In my last blog post I told you about our Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild in conjunction with Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild bringing out quilter and author Cheryl Arkison from Calgary. Well, she came, she talked and she taught! It’s hard to believe it already came and went! When she was here she did a wonderful trunk show (a talk where she showed off her quilts). Cheryl also provided us with two incredible workshops, one called “The Missing U” (an improve quilt) and another workshop called “Perfect Circles”! Guessed what we made in that workshop?
You guessed it! Circles! THE most perfect-y circle-y circles ever!
Not only did I learn a lot and get a chance to make some blocks for Cheryl’s ‘“Just One Slab” project in the “Missing U” workshop and how to make perfect circles, I also learned five things I will always think… okay maybe not think but remind myself as I sew:
#1. Stop thinking! Yup, I’m an over thinker, it’s true! My first “Missing U” block was absolutely painful. I’ve done improve blocks before but always found them a bit tedious and looking a little log cabin-y. Luckily Cheryl came to my rescue and jumped in to help me sew my block after she gave me the advice to stop thinking so much. This was enough for me to let go, dive in and… stop thinking!
#2 .“Just match up chunks!“ Not thinking helped but I did have another light-bulb moment when Cheryl said ,”just match up chunks!” Yup, just match up chunks! That was my aha moment, so I sewed chunks of fabric together while not thinking! Which was probably why I had no problem introducing Mr. Kaffe Fassett to Mr John Deere!
#3. Press don’t iron! This is one I always forget and I need to remind myself not to do. I’m always ironing back-and-forth, back-and-forth. I need to remember not to do that. I’m thinking it might be because my iron is really light I feel like I really have to make that seam stay! I did fall in love with an iron at the workshop that was really heavy and found I was pressing with it more than ironing with it. Regardless, no excuses, I must remember to press not iron!
#4. Work on a second quilt using leaders and enders. It’s such a simple idea! What this means is when you’re working on the quilt with bigger blocks, before you start to sew on your big block you sew two small pieces of scraps before your block. Likewise, then you sew two small pieces at the end of your block . That way you don’t get the little threads bunching up (a nest of threads) at the beginning of your large blocks or at the end. Plus you don’t have to lose your mind sewing little tiny pieces together all at once, if you’re making a small pieced scrappy quilt. Brilliant!
Cheryl’s Missing U Quilt
#5. How to sew a block quilt together efficiently. Cheryl also passed along a method to sew a block quilt like her “The missing U” quilt. It becomes pretty clear, pretty quickly Cheryl is a smart cookie that works smarter not harder. As you might have guessed with the over thinking, harder is usually the avenue I go down. However, now that I know this I can do a u-turn and join in the smarter parade!
By the end of the three days my mind had been blown. I felt as though was able to take my quilting to a whole new place. So to you, Cheryl thanks so much! It was lovely to meet you and thanks for your time, knowledge and inspiration!
