Double Duty (An Accuquilt Go! Tutorial)

I've had my Accuquilt Go! for several months now. I was lucky enough to win a blog giveaway that included the Go! as well as 3 dies of my choice. (See my review of the Go! here.) Well this was a very tough decision since there are over 50 dies to choose from! I ended up choosing 2 strip dies and the Double Wedding Ring die. This may sound completely selfish but I mainly picked my dies according to price. There is just no way that I can afford to pay $80 per die. So I choose the more expensive ones that I wanted knowing that it would be easier for me to spend $30-$40 once in a while on some of the smaller dies.

I was really torn between picking the Double Wedding Ring die ($89) and the Rob Peter to Pay Paul die ($89.) In the end the Wedding Ring die won out because I really love that design and I know that some day I want to make a Double Wedding ring quilt and I can't imagine hand cutting all of those tiny pieces. As I was looking at the 2 dies side by side on my computer I had a wild and crazy idea that I could use the double Wedding Ring die to re-create the Rob Peter design!

Even though I recently received the Rob Peter die from Accuquilt I still wanted to test out my theory. So last night I pulled out my Wedding Ring Die and put my theory to the test.

 1. Cut one center section

 2. Cut 4 of the arc pieces








3. Sew the arc pieces to the center section

Here I was trying out a few different methods of sewing the arcs to the center piece. I tried pinning and also this method of not pinning. I think the non-pinning method will work better with practice. I also have the curve master foot (which I couldn't find at the time) that essentially is the same as the non-pinning method but with the help of a special foot.

This is the reason some of the corners are off. For this method to work you will need to be accurate in your corners or it will not look right in your finished quilt.

4. You will now trim your block to 9" centering the center fabric (stripes) within the 9" square. You basically have to eyeball this and 9" is enough to give you a 1/4" seam allowance at each of the 4 corners. Here I've added a small border to the block so that you can see that having your corners match will be very important!


As you can see corners 1 and 4 are really nice and perfect. Corner 2 is the worst and corner 3 is decent. I would suggest finding a method that gives you accurate piecing results for step 3 so that your blocks will turn out gorgeous!

Just to give you an idea of what the finished quilt would look like I whipped up these 2 quilt tops through the magic of Photoshop.

5 blocks x 5 blocks =about 43" square

On point with setting triangles and border

4 blocks x 5 blocks = 50"x 62.5" (plus border)

Enjoy!
~ Norma

New Fabrics and Notions

Over the last couple of months I've added a few new fabrics to may stash:




From left to right and top to bottom:

The first stack were all  from fabric.com There's some Amy Butler Lotus, Michael Miller Snow Dots and Holiday tree

The second and third stacks are from a very generous "secret pal" at quilt guild that has gifted the 1/2 yard stacks of gorgeous fabrics. I know the blue and brown stack is from Hobby Lobby, I'm thinking the green and red stack is also from there.

The 4th stack is Dr. Seuss and I can't remember where I bought them but they arrived super speedily!

The 5th picture is the fabric I was searching for in this post and is Marcus Brothers Storybook (now out of print.) I was lucky enough to find 3 yards at Colonial Crafts.

The last stack was in the same order as the first from fabric.com and they are all Kona Cottons in bright summery colors.

I was also very lucky to become affiliated with Accuquilt's Blogger Program so I have increased in my die collection with these new dies:





I've got some tutorials planned with these new dies as long as life cooperates :)

I've been very blessed recently!

~ Norma

DQS 10 v1.1

I got a little bit more done on this doll quilt today. Yesterday I got as far as piecing the Dresden wedge. Today I picked out the background (Kona Cotton in Charcoal) and used my Accuquilt Go 1.5" strip cutter to make quick work of cutting my scraps into perfect 1.5" squares. It literally only took me like 10 minutes to cut 70+ squares. Gotta love time saving tools!




Hopefully I can get the borders all pieced tomorrow. I still have to attach the background to the Dresden and figure out what I want to use for the center. Right now I'm leaning towards a Charcoal center because I love the graphic look of it thus far.

~Norma

If you want to read my Accuquilt Go review and tutorial on how to cut squares with the Go see this post here.

Quilt Top Finished

Yesterday I finished up the quilt top for my friend's quilt. I have received a few questions as to the fabrics in the quilt. Some of you may remember this post. This is a memory quilt for that same friend. The fabrics are all from her husband's shirts.
Time is such a fickle thing, sometimes crawling along and other times speeding by. It seems like it was only such a short time ago that Phil passed away, yet on paper you can flip through the calendar and in a few short weeks it will have been a year. My heart still aches for my dear friend and wish I were closer to be there for her. These two amazing friends of mine embody every word of one of my favorite Hymns, "Each Life that Touches Ours for Good" (you can listen to it by clicking on the link and then clicking "words and music" at the top left before clicking play {my kids must think I'm nuts 'cause I'm sitting here with happy tears.}





As much as I would have liked to spend today quilting it I couldn't because I don't have a piece of batting large enough. So I'm waiting until Monday in hopes of a 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon. I did find the perfect backing for it though.  I still have to figure out how I want to quilt it. I spent much of today lying around because of a migraine so I wouldn't have worked on it even if I had the batting. {I think some Dr. Pepper might be in order.}

I actually researched ordering the batting wholesale (see #10 in my goal list, bottom left.) Did you know that cotton prices are going up this year? Probably pretty soon. You can read more about it here. Basically there is less cotton than what the world uses so you can bet all of our cotton products are going to go up in price. That means our hobby will become that much more expensive! Maybe those stash diets I've seen popping up over the New Year might not be such a bad idea.

 I started a fun little feature over on my left sidebar. My SIL has a "Reality Check" on her blog and I love reading it. So I decided to do my own version but it will only list the latest 7 things I add to the list. Mine is titled "The Nut Shell" because it's basically my life in a nut shell and sometimes I feel like a nut. Here you will catch glimpses of my very ordinary life as a mom of two, but as any of us with kids know life with kids can be anything but ordinary.

Anyway, hug your loved ones because you never know what life will bring. A couple of months ago my daughter and I could have been in a terrible accident with a semi truck that ran a red light at 50mph. It was our turn to go, we were first in line. Luckily my Heavenly Father decided it wasn't our time and so we weren't in that intersection. It sure made me think about whether or not my family knows I love them each and every day.

~ Norma

Lickety Split (an Accuquilt Go! review, tutorial and giveaway)

No I am NOT giving away a Go! but if you read the entire post you may find it's worth your time!


I know there are lots of Accuquilt Go! giveaways going on all over blog land. I know it may seem impossible to win one when each giveaway has hundreds if not thousands of entries. Well I'm here to tell you Don't. Give. Up. You never know whether you will be the lucky duck as I was a few weeks ago. I'm going to share with you my honest opinion on this little gadget.

I've had my Go! for about 2 weeks now. So far I give it 2 thumbs up! Here is a quick run down of my assessment:

Pros:
- cuts quickly
- cuts accurately
- cuts corners off triangles
- dog ears on some shapes for easy curved piecing
- cuts several layers at once (I've successfully cut  6 layers of quilt shop quality fabric, if you are cutting something thick like flannel you'll won't be able to cut as many layers)
- easy to use
- it's pretty
- practically fool proof
- it's folds up nicely for storage (it takes up a mere 13"x5" of floor space)

Semi-cons:
not really enough of a negative to make me dislike the Go! but things you should be aware of

- weighs 15 lbs (my scale actually said 15.4lbs) Am I the only one who thinks 15 lbs is not light weight? Light weight would be something like 10lbs or less in my mind. My heavy Kenmore sewing machine weighs 20 lbs so if I were taking both to a class or retreat I would make sure I'm not carrying these too far.

- dies can be awkward to store (the longest dies are around 24" in length) If you plan on taking the Go! with you to retreats or classes remember you have to bring the dies too! A cart of some sort would be handy. (Accuquilt makes a rolling tote)

- mats should be stored flat so that they don't warp, making it hard to find a spot for them (the longest one measures 10"x24") and you really don't want to put anything on top because you'll be using it often!

- it takes a bit of muscle to crank the dies through and gets harder with more layers. Maybe my kids are weaklings but my 4 year old can't crank it past the halfway mark and my 6 year old can do it if he uses both hands. Keep this in mind if you are elderly and were hoping this would be super easy. It's kind of like churning Ice cream when it's at that semi-solid state, there's resistance. Every review I have read says it's 'so easy' and 'even my kids could do it.'

- you need a pretty big, clean, stable work surface to use it. I had not seen anywhere the dimensions of the Go! once it is open. Be aware that it's pretty big, not huge but not tiny (about the size of an adult torso when it is closed.) Your space also needs to be flat and clean or the dies might not go through properly. When open the Go! measures 18.5"wide by 30.5"

- there is a small learning curve as with any gadget/notion out on the market. You have to learn how to place fabric to minimize waste, and you have to pay attention to the grain of the fabric(as with rotary cutting.)

- if you happen to mess up a cut you'll end up messing up all the layers (but I haven't messed up yet! I'm sure it's bound to happen sooner or later though.) However I've made mistakes with my rotary cutter before too.

Cons:
- Price, the MSRP is $349.00 and includes 1 die and 1 mat. The value die cuts a 4 1/2" (4" finished) square, a 2 1/2" (2" finished) square, and cuts four  2" finished triangles (Half square triangles.) You can find the Go! for around $200-$250 through various retailers. Please note that all of the Go!s include the free value die and mat. Some retailers make it sound like they are throwing in this extra bonus when it comes packaged that way from Accuquilt.


- Price of the dies. Actually the smaller dies are pretty affordable ($20-$40) through various retailers. It's the larger and more intricate dies that will cost $50-$80. As a manufacturing minor I understand the cost that goes into making a intricate designs and making larger dies and blades. Keep this in mind as you decide whether this gadget will fit in your budget. I have no idea how long the dies will last as I've only had mine for 2 weeks. With proper care I would hoe to get several years of use out of a single die. The trick is to purchase dies that can be used for several other cuts. For example, a strip die can be used to cut strips, squares, and diamonds! There are lots of tutorials popping up showing  how to use the dies creatively!


On to the tutorial!



How to cut 100 2.5" squares in the blink of an eye:


{ok I may be exaggerating but I thought it was a catchy title}

You will need:
your Go!
the 2.5" strip die
the 10"x24" mat
a black sharpie
and 1/4 yard of fabric

1) The first thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is to mark your die. You take that sharpie and stick it down into the foam and run it along the blade. This is so you can see where you have to place your fabric. The next mark you want to make is a perpendicular line (the dotted line) at the end of the cutting blades. Do this on both ends of the die. Then make a solid perpendicular line a 1/2" in from the dotted line. Mark this on both ends of the die. This solid line is where you will line up your fabric so that your strips will be cut all the way through the width of the fabric.

2)Next take your pressed  fabric and fold it in half selvages together. Just like with rotary cutting you'll get better results if there are no folds or wrinkles in your fabric. Place the fabric on the die. You are going to take your folded edge and line it up along your solid line (the one next to the dotted line)

3) Make sure that all layers of the cut edge of the fabric cover the first blade. This step is like squaring up your fabric using a rotary cutter. If there is one layer that does not cover the entire length of the blade then that strip will not be perfectly straight.

 

 4) Now place the die on the Go! Place your cutting mat on top of the fabric being careful not to shift your fabric and run it through your Go! 

Crank, crank crank, and you end up with:

3 strips of fabric 2.5" wide, a slightly narrower strip that can go in your scrap pile, and the only waste are those little strips that you would have wasted with a rotary cutter as well.

5) Now take your first strip (still folded in half and keeping the cut edges lined up)  and lay it back on your die with the cut edges lined up against the solid line that is perpendicular to the blades. Make sure that the folded edge of of the strip sits just below the first blade other wise you'll end up with 1 rectangle amongst your squares. Now accordion fold the strip until the entire length fits on the die. As you accordion fold, make sure that the folds of the fabric are either just below the bottom blade and just above the top blade. Repeat with the other 2 strips making sure that you line up the cut edges with the cut edges of the previous strip.

Carefully place the cutting mat on top of the die and run it back through your Go! Guess what? You can leave the die on the Go! as you are rearranging fabric and then crank it through the other way. It works both ways so you can be even more productive!

again, crank crank crank and you get:

a nice pile of perfectly squared 2.5" squares and minimal waste or just as much waste as your rotary cutter. I got 48, yes 48! 2.5" squares in about 3 minutes (not including pressing time.) It would have taken me about 10-15 minutes with my rotary cutter and ruler. The really cool thing is that I could have easy fit another 6 strips of fabric on the die and sent them all through at the same time and ended up with 144 2.5" squares in the same amount of time!!! {yes that deserves 3 exclamation marks}

I know that there have been lots of questions as to how to store the dies. I've seen a lot of bloggers using those wire  organizers used for pot and pan lids. My problem with those is that I don't have a lot of empty table space to have the dies sitting out on my desk especially for the 24" long dies. So I found this nifty wire basket at the thrift store for $0.75

It's a metal hanging folder organizer and I know I've seen them at office supply stores. I like that I can tuck it in an out of the way corner of the floor. I just make sure that the die stickers are facing out for easy choosing.

Now on to the giveaway!

I'm sorry I'm not giving away a Go! ...but my friend Gene is! Head on over to his blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a Go!

For those of you still reading I have a giveaway of my own. I've been very bad about celebrating blogiversaries, post milestones, and even my new blog. I thought now would be a good time to celebrate
a) 284 posts!!!
b) 2 years of blogging (technically the blog has existed for 3 years but there was a year long gap in there)
c) my new blog
d) the fact that it's starting to cool down in the south!
e) my official business start
f) the fact that I actually won a Go! (still over the moon excited on that one!)

lots of things to celebrate!

So leave me a comment telling me something other than "pick me." What will you celebrate this month? what do you like about Autumn? What are you working on? Something interesting about where you live.

You can have 1 additional entry if you do one of the following: follow my blog (I don't' care if it's in a reader), follow on twitter, or hit "like" on my FB page.

Leave a comment for each entry (maximum 2 per person) and make sure you leave an email if you don't have your blogger profile set to receive emails. If I can't contact you then I will pick someone else.

Comments will remain open until October 15th at midnight. I will pick a winner via RNG on Saturday morning. International entries are welcome!

Oh yeah, what am I giving away? How about 2 highly sought after Out Of Print Heather Ross Lightning Bugs fish FQ's! One lucky winner will get these 2 fun FQ's.

And please remember to come back tomorrow  for a fun tutorial on what to do with all those 2.5" squares!

ok Go!
~Norma

PS this post was written before the announcement of the new Go! Baby. Now that I would consider lightweight!

The Best Day Ever

... OK so there may be a few more "best days" in my life ahead of this one but, boy did I have a great day yesterday!

First I won a GO! Like for reals!!!!! wooo hoooo!

 

from Karen who has very lovely blog. (I've already bookmarked several of her "Tool Time Tuesday ideas.)

Then I went running 3 miles in perfect weather with my BFF so it only felt like 1 mile.

I only wish my running route took me in front of the Louvre

So I realized that I don't have a picture of my BFF. Does that mean she's not my BFF? {note to self get a pic with my BFF.} This girl is serious fun! She has made my life in Alabama bearable {sorry to all you AL natives, but It's the truth.} Aren't you all jealous, she got to go to Paris recently-ish, maybe she'll take me next time and we'll use her new red suitcase too.

Then I cleaned out the storage room which we always walk through when we get home.

 {OK so cleaning is obviously not on my list of "best day" activities but I was productive and I will no longer trip on hoses and extension cords in the dark!}  The storage room is actually clean in this picture taken a few weeks ago.

Then I had lunch with my lovely girl (she cracks me up.)

Then I got some awesome goodies in the mail.

I invested in 500 "premium" business cards. I guess I'm really serious about this business thing now. If I flop though, my kids have already called dibs on the cards. Glad they have my back.

I also got a fun little package that contained this:

ooh these are my favorite

I want them as earrings... I'll have to see if I can make that work somehow...

and this lovely fabric sunrise with bubbly clouds... or a lovely sunflower with bubbles

Either way I love it dearly! It was made by the talented JMB. She was my secret partner for the DQS9. Go check out her lovely blog too. It's perfect for me thank you so much J!

To top it all off I made Normandy Chicken for dinner. (I'll post the recipe soon)

A perfectly awesome day in my book. September has more than made up for the awful July and the 5 bats {or was it 4? does it really matter? they were in my HOUSE in my BEDROOM!!!} that terrorized me in my own home in July and August.

I think September just moved up a couple of notches. It's right up there with December, April, May and March.


Have a great September!
~Norma

Win a GO!

My friend Gene recently won a GO! from Accuquilt. How cool is that? Well I'm here to tell you that there are a few giveaways going on around bloggy land for GO's. First head on over to the Accuquilt fan page on Facebook and become a "fan." They're giving a GO! away every time they reach a set number of fans (the next drawing is at 5,000 fans.) You can also enter a drawing over on Bejeweled Quilts by Barb but if you do, make sure and tell her Petit Debutant sent ya!

Of course any of my non quilting friends can still enter the giveaway and give me the GO! if you win! :)