Five More 4" Sawtooth Star Blocks Finished, Four More to Go

Five More 4" Sawtooth Star Blocks Finished!

Well, thank goodness for global warming, because that baby girl is 10 days old already and she has no bear paw quilt to keep her warm.  One sawtooth star per day is not going to cut it, folks!  I'm glad I pieced one block from start to finish first, to make sure I cut the patches the right size and to check the piecing order (which I did have to change).  But now it's time for a much more efficient assembly line piecing process.  I've finished FIVE more blocks since my last post, four of them in the same day, and I'm feeling a lot better about actually getting this done now.

Assembly Line Piecing Setup

So this was the setup to the left of my sewing machine.  I've got a small cutting mat, my 28 mm rotary cutter, and my Add-A-Quarter ruler to the left of my machine so I can trim each seam allowance before and after stitching, without getting up.  The green and white scissors are ones I use for paper and template plastic only, and I used them to cut out my foundation pattern sections.  The tiny curved scissors with the sharp point is one that I bought for trimming machine embroidery threads, but it also works well for snipping apart chain-stitched foundation sections.  I've also got a heavy postcard and a thick plastic post office card that may have been accidentally left in my mailbox along with a slew of holiday catalogs that came in December.  It MAY have been accidental, or it may have been a gift from my mail carrier, because that blue plastic tag is fabulous for paper piecing.  And it does say on the bottom of the tag that it is "intended for reuse" and should not be discarded.  I probably should have taken a picture to show you how I use those cards, but I didn't think of it.  Maybe next time!

Piecing In Progress

Basically I'm just chain piecing.  I'll sew one patch onto each foundation, working from left to right so I'm doing the same piece on each block.  I can work faster that way without having to think too much about what I'm doing.  Then I clip them off the machine, retrim the seam allowance, press them open, and do the next four patches. 

Foundation Pattern Sections Lined Up for Chain Piecing in Order to be Sewn

I covered all of the foundation sections this way, then starched and trimmed them all, put that seam guide on the machine, and then VOILA!  Four perfect sawtooth stars came together before my very eyes. 

Ta Da!

Seriously; this is SO MUCH FUN.  I feel sorry for people who aren't quilters.

Here's what the baby quilt looks like in progress right now, up on my design wall:

Four More Stars To Go!

I am loving it!  As for those red bleeder blocks, I think I am going to set them aside and experiment with the Retayne, Synthrapol and Color Catchers later when I have more time.  The dark orange blocks I made yesterday make me feel less urgent about the need for red blocks, and I have several more marbled fabrics that I'd like to use instead. 

Four more sawtooth stars, then the blocks and sashing strips get sewn together, then I add a border, and then it's time to layer and baste this top for quilting.  I would so love to quilt this on a long arm machine... 

Don't know whether I'll get into the studio today, though.  Doctor's appointment at 9:30, then some work to get done in my office and samples to pick up from the showroom for a design client's presentation tomorrow afternoon, plus lots of music to work on.

Happy Thursday, everyone!  I'm linking up with:

·       Needle and Thread Thursday at http://www.myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com/