You’ll learn how to put all the earlier techniques together to get really crazy! Below you will find a link to the handout featured in the video along with the transcripts.
Video Transcript: Sewing Sections Together (#6 of 6)
In this video I’ll show you how to use
leftover sections or scraps in your
crazy or free form quilting project.
Don’t worry if you don’t have any
leftovers I’ll show you some techniques
that you can use to make the sections
for this block. In earlier videos I went
over some types of piecing used in crazy
or freeform quilting such as making
strips or fans or starting in the center
and moving out all these techniques can
be used individually or together
I think choosing fabric for freeform
quilting or crazy quilting is fun you
may have heard that it’s important to
have lights mediums and dark but in
crazy quilting you get to make up the
rules if you want all solids that’s okay
if you want to mix different colors or
theme prints it’s okay
here’s a quilt top made with all light
fabric it was difficult to find fabric
of all the same value so don’t forget
that most of the fabric that you have
has two sides and crazy quilting you’re
not going to notice a difference let me
show you what some of these leftover
pieces look like I’ve used the backs of
the fabric and almost all of these
blocks to get started you’ll need to
decide on the size of your final piece
make sure that all your fabric has been
pressed I like to have strips and fabric
sections ready to go I rarely have a
plan before I start these are sections
that were cut from earlier projects in
this video series if you don’t have any
scraps like this you can make your own
I’ve cut some strips and then sewn them
together they don’t have to be perfect
and I can cut them off in sections for
my block so this section is pretty small
let’s see let’s try to make this a
little bit wider maybe I want a wedge
like this I also like to use what I call
wonky blocks this is my freeform version
of a 9 Pat I could use a regular 9 patch
that just didn’t quite make it into a
quilt you can see I’ve cut this apart I
could use this section or this one or
both of them in my piecing you’re free
to use many different techniques to add
interest to your block so if you don’t
have any sections already sewn together
you might want to try one of these
methods
so now I’m ready to start putting
sections together these hints that I’ve
been using still hold true for sewing
sections together
no matter which techniques or scraps
that I decide to use I’m focusing on
straight line sewing so I need at least
one straight edge to follow start with
this piece I already have a straight
edge where I cut off from earlier here’s
another piece I can put those two
together this one also has a fairly
straight edge just to make the first
piecing easy let’s put those two
together and I’m going to take this over
to my sewing machine I’ll be using a
regular stitch sling with red threads so
you can see but you’ll want to use a
neutral color of thread the edge of my
presser foot will follow along this
straight edge this will be my seam
allowance and it’s going to vary
depending on the width of your pressure
foot I notice there’s this big scrap
that’s going to get in a way so let me
cut that off to make it just a little
bit easier when I feed these in I like
to use what I call a feeder or a leader
that a little scrap of fabric I get
things started push that right up there
and I’m following this straightedge with
my pressure foot I just happen to have a
quarter inch pressure foot on my machine
but it could be any size out here I
notice that this seam is kind of getting
out of place so let me push that under
I’ll take this to the ironing board and
press this seam I’m ready to add the
next piece or section to this I’ve got a
lot going on here so maybe instead of
adding a section now I’ll just add a
strip since I’m trying to get away from
all this busyness I’ll add solid color
strip and let’s see I could put it over
here here um I don’t like this stuff up
on the top there it’s just this little
piece it might get in the way so let me
chop that off okay I’ll take this put
right sides together and Stitch that
line here’s my press piece I’m just
checking to see how much more I’m going
to need to add and I need a little bit
more I’d like to put one of these strip
sets in but I need to go along the line
here so I think if I sewed two of these
sections together first and then I could
add it to that so let me show you what
that looks like I’ve sewn these two
together and then I sewed it to this
strip rest and I need to make sure that
I trim this excess out of here should
always try to trim whenever possible I
could cut this with my scissors but I
find it easiest to do with my rotary
cutter I can either add a piece of here
over here let’s see I’ve got this piece
that going to look okay there well let’s
try it I’m going to cut this piece so
here’s my straightedge right there
this little piece is probably going to
get in the way so I’ll move this up a
little let’s get that right now put
right sides together I always want this
piece
be a little bit bigger on either end as
you can see I’ve got some extra sticking
out I need to make sure that
everything’s covered
so let’s look down here let’s pull it
back just a little I can take this over
to my sewing machine and sew this on
I’ve sewn this press this and trim that
extra out of the seam ready to check
still not quite big enough to go on here
maybe if I get a section over here
I went sewed that wonky 9 patch on to
this section I get that straight edge
and I think what I’ll do is I’ll just
add it let’s try it like that maybe yeah
that looks like it might be pretty close
and if I need to do something in the
corner here one of the corners I’ll just
trim that if I want to I could cut this
edge here make it a straight edge there
take this over to the sewing machine and
see what I come up with I’ve sewn that
last piece on I like to take a frame and
look to see where would I want to add a
piece covered everything but this corner
here I think what I like to do is maybe
put this piece in there and see how that
works cut this edge off here and then
put right sides together take this over
to the sewing machine and I’ll be right
back to show you what that looks like
I’ve shown this section now I’m ready to
trim this block we put this in here this
away I’m ready to trim want to make sure
you get all this excess off on the
outside edge here’s my completed piece
hope you’ve enjoyed this series about
free for more crazy quilting please
leave a comment and let us know what
other techniques you would like to learn
about thank you for visiting learn how
to quilt calm
