Rock That Quilt Block. Linda J. Hahn
excellent choice for adding color to your quilts.
Supplies and Materials
Let’s start off by talking about the different types of supplies and materials you’ll need for making the quilts in this book.
Rotary Equipment
• Rotary cutter: Choose your favorite rotary cutter with a nice sharp blade; a sharp blade ensures clean and accurate cuts.
• Rulers: We use the Omnigrid® 9½" (24.13-cm) square ruler (it fits perfectly in your hand and can also go into a purse or bag) and an Omnigrid 6" x 24" (15.24-x 60.96-cm) ruler. It’s always best to stick with the same brand of ruler throughout your project for consistency.
• Rotary cutting gadgets: Items such as gloves, handles, stabilizers, etc., are all more of a personal preference, so we will not expand on those too much.
Thread
We use—and highly recommend—Aurifil 50 wt. thread for piecing. We use neutral colors such as beige, taupe, or light gray. Do not use metallic thread, quilting thread, or very old thread for piecing.
Marking Tools
We prefer marking tools that are chalk based, as we think they are easier to work with. To this end, we like the Clover Chaco Liner.
What’s My Angle Tool
Buying a seam guide that you can tape to your machine and use over and over again, like the What’s My Angle tool, is highly recommended. You can make HSTs and connector squares without having to mark your fabric. (See Resources, page.)
Triangles on a Roll™
When we have to make a lot of H ST, we will use Triangles on a Roll. It definitely helps things move along much quicker. (See Resources, page.)
Foundation Paper
CHOOSING YOUR PAPER
There are many different types of foundation paper on the market, and you are welcome to use the paper of your choice. Our paper of preference is, of course, our foundation paper (see Resources, page), which we like because it can be left in the quilt, meaning no more ripping out the paper.
Frog Hollow Designs foundation paper will soften up over time, and will become a thin layer of polyester inside the quilt if washed. It can also go through your printer. We like that it can be left in the quilt, which means no more ripping out paper.
If you choose another type of foundation paper, we recommend using a vellum or translucent foundation paper. The translucent paper is what makes this technique so easy, rather than the standard printer paper.
If you are using foundation paper that must be removed, do not remove it until you have stitched the block into the quilt. To remove, you can spritz the area with water to soften up the paper and make it easier to remove, or lightly run a pin down the center to “score” the paper and it will rip out.
COPIER DISTORTION (IT HAPPENS!)
• Consistency: All copiers are not created equal. Before you copy your entire package of foundation paper, make one copy of the pattern and check the measurements. This applies not just to the patterns in this book but to every foundation paper pattern that you may use. If you copy something at home but decide to switch to a new copier, you may find that the copies are not the same size. Copy all the patterns on the same copier for continuity.
• Scanning: Pay attention if you choose this option. Make sure that when you print the pattern, you are printing the actual size and not “fit to page.”
• Alternative to copying: You may wish to consider the Rock That Quilt Block kit available on our website (see Resources, page), which contains a laser-cut, reusable foundation stencil. Trace the pattern onto the foundation paper using a Pigma® pen.
Using a handle on your ruler will make rotary cutting quick and easy.
Choosing Fabrics
Fabric choices are, of course, very personal; however, we do have some helpful hints for you.
For the most part, directional fabric for the triangle sides will not work well. Directional fabric is okay for the center triangle shape, as well as the top and bottom triangle shapes. Directional fabric could also be used for the base fabric on the Flying Geese shape and the base fabric for the SIS.
To Starch or Not to Starch
As with many things, starching is a personal preference. We prefer to starch our fabrics prior to cutting, and then also during the stitching process. After stitching a seam, spritz the pieces lightly with starch and press the seam closed—and then open the seam and press again, perhaps even doing another light mist. It is our opinion that you will get a nicer press and crease to the fabric with starching.
Spray starch will allow you to achieve crisper lines while ironing.
There are so many options to choose from. Our preference is Niagara® Pump Spray—which allows you to really direct a concentrated stream at a seam or crease.
Fabric choices are very personal, so things like color and design are entirely up to you.
Prewashing
Here’s another area of personal preference. Some people prefer to prewash to determine if the fabrics will bleed. Some people like the “feel” of unwashed fabric. This, dear friends, we will leave up to you.
Backing Fabric Calculations
Most people are machine quilting nowadays. A good many of those people send their quilts to a longarm quilter rather than attempt it themselves. Our backing fabric requirements take this into consideration.
Quilt backs should be at least 4" (10.15cm) wider than the quilt top on EACH SIDE.
To simplify your life, add 10" (25.4cm) to the finished measurement. This allows you to have some extra fabric at the top to load the quilt, and then at the bottom. You will also have enough fabric to make a matching hanging sleeve. If you do not care for a matching sleeve, you can calculate the backing requirements by simply adding 6" (15.25cm) to