World wide spider web

November 6, 2009 at 5:23 pm · Filed under Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts

Do you want to see how I ever so slightly modified Marit’s superb spider web directions? Ever so slightly to use a paper “foundation.”

So, you’ll draft your triangle foundation just as Marit shows you but make it out of paper instead of fabric. You may need only one foundation or maybe two. If you’re making a big quilt, maybe make a few more. I would make them all at once so they’re all guaranteed to be the same. Of course, the lazy among us will make one and hope for the best. Yes, that’s me.

After making your paper foundation, fold up the outer triangle “flaps” just so you have a nice crease and can easily fold the flaps out of the way as you sew.

Next, cut a rectangle of center/background/kite fabric. I cut all of mine at 5″ x 6 1/2″ — this covers the height plus seam allowance and width plus seam allowance of my center kite shape.

Center the paper foundation on the background fabric which is wrong side up. Pin in place — a flat flower head pin works well (any small headless pin works; I tried fine glass head pins and was not happy with what happened when I pressed over them).

Now, fold up one of the flaps:

Lay a rotary ruler over this so that a 1/4″ seam allowance will be left on the fabric (i.e., 1/4″ beyond the paper fold):

Trim background fabric 1/4″ from paper fold:

Now you’re ready to sew on your first strip. I pre-cut oodles of Rouenneries strips of various sizes (between 1″ and 2″). So, cut a strip long enough to fit:

Lay the strip underneath the background fabric so that the fabrics are right sides together. Take this to your sewing machine and sew a seam just next to the paper fold:

Press the strip out and fold the flap back down so you can see how long the next strip should be. Cut the second strip.

Fold the paper flap back and lay the second strip on top of the first, right sides together:

Sew this seam using 1/4″ seam allowance:

Press the added strip out. Fold the paper flap back in place and cut the third strip. Lay that on top of the second strip, right sides together and stitch the seam:

And so on and so on using the paper foundation only to measure the length of each successive strip. Fold the paper foundation out of the way before sewing each seam.

Eventually, you’ll have this:

And you will be ready to trim up your block just as Marit shows you in her tutorial.

In this case, after trimming, remove the paper foundation and use it for the next block. After trimming, I also spritzed my pieced triangles with some Best Press to help stabilize the bias edges a little bit.

Carry on.

Oh, wait. The Wretched Excess Division wants to check in.

Well, they might run out. It has happened before.

On the other hand, this was flown in earlier this week so you would think there would be no chocolate panic.

Ah, but there will always be an impending chocolate panic!

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