Just like in May, you are working with lots of small pieces this month. Starching them before you mark them will not only make them easier to handle, but also prevent them from stretching as you draw on your diagonal lines.
There are lots of points in this block that meet up. All of your flying geese practice in April and June is going to come in handy. In fact, you may want to take another look at our post from April to help you get precise flying geese. Just be sure to take you time and be patient with yourself. You don’t have to be perfect; we want you to have fun!
Because there are several spots where six fabrics come together, there is an extra challenge trying to get your blocks to lay nice and flat. Here are some tips:
A wool pressing mat is a great option because it will retain the heat from your iron, causing your fabric to receive heat from both sides. It also decreases the amount of time you need to hold your iron to the fabric because you’re not losing heat through the bottom of your ironing board.
Another tool for pressing that often goes overlooked is a tailor’s clapper. This is a small, rounded block of hardwood that you set on your seam right after you pull the iron off. It gives you a few extra seconds of retained heat, and the weight of the clapper keeps your seam allowance laying flat as your fabric starts to cool. Another bonus of using a clapper is that if you press with steam, the hardwood will absorb any remaining moisture from your fabric. This makes your fabric (including that seam allowance!) less pliable and susceptible to movement.
Even without either of these tools, something as simple as leaving your fabric untouched to cool for about ten seconds after pressing can make a big difference keeping your seam allowance in place.
Remember, we add heat (and sometimes moisture) to relax the fibers in our fabric so we can bend them. Once they’re bent (pressed), we want to keep them in that same position as the heat and moisture decrease. Because when those fibers are cool and dry, they’ll do a much better job of staying where we’ve told them to.
We love seeing your finished blocks, so don’t forget to enter your blocks into our quarterly drawings!
Guidelines to enter your sewn blocks into our quarterly challenge (and win prizes on Instagram and Facebook)
- Between the 1st and the 7th day of each month, you’ll find the pattern for that month’s block and select your fabrics.
- Between the 8th and the 14th, you’ll get your fabrics prepped and cut.
- Between the 15th and the end of each month, sew up your block and post it to Instagram (please use the #qp2020sewalong hashtag) or to the Facebook group (using the same #qp2020sewalong hashtag).
Rules for entering your sewn blocks to win prizes online
- When you post a photo of your block on Instagram or in our Facebook group by each deadline set for the month (between the 15th and the end of the month), you’ll be entered into a quarterly drawing for some great prizes from our sponsors.
- You must tag @thequiltersplanner on IG and @QuiltersPlanner on Facebook with your entry and use the hashtag #qp2020sewalong hashtag so we can track your entry.
- Each month’s entry must be posted by 11:59pm on the last day of the month Central Time to be eligible. Each month you post will be counted as one entry for that quarter’s drawing.
- If you win the quarterly prize, you will be eligible to win again at 6 months, and 12 months, if you complete and enter each month’s block on time.
- Some prizes may not be available for participants outside the US due to shipping costs. Winners will be contacted via social media and asked to provide email address and shipping address.
- If a prize alternative is required, it will be sent via email.
- If you do not receive your prize within one month, please contact us at [email protected] so we can contact prize sponsors and help coordinate a new shipment.
- These contests are not affiliated with Instagram or Facebook in any way.
