Hello, happy Monday to you all!
Did you have a good weekend? Ours was pretty nice, we even got to spend some time outside soaking in much needed sun.
And, I sewed, of course. I'm quite surprised that after almost 5 years of constant sewing it's still my absolute very favorite activity to do. I'm so lucky :).
I actually started working on two new quilts this weekend. Yes, I was definitely on fire. One of them is a super colorful, perfect for summer Cotton + Steel quilt which I will show you in the next few days, but today I'd like to talk a little about Steam Punk quilt .
I bought this pattern ages ago but somehow I did not feel like tackling all those curves so I put it in the "some day " pile and promptly forgot about it. And then yesterday I suddenly knew it was time to tackle this beauty.
I finally opened my pattern and I must admit, I was more than disappointed with what I found inside. The templates needed to make this block don't have seam allowance added which is kind of a pain since there are tons of curved edges. I found adding exact 1/4" seam allowance to curved edges quite annoying and time consuming. Later I noticed that it says the pattern is for hand piecing and thus no seam allowance. But come on, how difficult is it to add seam allowances to templates right from the beginning and let people choose? Because, really, how many of us are going to hand piece such a quilt?
I was also kind of disappointed by lack of any useful instructions and tips. I mean, this pattern involves curved piecing as well as applique. So simply saying attach A to B is not good enough in my opinion. Thankfully I've done my share of piecing to know what to do and I've read a lot about needle turn applique in Sarah Fielke's books. One of her tips is to cut out the extra fabric in the middle of the block to reduce the bulk and help the block sit nice and flat. I think this kind of advice should have been included.
I'm also cutting my corner templates larger than the actual size as this helps with squaring up the block.
All in all, I think I will enjoy making this quilt a lot. But I'm still wondering. Am I too picky to want to get more than just templates without seam allowances and super basic instructions for a premium priced pattern? What are your thoughts?
Svetlana
Did you have a good weekend? Ours was pretty nice, we even got to spend some time outside soaking in much needed sun.
And, I sewed, of course. I'm quite surprised that after almost 5 years of constant sewing it's still my absolute very favorite activity to do. I'm so lucky :).
I actually started working on two new quilts this weekend. Yes, I was definitely on fire. One of them is a super colorful, perfect for summer Cotton + Steel quilt which I will show you in the next few days, but today I'd like to talk a little about Steam Punk quilt .
I bought this pattern ages ago but somehow I did not feel like tackling all those curves so I put it in the "some day " pile and promptly forgot about it. And then yesterday I suddenly knew it was time to tackle this beauty.
 |
| my first three blocks |
I was also kind of disappointed by lack of any useful instructions and tips. I mean, this pattern involves curved piecing as well as applique. So simply saying attach A to B is not good enough in my opinion. Thankfully I've done my share of piecing to know what to do and I've read a lot about needle turn applique in Sarah Fielke's books. One of her tips is to cut out the extra fabric in the middle of the block to reduce the bulk and help the block sit nice and flat. I think this kind of advice should have been included.
I'm also cutting my corner templates larger than the actual size as this helps with squaring up the block.
All in all, I think I will enjoy making this quilt a lot. But I'm still wondering. Am I too picky to want to get more than just templates without seam allowances and super basic instructions for a premium priced pattern? What are your thoughts?
Svetlana