Hand Pieced QAL Block 5

Block 5 in the Hand Pieced QAL is an Ohio star block with HSTs in the corners and it has been named Dorothy. Kristen explains why they named this star block Dorothy over in this blog post.

Each week's block builds off skill we have learned in previous blocks. While the individual blocks become more complex/detailed each week I've noticed that stitching them has become easier for me. While this block still took me three days to stitch they weren't full days. I think I had about an hour or so each day to sit and work on this block. That includes cutting and marking the lines.  It takes a bit to figure out just how to hold your hands, move your fingers, and obtain muscle memory. I also needed to find the right needle for me and the project.

These are the needles that Kristen uses. You can see what's in her hand sewing bag over here.   While watching some of her tutorial videos she mentions how very sharp these needles are and I noticed that she could load a bunch of stitches on her needle. I've been on a quest to find the right needles for me and for each type of project that I like to work on. These needles are great for hand sewing. The only thing that could be problematic is that the eye is so small.  Some needles have an elongated eye no matter the needle size and some have basically a small round eye. These have little round eyes. It is worth occasionally using a needle threader 

I'm also getting my seams under control. This block lays flat (without numerous blasts of steam lol) and it looks relatively tidy on the back.  After stitching each little unit I stopped and pressed the seams. While doing the actual stitching I like to hand press the seams but once all the little units were stitched I hit them with a nice hot iron and gave them a blast of steam to set everything in place. I spun the seams where I could and I only had to flip one or two seams in the final block. That was where the HST corners met up with the hourglass blocks. 

The last four blocks are all star blocks and we can only guess which one will be next. We won't have to wait very long because the new block comes out bright and early Monday morning. 

Hand Pieced QAL Block 4

Week 4 of the Hand Pieced QAL is an hourglass block. As I'm sure you can tell I have not trimmed this block yet. I've decided to wait until I've made all the blocks before trimming them up. We will be adding sashing between the blocks so I'm not too worried if they are a bit off in size from each other. I'll just adjust the sashing width to accommodate any discrepancies.

I think I've created muscle memory for hand stitching at this point. Last week's block went fairly well but this week's block were much faster to stitch. Of course the process of hand stitching blocks is still slower than by machine but that's part of the point really. You spend more time with each fabric and block not to mention the portability and relaxation that comes with slowing down and hand stitching.

This is the back of the block. This is the part that I'm still working to improve. I need to remember to stop and press and trim each smaller block before I stitch them all together into the final block. 

The block lays nice and flat now. I was able to spin the seams on the little blocks and I sort of spun the center of the big block lol.

Hand Pieced QAL Block 3

I spent today stitching block 3 of the hand pieced qal.   This block took me awhile to get it all stitched together. My stitches are getting better but I'm struggling with the multiple seams. Stitching through the seams is no problem it's just how to press them to get the block to lay flat.  No big surprise there since I struggle with that when machine sewing blocks too.

I did go back and press all three blocks and they lay nice and flat now.  I like that we can link up our blocks each week. It gives me a deadline and a little pressure to get each week's block done. I know I can go at my own pace but I also know if I don't link up each week then I won't finish the project. It's only 9 blocks over 9 weeks which isn't that big of a commitment so I should be fine. 

Hand Pieced QAL Block 1

When I heard that there was going to be a Hand Pieced QAL this year I knew that I wanted to participate. There are only 9 blocks so I'm hoping I can keep up (fingers crossed).

When I first found out about this QAL I couldn't wait to get started and I decided to make a little test block to see if my eyes and fingers could coordinate and actually do a little hand sewing. My little 4 patch turned out pretty good.

Then we waited....and waited... but while we waited our wonderful hostesses gave us some helpful tips that would help us in our journey. If you're interested in joining us you can find all the information at either Simple Handmade Everyday or Elm Street Quilts.

I'm going to make my little wall hanging using white as my background and these Bali 6" charms as my main color. 

I made my first block. I gave my desk lamp to my husband for his room and I think these old eyes need some more light to work on projects like this. I ordered myself a new desk lamp and it should be here in plenty of time for next week's block. A couple of my seams are slightly off but I'm okay with that. This is a learning process and I'm interested in seeing the difference between my first block and my last. 

I haven't pressed my seams yet. I need to pick up one of those rollers for hand pressing seams. For now, I will finger press them the best I can and worry about the seams later. 

Are you hand piecing with all of us? I've always wanted to hand sew a quilt from start to finish so I was very happy to see this QAL.

182 Day Solstice Challenge

I decided to join the 182 day Winter Solstice challenge that Pat Sloan is hosting. There is a blog for the patterns and a Facebook group to show off your blocks. The blocks come out every Wednesday and we are six blocks in so far. Plenty of time to catch up if you want to join.

No surprise that I'm going scrappy with my version.

 block 1

block 2

block 3

block 4

block 5

block 6

Block 5 is supposed to have a basket in the center but I'm not sure if I will add it or not. Some people don't want to do applique but I love applique. I'm just not sure about the basket. While I was sewing the block, I kept thinking that it needed a bird in the center instead. We'll see what I decide as time goes on.

I haven't been sewing precision blocks in awhile so it took me a few times to find the 1/4" on my machine again. I might need to make the first two blocks over again so they fit accurately into the quilt.

Looking forward to Wednesday...