Behold: A Test Run

I bargained with myself this morning that if I got the sashing done on all my sampler blocks, I could start practicing for the Drunkard's Path QAL. I got 10/12 of them done, hit a road block and moved on to picking fabric for my test run. :P

I wanted to make sure I could do these curved seams to my liking before cutting up a bunch of fabric for a quilt. Success! I'll be making this into a table topper. I used these fabrics because I wanted to use a fall-ish palette. It looks red an yellow but it's really more subdued and harvest-y in person. Maybe I'll give it to my mom or something since she has these colors in her kitchen.

The Drunkard's Path Quilt Along is being hosted by Kristie @OCD and Kate @Needle and Spatula. I used Kate's block tutorial and if you'd like to read more about my go at it, I've included some more pictures and details after the break! Simply click the "read more" link below.

My quilty mentor suggested I try Magic Sizing to aid in pressing. I'm addicted. I will never not use this product ever again. It's only like a dollar or two at Walmart which makes it a no-brainer.

I sprayed the fabric before ironing and it seemed to help stick the squares together while I cut multiple layers (2-4) of them on a curve with my small rotary blade.

Sorry about the awful photos. The lighting in my house is so bad it's not even funny! Aside from carrying my mat outside every time I want to photograph something, there isn't much I can do about it. Full speed ahead!

I almost didn't believe Kate when she said not to use pins for this. But I went with it and she was right!  I have a 1/4in foot that the lady at the quilt shop told me I had to have, but it actually never worked for me until I used it for this. I realized later in the process (when using a pin to line up seams) that this foot doesn't like pins. Go figure! With my regular foot I just always sew over them, living on the edge and whatnot. BUT, the little guard thing on this foot doesn't let them go under it, causing the fabric to push out of the way and ruin your seam allowance. No pins = no problems. Krista = total space cadet!

Pressing these open took a tiny bit of finesse. I always press seams to the dark side unless I'm trying to avoid bulk, but in this case that wasn't an issue. I picked up each block by the dark corner and ironed flat the light fabric.

After pressing the light fabric to the board, I gently pulled on the dark corner while continuing to press on the light side. Eventually the seam settles in and lays flat. Then I spritzed the seam with some Magic Sizing and pressed until dry. The starch really helps stiffen the blocks every so slightly, making them really easy to work with. Major time-saver.

It was easy to square these blocks up after pressing. Mine were very much not perfect after piecing but trimmed up just beautifully. I was surprised and excited by how little my scrap pile was after I was done :D

 I tried out several different layouts. These two were front runners, for sure.

But, in the end I decided to go with the layout that originally caught my eye and had me hooked on drunkard's path blocks. I used felt as batting because I had noting else and figured it would work just fine for a table topper. Right? Let me know if this is a major faux pas lol.

I got halfway through machine quilting with my walking foot when my thread started breaking. I lost my energy and decided to let the project rest for a night. Whew, was that enough information for you? Is anyone still reading this?!

Thanks for sticking with me, now go join the Drunkard's Path Quilt Along hosted by Kristie and Kate. I command you to! And don't forget, this was just a recap of my trial run this afternoon, using Kate's excellent block tutorial. Kristie posted one using a Go! Baby fabric cutter, which you can find here.

Linked up with Karen's Sew Darn Crafty party and Heather & Megan's Fabric Tuesday. You should check them out!