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Charlotte's TIPS for working
with
QUILTSMART'S Tumbling Blocks INTERFACING
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Quiltsmart's Tumbling Blocks
Printed Interfacing
& Instructions booklet can be found here:
http://www.sewnatural.net/nli.asp?iid=22619
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 I
made this TABLE RUNNER, using 1 panel of TUMBLING BLOCKS
interfacing,
1 MODA CHARM PACK,
and black background fabric. The
interfacing panels can be trimmed, or pieced together (with an
iron) to make rows as short or long as you need.
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Layer the fusible side of the interfacing
together with the right side of your pieced fabric. It is
important that your pieces stitch to exactly 2-inches wide.
(Click on the picture for a larger image.)
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The
seams must fall exactly on the vertical lines printed on the
interfacing. Stitch on the solid lines, trim on the dotted
lines. The ends are left open.
(Click on the picture for a larger image.)
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Clip the inside pivots to the
stitching line.
(Click on the picture for a larger image.)
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Turn and carefully push out the points and pinch
the edges flat. I use a PURPLE THANG, one of my favorite
tools! (Click on the picture for a larger image and you may be
able to see the Thang inside the tube.)
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Stitch the fabric strips
together in a random order, OR pay attention to creating a pattern and
stitch in order. The Quiltsmart directions even come with a
handy design sheet for reproducing and coloring.
Keep in mind that to form the diamond shape between the rows, the rows
will alternate directions.
(Click on the picture for a larger image.)
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I used a PRESSING SHEET to iron
my tubes flat and keep them from sticking to the ironing
board.
After the tubes are turned and the edges are pressed, iron them to the
background fabric. Be sure to alternate the rows.
The picture here shows what will happen if you have one going the
wrong direction.
(Click on the picture for a larger image.) |
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The strips are then
stitched to the background fabric using a narrow zig-zag on the
sewing machine. I used clear thread and a fine Microtex
Sharp Needle 60/8 from Schmetz.
To cut down one step, I chose to sandwich the runner top,
batting & backing before I started stitching. Now the appliqué
stitching is also the quilting! The zig-zag stitch is so
narrow, that, at first glance, it actually looks like a straight
stitch on the back of the runner.
Quiltsmart's instructions
include directions for several size projects, from TABLE RUNNER,
to BED-SIZE quilts. Here is my finished Runner, but you
can see how by simply doubling the size, two panels would
produce a darling BABY QUILT!
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