Hi! I'm so glad you're back for day 2. Did you get a good night's rest? I am so excited for today because we are doing our first Zoom Q&A with Show & Tell at 9 am PST. Woohoo! The link to join the zoom session is in the email.
If you're just jumping into the SAL, take a quick moment to sign up so you can get the email reminders, join in on the Zoom meetings, and be eligible to win prizes! Then catch up with the first 3 blog posts...
Favorite Flavors Pattern Release & Coloring Pages - The story behind this pattern and the creation of sample quilts with my amazing pattern testers.
Getting Started - The SAL schedule & info, the fabric pull, and mockups.
Day 1 - Cutting it Out - Starch, press, and cut.
Assemble the Lollipop Stick Sections
At this point, we've got our fabrics cut out so we are stepping into the "Create Lollipop Blocks" section of the pattern. There's still some rotary cutting to do but we've got to make the stick section of our lollipops first. This is pretty straight forward stitching but here's some tips to make it even easier....
Use a seam roller on the first seam. I like to use a seam roller on small seams instead of an iron. There's no risk of getting burned and I don't have to get up.
Press to the dark side. The pattern states to press these seams toward the background fabric because it's darker than the stick fabric. Since my sticks are darker than the background in this version of the quilt, I pressed mine toward the stick.
Make them all at once instead of one at a time. Think assembly line. I'm making four lollipops so I made all four stick sections simultaneously. Start by chain piecing (stitching one after another without cutting the threads) all the little background pieces to the bottoms of the sticks. Then press (or roll) the seams. Then pin each stick sections to a larger background piece, then chain piece, the press, and repeat with the other larger background pieces. See it's super fast this way ;)
For the long seams between the stick sections and the larger background pieces, lay out the background piece on a table where there's enough room to get it flat. Pin the stick section to it using pins every 3-5 inches. If they both start flat when they're pinned, there much more likely to stay that way when sewn.
Create Frames
In this part, we will be cutting curves using templates B, C, & D. I call it creating frames because the background fabric will frame the candy fabric. For piecing curves, I like to use folds to mark the fabric. If you have a favorite way to mark when piecing curves that works for you, go for it!
Let's start with using an iron to make fold marks on all the pieces that need marking.
Once the pieces are all marked, it's time to go back to our mat to rotary cut the curves into them. If you have a counter height table or kitchen counter you can do this on, it's easier than doing it on a low table. I tend to bend over to see the curve better so I've learned that it's easier to bring the curve closer to me instead. Another tip is to keep your rotary cutter blade straight up and down, meaning it is perpendicular to the mat, so the mat can self heal and doesn't get gouges in it.
How did it go? Was it harder or easier than you thought it would be? I hope you gave it a try.
Tomorrow is the day that I know a lot of you are a bit worried about.... stitching these curves together. Just like learning anything, it takes a little time to master stitching a curve. I hope you come to see it's really not all that bad. I actually enjoy it!
Don't forget to make a post about your project by midnight using the hashtag #favoriteflavorsquiltsal to enter to win the first prize. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow morning. The lucky quilter will get this gorgeous stash building fat quarter stack of Art Gallery Pure Solids and a Snapdragon quilt pattern of their choice tomorrow! If you made your post already, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for being here today and working on your Favorite Flavors quilt with me! If you missed the Zoom session today or want to watch it again, the link will be in tomorrow's email. See you tomorrow! Happy Quilting!
