Sunday 10 April 2016

Gypsy Wife sections 3 and 4

If you have completed sections 3 and 4 of Gypsy Wife, you might be wondering how it all goes together. The diagram on p.34 of the pattern is kind of helpful but does require a bit of imagination!

You can go ahead and sew section 3 onto your completed sections 1&2, and you can also attach section 4, but you need to leave it partially undone. Yes, it's another partial seam, but they're nothing to be afraid of remember :-)


Here is a picture of my GW with sections 1,2 and 3 sewn together with section 4 lying in place at the bottom. We need to attach section 4 so that next month we can attach section 5 (simple seam), then later section 6 (simple seam), then finally section 7. Section 7 will be attached to sections 4&6, then across the bottom of section 2 (hence needing our partial seam). If that all seems confusing, don't worry, I'll post plenty of photos along the way.

For now, we're going to sew section four onto the bottom of the block that consists of sections 1,2 and 3. As far as I can tell, the HST block should overlap that square in square block you can see by about a 1/4". We're not going to sew all the way to the end though, just to that first orange pin. 




So there it is, attached most of the way across, with a couple of inches of open seam at the end, so we can attach the other parts later. 

If you are making speedy progress with this section (and maybe even section 5), then make a start on section 6. It has a lot of blocks in it so will keep you well occupied :-)

Friday 1 April 2016

Gypsy Wife {Colour Wheel)

I can't believe it's April already! Time to start a new section of Gypsy Wife!
I have changed my mind about the fabrics in section one and two  a couple of times, and I'm finally happy with how it is looking.


Sections 3 and 4 are pretty straightforward. Hydeeann has posted some thoughts about working with HSTs, and I'm going to share a couple of tips today about the Colour Wheel block.

There is nothing technically difficult about this block, the trick is to keep an eye on fabric placement - it is so easy to rotate the pieces when you move them to the machine.

I sewed the large and small triangles together as per the instructions, then laid the pieces out where I wanted them. You can see from the picture below it is easy to get the layout wrong but also easy to correct.



Then I sewed the small triangle pieces to the large triangle pieces.


At this point it becomes a simple nine-patch. Up until this point, I pressed the seams open on the back. When I joined the rows I pressed to the side so the seams would nest together. 

It's a pretty block - I'm looking forward to seeing the different versions appear on IG!


Hydeeann is hosting a linky party for sections 1&2. Follow her instructions below if you want to join in :-)