A Tisket a Tasket Tutorial...and a lesson learned.

This is a bit of a long winded post review/tutorial/lesson of quilting.

 Alex Anderson's Bountiful Baskets Go! die is what I used with my fat quarter stack of Bliss

and It's a Hoot by MoMo.

I did receive this die from the awesome peeps at Accuquilt before I gave my Go! cutter away.

I intended on talking about it long ago.

In fact, I had started this project over 2 months ago.

What slowed me down?

Well I will show you the main highlights of how I used my Go! for this project,

how easy it was and talk frankly about how difficult it was for me.

Supplies I used:

{16} 5.5" X 11" pieces of Bliss by Moda - fat quarters work best

1/4 yd. of Bliss Red 

subcut into {4} 1.5 X WOF (width of fabric) strips

1 yd It's a Hoot for background subcut into

{8} 5" X WOF strips

subcut into {25} 5" setting squares

{4} 5" strips for 2nd border

1 1/2 yd backing and batting

Go! cutter Bountiful Baskets Die

************************************************

Those of you that do not have a Go! cutter might be curious how I began my project.

Accuquilt's dies do come with quilt project instructions. I modified it a bit for my needs.

Since I had fat quarters of the prints, I cut them down to 5.5" X 11" give or take.

 I paired up my fabrics as I wanted them in the quilt.

I layered the 2 fabrics and sent them through the cutter at the same time.

Once I sent the fabrics through the cutter, I ended up with 2 blocks, by swapping the pieces of background prints.

Here are how the pieces look.

I found it more helpful to arrange all the blocks as they would be sewn in order to stay organized.

Begin by sewing the small squares to the smallest triangles as shown.

Then take a large handle triangle and stay stitch the bottom edge with about 1/8" seam allowance.

This is done to prevent stretching! These are bias seams.

Set aside the handle triangle.

Next sew the squared triangle to the large base triangle.

* do not sew these to the background triangle*

trust me I know.

This is where my project deviates from the project provided by Accuquilt.

The

appliqued

 basket

 handles.

Ugh! they cut so beautifully.

I thought, I can do this. I can applique them.

I have been a quilter for 15 years.

Well after at least 10 tries to perfect the basket handle, and get consistent results that I could show you...

I

gave

up.

I did.

I abandoned this quilt so many times I lost count.

After countless seam rippings, ruining bias strips, using water soluble pens for quide lines, and on and on.

I lost track of the frustration.

Then one day I was rummaging through my ribbons and trims for my daughter and I spotted some of my smaller rick rack.

Ah! I have been using the jumbo rick rack for so long, I almost forgot about the smaller stuff.

It hit me.

Use little rick rack instead.

I chose several colors that I thought would work with the fabrics and went to work.

I cut 5 inch pieces of  medium rick rack and placed it about 1" from the edge.

Notice my stay stitching?

It's there.

Using my seam ripper/stiletto I eased the rick rack to the other side, also 1" from the edge.

I just used coordinating thread down the center.

Trim the excess, if any, even with the seam allowance.

Next, I sewed the basket handle triangle to the center.

And sew the base of the basket last.

As always, I pin.

These blocks do have bias and so I used Best Press and pins!

And here is one of my finished blocks.

All the 16 finished blocks set straight.

But I decided that was too busy.

I auditioned them on point.

And the setting shown by Accuquilt, also too busy for the fabrics I chose.

I decided on the setting on point with 5" {4.5" finished} squares in between the blocks.

I didn't want to piece half square or quarter square triangles so I pieced this in diaganol rows.

Once the rows were all pieced I used a 24" ruler and trimmed the excess fabric from the edge and squared up the edges.  Notice that I placed the ruler 1/4" from the basket point.

That gave me the seam allowance for the borders.

At this point the baskets look like they are floating.

Once I added the first border, they were no longer floating.

I used the red Bliss print to frame the quilt and the background to repeat that fabric and tie it all together.

I plan on quilting it, or having it quilted and then doing a scallop or rounded corner border.

So let me recap.

My opinion about the Go! cutter has been completely positive until I used this die.

I am not saying there was anything wrong with my die.

I just could not, even with the block instructions provided, figure out how to get consistent handles.

In an amazing way, it worked out the best.

 I prefer the rick rack handles. I think it actually captures more the style of the quilt I wanted anyhow.

I guess it forced me to get creative and once again stretch my skills.

Our blocks do not have to all look like the pattern that is in front of us.

We can make it what we want.

I can't tell you how happy I was while I sewed on those handles.

I was happy when I finished piecing it.

It gave me some of my mojo back.

I liberated myself from "how it's suppose to be".

After months and months of creating for 'others', I created for me.

I can not stress enough the importance of that.

I knew it, I just didn't "KNOW" it until now.

So this weekend I am sewing for me.

 However the wind blows me.

I am sewing for me.

Sewing happy again.

p.s. I did not get to Waynesville or the Fabric Shack yesterday :(

We drove toward Columbus and got stuck in a 10 mile long traffic jam 3 lanes wide! First exit after traveling 10 miles in an hour and a half, we turned around with cranky kids and headed home. So we had a nice LONG 3 hour tour of Ohio. drat. I am ordering fabric online today!!