Friday, February 18, 2011

Making those cherries...question

Hi everyone - no completed blocks to show this week, but do have a question. I am working on #16 and have started the cherries (or grapes - depending on your colors!) - how have you approached these 100+ little puppies? I am trying the Paper Pieces, Perfect Circles and Office Dots....so far they all give good results, but getting the Paper Piece circle out after basting is not something I am enjoying. Is it okay to leave it in? When this quilt is finished, it will be for show and I can't imagine washing it. On other projects the Office Dots have worked well and they have been left in with no problem. But the Paper Piece circles are just slightly heavier.
In the meantime, the woven wreath and leaves are done and I go back to #6 every once in a while just for a break.
Hope you all are stitching merrily away - maybe I will have something to show next week??
Thanks for your feedback to my question and have a good weekend. Take care.
Pat at Taylorsoutback





8 comments:

  1. I did all my dots with Perfect Circles. I have tried all the other methods you mention, plus a few others in the past, but it is PC's for me. I never left the papers in when I did any of the paper methods. It was a pain to get them out, but I did dig them out. Good luck! Wendy x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Put a little hole in the center of the paper circle and you'll have no problem getting the papers out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So far I have only used the Perfect circles for mine. I bought the paper pieces to try and am going to put a little hole in mine as Lori suggested.
    They seem a little thin to me and I wonder if they will bend when you draw up the fabric around them?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nancy, I was concerned about the paper piecer papers as to whether they would bend or not and they DO NOT. I love them. I had never used them before and I started using them for the border cherries. Really....give them a try. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't leave papers in - not acid free. I use index cards that are cut to about the size I want, stitch around leaving long tails, gather, press, let cool, remove the card, and not till then do I tie the threads. No trouble getting the paper out and since the circles are pressed and cool, no trouble getting them back in shape to tie the threads. Besides, this way I can reuse the circles.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have only ever used paper circles that I make myself. So they start off wonky and don't improve from there! There is usually a little wonk in them if you look too closely, but this looks like a "folk-art" style quilt and I tell myself that wonkiness is part of it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Must have hit the wrong button!
    Thanks all! I have also found that Paper Piece circles are sturdy and don't bend. Will definitely try making a little hole in the center for easier removal - good suggestion, Lori.

    ReplyDelete