Holey Moley Batman, two giveaways in one blog?

Corrie and Des over at Taffy Talk are having a very woodsy giveaway today, with the winner drawn tonight.

http://quilttaffy.blogspot.com/2009/10/hedge-your-bets-giveaway.html

So, quietly tip toe over to their blog and take a hushed look in awe of all the lovely fabrics they have!

Even if I don't win (and I'm really happy with my sandwich!), the thought of any of you opening your mailbox to find this

just tickles me pink!

Another giveaway I need to let you in on is the one going on over at Sew Fantastic

http://sew-fantastic.blogspot.com/

for a chance to win stash guards and help a young, smart business woman earn money for college!

Follow the prompts for chances to win!

More on paper foundation piecing later, but wanted you to have an early bird chance at the win!

I'm back.

Two words for you...heated seats.  Heated seats in the cold on a wet morning...are the bomb!  One little click of a switch and your buns are warm in minutes!  Cool!  Er...warm.  Wonderful.  Whoever invented heated car seats (bottom and back) needs the Nobel Peace Prize!  Really.  They do.

Today, I'm 60.  60 posts that is.  I know, I know...I look younger than I am, but "Happy Postday" to me!

Now onto paper foundation piecing.  Wah haha.  Please note I am by no means an expert or guru here, just sharing in my own words how I get it to work for me.  There are lots of great Youtube tutorials for learning how to paper piece.  I know they're much better at teaching than I am at showing how I do it.  I apologize for the dark pictures, but we're on day 1,000 it seems of wet, cold, yucky weather with no sunlight.

This block is from Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, the November/December '09 issue.  The name of the designer of this block is Toby Lischko and her quilt is named "Isabella".  You can find the quilt on page 90.

This is what the pattern looks like.  Harmless.  Safe.  Easy! I use tracing paper to make copies of the pattern.  Each portion of the pattern is numbered to show you the order in which the fabric is sewn onto the paper.

Each triangle is numbered.  The pointed towards the top triangles are your main fabrics (points).  The pointed towards the bottoom are the background fabric.  As usual, there is a 1/4 inch seam allowance given with a dotted line on the inner and outer part of the arc.  The lines between the triangles are dotted and these are what you straight stitch.  Pretend for the sake of this post that the copier boy really didn't place the magazine incorrectly and the solid line on the right continues all the way around the arc.  This solid line is what you eventually trim your paper to.

I rotary cut a strip that is a little bit larger than the triangle and make sure there's at least 1/4" seam allowance over the triangle shape.

I lay this wrong side of the fabric on the printed side of the paper over the traingle labeled #1.  I work with a small table lamp close by and I hold the paper up to the light to make sure my fabric is situated as described.  If I don't feel comfortable sewing the fabric in place unsecured, I can use a pin to secure the fabric to the paper.

This is how it should look with a light source behind.  I cut generously, as you can see!

Now,

I cut a piece of fabric (on this pattern, it's the background-triangle point down) big enough to cover the triangle labeled #2 keeping in mind to allow a 1/4" seam allowance.  I put this piece right sides together on top of the fabric for the triangle labeled #1.  Making sure, using the lightsource, that at least 1/4" of this fabric extends into the triangle labeled #2.

I carefully turn my paper over so that the unprinted side is up.  (On this block, it's okay to work from the printed side up, but on some blocks, working on the unprinted side is required to get the right direction for the block) 

I sew a straight stitch along the dotted line between the triangle labeled #1 and the triangle labeled #2.  After I've sewn the seam I usually fold the paper carefully along the seam line and using my straight edged ruler and rotary cutter, trim the seam allowance to 1/4".

I fold the fabric back over the triangle labeled #2 and finger press the seam open.  Some will tell you you can secure this piece with a small dab of glue, but I use pins to keep it from shifting.  Once again, holding the foundation paper up to the light and checking that it's totally covering the triangle labeled #2 with at least 1/4" extra on all sides.  A quick note to make sure the fabric covers the inner and outer solid line of the arcs as well.

Now I take another of the fabrics I've chosen to make the points (triangles facing up, on this pattern, the triangles facing toward the inner arc are the background) and lay it right sides together over the fabric I've just pinned over the triangle labeled #2.  Turning the paper over again, carefully, and stitching on the dotted line between triangles #2 and #3. 

Folding the paper and trimming the excess to 1/4".

I fold the fabric back over the triangle labeled #3 and finger press open and pin in place for accuracy and non-slippage.  Checking with the light source to make sure triangle #3 is totally covered with at least 1/4" extra extending beyond the triangle.

I keep repeating this process until I've attached fabric to the foundation paper's design.

This is where I give a good pressing to what I've sewn onto the paper foundation.  Trimming the edges of the paper along the solid line.  This gives me the 1/4" seam allowance when I sew this piece to the next using the inner, dotted line.

This is what mine looked like when I was finished.  Most of the time, I leave the paper attached and use their lines to connect pieces.  Sometimes, I will tear the paper off as soon as I've trimmed the piece so I can "wiggle" a bit if needed.

I'm a huge Rachmaninoff fan and decided to name my interpretation "Variations on a Theme of Isabella".  I finished my block for the swap last night.  I think it looks rather like a Sue Ross block with a bit of Kaffe color scheme.  Or I'm having delusions of grandeur.  Which is probably more likely.

Thanks for the read.  Any help, hints, tips and criticism (as long as it's nicely put!  LOL) is greatly appreciated.