Thursday, October 16, 2008

Winter Pines

The workshop today with Kay Capps-Cross was terrific. I had a great time, although I got my pins taken away by Kay, and got caught cutting my strips with a rotary cutter and ruler instead of ripping them (-rebel that I am!). It sure seems like it hurts some of the fabric when you rip. If I have to cut off a 1/2 or even a 1/4" before I use it, then what's the purpose of ripping. I have been known to rip extra wide backing, when the ripped edge is going on the sides of the longarm.

Please leave me a comment and tell me: Do you rip?

Anyway, back to the workshop.....I finished 4 blocks and part of another one while there, and finished that 5th one when I got home from the gym tonight.



Not my best shot, but they wanted a photo of me with all my strips. That's how I sew so fast, I keep my strips handy.



More photos of todays workshop are here.

7 comments:

Granny said...

I tear extra wide backing because no matter how hard I try, I cannot get it cut straight. I tear my fabric when I first bring it home, just to get it straight but that's the only time I tear.

Anonymous said...

I hate tearing, although I will do it on the extra-wide backings.

The closest LQS tears and I just hate it. Also, all their FQ's are torn, but they hide the ragged, stringy edges inside by folding, so you don't even realize how stringy they are until you wash them.

Elaine Adair said...

Sometimes I will tear the selvages off the backing, starting CAREFULLY to see if the fabric gets damages, but NO, I DON"T RIP. I DO look carefully to see it the threads are straight, before cutting.

Purple and Paisley said...

no, i do not rip! except i am ripping strips for the rag rugs i am making...ripping scares me...=)

Bonnie said...

I quit ripping after making a Quilt in A Day Log Cabin in 1983. All the dark fabrics, ok most of the dark fabrics, had little white lines on the sides where the fabric had pulled into a different position. I was not a happy camper. This was early days with QIAD and I'm sure the directions have been changed to rotary cut by now.

I like your trees a LOT! These aren't paper pieced are they?

Lori in South Dakota said...

I will rip wide borders and selveges off backing. I usually allow for an extra wide seam in those places, and when I piece backing I do two seams, one 1/4" and one wider. Then I press to one side, and make sure that is loaded horizontally on the rollers. Anything as narrow as my 6.5" ruler I cut.

Darling Jill Quilts said...

I never tear. yuck! I was in Wisconsin last weekend and only one shop tore their fabric. It's an awful sound! When I was in Myrtle Beach last year, I went to a shop that tore (most do in the South so I've heard) and they explained that they give a few extra inches for the distortion that tearing causes. the shop in WI did not give extra inches. So much for having a usable 1/4 yard!