What I'm Working On, such as it is:
I have no new photos.
I am sewing the quilt pieces on my machine slowly.
I am knitting on 3 projects, and seemed to make a lot of progress on the current scarf (which I knit while I am out and about with the kids). A small project of wrist warmers is also advancing quickly now than I am more confident with it. The golden shawl - I knitted a few rows without making the row counting spreadsheet, and I've tossed in some bonus decreases and I will need to sit down and figure out if my stitch count is right.
A Few Links:
Quilts.com This organization puts on the Big Show in Houston and provides a number of fellowships and awards.
American Quilter's Society This is the big show in Paducah, a magazine, other shows, and a publishing group.
Quiltmaker Magazine My totally favorite magazine.
About.com Quilting The online source for all quilty clues.
The 1/4 Inch
For machine piecing, it is vital to have an accurate scant 1/4". I found a quote on an ancient web page that puts it better than I can:
When machine piecing a quilt block it is important to use a seam allowance slightly less than 1/4. This is because a slight amount of fabric is take up in the fold when the seam is pressed to one side. One sixteenth of an inch won't cause to much distortion when there's only one seam in a block, but if there are four seams, the completed block will be off by 1/4"!!
It is especially important to use the scant 1/4" seam allowance when using rotary cut strips and pieces. The rotary cutter is very accurate and doesn't leave a bit more fabric as cutting fabric with scissors does.
To practice, use 3 strips about 4 inches long and exactly 1 1/2 inches wide. Sew them together on the long side, press the seams and measure: Your piece should be 4 inches wide. And the strip in the middle should be exactly one inch wide.
Things you can do to help you get a scant 1/4" seam include: using a 1/4 foot, moving your needle one click to the right to narrow the seam allowance, using moleskin or a seam guide on the right-hand side of the needle.
I suddenly realize that most of this diary makes no sense if you are not sitting in front of a sewing machine! Sorry about that.
So, what are YOU working on?