chiseled

I wish this post was about my abs, but it is not. My midsection instead resembles the squishiness of this:

I made my first pillow today with the chisel die that I received with my AccuQuilt GO! Baby! I'll admit that my math is rusty though. I had the design all mapped out, then had to improvise in the middle of the process because I thought that the two chisels when sewn together were 12.5 inches tall, not 9.5 inches. Oh well, I added a couple of borders. I'll have another tutorial up later this week on the pillow I'm making from the quarter square die!

Chiseled Pillow Tutorial

Materials:

6 different fabrics, cut into 4" x 12" rectangles (You'll see I have 8 in my photo. Whoops! There was the math issue. You can use 8 fabrics like I did to get more variety, but you'll have 4 spare chisels to use in a different project.)

(2) 2" x 16.5" strips of solid fabric

(2) 12.5" squares of backing fabric
(1) 12.5" x 16.5" rectangle of muslin
12" x 16" pillow form
AccuQuilt GO! Baby and Chisel Die

Instructions:

1. Place three rectangles of fabric, stacked on top of one another, on the chisel die. Make sure to line up the fabric so that it covers the blades completely and that the grain is straight (the blades are set at an angle on the die for easier cutting).

2. Place the cutting mat on top, and roll on through the GO! Baby!

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other 3 fabrics. (See note 3 at the bottom of this post if you're using all prints for your fabrics. If so, you'll need to lay your second set of fabrics right side down.)

4. You'll have 12 perfect chisel shapes and very little waste!

5. Arrange chisels in your preferred layout and sew together. Sew them up in pairs first (one each from the top and bottom row), then stitch the six pairs together. Trim 1" off of each side so that the panel of chisels measures 9.5" by 16.5".

6. Sew the solid strips to the top and bottom of the pieced chisels to complete the top.

7. On each piece of backing fabric, fold one edge over 1/2 inch and press. Fold over again 1/2 inch and topstitch to create a finished edge.

8. Layer the pieces for final construction in this order: muslin, pillow top (right side up), and overlapping backing pieces (right side down). Pin layers together.

9. Sew around perimeter using a 3/8" seam allowance. Turn right side out, and stuff with your pillow form!

I've mentioned before that my family does not appreciate pillows on our couches. Cooper is already showing his disdain.

I expect it to get munched up by the dogs within a week or two.

Some notes about the above project:

1. It took me less then 5 minutes to cut all of the fabric into their rough rectangles, then less than 5 minutes to run them through the GO! Baby. Definitely a timesaver.

2. The notches in the dies make it super easy to line up the chisels for sewing. It makes piecing much more accurate than if I tried to sew up chisel shapes cut with a rotary tool.

3. One thing that I didn't get when I was first cutting is that the chisels all come out of the die exactly the same. I thought that I would get two chisels that were a mirror image of one another. Of course I looked at the instructions on the die afterwards, and they make that clear. Another whoops for me. It was okay because half of my fabrics were solids, so I could flip them over to make the design work. But if you're using all prints, you need to place half of your fabrics right side down on the dies, and half of them right side up to get six chisels of each orientation. That's the way to make the zig zag setup that I have in my pillow.

Let me know if you have any questions!

cathedral window tutorial

Finally! It's ready.

First, gather your supplies:

9" square of background fabric
2 1/4" square of center fabric
permanent fabric pen or fine point sharpie
needle
thread to match background fabric
pins
ruler

1. Prepare your background square by placing a small mark along the fabric edge, 1/2 inch from each corner and at the center of each side (4.5" from either edge). When complete, you will have 3 marks on each side of the square.

2. Starting with any side, fold the fabric at the center mark with your fingers, then bring the fold over to the mark to its left. Make sure that the fold runs parallel to the edge of the fabric, then pin.

3. Continue step 2 on the remaining 3 sides, moving along the square in a counter-clockwise direction.

4. When all sides are folded and pinned, you'll have a mess that looks like this on the front and back:

5. It might be hard to imagine just looking at the photos, but the fabric will naturally flatten out into what you see below. Gently press out the folds with your fingers to create the square on the front, and you'll see that the fabric forms four equal squares on the back that leave just a tiny hole in the center.

6. Tack down the points of your new inner square. Tacking them down also helps to line things up so that your square is straight and centered. To do this, take your threaded needle and put it through the fold on the back, bringing it up through the very tip of the point at the front. Do a couple of tiny stitches and knot off your thread. Repeat at remaining three points, and remove your pins.

7. To create the origami effect, fold over the straight flap coming off of the inner square and finger press it over so that its point is approximately 1/4 inch from the edge (to ensure it will be hidden within seam allowances later on). Tack the point down with a stitch or two. Repeat for the other 3 flaps.

8. Place the center fabric on top of the square and pin to hold (pretend I did this AFTER I tacked down those folds, okay?).

9. To create the window, fold the edge of the square over as far as you can without distorting the corners and pin it to hold.

10. Stitch the fold down by hand or machine, as close to the edge as possible. Repeat for the rest of the sides.

11. And wha-la! There you have it.

12. Make sure when sewing blocks together, adding sashing, etc. that you use a 1/2 inch seam allowance (as opposed to the standard 1/4 inch).

A big thank you goes to JoAnn Gonzalez-Major, a super talented quilter who taught the Anchorage Modern Quilt Guild this technique at our last meeting. This is a quilt she made using the blocks:

Her technique is based on an example she found in a book called Fantastic Fabric Folding by Rebecca Wat. I was told a variation on the technique can also be found in Cathedral Window Quilts by Lynne Edwards.

Since this is my first tutorial, please let me know if there is something that can be clarified! I hope you enjoy using this technique as much as I do!