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How to: Piecing Free Form Triangles with Jean Wells

Jean is a home, staying safe and busy in her studio. She wanted to share a technique she's been having fun with: piecing free form triangles. 

Here are her instructions:

I stitched together several free form triangle blocks in a palette of fabrics from Cotton and Steel, In The Woods collection, that just called out to me to play with.

Notice in the sample above, none of the triangle shapes are exactly alike. The differences give it more of a playful feeling. Also notice that the triangle shapes do not reach the top of the blocks.

To create your own triangles...

1. Cut free form triangles, no two alike. Remember to allow for a 1/4” seam allowance on all three edges.
2. Measure the height of the tallest triangle and add 1 1/4” to that measurement. Cut a strip of background fabric to the measurement you just calculated, if using all the same fabric for the background. When not using the same background fabric for all blocks, cut as you go--but do make sure to have at least 1 1/4” more background fabric at the top edge of your triangle. It can always be trimmed off later.
3. Lay your triangle on the background fabric right side up. Place the straight edge of a ruler along the edge of the triangle. Cut along the edge of the ruler.
4. Place the background fabric on top of the triangle with right sides together. Begin at the bottom of the triangle, and stitch the fabrics together. Press the seam allowance toward the triangle.
   
5. Place the straight edge of the ruler on the right hand side of the triangle with right side facing up. Trim off the excess background fabric at the top of the block so you have a straight edge for your next seam.
6. Lay the triangle piece on the strip of background fabric right side up. Place the straight edge of the ruler along the right hand edge of the triangle and cut through the background fabric.  Sew, right sides together, as you did in step 4.
7. Trim your block into a rectangle as follows: Trim the bottom of your block flush with the bottom of the triangle. Cut sides a minimum of 1/4" from widest part of triangle, and the top should a minimum of 1 1/4" from the top point of the triangle.

This technique can also be used to create a border of triangles like the one below.

Keep the background fabric all the same and work from left to right inserting triangles. Cut a strip of background fabric the full length you need and cut and insert triangles one at a time as described above. 

 

 

Piece & Play with Jean: Project 6

The December issue of Piece & Play for American P&Q. It has been a fun experience for me and I have really enjoyed hearing from people and visiting with those of you who have visited the store. I saved the “Composition Planning” for the last issue as I find once you became familiar with new techniques it is nice to make a more complex piece.

 

Launching the Idea

 For me an “idea” or inspiration photo is perfect to launch the color and line search. Early spring colors are some of my favorites as pieces of winter still exist in the landscape. Put on your detective hat and start collecting ideas. I love this photo of the weathered wood fence with the lichen. 

Writing down words or phrases is also helpful in launching a project.

---- spring green—bright light, clear blue sky, fresh, winter ground, new beginnings---

 

I am one of those people that needs an idea behind the project.

 When pulling possible fabrics for the quilt keep the word “auditioning in the back of your mind. Then you have plenty to choose from and don’t get so stuck on finding the perfect fabric. Slight variations of a color will make the color more powerful in a piece.

 

 If you have been working on any of the Piece & Play projects and would like to share, use the hashtag #APQlearnalong or e-mail Jean at [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piece & Play with Jean: Project #5 Journal Cover

With the fifth installment of Piece & Play in the American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, Jean shows us how to create your very own unique and stylish Journal cover.

From American Patchwork & Quilting October 2015 issue.

I love how this Journal cover turned out. As I worked through picking fabrics for a winter palette Barbara was thinking summer as you can see! Seasons are a great way to put you into a mood of colors and with the hot summer we have had her journal cover reminds me of my zinnias which are going crazy at the moment.

She created a cover with one fabric and quilted that. The smaller panel was pieced with the circles being appliqued down. Then she went to town on big stitch hand stitching with size 8 cotton pearle. To line the panel, place it right sides together with a backing and sew around the edges leaving a 2” opening for turning. Turn to the right side and press. The panel was hand stitched to the front of the journal on the sides and bottom creating a pocket. 

A 1 ½” x 6 ½” tab was created and hand stitched to the front. When the journal is closed it comes around to the back and is secured with sticky Velcro. The decorative pieces on the back were made the same was as the other decorative panels. 

As you can see the Journal Cover is a very fun project to try out new techniques or create a personal statement for a gift or for yourself.

 

Jean's Journal Cover with a Winter feel.  

 

 

 If you would like to share your Piece & Play creations, post on Facebook and Instagram and use the hashtag #APQlearnalong or e-mail Jean at [email protected] . 

 

 

Piece & Play with Jean: Project #4 Table Runner

Welcome back to another Piece & Play project with Jean Wells from the 2015 August issue from American Patchwork & Quilting.

Color Play Table Runner! An ever classic project using Jean's slice-and-dice piecing method as well as color play! 

 

 

 Jean, keeping to the color paler she started with, chose to create her table runner in a green apple with small sections of blocks using her slice and piece method. In this runner, a little color can make a big impact on the finished piece. Other than the background green, you can see hues of blues were also taken into consideration. The colors work perfectly.

 

 

You can see Jean was quite clever to use just a little bit of color to help accent the runner by making your eyes travel from one color patch to another. Also adding in a very thin strip on reds and blues between the blocks for just a little more color, but not too much to distract from the main blocks. 

Such a simple look with quite a bit of technique. 

 

 You can see Barbara's runner took on a different look, using bigger pieces as well as more strips than blocks. With Barb's color pallet, she chose to stick with a neutral background and used a more rich color tone using natural greens and spiced reds, with a few spots of color to break up the strip flow. Keeping the quilting to a minimal, Barbara did a variation of stitch in the ditch with natural lines. More focus to the blocks than the quilting. 

Just like Jean's runner, Barb's is simple but has such a great impact of colors. 

 

To see more works like this and to pick up your own color palette, visit the Stitchin' Post at www.stitchinpost.com 

 

Piece & Play with Jean Wells: Project #3

Welcome to the third installment of Piece and Play with Jean and Barbara at The Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, OR.   www.stitchinpost.com

Greetings!

Have you had time to try the skinny insert strip technique yet? It will take a couple of times to get the hang of it but it has so much potential in your original design projects. Always remember to make the color high contrast so it will show since you are going to all of that work.

 

 

On our “sew day” Barbara decided to make her bag twice as large and just purchased a longer zipper. Look how the yellow insert shows up on her bag. Barbara’s bag is designed with larger rectangles and two lines of detail piecing. I really like the top-stitching that she did with the orange thread before the bag was stitched together. These are the small touches that you can use to personalize the projects that you make.

Have fun with the bag project!

Jean

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Previous Installments can be found here:
Piece & Play Project 2

Piece & Play Project 1

Follow along with American Patchwork & Quilting's staff blog:
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/

Find patterns, techniques, and more info on their website:
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/learnalong

 

Piece and Play with Jean Wells: Project #2

Welcome to Piece and Play with Jean and Barbara at The Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, OR.   www.stitchinpost.com

Envelopes are one of my favorite projects to make as gifts……I have made them in letter size as well as tablet size for men as well as the girls. When I make them for a gift I think about the person and their taste level and try to personalize the fabrics for them.

Notice how I was able to come up with a very different color combination this issue using the palette pac chosen in the very beginning. I love using this idea with my students and having them create several small studies out of the same pile of fabric. I would love to see what you are doing. Send me pictures---jean@stitchinpostcom!

On this 9” x 12” size envelope, my very first one I overlapped raw edges of some scraps ¼”,  Pressed the pieces to the Fast to Fuse. Then I free motion quilted the surface, You do see some frayed edges here and there but I have used it for two years and it still looks good.

 

Look what Barbara created this month! The wonky log cabin blocks just sing on the soft taupe background. When you are looking at fabric and making choices it is so easy to pick all bright or all warm tones, etc. but when you can consider a dull or cool fabric with the others it will make them look more important.

I love watching how Barb works her palette box for each assignment. Giving yourself lots of possibilities in the beginning is always helpful.

At The Stitchin’ Post we carry the 20” wide Fast to Fuse. The product is like a stiff interfacing with fusible web on both sides. So It is very helpful to use an Applique Pressing Sheet under it when you are fusing the fabric to it.