Fall into a Quilt Along: Turkey
Welcome back to Fall into a Quilt Along! I hope you're having fun sewing with us. If you've fallen behind, you can find links to all of the past blocks on my quilt along page.
This week, we have a patchwork turkey designed by Karen at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats. Head on over to her post for the free pattern. Remember, all quilt along patterns will be free until November 13, 2018.
Tips for Success
As a quilt along host, I'm here to help you be successful. My biggest suggestion to acheive success on this block is to take your time. Being careful with your cutting, piecing, and pressing will make this block come out nice.
Seam Test
I always recommend testing your seam allowance before you start. That way you can be sure your block will come out the right size.
To test your seam allowance, cut two 2" squares and sew them together. Press to one side, and measure the resulting rectangle. The rectangle should be 3 1/2" long. If your rectangle is shorter, you need a narrower seam allowance. If your rectangle is longer, you need a wider seam allowance. Adjust your seam and try again. Once the rectangle is exactly 3 1/2" long, you're good to go.
Stitch and Flip Corners
My favorite tool for drawing the diagonal lines is a Sewline ceramic pencil. They come in several colors, and you can easily change out the leads.
The secret to making a successful stitch and flip corner is to stitch just outside of the drawn line. The line you drew isn't the stitching line - it's actually where the fabric needs to fold! By stitching just outside of the line, you give yourself the extra fabric you need to reach all the way to the corner when you flip it over.
Just to be safe, I always test to make sure my corner is covered before I cut away the excess fabric from the back.
Design Boards
A design board really came in handy for this block! I was able to lay all of the pieces out and carry it to my machine. The fabric sticks to the board, so I didn't have any problems with pieces moving around and getting mixed up. You can read all about how I made my design boards here.
Pressing
I much prefer to press my seams to one side any time I can, so I spent some time figuring out the best way to press all of the half square triangles in this block. If you would also prefer to press your half square triangles to the side, here's a pressing chart:
Spinning Seams
I'm a huge fan of spinning seams. It makes everything lay so flat! I explained how to spin seams in my tips for our pie block. If you prefer to learn from videos, this one from Adrianne Reid is excellent.
Adding an Eye
Once my block was finished, I took a look at it and decided it just didn't feel quite right. My turkey needed an eye! I decided a little bit of applique was in order.
First, I needed to figure out a template. I dug through my button jar until I found one that was just the right size.
I traced the button onto fusible web, then fused it to a bit of black fabric.
It can be really hard to pull the fusible off of a small circle! If you score it with a pin and fold along the score line, the paper will pop right off.
Ahhh. That's much better. Now my turkey is complete.
I just love how this little guy came out! There's lots of other ways you could add an eye, from embroidery, to a fabric marker, to using a button. Remember to wait to add embellishments like buttons until after your quilt is quilted, though. You don't want to run over them with the machine!
A Rafter of Turkeys
I'm always fascinated by the different names for groups of animals. It turns out that a group of turkeys is called a rafter! With all 7 hosts sharing their blocks and tips, we certainly have a full rafter of turkeys around here.
Abbie Danahy at Sparkle On
April Adams at JANDA Bend Quilts
Bobbi Bridgeman at Snowy Days Quilting <--- That's me!
Jennifer Fulton at Inquiring Quilter
Karen Thurn at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Sherry Shish at Powered by Quilting
Vanda Chittenden at Quilting with Vanda
Prizes
As always, we have some fabulous prizes this week. Anyone over 18 is eligible to win, including international participants. To be entered in the drawing, simply share your completed Autumn Leaf block by 11:59 pm Eastern time on September 3, 2018. You can share on Instagram with the hashtag #fallintoaqal, in the Partners in Design Facebook group, or in the linky party at the bottom of this post.
First up is two printed Vintage Blessings exclusive mini patterns from Shabby Fabrics - Vintage Pumpkin wall hanging and Vintage Schoolhouse table runner. You can visit Shabby Fabrics to request their latest mail order catalog or view the digital version.
The winner will also receive a 34" x 45" craft size Warm and White cotton batting from the Warm Company.
At the end of the quilt along, we will have a grand prize drawing for anyone that has made a complete quilt top with all 12 blocks. There's no need to have it quilted for the drawing. To be eligible to win, finished quilt tops must be posted by 11:59 pm Eastern time on November 12, 2018.
Link-Up
Since our block designer is on vacation, all of the hosts are doing a shared link-up this time. Link up your blog post below so we can all check it out. Remember to visit a few of the other blogs while you're at it. We all love comments from our fellow quilters.