Quick Projects

Do you warm up when you’re getting ready to sew? Do you warm up when you’re getting ready to run or play tennis? Do you warm up when you are getting ready to practice piano or any other instrument?

A number of years ago, I began doing a ‘warm up’ for sewing. It takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, and I just sit down, check the machine, the thread, the bobbin, and then run a strip of fabric through it. Then I sew a block. Any block. Nothing that has a pattern to it, or any kind of structure usually, just a block. Then I move on with making.

For the past couple of weeks, my warmup has been sewing skinny-mini-lines in true “blocks” that follow the rule of 4. The rule of 4 in improv is making anything that is cut to 4.5” and/or in increments of 4 + 1/4” for the seam allowance. Yes, it’s true, even with skinny lines, my sewn allowances are ALWAYS ¼”. When sewn, each block is 4” finished, or 8” finished, or 4” x 8” finished, 8” x 12” finished, etc. So, my 8” x 12” finished block is trimmed up to 8.5” x 12.5” which allows for ¼” seam allowance on each side.

Why such a fanatic about my seam allowance? Simple: baby quilts will be washed about 1,000 times and my art quilts hang and this weighs or microscopically pulls on the seams. I’d like my quilts to be around a long, long time!

This summer’s warm up: Skinny-Mini-Lines

Beth