My favourite teacher in high school had an interesting saying.  If something was gross or disgusting to him, he used to say “It looks like a dog’s breakfast.”  I have been thinking of him a lot lately, because when I look at the back of my hand-piecing, I think “it looks like a dog’s breakfast…how am I going to iron that flat??”  So, here are a few simple pressing tips that everyone who hand-pieces needs to know.

First, go put the kettle on and make a pot of tea.  Everything is easier to do when you are drinking tea.  Speaking of tea, my friend Kathy (an awesome and way-out-there quilter) gave me this tea pot for Christmas, along with an assortment of tea.

My daughter gave me a Downton Abbey mug and Marilyn (a talented artist who designed my BOM “To Everything There Is a Season”) gave me a Downton Abbey tea towel, so I am all set!

Now that I think about it, Marilyn gave me a Downton Abbey teapot last year for Christmas.  Hmmm…. I see a pattern here!

Ok, so here we go.  We want the seam allowances to swirl in the same direction (either clockwise or counter-clockwise), to reduce bulk.  Here are just 3 hexies and I have swirled the seam allowances.  First, I just picked one of the seam allowances and pressed it to the right.  (It’s under the iron.)

Next, I take my left hand and position my fingers on the connecting seam allowances, folding them in the same direction as the first one.  Notice that all 3 seams are going counter-clockwise.  That is about as complicated as it is going to get.  Seriously!  So, just  remember this, we are only swirling 3 connecting seam allowances at a time.  Do you notice what shape appears in the very centre when swirled correctly?  It is a quilt block called “Building Blocks”. Magical!  I am using Inklingo to make my hexies.  It’s as easy as stitching on the line!

In this next example, I have stitched these hexies together and am now ready to start pressing.  “Looks like a dog’s breakfast.”

I am going to do exactly what I did when I only had 3 hexies…press the first seam to the right…the one under the tip of the iron.

Next, I position my left hand and guide the seam allowances in the same direction as the first one…

Voila!

So now I can see that the orange seam allowance is heading in a clockwise direction, so the connecting seam allowance have to follow in the same direction.  Notice my index finger and my thumb are holding the seam allowances in place.  Then I just pick up the iron and press.

Here is the finished block from the back….

…and the front.  Fancy!

I finished stitching the corner block of Friends of Baltimore and dipped it in the sink to wash all of the ink and glue out.  Now, I am finishing the next corner block.  Cannot wait to finish this quilt!

Once it is dry, I will trim it to the proper size.

Til next time….

Kerry