This is a pic of Marsha teaching our class. She was an amazing teacher. Very thorough and very patient with the class. So much information though.
She had 1/8" graph paper that we used to draft our own blocks. We had to use a compass to figure out the size of the diamonds. My head hurt at the end of the class.
This was a neat technique. We made bias strip sets and sewed them together and then cut our HST from the strip sets. No bias edges and you get really nice ( and can do incredibly tiny) HST this way too. Her bias square ruler was great to use.
If I had managed to get my block finished this is what it would have looked like (but not in those colors or probably as good!)
Here we are after class. Marsha is on the left. She is coming out with a new book about Feathered Stars so go to her website and look around. It will use rotary cutting instructions instead of templates! YIPEE!! I can't wait for the new book.
Now, don't you laugh at me. Here is what I got finished in the 6 hours of our class. There were only 2 of us that even got this far!
I learned so many tricks from Marsha. Some things to remember for precise piecing ala Marsha:
Use a sharp needle, not a universal one
Use thinner thread. She uses 60 wt by Presentia. I use 50 wt Masterpiece by Superior Threads
Use a single hole plate on your machine (I had heard this before)
She used a #13 foot (Bernina) so she could see the needle go into the fabric and watch the fabric edge to the right of the foot. With the typical 1/4" foot you will not see the fabric and therefore your 1/4" seam may not be as accurate. We were working with 16th and 32nds so this made a difference. Now I must say, I don't know if I sew quite that accurately that it would make a huge difference but I am going to try to sew more accurately.
So there you have it, my class with Marsha McCloskey. More about the shopping tomorrow (maybe later today = 0 )
7 comments:
Single hole plate - I keep hearing that... maybe I should invest in one - after I get back to actually using my sewing machine, ahem...
Sharp needle sounds like a good idea - beyond the fact that I should change mine every so often... ahem.
So many good suggestions. Single hole plate, I'll have to look into that. I love hearing all about your adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Your star will look fabulous. I can't wait for the new book. I ove feathered Stars but have never attempted one before.
Love and hugs Gina xxx
Thanks for those tips! I'm working with HST's right now, and am ready to throw them out the window because of my inaccuracy.
Sounds like a good class and you learned a lot by the sound of it!
Your blockbeginning looks very neat; you got to finish it and show it on your blog!
You learned some valuable tips from an expert, well done! She actually did "write the book" on the subject, I think my head would have hurt too.
Sounds like a wonderful class, Pam. I'm sure your pieces will combine to make a beautiful feathered star. Connie and I usually come home from a day's class with a couple of pieces to show. The guys don't always understand that you are learning all day and not just sewing. The quilt show pictures were great, too. Thanks for sharing.
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