Quilting – Finally!

Today I finally got out the sewing machine and did some sewing. 🙂  In a few hours I have the center for the Snow table runner completed.  It just needs it’s borders added.  It will go on my breakfast bar when its done.  Found a great light and dark sort of teal colored snowflake prints, along with a cream and gold snowflake (one of my favorites).  Here it is:

Not a bad afternoon’s work. I started with the snowflake since it had the most pieces but it went together easily.  I like to paper piece without adding the seam allowance to the paper.  I hate removing paper and especially the tiny pieces that get sewn into the seam allowance when you stitch the sections together.  So I cut my pattern out on the solid lines without adding seam allowance, stitch beyond where the seam allowance would be and then add the 1/4″ seam allowance when doing the final squaring up of the individual sections.  It is also helpful if you press the seams that join the snowflake sections open – you get a much flatter lying snowflake.  Below are photos of how I stitch beyond the seam allowance and then trim them up adding the seam allowance back in.  Then when you stitch sections together, you just stitch right along the edge of the paper and no little pieces to tear out of the seams.

untrimmed on right, trimmed and seam allowances added on left

left - seam sewn along edge of paper; right - one quarter of design pressed open

finished snowflake block

Here’s a photo one of my next projects – a christmas tablerunner designed in EQ for The Quilting Post online group.

Now to go figure out what to make for dinner and in the meantime there’s a fresh loaf of cinnamon raisin bread that needs to be taste tested!