I'm trying to get back in the swing of things and start regular blog posts again. I feel like I've been on vacation minus the sand, surf and sun that usually is the destination of choice!
Some time after I finished my pastel quilt Pink Haze, and before QuiltCon, I was looking for a project. Something that was small, something that was quick and most certainly something with color.
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HOT GEESE
17.5" x 17.5" |
One of my favorite paper pieced patterns is Circle of Geese by Piece By Number. It's a pattern on BluPrint (formerly Craftsy) and free to anyone.
I've made three versions of Circle of Geese, each time adding my own twist. Borders, colors and quilting are fun ways to change it up and in a sense make it my own. As much as you can when using someone else's design!
This is the finished design before borders. I used 12 different shades from yellow to red in the circle and and Kona black for the background. You can print the pattern so the circle goes clockwise or counter clockwise, and it consists of four sections.
Each section is identical which makes it easy to precut pieces. I like to figure out the size, cut four and sew each piece before I move on. It makes the process quicker, easier and less stressful for me!
This time I added the three geese on each side for more color, visual interest and to increase the size. It took a few tries to get the side geese the right size, but with EQ8 I was able to do that with minimal paper waste.
The border geese couldn't much more simple! Once I figured out the placement, the rest was pretty straight forward. Add a couple background pieces and the task was done!
I could have done a better job at lining up the border geese on all sides so that they were all the same. As you can see from this photo, the orange side goose lines up point to point, but the yellow side goose does not. Honestly it didn't even occur to me to check that part! Perhaps there will be a next time!
When it came time for quilting I knew I didn't want to quilt the geese. If I had I would of wanted to use matching thread for each goose, and I didn't want to get that detailed with thread.
I stuck with black thread and created a geometric star in the center to begin with. From there I figured out certain points that I could use to continue the geometric design using lines. It came together in the end.
The back is a metallic gold piece of fabric I've had for years. I'm not sure why I would have bought this...but I did. This was a good time to use it for the back and in a weird way it kind of fits. I mean, it's black and it has circles!
I'm not sure why that it is, one of my many quirks I suppose!. It isn't because I think I could improve the pattern. It could be an ego thing...I gotta make it mine! I don't know. I just know that's the way I work, the way my brain works!
Do you follow the rules or do you color outside the box?
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Last Saturday at our Guild meeting we had a paper piecing class. Half the class did what we referred to as 'traditional' paper piecing and the other half did freezer paper paper piecing. Some people had a lot of experience and some not so much. We thought it might be a fun way to introduce and expand some techniques that we all gained collectively.
I remember when I first started paper piecing how intimidating it seemed. Since then I have learned a lot, and it doesn't scare me as it once did. We picked a couple basic patterns to work with, and began the fun!
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| 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" |
'Circle of Geese' is a free pattern available on Craftsy from Piece By Number. This was one of my first projects and where I got my 'feet wet' with paper piecing. I've only made it once before, but I was so excited and happy with my first endeavor...it pretty much got me hooked on this wacky paper piece craze! So, I was pretty excited to give it another try.
I made a test piece to share at the meeting because I was one of the co-teachers. I was surprised at how quickly it came together this time around. Chalk that up to a couple years of paper piecing under my belt.
I should note that the pattern is just the center circle of geese. When I got home, I decided to add a border.
I've been a little obsessed with geese lately, geese and this color scheme! I'm happy to say that every piece is from my scrap heap. I was looking for a way to use the scraps and consciously veered away from the rainbow.
The little geese are 1" x 2" and paper pieced. The corner geese I had tried to get the same size as the center and it just about worked! Looking at the back of a paper piece project (or EPP or quilt) is always interesting! It's always worth a look and nine times out of ten...worth a picture!
After letting the top stew for a few days, an idea for quilting finally came to me. Concentric circles in the center and phantom geese along the border. This would have been a great project to share as a concentric circle tutorial! By the time I realized that I was nearly finished with the center. There will be a next time!
I liked this photo because it doesn't look at all like flying geese! More like a circular saw blade!
The circles are spaced 1/2" apart and again, I used the side of my walking foot. After the first round using dark blue thread, I decided to add more circles using different thread colors. Five different colors to be exact!
You can see the quilting better on the back as well as the thread colors. And because I thought it would be fun, I added two different corner colors! Frivolous fun is always fun!
Who here has a favorite paper piecing pattern? I know paper piecing isn't for everyone. If you have never tried it, you should. It can be so much fun and it's another skill to add to your arsenal!
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