First Paper Piece Block

But it is so pretty!! lol

I like your block so much that I plan to make one like it. Your problem was this shouldn't have been your first attempt at PP. I always start my students on Square in a Square. We then move to a few more complicated blocks before starting one that requires joining several pieces together. Please don't give up on PP! Wish you were close enough so I could give you a hands-on lesson. Dismiss this experience from your memory and in a few weeks you can try it again but this time take a few baby steps before you run a marathan.

Susan

Mika,

I think "Dani's" reply said it all. You Rocked the Block. Haven't heard that before.

Billie in TX

Love the colors! Never say never -I hated it the 1st time too. It became easy only after much practice. But it IS easy now. Roberta in D

"Mika" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:0vgUg.98$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe10.lga...

In article , "Mika" wrote: If anyone wants to see this piece of art it can be

Well it looks just fine, Mika! Lovely colours, nice design. Lee

I used to hold back from PP too, not because I thought it would be difficult but because I thought it was a form of cheating! LOL I finally tried it in June to make my little sister a double wedding ring quilt for her wedding. There are some patterns that just cannot be done perfectly (except by those with the patience of I don't know what) without PP. Since then I have made another quilt using PP (a crib size dresden plate) and am now working on a Mariners compass that I designed myself, the MC is something I would NEVER try without the paper, I would end up killing someone LOL!!!!!!

Keep at it, after you get used to it and get some practice you will be more comfortable taking on patterns you never thought you would try!

WOW it looks great! but what a pattern to choose as a first time block! angles are the hardest to wrap your mind round and I *still* get them wrong if I haven't done PP in a while

(((Mika))))

helpful. Please

points on

horrible as you

Thank you for your kind offer, but I think I'll stick to applique. Since that unfortunate PPing attempt I've tried other piecing methods and I have decided that applique is so much more fun than piecing blocks. I've also realized that the PP blocks that I'm most drawn to are the ones that look most like applique blocks; hearts, trees, houses, people, etc. and I can make them using applique with no hassles.

Now you might think this means I don't want to stitch up my Candy Jar quilt or participate in future jar fabric swaps, but I do. I've got a grand idea on how I'm going to do my jar blocks. It seems to me there are a lot of jar and bottle shapes that don't have a PP pattern, and some of them would be far easier to do using applique methods, so I am going to take a camera into a store and photograph every interestingly shaped jar and bottle I see and then make my own applique patterns from the pictures. I've already got some jar shapes, and a gumball machine, saved on my computer.

Debra in VA See my quilts at

Thanks Louise. I had been putting off trying pp for a long time. I bought one of Carol Doak's books last year and just could never get the nerve to try it. Well I finally decided to take the plunge and chose that particular pattern for two reasons. One, it was pretty. Two, it only had three pieces, two seams. Seemed simple enough. I cut the pieces well oversized in the correct shape, but they still wouldn't work. I finally ended up just cutting huge pieces just to get them to fit then trim them down to the correct size. Someday I may give it a try again but not for a very long time.

Mika

Thanks Nancy. The thing is, I really thought this would be an easy pattern since it only had two seams. Well, each triangle had two seams then I had to sew the triangles together which was no problem then I just had to make 4 blocks to make it complete. I mean, how difficult can sewing two seams be? lol. I'm glad I didn't choose one of the hearts out of the book for my first project. Whew I'm confusing myself just thinking about it now. Oh well. I'm sure some day I will give it a try again just not any time soon.

Mika

Thanks Linda. I love the way the points match and look so sharp. I remembered you telling me before that pieces need to be cut oversized so I did that. I think the biggest problem what the angle of the seams. I think paper pieced blocks are beautiful as long as they are done by someone else. lol

Mika

Thanks Mary. I have one of her books but I haven't been able to find the book with the cd or dvd. Well I could order it online but I usually buy books when I have coupons for TSWLTH. I've never been able to find it in stock there. One of these days I'll get lucky and find it.

Mika

To solve the 'angle of the seams problem' (and the like), Mika, you need to cut your fabric from a template. So, you would have made an extra copy of one section and its mirror image, cut those pieces out (with their numbers on) and placed them on the wrong side of the fabric. Just pin or hold them onto the fabric and cut round at about half an inch away from the edges. This will give you oversized pieces, but with exactly the correct angles and orientation. This will save you from ever getting it wrong again. Cut all your pieces beforehand, place them in little piles - right or wrong side up, but be consistent - and take a piece as you need it. Your matching was so good that, once you get the angle problem solved, you'll be well away. There is always that problem with any shape that isn't a rectangle. . In message , Mika writes

Thanks Sandy. I plan to get the DVD as soon as I can find it in stock at JoAnn's. I'll pop in and check out the yahoo group as soon as I can get the time. Shoot I have hard enough time just keeping up with this group and I often fail miserably at that.

Mika

Thanks Kate. I don't have the "add an inch" ruler but I guess that will be on my wish list now. I did oversize my pieces but I think the trouble I was having was because of the angle of the seams. Somehow I was cutting my piece in the wrong direction so I ended up having to rip it multiple times. Several times I ended up just getting new pieces that were REALLY oversized. You can email me or post directions explaining anytime you like. I'm always open to learning new ways of quilting.

Mika

them CRITICAL for me in

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the next piece in the right

Well darn it. I thought sure making 4 blocks that had to be sewn together into one big one would qualify, especially since I had to rip so frickin many times. lol. Next time I think I'll just do flying geese or square in a square or something that is supposed to be easy. Oh wait, I said that about this block since each section only had two seams. Oh well.

Oh yeah. I am left-handed and learned how to crochet from a right-handed person. lol. It was a very difficult task but we finally figured out that if she sat in front of me facing me it was like mirror image and so easy to figure out then. I swore I would never try to learn anything like that from a right-handed person again but of course that was one I just couldn't stick with since right-handed persons far outnumber left-handed persons. lol.

Mika

Oh believe me, I totally understand the frustration. I can't believe I am even considering giving it a try again someday. But being the stubborn Queen of PP Klutzdom that I am, will give in to it at some point.

Mika

I wish I was close enough for you to give me a hands on lesson. lol. I didn't have any problems joining the blocks together. I didn't even have any problem matching the seams of each section to make the block. What I had problems with was the triangle. Each block was actually cut in half so there were only two seams per section. The middle section was the #1 piece, the small tip was the #2 piece and the large end was the #3 piece. Well you would think that such a small piece would be easy to attach especially with an oversized piece. Hmmph. Not for me. After I got the seam sewn and went to press it into place, well it always went wonky in the opposite direction of what it was supposed to go. Did you find the pattern on Quilters Cache? That is where I got it and used the template from there. You can see how the template is actually two pieces.

I'm glad you liked it enough to make one. That is a real compliment. Thank you.

Mika

Ok I didn't get that post. Geez now my server is stealing posts from me. But thank you, I appreciate the compliment.

Where in Texas are you? We lived in the Dallas area for 3 years before moving to New York. Our son and grandson are still there.

Mika