Piecing Makeover Blog Tour and Giveaway

Update: The giveaway is closed and the winner has been notified. Congrats to Marg!

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Welcome to my stop on the Piecing Makeover blog tour! This book by Patty Murphy is exactly the book that I need at this point in my quilting journey. This book is your guide to diagnosing and solving common quilting problems. I enjoyed reading how the book came to be and it basically contains a lot of information that Patty was passing on to her students as she was teaching–and was a bit surprised that a book like this didn’t already exist! I’m glad that she took matters into her own hands and created this resource to help fellow quilters become better, more accurate, less frustrated piecers.

I for one want to become a super-accurate piecer. It just makes quilting more enjoyable to me to have my blocks go together easily. I don’t plan to get neurotic about it–but sharpening my skills in this area is high on my priority list. So, the second I saw the title of this book, I knew it was a must-have.

First of all, this book is such a great resource. I know that I will refer to it over and over when making certain types of challenging blocks. And I have already picked up so many tips and tricks to improve the methods that I am already using.

Once I started flipping through the book, I headed straight for my nemesis: Flying Geese units. Once I read about her super clever way of piecing flying geese–I knew I had to give it a try. I’m not going to spoil it and walk you through it all here (you have to buy the book for that). But here is a bit of a teaser.

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With one stroke of the rotary cutter, this cute little heart-shaped contraption will become two (2!) flying geese units–created entirely with no pesky bias edges to get all stretched out.

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And then Patty has you trim them to perfection. There was a time when stopping to do this would have driven me crazy, but as I’ve said before, taking the time to trim is absolutely worth it! Your blocks go together like buttah! And here’s the proof. A perfect 4.5″ x 2.5″ unit.

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I have made several quilts with flying geese units before and I’ve always found them tricky to keep consistent. Patty’s method seems to be foolproof, and I will turn to it time and time again in the future, I’m sure of it.

I have an on-going love affair with half square triangles, so I flipped to that section next. I already know the importance of trimming HSTs, but Patty has some great tricks to make sure that you don’t lose any points. I tried those out next and was very happy with the results.

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I have never known how to furl the center seam allowance on a block like this, so that it lays flatter. Patty took care of that. It was my first time, so it’s not great–but it made a big difference in how the front of the block looked. As a matter of fact, I didn’t think my points met until I was able to press it flatter after furling the center. I’m so glad I’ve got that skill up my sleeve now!

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There are many more blocks and skills that I can’t wait to try out–curved piecing, Y-seams, diamonds, and dealing with imperfect blocks (I have a few of those, ahem). So, this book will be within quick reach for a long time.

I cannot abide an orphan block, so I spend a few extra minutes to turn my newly conquered flying geese units into a couple of cute mug rugs. Both of these are made with Amy Sinibaldi’s brand new fabric line from AGF called Playground–that little hopscotch print is perfection!

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Clearly, this book is a must have resource for every quilter’s bookshelf and C&T Publishing has provided a copy of Piecing Makeover to one lucky winner! Just leave a comment telling me what type of piecing trips you up from time to time. Is it flying geese? Not cutting points off? Tell me all about it!

At the end of the tour, the winners will be announced and C&T will mail a copy of the book to you. Winners outside the U.S. will receive an e-copy. Good luck!

9/12 C&T http://www.ctpub.com/blog/

9/13 AnneMarie Chany http://www.genxquilters.com/

9/14 Jodie Carleton http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/

9/15 Teri Lucas/Gen Q Magazine http://generationqmagazine.com/

9/16 Sandi Hazlewood http://www.craftyplanner.com/

9/17 Mary Abreu http://confessionsofacraftaddict.com/

9/18 Kristin Esser http://s951969256.onlinehome.us/

9/19 Me https://pattymurphyhandmade.com/