MOUNTAIN MISHAPS

Hello!

Did you read my previous Post re how I make my Majestic Mountain blocks?  well......  I have some explaining to do!!!  and a few "things I learned when I made a mountain".......

1.  You start off making a HST and then cut that into 2" strips...... I pressed the one seam on that HST open as it does make joining each 2" strip together easier BUT...  it DID NOT help when it came to press the finished rows before joining them to the next row.  So in hindsight I should have pressed that HST seam to the dark fabric.  So that's Lesson One.

HST 

TRIM HST (IN MY CASE TO 8")

PRESS HST SEAM TO DARK FABRIC

CUT 2" SECTIONS

TURN TO MAKE ONE HALF OF A MOUNTAIN

2.  As I made each Mountain block (ie: joined the two half mountains)  I pressed the centre seam OPEN and then pressed the other seams away on each side of that open seam.  WRONG!  I would have been better just leaving each block unpressed until I had all the blocks lined up in their rows and then join the blocks into rows and THEN I could press each row in opposite directions so they would nest nicely when I wanted to put them together.  I would like to make a few samples to trial if it would be better to perhaps press the seam between blocks OPEN as that seam is quite bulky if you lay out the blocks and rows as I did with this quilt (note: there are many layout options for these Mountain quilts).  Open seams are a bit trickier to "nest" but there is just so much bulk when you come to nest those rows together.   So that's Lesson Two.


3.  I am a stickler for check measuring units, blocks and rows but I think I might have missed a few of my blocks (probably too much watching tele and sewing at the same time) as I did have a few dramas with the completed size of the blocks.  A few 1/4" seams were very "full" so I then had to trim down a few rows so they met nicely with the next row.  Measure each segment as you go - in this case, measure the two halves of your mountain, ensuring you have your 1/4" seam at the points of the mountain.  Measure the whole Mountain once you have the two halves together.  If each segment, unit, block is check measured, your rows will go together so much easier!  So that's Lesson Three.

JOIN TWO SECTIONS AND CHECK MEASURE
(IN MY CASE 3-1/2" X 8")

JOIN THE TWO UNITS TOGETHER AND CHECK MEASURE
(THIS UNIT NOW MEASURES 6-1/2" X 8")

MY ONE HALF UNIT ALL READY, FINGER PRESSED

So back to my quilt.....   I now have my rows together and today I purchased a border fabric so that will go on over the weekend I hope.  Then the tumbler border.

Happy Sewing!

Cheers from Helen

NOTE:  I HAVE PUT WORD VERIFICATION BACK ON AND HAVE HAD TO LIMIT WHO CAN COMMENT - TERRIBLE SPAM COMMENT YESTERDAY.