Y-Seam Warrior Link-up #3

 Have you indulged in any y-seam piecing during the past month?   

 I've been working my way through this little pile of bouquet blocks by using them as the "sew-offs" while chain piecing through other projects -- didn't know that was possible?  Well, it is!!

 

  This week I arrived at the point where I sat down and did the final assembly.

 For some reason there were only eight blocks in the set and if there's one thing I've learned the hard way, it's don't try to make more blocks to fit with some that have been ageing for a while on the WIP shelf!  I put them up on the design wall and went back to work sanding and scrubbing for the next painting session.  Every time I needed a break from that, I puttered with this!!

I added the floral that inspired the color combination to the wall first.

What would the blocks look like if I turned them this way?  Corners look clunky.

What if I turned the corner blocks, too? And added a plain square in the center, maybe with an applique motif?  Better.

Hey, there's a star in the center!

Time to get out the graph paper and sketch out a piecing diagram.

I discovered that I could treat the layout as a 9-patch if I framed the pieced blocks with background fabric -- square in a square for the on-point ones and sashing for the four corners -- it looks quite nice.

I've been seeing lots of little Dresden plate blocks so I pulled out my templates to see how small I could get and noticed this sample of a 3/4" hexie flower in with another template set.

I like it -- and so I have another WIP well down the road to being finished!

Once the hexie motif is appliqued to the center square, I'll start to experiment with borders.  My blocks are 6" finished and I cut them using Marti Michell's Template Set E for 8-pointed stars.  After framing, the blocks are now 9" square before squaring them up. 

 

I'm wondering about making it with 12" stars? 

And that's how I end up with so many projects going at the same time . . .

 

Now it's time to share your y-seam projects. 

If you are hesitant to give them a try, consider looking into my DVD,

Set-In Piecing Simplified! 

It's an amazing technique that makes y-seams easier than you are expecting!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 



An InLinkz Link-up