This week marks the 2nd Great Canadian Blogathon.

Sew Sisters, in Toronto, approached me and asked if I would like my blog

to be linked in with the Ontario bloggers for that day, Saturday, Nov 23rd.  Wow!!  Yes!!

I was thrilled!  I have only been blogging for 10 months but it is alot of fun.  I

enjoy writing and quilting, so it is a good fit .  And I have met so many people online

who love what I love too.

You can check out the Blogathon here:  http://www.sew-sisters.com/

Lots of cool prizes to be won too.

For those of you who don’t know me:  I am a longarm quilter, living just outside

of Barrie, Ontario.  My business, Stitching Impressions has been up and running for over

8 years now.

I love all aspects, forms and types of quilts and quilting.

Now, on to more exciting things.  This past week, I have been working

on a large hand pieced (94″ x 94″) Around The World” Quilt.

All the squares are 1″ and were hand pieced and cut out by hand too.  That

fact alone, makes me giddy.

Justs a few things to remember when working with hand  pieced quilts:  when

they are on the frame, some of the piecing will “pop” open.

When this happens, you have 2 options:  ignore the hole and keep

on trucking or repair it.  It does take some time but well worth the effort

to fix the repairs first. I am also going to try to sew the binding on this quilt

while it is still on the frame.  This will be a first for me.

I am also getting very excited to being close to finishing all of the 16 blocks for this

quilt.

Sue Garman is the  pattern maker.  I am debating whether to add the

border or not.  What do you think?

I had to make some more bias strips last night and here are a few photos of that

procedure.

The binding strip needs to be cut on the bias, as later it will be

easier and more manageable to stitch on a curve.  1/2″ is the size of

the cut piece of fabric. Also, remember to spray starch this piece of fabric,

before you put it through the bias maker.  It will help the bias strip to stay folded and

make a nice crisp, clean, straight edge for you.

Here is the gadget I use to make a 1/4″ bias strip.  I would recommend

this gadget  over any metal or plastic bar.

This is alot faster and no burnt fingers.

This is how you put the fabric into the bias gadget.  Make sure that

the end is angled, making  it easier to go into the bias gadget.  Sometimes, I use

a sharp object, such as a metal awl to push the fabric through to the other side.

This is what  the bias strip  looks like when it  is beginning to come out the

other end. Please remember that the right side of the fabric is on the bottom

of the gadget here. This tip is very important or your bias strip will be inside out.

The picture above shows you the bottom side of the gadget.

Now, you are ready to iron -not press.  Use your left hand ( I know, I am right handed)

to pull the green bias gagdet to the left.  As you do so, keep pushing

the iron right up to the tip of the gadget maker.  It does have a metal tip

so it  won’t melt or burn. Just remember to go slow.  It does

make beautiful bias strips quickly.

As you can see in the photo, the strips are fast, straight and crisp.

What more could you want from a bias strip?  I showed you both

the front of the strip and the back so you can see how it folds in

together in the middle.

Hope you check out the Canadian Blogathon.  I am also linking up

with the Needle and Thread Network.

http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/

Have a great week and enjoy the Great Canadian Blogathon.