Don't look now!

Joseph's Coat - finishing the ends of your rows & the edges of your quilt top

 
It has taken me a little longer than I had expected, however, I have finally finished off piecing together the first 14 blocks of my Joseph's Coat. I have broken this stage down into two steps. You can find the first step covering - Joining the first 14 blocks so that they form 2 vertical rows - here. The second step will be covered in this post and will detail Adding the 1/2 blocks to the ends of the rows and finishing off the edges of rows 1 & 2.

This is what your rows should look like so far ...

You will notice that each row finishes 1/2 a block above or below the previous block ... we now need to fill in these gaps!

This tutorial refers to filling in the gaps and finishing the edges of rows 1 & 2 only ... the other rows will be slightly different to this.

To do this you will need 11 petals & two 10" x 12" rectangles of background fabric.

Press the 10" x 12" rectangles. Bring the 10" sides of the rectangle together to find the vertical mid line of the piece - lightly press the fold. Open out the fabric and take one of the 12" edges and fold it over 3 1/2", lightly press the fold.

To complete the 1/2 block that fits at the bottom of Row 1...

Place your Positioning Guide over a light box, if you have one, making sure that the vertical mid-line fold runs through the center of the two vertical petals and the horizontal mid-line runs through the middle of the block. The larger half of the fabric should be positioned toward the lower half of the block ... see below

... lay out 6 petals as shown below.

Once you are happy with the placement, glue and pin in place. Sew the applique pieces in place as you would a regular block, however, with these blocks you can sew down all of the edges including the outer edges.

Place the finished 1/2 block over your placement guide and position the bottom of Row 1 so that it matches up with the centre points of the 1/2 block and the side petal of Row 2 Block 7 frames it's right side ... see below

 
Once everything is all lined up and you are happy with the placement glue, pin & sew in place.

Trim away the excess block fabric from behind your block leaving the excess fabric around the left side and lower edges of the block that will become the quilt edges.

For the 1/2 block that fits at the top of row 2

Place your Positioning Guide over a light box if you have one, position the 10" x 12" rectangle over the positioning guide - this time have the larger half toward the top of the block. Lay out 5 petals as shown below.

Once you are happy with the placement, glue and pin. Sew these petals in place as you would in a regular block, however, on this occasion you can sew around the entire petals including the outer edges. Position the top of row 2 below the five petals you have just sewn down, matching the points ... as shown below 

 

Once you are happy with the placement glue and pin the pieces in place. Sew down the edges and then trim the excess fabric from the block leaving only the areas around the top edge and to the right side of the 1/2 block.

Now for the outer edges ... I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one that managed to cut away excess block fabric from where it shouldn't have been cut away! If you are one of these people ... you will need to do a little 'fixing up' here ... but it isn't the end of the world .. thank goodness!!!

The excess fabric around the edges of your quilt top, are needed to attach the binding to ... you will not see this fabric at all once the quilt is complete as it will be hidden under the binding. If you need to replace a section or sections that have been cut away by mistake ... all you will need to do is sew a new small strip of fabric in it's place! Then you will need to trim the excess from behind the petal leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.

The last step in this stage is to secure the edges of the petals that lay on the outer edges of the quilt top - the left edge of Row 1 & the top & bottom edges of each of the rows.You do this by simply gluing and pinning the outer edge petals in place then sewing them down. Replacing the missing sections as required.

Carefully trim your binding seam allowance to ever so slightly more than 1/4 " ... and pour your self a glass of champagne girls! You have finished off 27% of the quilt top!!

(I haven't trimmed the seam allowance around the edges in this photo but I will include one with the allowance trimmed in my next post ... sorry)

Once you finish this part ... get to making up blocks and petals again. Our next phase will be to make up rows 3, 4 & 5 ... 21 blocks .... shouldn't take long now we're experts!!!!!

Quilt Dimentions ... the finished quilt will measure 83" x 71 1/2"

If you are planning to make a different sized quilt ... every 2 rows adds 20 1/2" I hope this helps you work it all out.

I also need to update the Mr Linky details from the Jacob's Coat Main Page ... over the next week or so I will remove all of the names without functional links and any of you that have opted out ... please email me and I will take you off the list.

Marielle has also had a great suggestion ... that we use a Mr Linky tool to link to a progress post on your blogs ... I thought that we would do this at the next roundup which will be deadline for finishing off the first two rows so that we can check out everyones progress so far. I have decided to extend this 'deadline' to the end of the second week in February as this stage does take longer than you would expect. All of the incentives for this deadline are listed here.

I am also really enjoying the Flickr page thank you so much to everyone getting so involved! It is so nice to see everyones blocks,colour choices & progress!

I had better be off ... I will be back quite a bit over the next couple of weeks as there is quite a bit going on around here at the moment ... including a couple of new European retailers, a new US store, new Australian shops, some beautiful fabric purchases, workshop round ups and a belated bloggy birthday!l!

Still lots of summer holiday fun going on around here!!!! ... only 6 days until school goes back :(

Happy Australia Day!!!!

Kellie

PS. If you are free on the weekend of the 5th, 6th & 7th of February and would like to join in on what is going to be a spectacular sewing weekend you will want to come to the Sewjourn Don't Look Now! workshop retreat weekend ... one spot has become available so come on ... ditch the housework and the routine and join us!!! I can't wait!!!!!

Joseph's Coat - piecing together Rows one & two

Now for the long awaited and heavily contemplated piecing together of rows one & two!!!

Just a couple of things before we start ...

These instructions cover making up Rows one & two - it is important to remember this as the other rows will be put together slightly different.

You don't have to do this step now! You can save up all of your blocks and piece your rows once you have finished all of you blocks if this suits you better. I would particularly recommend this if you are trying to graduate the colour across your quilt top. The only reason I am doing this now is to spice things up a little which will hopefully help keep us on track by giving us something a little different to do from time to time ... rather than having us slog away at all 49 blocks in one go.

Take your time with this step ... you want your project to sit as flat as possible. Fiddle with it until it sits nicely before you sew it in place ... no body likes reverse stitching when things go pear shaped!!! But if you do end up with a quilt top that waves at you a little ... don't worry too much ... that's where Machine Quilting works it's magic!

For this step you will need...

14 completed blocks

18 made up loose petal shapes - these are needed to make up the two half blocks you will be needing for this step & for the gaps that will need to be filled on the left side edge of row 1.

Twelve 12" x 6 1/2" background fabric rectangles - lightly spray starch and press

Two 10" x 12" background fabric rectangles - lightly spray starch and press

Placement guide

Light box if you have one

Pins, glue stick, needle & matching threads

1. Take one of your blocks position it wrong side up - carefully fold back your background fabric behind one of the outer petals so that you create a fold that runs through the points of the petal. Press.

 
 
 

Continue around your block until all of the excess background fabric has been folded back - making sure that the fabric under where the points meet, are completely folded back.

You should now not be able to see any of the background fabric around the outside of your block.

Do this with all of your blocks. You may also like to pin the fabric back so that this excess fabric doesn't get in your way when you are sewing the blocks together - this fabric will eventually be trimmed away but leave it for now.

2. Lay out your 14 blocks - 2 rows of 7 blocks each. two centre petals should run vertically through each of the rows. The second row should sit with the blocks positioned so that they 'nest' into the first row. Fiddle with the lay out until you are happy with the flow of your colours and the over all look of the blocks.

 
3. Create centering lines on your 12" x 6 1/2" rectangle by folding it in half length ways, finger press. Open out the rectangle and then fold it width ways, finger press. Using your light box (if you have one) and your positioning sheet place the 12" x 6 1/2" rectangle of background fabric over the positioning guide so that the centre point of the fabric is positioned over the centre point of the block and the vertical mid line runs through the centre of the two vertical petals - see below.

 
4. Now take Block #1 of Row 1 and place it over the top half of your positioning guide so that the points that converge at the bottom of the block meet at the centre of your positioning guide. Pin in place.

5. Now place Block #2 of Row 1 below Block #1 matching the points that converge at the top of this block with the centre of your positioning guide. Pin in place.

6. Take a petal shape and position it so that it forms the missing outer edge on the left hand side of the two blocks. Pin in place.

 
7. Take Block #1 of Row 2 and position the left side outer petal to the right side of the two joined blocks. Pin in place.

8. Sew the edges of the petals in place along the inner edges of the two triangle shapes created when you joined the blocks together - see below

 
You may find this stitching a little tricky as there is alot more bulk to hold onto than you will have been used to in previous steps. It can also be a little tricky to keep the petals in place, however, if you glue & pin well you should be right. It also helps to check the placement of the petal a couple of times while you are sewing each petal down.

Once these 6 edges have been sewn in place you may like to trim back the excess fabric on the joining piece of backgroud fabric & the excess fabric around the edges of the blocks to a scant 1/4".

Please Note (this part is important!) - do not trim back the excess fabric from around the edges of your quilt top ie. down the left hand side of Row 1 and the edges of the top and bottom blocks of each of the rows. If in doubt don't trim wait and see the next tutorial which will discuss this more.

Now that you can see how things come together with the piecing of the rows you may or may not choose to trim the excess fabric from the seam allowances of the blocks before you sew them down. This is really up to you, however I would suggest that you continue to fold & press the excess before you trim away the fabric as this will make sure that the seam allowances are well out of your way when you are sewing the blocks in place - AND don't forget that you are NOT to trim the excess fabric from the side edges of your quilt (see note above)

9. Once the first 3 blocks are sewn together, take your second 12" x 6 1/2" rectangle, create the centering lines and position the fabric over the placement guide as you did in step 3.

Once in place, take the 3 joined blocks and position them with the bottom of Block #1 of Row 2 at the centre point of the placement guide - see below (it is a little tricky but if you look carefuly you can see the placement lines through the fabric)

Take Block #2 of Row 2 and position it below Block #1 of Row 2 matching up the points and following the placement guide. Use one of your other blocks or a spare petal shape to assist with lining up the block correctly on the right hand side of the row - once you have everything lined up remove this block / petal.

The gaps created along the right hand side of Row 2 need to be left unfilled ... see below...

... these will be filled with the side edges of Row 3 at a later point. Pin well and sew in place in place.

Continue in this manner alternating the addition of blocks from Row 1 to Row 2 until all 14 blocks are joined together -

* filling the gaps in the left side edge of Row 1, that form between the joined blocks, with individual petals and

* leaving the gaps open on the right hand side of Row 2.

This should leave you with enough stitching for at least a few days ... once I have all 14 of my blocks together I will show you what to do with the bottom edge of Row 1 & the top edge of Row 2.

Until then .... have fun with it!!!

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Joseph's Coat - Week 9 round up

At the last round up ... which was quite some time ago now, the next goal was 9 blocks ... that didn't take many of you long!!!

Good 4 Once was the first to reach the goal and took out the first incentive prize! Well done!!! Great colours!

Closely followed by Applique Addict who has since put us all to shame with 25 blocks completed at last count!

Marielle who had held the lead for so long is still keeping up with the goals!

Quilts & Threads plans on making this into a King size quilt!!!

Tamara Farm Girl- I love these colours Tamara!

Flossyblossy - Flossy's Flickr page is well worth a visit if you haven't taken a peek already!

Nine Patch Nurse ... who has also made a very cute Honey Bunny Cushion!!!

I just took a look back at my last post and realised that Roma (Birrabank) had already finished 12 blocks at that post so she was most certainly the first to reach 9 block goal (I must be going a little mad! Sorry Roma!) ... mind you knowing Roma she has probably already finished the quilt by now!!!! Roma you also must win a copy of the How does your garden grow pattern ... but you may already have one let me know and we can negotiate this ;)

The random number giveaway goes to BahayKoobo which is 82 of the 100 photos posted so far.

And the last pattern goes to my favorite project since the last roundup which is Tamara Farm Girls gorgeous blocks! They are featured above. To all of the winners please email me your snail mail details and I will get them off to you.

Congrats to those shown above! Great work! An a huge thank you to everyone else for continuing to join in so enthuastically! I really appreciate it!!!!

So according to our schedule by the end of next week (week 10) we should have 14 blocks completed ... and as you have seen quite a few of us have already achieved this! I must say that I have had to work really hard to stay a step ahead of our plan! I think that it is fair to say that we should allow another 2 weeks to have the first 2 rows sewn together - this step is a little fiddly and not as portable as simply making up a block. This will take us to week 12 which will be the first week in February.

Have fun with this step it is really rewarding to see the rows come together!

And finally for the next set of incentives ...

A copy of Wish you were here to;

The first person to piece together the two rows ... this includes the two half blocks which are to be placed at the top or bottom of each row - this part of the tutorial hasn't been covered yet but will be posted next week.

One copy of the pattern to one other person who reaches this goal by the end of week 12 - randomly selected. 

One copy of the pattern for a random photo chosen from those posted between now and the end of the 12th week.

Finally, one more pattern for my favorite project posted between now and the 12th week - those that have already won this category can't win this one again ... sorry.

Enjoy your weekend!

Kellie

I'm back!

Hi guys ... sorry for the unexpected and rather longer than anticipated break in transmission! December proved to be a very busy month for Don't Look Now and even busier for the Don't Look Now family!

I hope you all have had a terrific Christmas and safe New Year!

So many things happened here throughout December but it all seems so long ago now that I will just skip it and give you all just one Christmas morning photo ...

 
We took a short break away in Warrnambool from Boxing day until yesterday.

I really love spending time here ...

not only is it a beautiful town ....

but it is also a wonderful place to spend family time ...

and to catch up on some sewing!!!!

... after many hours spent watching the kids playing and swimming and playing some more I have finally caught up with the Joseph's Coat schedule and I am now working on the tutorial for the next step which I will post later this week. I will also do a round up and post all of the incentive winners then as well ... sorry for the delay with this but time is not my friend of late!

 
I finally sent Lilly Pilly on her way last month to my dear Anna and she arrived just in time for a white Christmas!!!

(photo stolen from Anna!)

I now need to get my skates on and make another!

Finally something for the Victorian country girls! Do you feel like a couple of time out sewing, away from the kids and in a beautiful place like this????

Of course you do!!!! Who wouldn't?????

I am teaching a two day workshop at Ballarat Patchwork on Saturday the 23rd of January and Saturday the 13th of February.

The primary project of the class will be your choice of cushions from Pretty 'n Pink ...

and will cover raw edge applique, free motion stitching & making up your pillow.

This workshop is suitable for beginners! Ballarat Patchwork's class sizes are luxuriously small and each day is 6 hours which will make this a great opportunity for some really focused learning!

If you would like more information contact the shop here ...

I'm off for now and I will catch up with you all again in a few days ... but before I go perhaps just a little peek at something that has been hogging my Bernina time!

I am loving this one!!! 

Kellie

PS.

Don't you just love summer holidays!!!!

Joshua has certainly lost his fear of the water!!!!