nd book this month that I've really loved. The 1st was "Love Anthony" by Lisa Genova. I adored her debut book "Still Alice" which depicted a woman's decline with Alzheimer's from her point of view and is to me an unforgettable book. "Love Anthony" is about marriage, fidelity and Autism. I found the parts of the book written from the little boy's point of view to be amazing. Based upon my experiences with friends who have autistic children it made perfect sense as to how the world may appear to a severely autistic child.
As I was cleaning my quilting room last week I was happy to find that the waste triangles from my Thimbleberries tree skirt are just what I need for one of my Christmas stockings! I was able to trim these into perfect 3.5" HSTs using a Triangle Square Up Ruler by Quilt in a Day.
I came across this ruler in my storage tray last month while making my Birds in the Air Blocks for RSC13. The simple markings made it really easy to use. Later, while browsing the internet for more info about the ruler, I found a video and was blown away by this simple concept...
Trimming HSTs before pressing them open - WHAT??? How have I been quilting since 2002 and NOT have known this!!!
It sure makes quick work of trimming HSTs! I don't throw my trimmed dog ears over my shoulder like Eleanor Burns does (just so you know). I'm thinking mug rugs for FMQ practice with the leftovers from the stocking.
In the spirit of new discovery, I've decided to break out another ruler that I bought once and have never used for the rest of the HSTs on top of the fabrics I'm considering.
Most of the time when I make HSTs they are totally scrappy so this method doesn't work but in this case I'll cut a strip from 2 of these fabrics and give it a go. I'll let you how I liked it later in the week!
That's a really clever tip. I sometimes seem to spend more time ironing than sewing :)
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you like the wonder cut ruler. I think it gives you a lot of bias edges, so I would give your fabric a healthy bath of starch. Love the other ruler - I use it quite frequently for the same purpose.
ReplyDeletelove this hst tip! Thanks for all the things you share via your blog. Cannot Tell you how your ideas & words & discoveries inspire me. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I, too, never thought of that, but it's half the work!
ReplyDeleteI have the Wondercut ruler too and have never used it. It was a gift and I just never got around to figuring it out. Shame on me! Thanks for reminding me that I have it.
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