AboutConnie Hester Expertise Quilting and applique expert.Can advise on the following topics:quilting, art quilts, quilt design and construction, machine and hand quilting, paper foundation piecing, machine piecing, hand piecing, raw edge applique, turned-edge applique and fiber art.
Experience Winning awards in international fiber and art competitions since 1983; http://www.conniehester.com/
BS,MS
See my work and books at http://www.conniehester.com/
Question I am in the process of making a patchwork piece where I have 15 main
rectangles which I want to surround by frames. I could use the log cabin style
but I want the 45° angle so that the impression is that of a "real" frame. How
do I go about this? Do I sew one side to the main rectangle and then sew each
side on accordingly,sewing the 45° angles at the end, or do I make the whole
frame and then sew it to the main rectangle. I also realize this takes a lot of
precision, which is not really my forte, so are there any "tricks" that can help
me? Thank you for your help. (These frames are going around images I
printed thanks to the help of this forum and you). Anne
Answer Yes, being the stickler for precision that I am, I would sew each strip of the frame, one at a time, to the sides of the photo block.
The only tip which comes to mind, in case it has not yet occurred to you, is to sew only along the seamlines, not from raw edge to raw edge. Stick your needle into the intersection of the seamlines at one corner of the photo block, and sew along the seamline, manipulating the needle to stop exactly on the intersection of the seam allowances at the opposite corner.
Okay, a second tip which I find to be very important is not to tie knots at those corners (and do NOT backtack your stitching - the corners will not be as crisp). Leave thread ends about 3"- 4" long, enabling you to pull on them to hold the corners together perfectly tight. (For some reason, tying knots as the sewing proceeds always results in a slight loosening of the knots which is impossible to tighten later on.) When the entire photo block has been framed and PRESSED, if you want to, you can THEN tie knots at those corners. However, your quilting will prevent those corners from ever separating anyway. I often leave them permanently untied.
I'm so glad you have gotten help with this project through using AllExperts!
