How long and quilting - background info

When I made Raconteur I simply made blocks as I felt like it, sometimes I didn't feel like it for quite a while which is why it took me about six years to make. Every block was named for either an event that happened while I was making the block, a significant event in my childhood or sometimes for something that the fabrics suggested. Many blocks were easy to name while others no name settled well for some time. In the end my husband named a few when I couldn't find the right name.

I don't know how fast many of you are with making  your blocks but just as a comparison it took me an average of four hours per block or 30 hours per collection to piece the separate blocks and join them together to make a collection. This time also included the drawing of the design and the cutting of fabric. I would go through stages where I felt like piecing and others where I just felt like cutting. There was one month where I simply designed and cut. Admittedly it was a stressful time at work and so not a lot was achieved that month but I think I managed to cut between five and ten each week. That gave me a wonderful supply of blocks ready for piecing when I went on holidays.

Quilting was then about ten hours per collection as I ditch stitched around each separate dark piece and occasionally add some extra quilting for highlighting. I had initially wanted to hand quilt the whole quilt but due to the thickness and the smallness of all of the pieces I found this wasn't feasible. I am not a fantastic machine quilter and wanted to make the entire quilt myself and so decided the only way that I could manage this would be to complete the quilting as QAYG.

So how long did it take...well approximately 59x40 is just under 2400 hours. If I did this as a full time job doing 35 hours a week it would take me almost 70 weeks, oh about a year and a half. Admittedly I am positive I would have hated the quilt if it was the ONLY thing I did for that length of time:)

So looking at the time it took me how are you going?

How to Make Freezer Paper Templates

I have received a couple of emails since my previous post asking about the use of template plastic and benefits of that over freezer paper for drawing the templates.

I wish I had kept those templates just so I could show you how small and insane they were. 

I had never heard of using freezer paper for templates when I began this quilt and it was only after talking with Margaret McCaughey that I learnt of it.  It made my task so much easier ... and for you it is easier still if you print your templates onto the freezer paper, rather than draw them.

Yes you can reuse the template plastic templates...if you can find them and so many are almost identical that it is hard to tell them apart. It was only after I had done about 100 blocks that I could usually tell the difference between two very similar templates. 

The next disadvantage was trying to cut the plastic accurately with such small pieces.

Freezer paper is so much easier as you are able to iron it to the fabric and then trace around the pieces without the fear that either one will slip.

If you have never tried printing on freezer paper it is a top technique if you follow a few simple steps.

1. Cut the freezer paper just a smidgin smaller than an A4 sheet of paper.
2. Iron the freezer paper to a blank piece of paper just along the top and the bottom edges.
3. You need to find out if your printer prints on the top side of paper in the tray or on the lower side. Write top/upper side on one side of a piece of paper and lower side on the other side. Place this sheet of paper into your printer tray with the 'top/upper side' facing upwards. Print something on the paper.
   you now know which side your printer prints on. 
4. Place the freezer paper+blank paper into your printer laying the correct way so that it will be printed on.
5. Print as normal.
6. Give it a go.. it will be a lot quicker than drawing.

One thing to take care of however is that you don't transfer ink from the freezer paper to your iron or fabric. Always place a piece of scrap fabric between the printed freezer paper and your iron.

Starting your Journey - Organisation

Well I realise I really should have posted this information several months ago but honestly I never thought of it.

When I first started I did the blocks one by one. Designed it, traced the templates onto template plastic, cut fabric and then sewed it. Then did the same for the second block etc. 

After a few weeks, I found that it was best to get ahead with cutting. From then I went with what I felt like doing. 

Most weekends I cut the fabric, when I was stressed I designed, (designing is really just drawing lines and colouring in) and when I wanted to relax I sewed. It worked well.

The smallest zip lock bags were perfect for storing the cut fabrics. I would place several blocks into the same bag along with the picture of the design. Once I thought I didn't need to include the design as I was feeling too lazy to draw it out again. Remember when I started this project I drew EVERYTHING by hand. I drew the original design on some graph paper, then onto template plastic (yes I did start with template plastic)...... anyway as you may guess it was next to impossible to work out which design belonged to which fabric. Thankfully I only had a few blocks in that bag and knew they had come from one of two design sheets.

Georgina's First Block & Photographing your Blocks

C2 Cafe Creme

WOW well what do you think of Georgina's first block? Isn't it great?

Funny isn't it she chose one of the first blocks that I made when I started on my Raconteur journey. She said that two of the pieces kept turning themselves around and so needed to be unpicked and resewn a couple of times but can you tell which ones they were? Neither can I. Looking forward to seeing her next block.

I really don't know why people appear frightened to send me photos of their blocks but it must be due to my threat that I will upload them to my blog. Now let's be honest are my photoshop skills that bad:( Personally I think they have improved out of sight compared to what I was like when poor Carol had to send me more than one copy of her photos. Nowadays I can manage quite a decent cropping and watermarking on most photos.

Admittedly the photos that you send are really good and so they come up beautifully.... just remember though send photos of individual blocks and collections, as that gives me a better chance of cropping and watermarking and leaves me room to play. My skills do still have room for improvement. Low resolution, with only a few Mbs, leave me very little chance to compensate for any errors I make. Also please take the photos either standing directly over the block or with the block held directly in front of you. It is easier for me if the photo/block is straight on rather than at an angle as I don't know how to compensate for angled photos.... one day I hope to learn how but not this year.