Rachel Maus I.D.M. Part 2 01-02-10

I made my first little doll quilt just after the end of WWII, sometime in 1946 and though years might go by between finished quilts, I always have something "in the works" (also known as UFOs). Sometimes I forget that everyone doesn't have all those years of learning (and forgetting) and I will leave out a step or two when explaining how to make a certain quilt. Please don't ever hesitate to call me on my lapses, I'm happy to share what I know or help you find an answer. One of the readers of this blog asked "where do you start making the blocks with scraps, strips, etc....? Basically, I just start sewing things together. I'll give you a few examples out of the dozens you might use.

These blocks can be called "threesies" and are made by sewing two squares together ("twosies") and then adding a strip of fabric along one side.

These two blocks are "foursies". The top one started with a solid 2.5" square, a 1.5" light colored flowered strip was added to the right side, then a large flowered piece with a black background was added to the bottom. The final strip is the multi color flower print on a black background on the left. The lower block was started with a square cut from a pieced scrap (a bunch of 1.5" strips sewn together like "Chinese Coins") - a strip was sewn to the left and trimmed, then a strip on the bottom and trimmed, then a strip on the right and trimmed. The resulting "foursie" was increased in size by sewing a 2.5" strip to the bottom and then a 2.5" strip to the left side. I suppose that would make it a "sixie", but after four pieces I think of it as an individual block rather than a component of a block-to-be.

Another way to work might start like this. When I have scraps and time to "play" I cut scraps into squares ( 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3" and 3.5") or strips depending on how big the scrap is! I have a box for each size square/strip that I can dip into - my thanks to Sharyn Craig for this idea. In this example I took used a 2.5" strip of little flowers on a black background, a selection of 2.5" squares that would sort of go with the colors in the strip and a selection of 2.5" squares in tints/shades of greens. Placing each multicolored square face down on the strip I sewed them with a 1/4" seam, opened them up and sewed one of the green squares to each of the print squares. Rachel calls them "threesies". Then I pressed the pieces open and flat. Working on my cutting table I used my 6.5" square ruler to trim the pieced strips to 2.5" x 6.5". I might make piles of this size before going on to making something to sew on to them.

On the left side of the image you can see one of those 2.5" x 6.5" strips with 2" strip attached to one side - a type of "foursie". And on the right side of the image is another type of 'foursie" sewn together the way one would begin a log cabin block. I will sew these two pieced blocks together, press and then add strips to whichever side needs to be wider.

Stripes and polka dots add motion and 'excitement' to a scrap quilt. Here I have pieced a stripe onto the 2.5" x 6.5" strip. Next I will sew these two "blocks" together - press and trim. Notice the bunny eye on the right block. No matter how "serious" the quilt top will be, a little surprise is always something extra for people to discover in the life of the quilt.

More stripes, dots and a star to add interest. At this point I intend for all these blocks to go into the same quilt, but the joy of I.D.M. is that it DOESN'T matter! When I have a goodly pile of blocks of the same size I will start playing with them on the design board to see what works together. Then I will sew them together and quilt the results.

How will I know when the quilt top is ready to sew together? Part of that depends on how large I want the quilt to be. Another part is when I get tired of working with these blocks. And yet another is if/when I run out of more blocks to add. The quilt maker could always make a few more blocks, but whenever I have done that in the past anyone could immediately pick out the 'invaders' - so I choose to finish with what I have and to toss any extras in a box with other orphans for a future scrap quilt.

Rachel Maus "It Doesn't Matter" (I.D.M!) 01-01-10

The quilting technique I learned from Rachel Maus at the Surfside Stashbusters Workshop on Monday is named (by Rachel),"It Doesn't Matter" and uses scraps, strips, orphan blocks, whatever you have at hand. "It Doesn't Matter!" The fabric can be color coordinated or not - I.D.M! I started with some leftover pieced strips (like Chinese Coins), some off-cuts from squaring a quilt and some strips of various widths/lengths. But the color was so DULL that I started adding strips of red and black/white - guaranteed to spark up anything. Sew the fabrics together any way you wish - random, log cabin style, square in a square, whatever - I.D.M! I didn't get out any orphan blocks (because I don't know where that box is right now), but several in the workshop used them to great effect. What you are aiming for is square blocks between 6.5 inches and 9.5 inches. As you are sewing square up the results, according to your own persnickety desire, or don't - I.D.M! I have used a 9.5" square ruler paired with a 11.5" square ruler. More about these rulers at the bottom of this post.

Here are my four 9.5" somewhat randomly pieced blocks which I have arranged and rearranged until I found a combo that is tolerable!

Then I sewed them together and pressed them as flat as I could.

Photographing an acrylic ruler on top of the patched blocks isn't very legible, so I cut a piece of lightweight cardboard just for the clarity of the photo. I aligned my 11.5" square just as the cardboard is shown here. Don't cut edge to edge of the fabric - instead cut from one corner of the acrylic square to the next. Which leaves me with....

.... a sort of frame with an 11.5" hole in the middle.

With scissors I cut from each inside point to the outside edge of the fabric creating four triangles with each of two points cut off. Now I match the short sides of two triangles and sew, then repeat with the other two triangles.

The resulting triangles go together creating a second block with a bias edge all the way around. Care must be taken to not stretch this bias edge out of shape - I carefully pressed the joining seams in the middle, not the outer edge. Using the larger of my acrylic squares I trimmed the block to size,

and I have the first two blocks for my "It Doesn't Matter" quilt. It will be necessary to make all the blocks, put them up on a design board (or pin them to a wall) and move them around to make a pleasing combination. Since these blocks are 11.5" square I will need 16 blocks for a 44" square quilt without a border. I might also add sashing between the blocks, cornerstones at the sashing intersections or some other arrangement of putting them together.

Acrylic square rulers come in a LOT of different sizes. Rachel's inspired idea is to use these rulers in pairs. The combinations that she uses are:

6" or 6.5" square paired with a 7.5" square
7.5"square paired with an 8.5" or a 9.5"square

8.5" square paired with a 9.5" or a 10.5" square

9.5" square paired with a 10.5" or an 11.5" square

Rachel Maus Workshop for Surfside QG 12-28-09

Rachel Maus came up with this design - or perhaps "method of working" would be more apt - over a period of time. She did have that 'light bulb' moment to start with, but worked at the measurements to provide for many different sized blocks. She calls the method "It Doesn't Matter" and I find it quite fascinating. I admire her desire to share the method with others in the old tradition of quilt making when everything new was happily passed on to others without charge or copyright barriers. Since I have been so busy being sickly I have not been out to purchase a new camera, so there is no flash used in these images.

I really enjoyed the day, but by the time I had stopped at the 99 Food Market and driven home in semi-heavy traffic I just walked into my bedroom and collapsed. Later, when I tried to work at the computer, I could not stay awake to type one sentence. Sure hope this sleepiness disappears with tonight's last antibiotic. Other than that little problem and an occasional residual cough I think I will be well in a couple days.

My table mate, Sharon Pembrook, is in deep concentration - not over the technique, but listening on her cell phone to the misbehavior of her grand girl! And she still accomplished more than I - I am so slow. Behind her are class samples for the shop workshops - you can see other pictures and descriptions at the "A Time To Sew" website:

http://www.a-time-to-sew.com/classes.htm

One of the "It Doesn't Matter" quilts on the left and more shop workshop samples on the right. Barbara Seidel checks out fabrics that Rachel brought and Julia Maben contemplates more cutting.

I'll post more about the "It Doesn't Matter" quilt sometime this coming week.