Today I finished on my trees for the Mini Juniper quilt we're making for Minis and More.
It was so fun to work with angles again!
It's been awhile since I've done any cutting or sewing with angles, and although I admit I was a little hesitant at first, its turned out to be a blast!
I'm so sad that I've made all nine trees, that I may have cut a few extra strips.
In fact, I'm enjoying this one so much I've actually cut enough extra strips that I can make nine more trees! It's truly addictive!
My first tree did not turn out as nice as my last one.
Since I cut enough to make some extra trees, I'm saving the first one for another purpose, maybe a mug rug or even an ornament.
I learned a few things that helped me get more consistent, straight trees and more accurate space around the edges.
I'm writing these tips down for you, if you are interested in them, and for me so I can remember what I did when I go to make more trees later.
Tips for Mini Juniper
I found that trimming the pieced strips after I added the bottom dotted triangles really helped when the pieced strips were sewn together to form the tree.
Using my Fons and Porter 60 degree Triangle Ruler to trim the edges of the pieced tree made my tree much neater. I lined up the center line on the ruler with the center line of the tree and trimmed the sides of the tree.
I also used the 60 degree Triangle Ruler to trim off the tree bottom to a quarter inch, after adding the background side pieces. Again, lining up the center line of the ruler with the center line of the tree and making sure the line I was cutting was perpendicular to the center line of the tree.
Lastly, I used my Fit To Be Quarter Ruler to do the final trimming of the block. I could quickly see where the quarter inch lines were on the ruler to ensure I had a quarter inch on the sides of my tree.
You could definitely use other rulers here, these are just what I had that worked best for me.
The first block was a little tricky, but now I don't want to stop making them!
But now I'm off to cut the sashing for this and put dinner in the oven. Today was the first day of school here and surely the teenage boy is hungry!
4 comments:
I started! My tree centers are almost ready for me to add the background triangles. Love this little pattern!
That looks great and I love the red fabric you are using.
I had trouble with mine too. It took me 3 blocks before I really got the hang of it. I also found that when I was squaring them up to trim before adding the tree trunk, i measured using the 60 degree angle along the side of the tree and found the 1/4" above the tree, then trimmed.
Very cute. I love sewing trees!
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