I want to make another POTC sample to frame like this one (above). I have a frame and a good place to hang it.
The blocks are a smaller variation of the POTC block and my method works for all of the variations shown in the Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses book.
The window template on the fabric is inspiring. This small piece of a favorite fabric was lost for a long time and I think I will have just enough for this variation.
Start POTC by Machine
Every Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses (POTC) block starts with a simple 4-patch, so I chain piece by machine.
Then I sew the 12 hexagons to surround the 4-patch in sets of 3—again by machine.
Sewing from crosshair to crosshair slows down machine piecing a bit but it is still faster than sewing by hand (or whip-stitching for EPP!!!)
I know it is perfectly accurate thanks to the lines and crosshairs printed on the fabric with Inklingo.
Finish the POTC Block by Hand
After a fast start by machine, I have a lovely portable project to sew in the family room with Russ. Ahhh. Bliss.
I sit at the table, chat with Russ, and sew from crosshair to crosshair with a running stitch, backstitching every time I load the needle. (There are 3 short videos on the Main Lucy Boston Page under the tab.)
Continuous stitching means I can turn a corner at the end of the seam and keep on going. Very relaxing. Think of continuous stitching as the hand piecer’s answer to chain piecing. It makes hand piecers LOVE the inset seams that machine piecers avoid!
I felt happy the whole time I was sewing this.
A combination of machine and hand piecing (hybrid) might make you smile too—especially when you see how quickly and beautifully it presses!
I recommend pressing each block as you go. It only takes a minute and if you start with all of the centers pressed in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise), it works perfectly all across the whole quilt top.
You might even want to frame your work “wrong side up” like I did with another hexagon quilt for our bathroom.
No Waste Fussy Cutting—Modified!
I will show you a modified variation of No Waste Fussy Cutting next. I can hardly wait to sew more POTC blocks for this sample.
Modified No Waste Fussy Cutting might surprise you!
Sounds interesting Linda, waiting……..
I’m working on the photos for it today, Pat. I’m glad you are interested!
A modified variation of no-waste fussy cutting?? I’m so intrigued! I can’t wait to see what it is!
One of the projects I’m working on is with the .50” hexagons. A friend was visiting today and, while she thought the front of it was pretty, she absolutely loved the back and said that’s what she’d want to show off. I told her you had framed a piece showing the back for that very reason. What timing!