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