Our first Clue is all about neutral 4-patches, and I surprised myself a little by deciding to go with only two fabrics for my neutrals...
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| The Kona Bay on the bottom is a lovely batik |
After all, you all know me well enough by now to know that I LOVE scrappy, right? My problem with this project was that I didn't want to use black/white or gray neutrals with these colors....
.... and I didn't have enough beige/tan fabrics to really do scrappy justice. Since the rest of the units will all be super scrappy, I think the low-key neutral might help pull it all together. We'll see....
Here are my finished 4-patches! Pretty boring, right? Not much to them, I have to admit! As I said in an earlier post, I'm only making half of the number Bonnie says to make, and I ended up with a few extra.
And of course I have to show off all the nice little center spins on the back...
Four-patches are really fun to make and go very quickly. Bonnie is starting us off easy :*} Of course I used my Sizzix cutter, using a ruler to line up for the subcuts to keep them square....
Snoopervisor Rocky had to inspect the machinery to make sure that it was both safe for me to operate and comfy for him to nap upon....
It seems there is no stage of the quilting process that does not fascinate him, and no surface upon which he cannot recline while he Snoopervises! This was his first experience with the cutter, and he thinks it is great fun! As for me, I am beginning to believe there is no space in this studio where I am safe from the danger of cutting off his tail!!!
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| Uh-oh! I think he's zeroed in on a problem with the lighting!!! |
A new tool I used for these units that made them go even more quickly was this Ideal Seam Guide ...
The purple Gauge at the top has holes for you to put the needle down at the size seam allowance desired (it even includes a scant 1/4"). Once that is in position, you just lay the Guide next to it, and the sticky surface on the bottom adheres it to your table. It is not permanent and will pick up fairly easily with a little tug, and is reusable. With this little toy, I was able to pretty much just guide the little units toward the needle while reading War and Peace and they came out perfect!
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| My goodness - look at the dust on my shank!!!! |
This is a wonderful tool especially for sewing up those long strips! I have tried several little gauges and guides to give me that perfect 1/4" seam, but this one gives me the most solid edge for lining up the fabric as it feeds into the machine, as well as a nice long edge. This one is 5" - all I need for my machine - but you can get them in 10" or even 15" I think. So far, I'm giving it 5 stars.
My health continued to improve today and I felt a lot more like puttering in the Studio. Tomorrow I plan to stitch on a couple of bindings and then finish up the last block of a BOM I'm doing for one of my guilds. Hope you have something fun planned too!
I'm linking up my little 4-patches with Bonnie's linky party HERE - you can see what others have linked up if you hop on over there!
Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=
love your kitty, and love your blocks
ReplyDeleteYour little 4 patches look perfectly square. I love it when that happens, which doesn't at my house these days. Must be that I don't have a snooperviser to help me. Can I borrow yours"?? lol Again, he is just precious. If I could find a kitty as good as Rocky, I might consider getting another helper.
ReplyDeleteI like your 2 color blocks and I think they will balance out the quilt.
ReplyDeleteLove your blocks....I debated just two colours for the neutral as I don't have many....however I have done scrappy but wish I hadn't after seeing yours. Also.....can I have your cat? I want a cat....used to have cats and have been catless for 4 years now boo hoo......just can't find one that looks as lovely as yours :-)
ReplyDeleteEven though I am "not" doing the mystery, I managed to put together 120 scrappy neutral 4Ps. Mine are in the beige tones, too, as that is what I had the most of. Glad to know you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteI love both your neutrals. They will look wonderful between your other beautiful fabrics.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Rocky is hard at work there. Your fabrics are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Those should work so well with the other fabrics. I'm glad to know that you are feeling a bit better. It's a bad time of the year to be under the weather.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful fabrics!
ReplyDeleteI like the neutrals you chose, and with all the other scrappiness, I think it is nice to have some control somewhere. Loving your gorgeous array of fabrics! It is going to be a beauty!!
ReplyDeleteOh, that helpful kitty! Rocky exudes contentment. Seems you were meant to find each other.
That looks like a very precise method of getting the correct seam allowance.
Your fabric selections, as usual, are delicious! Rocky will come home with me if ever I meet him. And I use the Ideal Seam Guide ALL! THE! TIME! in ALL of my piecing of patchwork! I am sold, and recently had a giveaway for 2 of them on my blog! Keep feeling better!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Snoopervisor!
ReplyDeleteSounds like your kitty is making himself at home and doing a great job 'helping' in the sewing studio. Hope you feel better soon. Snuggling up under binding is a great way to rest.
ReplyDeleteOh precious Kitty. Mine lays right in front of me when I'm on the computer..silly boy.
ReplyDeleteRelax & do some handwork binding with your feet up.
How does the Sizzix work for cutting fabric?
ReplyDelete