inspire.design.create — paper pieced

Three Seams!

(Well, three seams and pulling the papers, but you're soooo close!)

We're at the Final Assembly

You'll want to join the panels using the Full Quilt Assembly diagram in the pattern. Just make certain to match all of the critical seam alignments (the same way you matched when joining templates) and you should be good to go!

Fair warning...it's ideal to leave your paper pieces in place for the full assembly. In addition to giving you a 1/4" seam allowance, they help stabilize the panels so they don't stretch.

Just note, it's not unusual for some of the paper templates to fall out. If they do, be overly careful to not stretch the fabric as you pin and sew.

The Final Step

I've heard some people grumble about the process of pulling papers. Admittedly it makes a mess, but I find great satisfaction with this step because it means I'm super close to being done!

I also pull my basting stitches as I pull papers, so I don't have to go back over the quilt. If you opted for another technique to hold the large single pieces in place, you shouldn't have to worry about this step.

A Last Piece of Advice

One of our guest longarmers mentioned this the other day, but I think it needs reiterated. You'll want to go over your finished back one last time to look for pesky little pieces of paper that hide in the seams. This one is on the large side so it wasn't easily overlooked, but I definitely recommend lifting all of your seams for one last spot check. Those little pieces can be sneaky and cause concerns when you're quilting!

And, Done!

That's it!

Thanks for your commitment to the Trophy Buck Quilt Along. You should be able to release your quilt out into the wild soon—or at least send it to your longarmer if you don’t plan to quilt it on your domestic. Hope you’ve had fun along the way and enjoyed our time together.

Also, don't forget to celebrate this huge finish by treating yourself to a piece of chocolate (or another indulgence) and do a happy dance!

Special Thanks

I'd like to give one last shout out to the Quilting Connection, It's Sew Tempting, and Mad About Patchwork for curating some wonderful kits for the quilt along.

The Longarm League has also provided some enriching support to the quilt along with guest blogs. And, don't forget their 20% off offer of edge-to-edge quilting your treasure! The Longarm League Trophy Buck information page includes the participating longarmers, a map so you can see who is near you ,and a bit about each of the quilters (Nicholas, Danelle, Teara, Debbie S. and Debbie T.).

Final Giveaway

Be certain to check out last week's post which included the details for entering to win this amazing collection of paper piecing goodies and a $25 gift card to It's Sew Tempting. Drawing to be held on November 23 at 5 p.m. Central.

Weekly Challenge

Share your finished top using the hashtag #trophybuckquiltalong.

Almost done!

With one last push, we're working on the Panel 4 templates 104 through 112. Once done with those, you'll have all of the templates you need to assemble Panel 4 and be ready for joining the four panels next week. Woot woot!

Life is a Puzzle

It wasn't until I was arranging these pieces on my design wall for my first stop motion video (more on that below!) that I realized just how much foundation paper piecing is like a puzzle. I mean, I knew it was, but moving them around so they fit so precisely was when it finally hit home for me. And, I gotta say, I've always loved puzzles!

Apparently, doing puzzles builds connections between brain cells, improves your mental speed, and enhances your short-term memory. It also sounds like they're a great meditation tool and stress reliever. Something we all probably need to finish out this year.

I don't know about you, but some days I feel like 2020 has short circuited my brain. It’s no wonder then that I’m drawn to puzzles and foundation paper piecing. Simply throw in a sewing machine and I'm in a place of zen.

Proud Moment

I can attest that there's little more gratifying than sewing on the last piece of a large project like this. So I had to celebrate with a photo! It seems like months ago that we started (and it was!), but the finish line is well within reach.

One last press and I'm ready for next week!

Trying Something New

I've always encouraged my boys to step out of their comfort zone to try something new. I can honestly say that they didn't always heed my advice, but I'm at least trying to practice what I preach. Although I know my way around page layout and photo editing, I've been hesitant to try video production. Well, no more—I finally took the plunge.

There are definitely things I'd change (but that's the case with most any project I create), but I'm so excited for having tried it.

Check out my first attempt at a stop-motion video of my Panel 4 assembly. I love to see the puzzle pieces falling into place!

Win this Bundle of Quilting Goodies

Whether you're a life-long foundation paper piecer or you have recently been bitten by the paper-piecing bug, be certain to enter the final giveaway from It's Sew Tempting in Story City, Iowa.

• A $25 gift certificate to It’s Sew Tempting where you can find all kinds of fantastic fabrics, notions, patterns, and yarn!
• A Paper Piecing Handy Pocket Guide by Tacha Bruecher that gives you all the basics and beyond on paper piecing, including ten very cute block patterns to try.
• A Super Cute Paper Piecing book by Charise Randell. This book contains tools and techniques for paper piecing along with ten paper piecing projects for every day use. This book is perfect for quick little giftable ideas!
• Your very own “Holy Scrap” coozie! Take this cute coozie along with you to BBQ’s, tailgate parties, and all other functions that require a coozie to let your friends and family know that your super power is quilting!

The Giveaway Rules

• This giveaway is limited to United States residents.
• You must follow @hobbsdesigns and @its_sew_tempting on Instagram and tag a friend in the comments. Each friend tagged equals one additional entry for the prize.
• This prize will be awarded randomly, but we will check to see if you are following the sponsors before announcing a winner.
• The winner will be announced on November 23, 2020 at 5pm Central.
• Prize will be mailed around December 1.
• This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram

Weekly Challenge

Try something new this week. And, don't forget to keep sewing!

We're sooooo close!

So glad you came back—especially if you're refreshed and ready to tackle the remaining pieces of our Trophy Buck. If you're needing to get focused again, be certain to read the entire post this week. There's some motivation at the end to keep you moving toward the big finish!

I'm assuming you're ready to buckle down again, so we're going to be working on Panel 4 templates 84 through 103 this week. By now, you're probably able to paper piece in your sleep. And, if you've worked late into the night to stay on track, maybe some of you have even done that!

When you need to take a breath from all of this piecing, check out Debbie's guest post below.

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Longarm League Guest Post

by Debbie Sackuvich, Pink Dot Black

Hi, I’m Debbie—also known as Pink Dot Black! I’m a lifelong sewist, having picked up the sewing addiction from my grandma. I used to make all of my clothes before kids, then for some reason time was an issue. I raised three boys and I rediscovered my love for sewing about six years ago and decided my passion was quilting when I wanted to make something special for my future grandbabies.

I now have two absolutely adorable one-year-old granddaughters—who have just a few quilts now (Note! Not twins, two of my sons have daughters. 😊) My first quilt, however, was one I gifted to my parents. It took me a while as I free-motion quilted it on my 20+ year old domestic machine. I have added a few machines to my collection, including my beloved Singer Featherweight. I made the leap to add my long arm—a HandiQuilter Avante—to my studio earlier this year, complete with Pro-Stitcher.

Taking the Plunge

I first discovered Trophy Buck and foundation paper piecing February 28 when I was selected to be a pattern tester! I had never paper pieced anything, but I was taking a class at a retreat before I would start the pattern, so I’d be fine I told myself!

Oh wait! Everything is going into shutdown and there won’t be a retreat or a class?!?

I’d made a commitment to test this pattern, so I was going to really give a true test! I was so pleasantly surprised on that first section when my sections lined up, and I kept sending pictures of my progress! I’ll admit at first it may be intimidating to do a large project with a new technique like foundation paper piecing, but this was such a fantastic pattern and I do love my Trophy Buck!

I am so proud of my accomplishment. I love seeing this quilt done up in different fabrics! I can’t say I will only make one!

Foundation Paper Piecing Tip

My FPP tip is to not scrimp on cutting your fabric pieces. Give yourself plenty of fabric to work with!

Longarm Tips

Talk to your longarmer to let them know exactly what you would like to highlight and if there is something you would rather not highlight.  Allow backing to be 8” wider and longer than your top.

I joined Longarm League this year to go from hobby to quilting dreams! You can find me on Instagram and Facebook @Pinkdotblack. I’d love to see your Trophy Buck QAL!

Upcoming Giveaway

It's Sew Tempting, from Story City, Iowa, has gathered some goodies to keep you motivated to the end.  Stay tuned next week for the details on how to enter the giveaway.

Weekly Challenge

Share a photo of your first quilt (or at least the first one you remembered to take a photo of) using the hashtag #trophybuckquiltalong.

Progress shot from Teara Cornmesser at Lazy J Quilting

This week has been set aside as a break or catch up week!

If you're behind, no worries. This week should give you some time to focus on getting caught up. If not caught up all the way, at least a little bit closer.

And, if you're on schedule, take this time to replenish your creative juices. I guarantee that process is different for everyone, but an important part of having a hobby. Some of you may leave the sewing room to bake goodies or read a book and others may jump right back in and start another project.

And, who am I to judge? Especially since I'm planning to work on my next pattern!

Before you hie yourself off to your chosen distraction, be certain to check out Teara's quilting tips below.

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Longarm League Guest Post

by Teara Cornmesser, Lazy J Quilting Services

My name is Teara and I own and operate Lazy J Quilting Services. I offer longarm edge-to-edge designs and quilt finishing services in the Columbus, Ohio area, but I also accept mail in quilts. I've been quilting for over 20 years and started longarm quilting in 2018 when I purchased my Gammill Statler machine.

My favorite paper piecing trick is to use Scotch adhesive roller dots to secure my first piece. I like it because it’s easy to peel off and doesn’t leave a gluey mess.

Now, confession time. I don’t always do a great job of making sure my thread matches what I’m piecing. And it’s even more difficult when you’re working on a project that has light and very dark colors in it. In order to fix this—and save my perfectionist sanity—I keep a Micron fine-tip pen handy for touch ups.

I take the pen and carefully color over the light colored threads, taking care not to get the ink on the fabric. And just like that the threads disappear!

I’ve used this technique on many of my quilts and Micron pens come in several colors. I like Micron pens because they’re chemically stable, waterproof, and fade resistant. I’ve used them on signature quilts and they’ve held up beautifully!

My preferred longarm guideline is that your backing is at least 8” wider and 8” longer than your top. Don’t be afraid to ask me anything!

Communication is key for a good relationship between you and your longarm quilter. If you’re unsure about anything, it’s always better to ask!

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Weekly Challenge

Share your favorite non-sewing activity on the hashtag #trophybuckquiltalong.

If you've stayed on track so far, you'll be almost three-quarters of the way done. Gold stars all around even if you've slipped a bit behind!

The focus this week is Panel 3 templates 75 through 83. Once those are done, you can move on to the assembly of Panel 3 to wrap up the week. It should go fairly fast, because there is little fussy matching of templates.  What can be better than that?!

We have another guest Longarm League poster this week sharing a bit about herself and some favorite tips. Meet Danelle!

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Longarm League Guest Post

by Danelle Howard, Cottage Path Quilting

A Bit about Me

Hi there, my name is Danelle. I’m the longarm quilter behind Cottage Path Quilting in southwest Missouri. Around here the deer are plentiful! I just knew I had to participate in this quilt-along as soon as I saw it announced. Being a member of the Longarm League gave me the chance to not only sew along but offer some great discounts on finishing Trophy Buck quilts for others! And, I’m going to have fun telling certain friends about the huge buck I got this year.  ;)

Once completed, this quilt is going to migrate South to Texas as a Christmas gift for my brother. Actually, he is the first person I ever made a full quilt for. Twenty-six years ago I made my first bed size quilt for his wedding. It was a king size double wedding ring (shown below). At that time, I hand pieced and quilted everything. It’s the way my grandma and all the ladies at our church quilting circle quilted, so that’s what I learned. It still blows me away that I now quilt with this amazing, huge APQS Lucey longarm machine...and that other quilters trust me with their amazing works of art. I love being part of a hobby that allows us to connect past, present and future technology and tradition!

My Best Advice

I am very new to Foundation Paper Piecing. This is definitely the largest project I have done yet! My best tip for other beginners is to buy a little extra fabric and then BE FEARLESS! I let these patterns intimidate me for far too long. There are great tips included each week of this QAL. I’ve personally tested the post about fixing mistakes and it works, lol. And fearlessly ask questions. Reading comments from others in this QAL, I’ve learned to use fabric clips instead of pins. A seam roller is near the top of my Christmas gift list. And ALWAYS triple check that I’ve picked up the correct fabric for the piece I’m sewing.

Longarm Tips

• One of the best parts of FPP is how exact/precise it is! However, quilt tops can still get a bit wonky around the edges. Especially if you add a border as I plan to do. With these very bold, graphic designs, some of our normal quilting tricks for handling unevenness just won’t work as well. Measure the entire quilt in three places for both width and height but ALSO across diagonal corners to see how close it is to ‘square.’ If something is off don’t panic or start trimming, just let your quilter know you are aware of it and we can discuss how to handle any issues.
• Depending on your personality, that final step of tearing out the papers can seem like drudgery or a personal triumph! Don’t be tempted to rush this step though. Adding a paper layer that hasn’t been removed to multiple seam allowances can make for messy stitches in those joined areas.
  

See that little scrap of paper? I almost didn’t either!

I’m just halfway through the piecing of this quilt (photo below) but, as a longarm quilter, my mind is racing with ideas and designs for the final step. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have about finishing your Trophy Buck. But for now, I hope you are enjoying seeing your buck come to life one funny looking scrap of fabric at a time!

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Weekly Challenge

Catch up if you've fallen behind and share a progress shot using the hashtag #trophybuckquiltalong.