Sewing With Nancy

If you sew quilts, home accents, or crafts, chances are the fabric scraps abound in your sewing area. Rather than worry about where to store those creative treasures, use my change-up patchwork techniques to create quilt projects with contemporary designs. This scrapping square design was made from leftover fabric. My staff and I auditioned what was stored away, then we turned coordinating fabrics into an ideal kids quilt. Learn how to stitch the square within a square, plus artistic variations. "Change-Up Patchwork," that's what's next on Sewing with Nancy. Sewing with Nancy, TV's longest-airing sewing and quilting program with Nancy Zieman

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making a difference in sewing, quilting, crafting, and needle arts for over 30 years. Amazing Designs and Klass Needles. An ideal scrap-buster project is the square-within-the-square quilt project. You can see that I have two different blocks. They're a finished size of 6". The larger center has, of course, the print in the middle, and then, the smaller center has the solid. There's no right or wrong reason. That's just what I chose. And make a combination of blocks. We cleaned out some of our pastels to medium prints from our sewing room and the closet, and this is what's left from this quilt. And just put together what you think looks well. Sometimes I choose a print. For example, choosing a print like this, pick out colors that are within that area and then see how they combine together. You can decide... what you like. It's a very simple option. Now, to cut the strips of fabric, you're going to cut crosswise strips, but with scraps, you may not get full widths, which we didn't have in all instances. We're gonna start with that middle block or the block that had the large center square. For that particular block configuration, you're going to cut 4 1/2" crosswise strips, as much as you can. And if you don't have a lot of fabric, just cut things into squares, 4 1/2" squares. If you have just bits and pieces of fabric, you can use them up. Then for the side areas, all the strips are cut 1 1/2" wide for this particular block, for the block with the large center. So, solids on the sides, prints in the middle. Then, for sewing, I like to set up the machine for a really basic quilting chain piecing stitch and the stitch length starting at 2.0. A little shorter than normal. Maybe you want to go to 2.5, but I like to use 2.0. Straight stitch. And then the machine is set up with a quilting needle. I usually use an 80, all-purpose thread, and a foot, a patchwork foot that has a 1/4" width. If you want to use a seam guide, you certainly may use that as well, as I used in the first program of "Change-Up Patchwork." So, simple machine setups. Now, you may want to sew with the short strips on top or the long strips on top. It really doesn't matter, but meeting right sides together, align fabrics. You're going to create a strata. Placing the fabric... together and sew this center section to the long strip. Now, as I said, I didn't really have the full width of the fabric, so I'm gonna show you what I do when I have small pieces of fabric to work with. You can sew the fabrics together. Or next, you could butt your smaller squares. If you had just a little bit of that fabric left, you can include it in your project and then, butt the next piece. So, making believe that it's one continuous strip. Now that is a salvage that I'm just gonna move to the other way. Here we got it lined up, and I just finger pin. Excuse me. And then once you have all of these strips, sections sewn to your fabric, we'll just cut the threads, then you add strips to the other side. So we simply would add another strip to this side. And I'm just gonna quickly do some sewing on this side for you and we're gonna start with... We got a wayward strip here. We're just gonna start a little bit. I place the square on here. Line it up. Then place the next square. Leave a little distance, the same as I left on the other side, same as I left over here. And then, just keep piecing. You get the idea. Have your iron set up close by or take a little extra walk to your ironing table, which we're gonna do next, and you just keep sewing. So it's straight piecing. It's kind of mindless sewing. I enjoy doing this. There we go. Then, after you have done the sewing, we'll do some pressing. And I like to do pressing in two steps. Set the stitch the way it has been sewn, and then, press the seam, pressing the seam allowances in this particular direction. So we will just set the seam. Now, to set the seam where it likes to go, your fabric will tell you what to do. Rather than trying to press the seam allowances inward to the center, the bulk of the seam, they will automatically like to go outward. So just press in that direction. Now, the second step of pressing, or maybe it's the third, is to top press from the right side. And that is to make sure you don't have a tuck in here. Just press from this side to make sure it is flat. And if you'd like, then you can just press it flat with a clapper or a piece of hardwood, and it absorbs all the moisture and it's a nice, flat seam. Now, to do some cutting. We're going to cut this size into 4 1/2" sections. And with the blocks that have already been precut, I can simply just cut along the fabric edge. Whoop, let me get it lined up. And then, cut over here. Cut along that edge. And, you know, if I were in my sewing studio, I would cut this standing up, but this is a little bit faster this way. Then,

the next steps

these have been pre-designed at 4 1/2" and here, we're going to now cut the next ones at 4 1/2". And you just keep cutting until you have 4 1/2" sections of this big strip. So, pretty simple. Then the remaining sides need the square added, the square sections added. So, I have one started for you, and let me put it down on the sewing machine where I have a strip, the same 1 1/2" width. I have one section added. And then, I'll just make believe like we're going to continue. You stitch the next piece on. You're adding a box to the center. So, it's a square-within-the-square, and you keep adding and adding. Next, you press, press the seam flat, press it open, and then trim. Trim once again. So, I will quickly add that. I'll do the pressing. Just the same process as we work. Flat, press open, and I'm going to speed it up by pressing from the right side, and press those seam allowances to the side seams. After pressing at the ironing board, excuse me, at the cutting table, I would cut along the pre-made lines. And then... after you have done all the other side, you would have a block, a block made just this size. Now to finish the smaller blocks it's really simple. Rather than starting with the 4 1/2", a 1 1/2" on each side, all strips are made 2 1/2" wide. 2 1/2", 2 1/2", and 2 1/2". And when you use the same process and attach squares or, excuse me, strips, on either side of the center square, you now have a small square.

Alternate the squares

large, small, large, small, and your quilt has a scrappy feel as square-within-the-square. Now it's time for artistic expression. "The Scattered Squares Table Runner" features four different block configurations that are mixed and matched to create a conversation piece. I'll show you how to design your own square-within-a-square block with the use of old school graph paper. This table runner was really quite fun to work with. You can see that it's scattered, obviously, hence the name. And it's made of four different block configurations, all 6 1/2". We just finished making these large centered square-within-the-square, and the small centered square-within-the-square. We're not gonna repeat that, but just as a quick reminder, when I made the small square-within-the-square, I used 2 1/2", 2 1/2", and 2 1/2" sections, and then sub-cut them into 2 1/2" sections. Added the same 2 1/2" on each side, and there's your square. But when you have something offset, you're going to have different widths that are added to the sides of the square. And this is where I like to use the graph paper. I find it fun to simply design with something as simple as this. And here are our two original squares that we worked with. And I just drew them out, giving 1/4", or the square, to 1". Now, there's going to be a medium offset square. You can see how I just drew a square-within-the-square, but offset it. And then to figure out what sizes to cut the strips, I placed horizontal lines in that center section. And then the squares are... The sections are 1", 3", and 2", but you need to add seam allowances. So, we add 1/2" to each. So, there will be a subset that is stitched, that's 1 1/2", 3 1/2", and 2 1/2" all the way around. When we go back here, you'll see that the side strips are 1 1/2". They will be 1 1/2" and 2 1/2". Always add that extra seam allowance. We're gonna start with a small offset square. This is one of my favorites, that little square in the middle, or in the lower right-hand corner, I should say. And then, again, I drew horizontal lines just to see what sizes of crosswise strips I should cut. 3 1/2" it will be, 2 1/2" it will be, and 1 1/2". These are the finished sizes. And on each half, or side, there are strips that are 1 1/2" and 3 1/2". So I really refer to this chart when I'm sewing this together. So if we're using my little graph or your graph, if you want to make 8" squares or 12" squares, you can make these any size using graph paper as your guideline. So if I look at my little chart, I have the sizes cut, 1 1/2", and then the middle section, I will be cutting 2 1/2", and 3 1/2". And they're sewn together, just the way I did earlier for that larger square-within-the-square. And here's a small subset that has been put together. Then I rotate this, check my little chart again, and the number of blocks that are in the middle are one, two, so I'm gonna sub-cut this into 2 1/2". So, that's really handy to have chart to refer to. Sub-cut and sub-cut. We made, in our table runner, everything the same background color. And the center squares all had the same. The samples that I have here are going to be somewhat varied. And then you have the sub-cuts, and then they're added. The same widths are added one on one side. And after you've stitched the 1 1/2" on one side, you rotate it, and cut it apart. Make sure you cut accurately along this line. I've kind of pressed this off-camera, so you would do the same pressing technique. And sub-cut it again. And then, this section is stitched to the wider width. And we'll do the pressing on this now. Just press it flat. And then, press the seams to the one side. Press it flat, and I'm going to speed it up by just pressing from the right side. And if you want to use that board, wooden board, to set the seams, you can do that as well. It makes them nice and flat. Now, I'm not going to go over the remaining size of the construction because it's using the same technique. Just sub-cut these. And you can see here's the block that is offset. Then I'll refer to my quilt that we had originally, and you find a fun layout. It took longer almost to lay it out than to do a lot of the stitching. We have centered squares. We have offset squares, medium squares. Just make it scattered for a great way of learning how to use graph paper to design a quilt block. Designing quilt blocks are as much fun as sewing them. I call this design "Flip Flopped Rectangles." Replace a square with a rectangle to create a modern look. The skill set, it's the same, but the strip sizes have definitely changed. When you look at the fun quilt behind us, just two colors obviously, and there are two elements. One block has a horizontal accent. The other opposite-color block has a vertical accent. So, rather than having things symmetrical as we've had in the past, it's elongated and asymmetrical in one case. I'm gonna go back to one of the original blocks we worked with in today's program. It had a 2 1/2" center and 2 1/2" on each side. The block with the vertical accent is basically the same strip set size. 2 1/2", 2 1/2", 2 1/2", but elongated so that these blocks end up being 6 1/2", the same width as we worked with earlier, but by 8 1/2". The block I'm going to spend more time with today has the horizontal accent, and it's asymmetrical. There are three different sizes of strips that surround that horizontal strip. And, again, graph paper is what I like to use to design them. And the top is quite simple to look at. You can see I, again, used 1/4" that's square to create a 1" block. Drew it out, and then drew out again, and placed a horizontal line across the vertical marks. And then I knew that I would cut 2 1/2" strips. Remember, you take the finished look of the finished size of the block and then add 1/2" for seam allowances. But here's the one that maybe require a little bit more work. After I drew out the lines, the way I'd like it to look, I drew vertical marks so that I knew what sizes to cut for this middle subset, the strata. And it's 2" or 2 1/2", 2 1/2", and 4 1/2". And let's look at that at the table. So, here are the sizes that I've cut, and you want to make that subset or that strata in the middle. So I have 2 1/2", 2 1/2", and 2 1/2". So I just kind of follow my little chart and sew these together, and then sub-cut it. And how wide do I sub-cut it? Well, there are four little-- one, two, three, four, so I cut it 4 1/2" wide. Now, if you don't wanna go through this work, in the book that accompanies today's program you'll get all these correct sizes. But this is how you could make a big block, a small block, just using this graph as your guideline. And then using the same skill set, as I mentioned earlier, after sub-cutting this into the 4 1/2", as your little graph paper tells you, then you add the side amounts. And the side amounts were 1 1/2". So we'd stitch the section to the side sections, cut it apart, and then... do the same. Add one more side section. We're doing pressing, and cutting accurately along the previously sewn or previously cut blocks. So I can kind of set it and use that iron tip to make sure you have a flat section. And as I pull it up on the board, I would simply cut this, following my original section, and just cut off the extra tails and cut off the extra tail here. Now the other block that had the vertical section would be made in the same manner. I think you've got it by now. We've done a little bit of sewing or pressing of these techniques, and so, I hope you can understand it. And then, we've just alternated. Alternated the blocks with the vertical, the horizontal. So, you can see how they're laid out and made larger, made smaller. You can make these offset. This is just an example. It has a contemporary modern feel. The coloration definitely is... that way, but if you made it perhaps in a print with a solid in the middle sections, the vertical or the horizontal, you'd have a totally different appearance and feel for the quilt. You're the designer. You can design it on graph paper, sew it together, and then enjoy the results. During today's Nancy's Corner segment, learn how women's achievements are documented in history due to the International Honor Quilts. Shelly Zegart, co-founder of the Kentucky Quilt Project and the Quilt Alliance joins us today via Skype. Good to see you again, Shelly. Welcome to Sewing with Nancy. Thank you, Nancy, for having me. This quilt that our audience is about to see is quite impressive. It's very large. Could you explain how many blocks or triangle shapes are in this quilt? Well, we call it "540 Stories and 1 Magnificent Quilt." So, you have 540 two-foot triangles all hung together with Velcro, some vertical and some horizontal. And it's interesting how they nest together so interestingly. We usually think of quilts as squares or rectangles and this is quite stunning. Right now, it's being housed in Louisville, correct? Yes, that is correct. It belongs now, through a donation from the person who started the project, to the University of Louisville Hite Art Institute. Online, they'll be able to see it, as well as find out when it will be on display. That's correct. It will be on display at some point soon. Now, the purpose of this quilt is to honor memories of women, some women who have been recognized nationally, internationally, and some who probably didn't get a lot of recognition, but in this quilt, they're being serviced and they're being recognized. I've used that word a lot, but... Let's talk about some of the quilt squares-- not squares-- but triangles, that are in this honor quilt. Well, each panel's been made by a different woman or group honoring another woman or group. So, you have quilts that recognize Mother Teresa. There's one that is just amazing, that is the Akron, Ohio Steering Committee for a Sojourner Truth commemoration.

Nancy

Alternate the squares

Yes, it's very detailed.

Shelly

Alternate the squares

Very detailed. And then, there's one that I just love that has a tree in the center and around the side.

Appliqued in it are the words

"I am the stem of my own rose and the root of the rowan tree." Throughout all these blocks, I keep referring to them as blocks, but all these quilts that are in a rectangular shape, there's such a variety of technique, and then message, that is relayed throughout the quilt. That's correct. It was really initiated by noted artist Judy Chicago to extend the spirit of her monumental and best-known work, "The Dinner Party," as it went on its world tour in the 1980s. It is a lot of different techniques. And they're assembled with Velcro. So, when it's stored, it's stored individually-- not individually, but groups, in boxes. So you have a number of themes where exhibitions could be put together just based on a variety of themes, as well.

Nancy

Appliqued in it are the words

This is no small undertaking, I'm sure, to assemble or to put on display.

Shelly

Appliqued in it are the words

That's for sure. I've seen it one time when the University got everything out and hung it. It filled the entire gallery, all three walls, because they had to figure out which ones were the point was up and which ones the point was down and see where the gaps were so that when they actually plan an exhibition, they have some idea of what they're looking at. That gave people an opportunity to really look at them carefully. And one person, Dana Jones, who is a quilt journalist, as well, has been to Louisville and started to research the stories of some of these amazing triangles. Each one was required to come with documentation. So we have both the triangle itself and why that particular person made that piece with that theme. You know, Shelly, it's so important that you have that documentation, but also, it's a good lesson to us as quilt makers, as seamstresses, to make a note of why we made this, for whom perhaps, and under what circumstances. I think it's a lesson for us all to learn from. That's absolutely correct, and that's what I've been doing all my life with quilts. The beginning of the Kentucky Quilt Project, the Alliance for American Quilts, the Quilt Index, all of it is about documentation. We cannot lose our history. And we do not ever want to you know, have women's work erased, as Judy Chicago would say.

Nancy

Appliqued in it are the words

Well, I know that will not happen, and I thank you for being our guest on Sewing with Nancy and sharing this remarkable exhibit. Thank you, Shelly, for being our guest again. Thank you. And for those of you watching, thanks for being part of this second program of "Change-Up Patchwork." We'll have one more show to show you ways of working with traditional blocks, making some changes, and how you can be the quilt designer. Go to NancyZieman.com and you can rewatch this episode, this interview, and find out more of all things Sewing with Nancy. Thanks for joining me. Bye for now. Nancy has written a fully-illustrated book that can be used to create nine quilts featuring contemporary block variations included in this three-part series. The book is $14.99, plus shipping and handling. To order this book, call 800-336-8373 or visit our website at sewingwithnancy.com/2919. Order item number BK2919 "Change-Up Patchwork." Credit card orders only. To pay by check or money order, call the number on the screen for details. Visit Nancy's website at NancyZieman.com to see additional episodes, Nancy's blog, and more. Sewing with Nancy TV's longest-airing sewing and quilting program with Nancy Zieman

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