 I haven't posted in a while - just a super-busy time for me. However, I did get this little quilt finished. It was actually a test to see if I had recovered from surgery enough to sit and machine quilt. It worked well and I am happy with it. The next test will be to see if I can stand at the long arm to machine quilt there.
Well, back to work now. :o)
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My blog today is focused on how I work with my Canon Pixma printer in setting up a custom sized sheet to print for my Inklingo fabric printing. Perhaps these steps will help you to see what you would look for on your specific printer. Although there may seem to be many steps to my process, please don't let it alarm you. Once you understand what to do, you will go through the steps quite fast. In addition, once a specific size is set up, you don't need to repeat the steps, you simply choose the size that you previously set up. Note that "suggested custom page sizes" are included in every Inklingo shape collection for every layout, so you don't have to figure it out for yourself. Custom page size makes efficient use of the fabric AND the illustrations make it easy to see how much fabric you will need for any number of shapes. My information here is just to illustrate how you would go about making a variety of custom sizes. Many times I am using scraps of fabric in odd shapes, so I personally use many custom sizes.  When you open your Inklingo PDF in Adobe Reader, it will look something like this. The picture is currently on page 65 of the Celtic Solstice design package, and I am ready to print this page.
Click the little "printer" symbol in the top left side of the screen to go to the next screen. Click the "Read More" button below to see the remaining instructions.
Steps I took to do this process - see pictures associated with steps. 1. Rough-cut Inklingo Basket for 2 basket tops. Scissors point to bias line. 2. Basket Handle Fabric layered over background and basted on Inklingo printed lines. 3. Basket Handle Fabric layered over background, basted on Inklingo printed lines, trimmed to scant quarter seam width, and cut where the 2 handles separate (see scissors). 4. One handle needle turned. 5, Both handles needle turned. 6. Pieces trimmed and separated into 2 basket handle tops.
 OK, now I am excited! I just purchased the new Inklingo "Baskets" designs, and after looking through the download, I can't wait to get started. There are so many options to choose from, meaning there are so many ways to design baskets. Fun, fun!
This is just a short entry to present this video about cutting curves with a Rotary Cutter. I am beginning several more Inklingo projects -- both of which contain curved pieces -- so I thought I would share my curve cutting experiences with you. Enjoy!. NOTE: Depending on the speed of your equipment, the video may be slower than others in loading. You may wish to begin the video and then click the pause for a moment or so to allow it to load, then play it through. For this blog, I thought I would describe my seaming process for piecing the POTC (Patchwork of the Crosses) Blocks. I tried a variety of ways to construct the blocks before I settled on this method as my favorite. It is very similar to the way I piece hexagons.
Check out the POTC combinations on Inklingo. There are different sizes to choose from. I am using the 1.5 size for my POTC's, which makes the block size 12" using the 24-piece layout.
I hope this helps explain my seaming process for the POTC's, and I hope it will inspire you to begin your own POTC. Have you seen the new Inklingo video about pieced hexagons? Linda released this video in celebration of 7 years of Inklingo. The video is fabulous! How exciting to see 300 pieced hexies, and Inklingo is THE WAY to go! I also love the Timeless Treasures fabrics Linda used to create the designs. They make my mouth water! Congratulations on 7 years, Linda! Whoo Hoo! Way to go! If you are like me, you always have a scrap-block project that you can work on between larger projects. For my scrap projects, I cut pieces from left over fabric to use it up rather than adding to my scrap bin. If the piece is large enough, I will run it through the printer. But what do you do with scraps that are very small, or odd shaped, like the ones pictured below. Here is what I do. First, I print a page of freezer paper (FP) templates from my Inklingo designs, and cut them out. Next, I iron a FP template onto the back of the small scrap, rotary cut around the template, peel away the paper, and mark the seams with pencil or chalk marker. The piece then goes into the project container, and it's ready to go. I keep the FP templates to reuse on the next scraps. The FP templates may be used with, or without, seam allowances. For my purposes, I choose to leave the seam allowance on the pattern to ensure the template will fit onto my small fabric scrap (with the necessary allowances). PICTURES: #1 shows some small odd shaped scraps. #2 shows the Inklingo FP ironed onto the fabric scraps. #3 shows the shape cut from the scrap and the left-over tiny scrap (which I finally toss out). #4 shows the piece with Inklingo FP removed and the seam allowances marked by hand. |
