WIP Wednesday: Fussy Cut Hexagons

If you had asked me a year ago about sewing together hexagons by hand, I would have laughed... or used some colorful language. Probably both.

Except little hexagons are actually adorable. And fussy cut hexagons are even more adorable. And what a perfectly non-boring way to use scraps... and cutting them up is easy with, say, a Sizzix die-cutter. I mean they practically make themselves, right? Right?

It really is the perfect project for sewing on the go. Two weekends hosting old friends and then a wonderful weekend at a "summer camp themed wedding" took me away from my sewing machine, but my trusty little English paper piecing kit was able to come right along with me. Stitching during a long car ride? Yes. Paper piecing by the lake? Double yes.

In all honesty I started this project months ago, but I've never blogged about it. My plan is to make a coordinating pillow for my Good Fortune Quilt and Rainbow Window Pillow. It sure is slow going, but I am making progress. The only problem? It looks great, until I zoom out and see how much more I have left to do!

Ah well.  Slow and steady, right?

Linking up with WIP Wednesdays at Freshly Pieced ... because this one is sure to be in progress for quite some time!

Introducing Little Red: Janome 18750

As much as I love my big red Janome Horizon, she isn't very travel friendly. And I've missed out on some really fun events because I don't like hauling her around. So, I've definitely been hankering  for a second machine for travel. I knew I wanted either a standard sized Janome or a really great Singer Featherweight. I wasn't able to find a good Featherweight at a reasonable price, so I chose to go with a new Janome. I still hope to add a Featherweight to my collection at some point, but I'm happy waiting for the right one to come along. (And when I do, I fully intend to get a snazzy custom paint job! Eggplant purple Featherweight? Yes. Yes indeed)

After a lot of research on smaller Janomes, I decided to go with either a 3/4 size Janome Jem Platinum or a full size Janome DC1050. Both models have functions that I've become entirely too reliant on like needle up-down, a start/stop button, and a speed control slider. But once I noticed the Hello Kitty 18750 (which as far as I can tell is an exact clone of the DC1050) my search was over. Baby Bee is utterly obsessed with Hello Kitty (daughter of a toy-maker? No irony lost there!), and I thought this might be a good machine for her to learn on eventually.

I've spent some time with Little Red over the past two weeks, and she's a good little machine. She can't compete with Big Red on any front, but she is totally functional. She runs quietly and has handled everything I've thrown at her with ease. She is very smooth to piece on, and is pretty accurate as well. One of my girlfriends is learning to sew on Little Red and has really enjoyed sewing on her, too.

I will say that there is more plastic on this machine than I would like. I know it isn't a thousand dollar machine, but the ankle, needle plate, and rotary hook are all plastic. Sure, it seems like good quality plastic, but even my sad little beginner Singer had more metal. At any rate, I replaced the plastic "slide-on" style ankle right away with a metal "snap on" style ankle. Not only did that get rid of some plastic, but now I can use my Horizon feet on Little Red. Having that compatibility is great. (FYI - The part number for the metal ankle adapter is Janome #804509000. I found mine at Ken's Sewing Center here for the bargain price of $13.)  I've tried searching for replacement needle plates, but haven't had any success. If anyone out there has a tip there, I'm all ears!

Replacement metal ankle (left) vs. plastic ankle that comes standard (right)

Overall, I certainly prefer sewing on my Janome Horizon. No surprise there. If the machines were actually comparable I would be pretty ticked off for having paid so much for the Horizon. Even so, I definitely look forward to hitting the road with Little Red in full Hello Kitty style. I just need a certain red and aqua quilt-as-you-go carry case for her first :)

Why I'm In Love With My Perkins Perfect Piecing Seam Guide

I'm still just beginning my Summer Solstice Quilt, but it is definitely an exercise in detail and precision. I truly have to be the world's most impatient perfectionist - I can't stand slow-moving progress, but non-matching points make me crazy, too. So, as part of my Summer Solstice Quilt, I've been looking for ways to increase my accuracy quickly and easily. I remember another blogger reviewing the "Perkins Perfect Piecing Seam Guide" (apologies I can't remember who it was now!). I was able to find one on Amazon for more than it should have been, and even forked over an extra $4 for next day shipping. I'm just that impatient.

Well, what an awesome decision all that was. I am so in love with this ruler (though for the record, I have no affiliation at all with the company or the ruler). It slides under my presser foot and lets me move my needle until I find the perfect scant quarter-inch seam. It is 100% quick, easy, and accurate. And it's so darn small that I can keep it right by machine without cluttering my space. 

I think the ruler is particularly handy for my Janome Horizon because it eases my transition between Acufeed and regular feet -- a switch I do constantly when I'm piecing. (For those unfamiliar with Janome's Acufeed feature it is essentially a built in walking-foot on steroids. It works amazingly well, but because the Acufeed feet are very large, the needle positions between Acufeed vs. regular feet are wildly different).
Before this ruler, I kept a mental list of needle positions for my most used piecing feet: my regular quarter-inch (O2) foot, my quarter-inch foot for Acufeed, and my open toe foot for Acufeed. The cheat sheet wasn't that bad, but I found myself constantly questioning whether my "scant" quarter inch seams were consistent across all the presser feet. Now I don't have to worry, and I can make the adjustments in seconds. See?

I've also started using the ruler to double check the accuracy of my seams. It's sort of reassuring to do now and then, and helps avoid a huge seam-ripping mess. 

And the best part? I have the most perfect half-square triangles that I've ever made. Time to start sewing them up!

Curves Made Easy (or at least easier)

I have two charm packs (one of them is 2wenty Thr3e! I just love that line!) that I want to make into cathedral window-like pillows, but without all that ironing and top-stitching. Not to mention the fabric waste. You know, easy-peasy piecing (except for all the curves and perfectly matching points)?

So I broke out my Robbing Peter to Pay Paul die from Sizzix for the first time and painstakingly pinned along each seam. And I finished a block. Yeah. I'm not posting a picture of what that looked like, and for good reason. Granted, I didn't try that hard, but it was way too time consuming for a four inch block (3.5 finished, yikes!).

Enter the Curve Master Presser Foot. Careful if you google it (ask me how I know). Thanks to Amazon Prime, my foot arrived in two short days.

And then it was time to play. I installed the foot, which was able to snap-on to my Janome without any of the ankle adapters that come with the package. Initially, I was a little worried because my needle comes down in sort of a strange place on the foot, but it seemed to work just fine regardless.I will try to get a picture to add for the visual.

And then I cut out all the little shapes in two seconds flat thanks to my Sizzix. Bonus points since one charm square can produce three of the half-oval shapes.

And I started sewing all those beautiful little fabric bits together.  It is going to take a little practice, and it won't ever be as easy as patchwork, but it is completely manageable. And the results are pretty great. This little block took me about 10 minutes from start to finish, isn't it cute?

Even though this worked really well, I have to shelve this project for now. My fabric diet is over (yay!) and I have some serious quilting to get started on. And I have some doll clothes (long story for another blog post) that need making ASAP. More soon!

Spoiled by Santa!

Remember how giddy you were to play with your new Christmas toys as a kid? Well, there was a certain present under the tree this year that brought ALL that excitement right back for me. She isn't the prettiest toy on the block, but she has taken over my dreams just the same. Drum roll please...

Helllooooo Sizzix BigShot!

I did a lot of research on fabric cutters before sharing my decision with Santa. At first, it seemed like the Accuquilt Go! was the obvious choice. The Go! is marketed exclusively to quilters, and their selection of cutting dies are truly drool worthy. But then I found some less than stellar reviews about the Accuquilt which prompted me to question my choice in die machines. After an obsessive amount of internet research I stumbled upon this review by BadSkirt. Her review really spoke to  me and I decided to go with the Sizzix, knowing I could still pickup a few Accuquilt dies if I so desired.

Santa delivered my shiny Sizzix on Christmas Eve, and I've been obsessing plotting ever since. I have a few new dies on order, including a hexagon die. I've never tried english paper piecing (honestly that just seems like crazy talk!), but now I'm sorely tempted. I'm also contemplating some curved piecing a la their Robbing Peter to Pay Paul die. Part of me knows it's overly ambitious nonsense, but the other half is ecstatic about the new possibilities! I am sure there's more to come!