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Thursday, May 31, 2012

{Clam}Shell Game....

When I began this clamshell project, I was clueless on the construction of clamshell quilts.  I checked a few of my quilting books for guidance, but found little. There were templates for clamshells and a brief description but little else.



So I decided to explore different ways to put a clamshell quilt together.  Please, if you are a follower and have constructed a clamshell quilt, leave a comment on your preferred construction method.  This whole sharing of ideas {blogging} is much more fruitful if everyone shares their tips and suggestions.


My first inclination was to try piecing these beauties together using English Paper Piecing.  This was also the method suggested in the Ultimate Quilting Bible.  
Well...it works, but is a tad bit fiddly since the papers do not allow you to 'ease' in on the curves.  I will run through the steps I used briefly....

ENGLISH PAPER PIECING

First I traced my clamshell template onto freezer paper and cut out the shape.  Then I pressed the waxy side of the paper to the wrong side of my fabric and cut out 1/4 inch beyond the edge of the paper template.

      
I clipped the curves and then wrapped the excess fabric around the paper and stitched using a long basting stitch....

To attach the clamshells, I first finger pressed the clamshell in half....


Clamshells can have any arrangement as long as they fit together properly.  For my little experiment...I simply chose to use the more traditional arrangement.  The clamshells are next to one another and then the row below is center between the two clamshells above.  
With EPP, I treated piecing these together just as I would any curved piece.
So with the concave piece facing me, I pinned one end of the curve to the center of another clamshell and the other end of the curve to the end of the other clamshell.

     
As I mentioned, this is challenging because with the papers it is difficult to 'ease' in the fullness of the curve.  Use a whip stitch and connect the shells.

This is the order I used for English Paper Piecing the clamshells....

    
I found that using this method I needed to press anything that did not lay so smoothly into submission!  Of course, you can remove any papers once all sides of that piece is connected to other clamshells.

MACHINE PIECING

Next I tried to machine piece the clamshells.  Not an easy task.  The pieces are small and the curve is fairly tight.  I think this method would be much easier if you increased the size of the clams.
For machine piecing I traced the clamshell to the wrong side of the fabric and cut out on the pencil line {this resulted in a bit of a squatty clamshell so adding a 1/4 inch seam allowance would result in a better looking clamshell}.

I approached this the same way as EPP.  Have the concave piece toward you and pin the center and the ends...just exactly the same way I did the paper piecing.  The only difference is that I found it was easier to get a better looking center point if I stopped stitching about 1/4 inch from that center pointy part.  That way when I add the next clamshell I can lay all those seam allowances down to create a nicer point.  You will have to play with it and see how if works best for you.


This is not the method I would use.  Yikes!!!  

APPLIQUE METHOD

When I began playing with these clamshells, I received a comment from Alison of Cardygirl ...
She mentioned that she had done these and left the bottom curve open and just layered the next row to cover the curve! 
Well, a light bulb went off in my head and I thought - heck yes - applique these little clams!

I decided to use a foundation fabric and I was only doing a small test....so I cut a piece of fabric about 18" X 14".  I pressed 4 sections into my foundation fabric so I had lines to follow.

For this applique method, I traced my template onto the right side of the fabric and cut about 1/4 inch from the pencil line.  Again, I clipped the curves.  This time I used  Roxanne Glue-Baste-It to baste my top curve.

    
Simply fold the top curve around to the back and use a little dot of glue to baste...


 My pencil line was my guide for folding back and I used the basting glue to hold the clamshell once I had positioned it into place.


Use a good straw needle and applique only the top curve into place on the foundation fabric....


With the applique method, I stitched a row at a time.  Remember that the next row will lay on top of the bottom curve {hiding the pencil line} of the row above....


So what is the final assessment?  I love the clamshells!  All the color and the shape are right up my alley.  I most definitely prefer the applique method - thanks Alison!!!  And, while I only played around with a small sample, I can't wait to do a whole quilt full of colorful clamshells!!!!

After I had my foundation piece full of clams - I added some pick stitching with black perle cotton....

   
For a quilt, I would not leave the top with the foundation fabric showing....but this was a small piece and I decided I needed to do something with it....


What to do with this little sample?  I made a pillow!


I would love to hear from you if you have done a clamshell and your favorite method!
Happy Thursday!
mary


Sunday, May 27, 2012

A Day at Sew To Speak....

As many of you know, I work and teach classes at the best little fabric shoppe in the world....Or at least in Ohio...
Yesterday we took a team photo....


left to right....Janelle, Me, Sara, Anita, Syndey and April


I gave a little quilting demo {pick stitching with perle cotton}...
I have never talked so many hours non-stop in all my life!  Hee hee!  I know you find that difficult to believe!

Thanks to everyone for coming to the shoppe yesterday!
mary

Friday, May 25, 2012

Crazy for Clams!

I've been tinkering with a few different ways to put together these delightful little clamshells...


So today is just a{nother} little sneak peek....


 Soon....I will share with you some strategies and ideas....


Some are not for the faint of heart!


 If you are in Columbus {or just looking for an excuse to travel to C-bus} I am giving a pick-stitching demo on Saturday....and April will be sharing some of the great inspiration from Quilt Market!  So join us at Sew To Speak!!!
mary

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Holy Sha-moly!!!!

Thanks to friend and fellow blogger, Susan of PatchworknPlay, I was alerted of a blog post about our little shoppe....Sew To Speak!
It looks like Bonnie Hunter stopped by our shoppe!!!  Grrrrr....and I wasn't there!


But you can read all about it here...
and see where I keep a few of my quilts and pillows :) 
Thanks Susan!
mary  
 

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Sewing Circle....

Today I am channeling my inner Clare....


of Selfsewn..... 

I need her guidance....I know she could calm my jittery nerves...she has Paper Pieced curves....
she transformed my flowering snowball into a paper pieced wonder!!!!

It is challenging....a clamshell challenge

        
Here is a little peek....


Back to my trance...channeling my spiritual guide ;)
mary

Monday, May 21, 2012

Little Pillows.....


My daughter asked me why I was making little pillows....


Pincushions....


They are fun and easy to make....and who doesn't like a new pincushion?
These will go to a few good homes :)
Speaking of pillows....
I have a collection on a chair in my family room...


This adorable tea pot and tea cup pillow is from Scandinavian Stitches by Kajsa Wikman....

I love this pillow!  And I love that red polka dot...it is a retro dot...no longer in production, but I cling to the tiny pieces I have!  It is a sickness - I'm sure.

We had a very busy weekend with a wedding to attend.  My nephew was married....cousin to my girls.  I never miss a chance to snap a photo of my girls....together...and having fun!


Happy Monday!
mary :)

Friday, May 18, 2012

A Friday Finish.....

I think this quilt began my latest triangle obsession.  It began as an idea inspired by Anthropologie...


I wanted to use shot cottons for my solids.  Shot cottons, although a bit fiddly, have a wonderful texture and subtle variations in the threads that add depth to the fabric. 



The triangles are equilateral and cut from a variety of fabrics.  I tried to stick with red, brown, green and orange for the triangles.  I used the same for the shot cottons, but also added a bit of teal.


I hand quilted this one with a rust colored wool Aurifil thread.  I used a fan design - a contrast to the pyramids.  

  
It has been washed and dried.  I love the feel of Essex Linen {backing fabric} once it has been washed.  It has so much substance....gives the quilt a nice weight.
Happy to have a Friday Finish to share with you!
mary

Monday, May 14, 2012

Corn and Beans or Ocean Waves.....

I took a deep breath and cut into my Liberty stash....in all honesty, it didn't take that much arm twisting....


For some reason it seems difficult to get the color of this Moda Crossweave correct...it is actually very rich, although it looks rather washed out here.

I feel in love with this pattern in Denyse Schmidt's new book - Modern Quilts Traditional Inspiration.  It is called Ocean Waves.



The solid has two threads running through it.  This orangey red and then a cream {almost yellow} thread.  Hopefully, I will be able to get a decent picture so you can see the depth of this fabric.  It gives a very vintage feel combined with the Liberty.

   
Ocean Waves is very similar to Corn and Beans....a traditional quilt pattern....
here is a description from Popular Patchwork.

Corn and beans were the staple diet of many settlers and pioneers in America. Corn was grown for flour rather than corn on the cob as we eat it today. The beans were a type of French bean that the Americans call a pole bean. They were planted to climb up the corn plants as they were growing. Squash plants were sometimes under planted as well.
One quarter of this block is also known as Northwind.

I love traditional quilt blocks!  And traditional blocks with a modern twist are just scrumptious!!!


There are 96 tiny triangles in each block!


By the way, I think I prefer the name Corn and Beans...although this block seems to be slightly different than the traditional Corn and Beans {more triangles...I think}.

After this one - my cutting mat will be a triangle free zone!


Happy Monday!
mary

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day....

I did a little Mom's Day shopping...
for another project percolating in my brain....


Liberty and a Moda Crossweave....


Yum!
Happy Mother's Day!
PS....if you are in the Columbus area you can find Liberty at Sew To Speak....Liberty....in so many ways :)


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Just To Prove a Point....

I know I am most likely 'singing to the choir' with this post....so please excuse me....


Here is a little tip to get those pointy points every time!!!

Once you have your HST strip all pieced together....press the seams so that on the wrong side you can see where the seams intersect....


You should be able to see the seams from each HST....like so.....


Now, as you are joining the two long strips of half square triangles, make sure your stitching passes straight through the intersection of those two seams.....like so.....


This should be very helpful in getting those triangles nice and pointy once you join strips together!

  
Hope you are enjoying a lovely Thursday!!!
mary :)