The Tucker Trimmer and ME

Okay right.  I am making a quilt for my darling granddaughter Chloe who is almost 9 months old so guess I've been promising this quilt for say almost 9 months but I'm finally making it.  After a lot of deliberation (I am a type 'A' personality so it has to be perfect in every way - perfect choice and perfectly made) and many many months - well 9 of them to be precise but it might actually have been longer I started on Sunday I think.

Here is a picture of Chloe because you so NEED to see her - you really do. And here she is

My personal favorite.  A biscuit (cookie) in her mouth

and one in each hand.  Guess who found the biscuits???

Here she is reading

Well she's really smart - she takes after ME!!!

So after seeing and buying and downloading loads of patterns I finally decided on this one:

which you can buy here

Right I'm in love with this and I've been collecting charm packs for quite a while amongst the rest of my stash which shall remain nameless.  But let's just say it isn't small.  So I started out with two charm packs like this, and as you know Charm Packs by Moda are 5" square and cutting out a load of 5" squares (I'm getting so much better at cutting out anything using a ruler and my trusty rotary cutter) when I have lines is no problem at all so what next

   

I ironed all the white fabric, because you have to do this, no I didn't iron it - I PRESSED it.  Because ironing is a big no no and pressing is a HUGE yes.  Now, as you can see I marked two lines on either side of the center and I know it was the center because my trusty Quilters Magic Wand told me I was bang on in the center of this and if I drew a line either side I would get two quarter inch seams and then be able to cut right down the middle of the two squares I've sewn together using the lines for guidance and voila all would be good!  Really???  Somehow I think not.


Okay so right sides together I stitched with my sewing machine expecting, yep you've got it, when I ironed them open, and the pattern told me to iron the seams open so that there wasn't any bulk when I made up the X's otherwise known as Pinwheels.  So this I did for a while and then thought 'this is killing my junky arm and either I'm going to stop or else my arm is going to give way totally'.  So I stopped around halfway through because I knew I had a seen a uTube thingy that told me how to open up the middles of the pinwheels so they weren't bulky.

Then I got out my trusty Tucker Trimmer just to make sure that the new squares I had made were really square and guess what I found?  Yep!  They weren't square at all.

Which is where all this stuff came from

80, yes 80 Half Square Triangles, so far

have had to be trimmed

Please trust me this is now a PERFECT

4 1/2" square

which is should have been

but wasn't

So now you see why I am so adamant and have now made three posts on my Tucker Trimmer.  Well the first post was really about the Wing Clipper but who is cutting hairs here?  Not me that's for sure.  I will show you one completed X or Pinwheel has been sewn.  BRB (that's Be Right Back if you're new to this blogging thing, which I am not, but you might be and one shouldn't taken liberties with one's readers now should one?  Do I sound Queenish there?  You know enquiring minds and all that). 

(PLEASE EXCUSE ROTTEN PHOTO TAKING

It isn't really squiffy)

Here she is in all her glory - my first

PERFECT Pinwheel or X thanks to

my Tucker Trimmer

Oh, by the way IT STOPPED RAINING here FINALLY we have had three, yes you heard me right 3 lovely sunny days in a row, but apparently on Friday it is going to start again.  I HATE THE RAIN!!!  

Until next time ...  
Lots of Love Patti xxx 
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way

I So Wish

I so wish I had started Quilting years earlier.  Okay I was probably much too busy years ago working and looking after my children and taking care of my home all at the same time but I must have had spare time.  Oh I remember what I did with my spare time then.  I think I slept!!  Yep that must have been it because being an 'A' type person, which I have to admit I'm not that proud of because if I had been a 'B' type person I would have had more fun, probably.

Anyway I am an 'A' type person and I can't change that much as I try because everything does have to be perfect, or as near perfection as I can get it.

But I am quilting now and I have some recently made blocks to share with you.  Unfortunately I didn't use my Tucker Trimmer or my Square Squared or even my Wing Clipper for any of them.  Dumb dumb Patti.  Because if I had they would have definitely have been perfect.  Okay I know now and I have them all I just didn't use them.  That'll teach me.  So here are my imperfect blocks:

These two are for my July Exchange

which has gone to Ireland. The top block is so

much better than the bottom one IRL it

just isn't true.

These two are my June Block Exchange

That are winging their way to the US of A

Believe it or not this is my 

May Block Exchange that is also winging

it's way to the US of A.

Well she did want this block and it's

my first try at making it.

 This is my block for Kilah

They aren't all that bad and I'm not that displeased and hey I can only get better if I use my Deb Tucker rulers.  And NO I am nothing to do with them just a very very happy customer.

Until next time ... 
Lots of Love Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way

I am totally in love ...

with this new(ish) - well it's new to me because even though I bought it ages ago it was still in it's plastic wrap.  What is it, you ask?  Well it's a ruler.  Not just any ruler but a ruler made by Deb Tucker and it is called 'Deb Tuckers Wing Clipper' and with her way of making Flying Geese it turns out perfect every time.

Here are two photos, one is a block I made not using the Wing Clipper and the other one is a sample I made using it.  Okay I goofed up on the sample because instead of putting right sides together I put right side to wrong side but you get the gist of this

This is the less than perfect block I made and this

is so much better, don't you agree?  This little
block I made following Deb's instructions
and using the Wing Clipper ruler and the points are
all perfect unlike the block above this one!

and here is he lady herself demonstrating how to use it

I also have her Tucker Trimmer which I find invaluable.  It is by far the best ruler I have besides the Wing Clipper.  They only thing I've done to either of them is put some Invisi-Grip on the back of them because my hands aren't the best so it helps keep the ruler steady whilst I'm cutting.

I am in no way associated with Deb Tucker just a very very satisfied customer whom she has helped enormously just with her rulers.  There are loads of ways to use
the Tucker Trimmer and Deb has at least 4 more videos on her website 
showing you how.  Just have a look for yourselves.


Deb makes accurate piecing an absolutely doddle and what's more for every ruler Deb makes Deb also has a video explaining just how to use the ruler and instructions come with the rulers too.  So do yourself a favor and if you are having problems cutting and piecing correctly go and look at Deb's website and buy yourself one of her rulers to see how great they are.


I was a very bad cutter and piecer and because of Deb's ruler I now have so much more confidence that I can do a quilt top for my granddaughter which I have been putting off for the last 8 months at least.  So tonight is it and tomorrow  or Saturday more like I will be able to show you the top (or part of it) which I made using the Tucker Trimmer.


Until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way