Early Saturday morning Hubby and I were getting ready for a long car ride and for some reason working on my hexies (English Paper Piecing) didn’t sound as appealing as I wished….so I quick threw something else together.
Remember that I wasn’t happy about having to pack away my spider web quilt that I started at the retreat? Â Well…I confession time, I didn’t pack it away. Â I did set it side but not away-away. Â A couple night I sewed enough on it to finish the pieces that I started at the retreat so that I could pack it away with everything put away neatly with notes of how many I had done and how many I needed to have done. Â It makes picking up a project so much easier if I leave it nice.
Well I really don’t want to pack it away but I have four projects that I NEED to do for gifts so I need to just put it away..but it’s so hard. Â So it’s still not put away. Â What I thought of to do instead of my hexies on Saturday morning was to grab my spider web supplies. Â I had all the papers and the glue sticks I just needed the fabric kites cut….so I opted to forgo straightening my hair and cut kites instead. Â It only took a couple minutes as I have a super easy method.
First off, Kelli and I both had “kite” templates cut. Â There is a glass shop in Decorah that cuts templates for us all the time. Â These were about $3 each to cut. Â Kelli cut the template using Bonnie Hunter’s directions that can be found here. Â (sorry about the reflection of my ceiling fan in the template)
I cut 4 1/2″ strips of my fabric. Â Then I stacked 8 layers of fabric and cut away. Â I line the top edge of the fabric to the top edge of the “kite”. Â I cut around it and slide the template down to cut another. Â As you can see the template fits really well on the 4 1/2″ strip.
It took me just a really-really short time and I had 80 kites cut. Â I didn’t take more time as Hubby was almost ready to leave. Â I figured this many would take a bit to glue into place.
I loaded a little pop flat with my supplies, grabbed my purse, pop and phone and was on the way with a simple car project to do. Â This is what sat on my lap as I rode.
I had the papers cut into squares but no into triangles so I folded and cut them, then glued the “kites” into place. Â I also took with the basket so that all completed pieces could be put in the basket. Â That is all completely ready for the sewing machine.
As you can see I am cutting more kites so I am ready for the next road trip which is happening today.
I am super excited at the prospect that this quilt isn’t dead or hanging out in the UFO pile. Â It might have to go there after I get this step done but for today it’s making progress even if that progress isn’t happening at the actual sewing machine.
As my dad often explained he learned from an old farmer he worked for. “Every little bit you save is a little bit more than before.” In your case, every bit you do is a little bit more than before. Interesting to see you are having templates cut at a glass shop. Your looks like a mirror piece? Love to learn more about this.
Very good idea! I agree with you it is hard to work on a project when your not in the mood to. I continue to work on my points of interest, little by little.
You are so clever to have them cut at a glass shop, think I will give this a try since I really want to do a string quilt.
Great use of your time. Smart to get a template cut. Is it cut from glass, plexiglass or an acrylic sheet?
Plexiglass
I was disappointed in the first set I had cut from plexiglass, so I am trying the glass shop. I had one done for the Bonnie instructions with an 8.5 in. square, but also drafted a template for a 6.5 in. square. I hope the glass shop ones turn out to be a better cut. The hardware store ones have bumpy edges and one corner is broken off. . .