Quilting in Vermont and Ticker Tape Parade Clue #2

Last weekend, I had a fabulous time with the ladies attending my Fall Retreat at Quilting In Vermont.    As I discussed last week, the Strong House Inn transferred owners earlier this year, so it was really fun to meet Amy and DJ.   It was great catching up with my “November QIV” ladies and also to meet several new-to-me quilters.  We had a blast.   I hold my Quilting in Vermont Retreat to 12 people, I sometimes can be talked into a couple more, however I feel 12 is the perfect number.  It allows for a great student to teacher ratio.  Everyone gets a nice 5-6 foot area to work in, which is fabulous.  The conversations in class are always entertaining.  You get a chance to find out some much about each other at dinner.  It is wonderful.

Quilting in Vermont ~ Fall 2019

I have two more retreats this season; February 6^th-9^th and March 12^th-15^th, both are three nights and run from Thursday afternoon through Sunday mid-day.   The price of the retreat includes; Lodging, Quilt Instruction, all meals, and your sewing space.

The February Retreat is my Quilter’s Choice retreat and it is limited to 10 people.  It is the only retreat that I allow everyone to pick any pattern from my designs or bring a UFO from one of my prior classes.  Everyone can listen in to the lessons given for the other quilts.  It is so fun seeing all the different quilts come together. 

March’s Retreat, my Early Spring Retreat, is limited to 12 people.  This year the projects are Moonlight Garden or Retreat.  Moonlight Garden is a Lemoyne Star with the Strawflower block. The Lemoyne Star comes together easily without Y seam using the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star.  The Strawflower block gives the quilt it’s movement.   Retreat features Daylilies, which you will learn multiple techniques using your Wing Clipper, Tucker Trimmer and Square Squared.   I designed Retreat, while retreating myself in Rangeley Maine, if you ever been there in the summer, there are Daylilies everywhere.

TICKER TAPE PARADE

So, apologies all, I have a momentary brain block last week, and referred to the unit we made as a hexagon, when I know that it is a Octagon.  Mr. Ulrich, my freshman Geometry teacher would be very upset with me.  LOL.  Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed making your Octagons with the fabulous Wedge Star Ruler!

NOTE: Since many of the Clues are depended on each other, I will be making the Clues available to purchase, for a nominal fee, the week after for those of you that missed them.  They will only be available for a short period, and then the whole set will be available at the end of the series.  Clue #1 can be purchased at my Etsy shop:  Click here for Clue #1. 

Clue #2

We will continue working with our Octagons, using the Studio 180 Wedge Star Tool and Tucker Trimmer I,  to finish making those Octagons into blocks. 

Below is the step-by-step pictorial, detailed information is in the download.  Please, please, read this blog post.  I put so many tips in here, it is really fabulous content and instruction.  And it is free!  Nothing is more frustrating than being IM’d, texted, emailed and questioned on items covered extensively on this blog.  My blog posts aren’t just a thoroughfare to the download.  Please, stop and read the blog.  I put 3-4 hours just into the weekly blog.  If you are following along the Ticker Tape Parade Mystery, please read it.  I never mind if you ask questions, as long as you read the blog post first.  

Time to get organized; 

Gather your Octagons from last week and Group #2 of your Jelly Roll Strips. Similar to last week,  we are going to subcut each of the strips in Group #2 into (2) HWOF Strips (approximately 2½” x 20 ½”).   Set aside one set.

From the other set, following the cutting directions in Clue #2's download.

So, we need trim our Octagons, before we can proceed.  In order to do that we need to mark halfway registration mark on all four Bright Large Wedges of each of the Wedge Star Octagons, to prepare them to have Corner Triangles attached. You can do this one of two ways:

a. Wedges can be folded in half matching the seams and then lightly pressed to give a centerfold line. 

b. Or the centerline of the tool can be placed on the sewn seam with the point of the tool at the center. Mark with a removable marking tool. (My preference).  

Now, finding the right tool for this is a bit of a challenge.  

• I personally like the Sewline Pencils, they are chalk, allow you to draw a nice fine line, and will "pound" out by the time you finish handling the unit (or you can use the eraser).  The line will need to stay in for a few steps.  You will need to iron before you are finished, so if you go with the Sewline Pencils, do not use steam or Best Press until the chalk line is out.
• Some might think the Frixion pen is the right way to go, however, you will need to press and keep the line for a few steps.  The heat will remove the line.  So, despite my hesitation with the pen, you could use, but you will need to redraw your lines. 

Any way, I went with the Sewline Pencil.

Next, you will need to mark a line on your Wedge Star.  Turn the Wedge Star tool upside down, with the Invisigrip™ facing up. Using a ruler, measure down proper distance from the flat edge of the tool and make a mark on the back of the tool, across the centerline as illustrated below.  Measurement in the download. 

Measure

Mark

Check to make sure you can see the line

Next place the intersection of the centerline of the tool and the marked line on the center of the sewn block. At the same time, align the centerline of the tool with the halfway registration mark on the fabric block.

Align

 Cut along the flat edge of the tool. You should only be trimming off a small amount of fabric.

Cut

Repeat for all Bright Large Wedges

Position a HST Corner Triangle right sides together with a trimmed Wedge. Align the raw edges and make sure that it is roughly centered over the Wedge.  Stitch with the Wedge on top, stitch with a ¼” seam and press towards the Corner Triangle. 

Stitch with the Octagon on top

Remember, NO STEAM, if you have a chalk line

Repeat until you have triangles on all four corners of all units.

Time to trim the units down.  Trim with the Tucker Trimmer I, align the common diagonal and proper size diagonal with the marks made for the previous trimming. Make sure that the intersection of the tool lines is over the center. Trim two sides. 

Right Handed ~ Align with the proper size and the marks you made earlier

Left Handed ~ Align with the proper size and the marks you made earlier

Right Handed ~ Trim two sides

Left Handed ~ Trim two sides

Them, rotate the block 180° and line up the diagonal lines as well as the clean up lines with the trimmed edges. Trim the final two sides.  Repeat for all units. 

Right ~ Align

Left ~ Align

Right ~ Cut remaining two sides

Left ~ Cut remaining two sides

Wow!  Love them!

We have one more step, for Clue #2, and that is to add two rectangles to each Wedge Star Blooks, creating a Rectangle with the Wedge Star as the centers. 

Now, you are finished with Clue #2.

Well, I have to get packed for my Sleep in Your Bed Retreat at Pennington.  

If you are looking for SIYB retreat in the PA area, I will be in Shippensburg, PA in February.  See my retreat page for more details.  Also, I have a few spots remaining in the Cabin Fever Retreat in Southbury CT on Martin Luther Weekend.  This is a great retreat for Teachers, join me for a great weekend, details can be found on my Retreat page.

Keep stitching,

Michelle