Since finishing my Mandolin Quilt - an English Paper Piecing project - I have been on a quest to get started on my next slow sewing project. It didn't take long to find the Nickels and Dimes Quilt Pattern by Everyday Quilts which is written for hand piecing (not EPP). Nickels and Dimes is a vintage inspired quilt pattern based on the traditional Apple Core block.
Click on any image for a larger view.
I was keen to try my hand again at hand piecing, although admittedly my hand piecing skills still require some work and those curved seams might not be ideal for a beginner hand piecer. Yet I was determined to give a go.
The pattern includes a set of 2 acrylic templates; one for cutting out the half apple core units, and one for tracing a ¼ inch seam line onto the fabric pieces. The templates are fabulous and all of my fabric pieces were cut by tracing around the outside of the template with a tiny (18mm) rotary cutter, and then marked with a standard grey lead pencil.
I spent a lot of time pulling fabric from stash and cutting one or two pieces from each fabric, cutting enough fabric pieces to make a quilt top, then marking each piece .... but just two hand pieced blocks into the project I began to wonder if I could perhaps machine piece this quilt. Testing commenced immediately, and to my delight I quickly figured out a way to proceed, pressing seams in such a way that all seams would nest when my blocks (of 4 whole Apple Core units) were ready to be sewn together into a quilt top.
It was still slow going by machine, sewing one curved seam at a time, all without a single pin. I am not a pinner, and prefer to sew curved seams without pinning. It takes practice and you eventually get a feel for how the fabric feeds and lies in the curve, with some fabrics handling with more ease, and others requiring more persuasion to fall into place. I always sew curved seams with the concave fabric piece on top, thus requiring much "flipping over" of the blocks as they were pieced, and then the quilt top itself as the blocks were sewn into rows, and rows were sewn together.
It was still slow going by machine, sewing one curved seam at a time, all without a single pin. I am not a pinner, and prefer to sew curved seams without pinning. It takes practice and you eventually get a feel for how the fabric feeds and lies in the curve, with some fabrics handling with more ease, and others requiring more persuasion to fall into place. I always sew curved seams with the concave fabric piece on top, thus requiring much "flipping over" of the blocks as they were pieced, and then the quilt top itself as the blocks were sewn into rows, and rows were sewn together.
QUILT DETAILS
Apple Core Quilt
Quilt top measures 51 inches x 51 inches.
144 Apple Core Units
sewn into 36 blocks of 4 Apple Core Units
288 patchwork pieces.
200 different quilting cottons.
Machine pieced.
So much for my slow sewing project! But I am glad I pushed ahead and finished piecing this quilt top by machine. I love how it turned out, and I adore the curvy quilt edges almost as much as the quilt top itself! The easy way forward from here would be to square up the quilt edges (trim off all those pretty curves) but I am keen to preserve the curvy edges and work with bias binding to finish the quilt. I rarely make bias binding and have a mental block about the best way to make bias binding - I have watched YouTube videos that involve making a tube, and for some reason I can't get my head around the process, but I am determined .... I can do this!
More soon,
Rita
RELEVANT LINKS:
Templates from the Nickels and Dimes Pattern
by Everyday Quilt - Sandra Boyle.
More RPQ Quilt with curved machine piecing:
Chambray Flowering Snowball Quilt - December 2017
A Piece of the Pie Quilt - July 2014
A Drunkard's Path Quilt - June 2014
More RPQ Quilt with curved machine piecing:
Chambray Flowering Snowball Quilt - December 2017
A Piece of the Pie Quilt - July 2014
A Drunkard's Path Quilt - June 2014
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This is just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think I saw a bias binding tutorial by Sarah Fielke where you fold the yardage in half and then place your ruler on the 45 degree line marking and cut from there... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3hxMU2wZM0
ReplyDeleteI made large queen top using the EPP method. Love your version!
ReplyDeleteNice quilt. I love sewing curved pieces
ReplyDeleteHappy Autumn to you Rita.
It is still cold here and we are supposed to have spring soon
Oh My Rita I'm happy you posted this quilt but very sad because I had inherited my Aunts sewing basket and a bunch of these little shapes were in there. They were cut out of vintage feed sack fabric (more 1940's/1950's) I thought they were Holly Hobby Bonnets and I threw them away. I now know they were the exact shape shown in your quilt. I tried to square them up to keep and use but they were too small. She even had the paper template that she used. Your quilt is beautiful thank you for sharing. Cynthia
ReplyDeleteIf anybody can figure it out, you can! You continue to amaze :)
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful...as always. I, too, hand pieced a few blocks but switched over to machine piecing. It's slow going but I think worth it!
ReplyDeleteSuch a wondrous assortment of fabrics....
ReplyDeleteRita, your photography is better than ever, and I always love looking at the wonderful assortment of fabric. I especially love looking for Denyse Schmidt prints in your quilts. Congrats on another beauty! I am confident you'll figure out that binding.
ReplyDeleteOf course you can do it. You are Rita, super quilter!
ReplyDelete