I finished assembling all of my strip sets. That was a lot of work deciding which ones went together. Scrappy is not my favorite method for piecing. Then I repeated the process layering 2 strip sets together and cross cutting using the Power Cutting method by Debbie Caffrey. That's not my usual way but I wanted to make sure I had enough width for the 5 sections and that's what worked. Then I repeated the sewing process. No pins were needed for this step, and I am a pinner. I just used my fingers to make sure the seams did not overlap which required a little stretching in places. I decided to press seams open after sewing for awhile so my first strip set sections ended up a little oversized so I made an adjustment to the positioning of the guide bars. It's not easy trimming excess width through all of those seams. Now I have 2 finished blocks to show for days of work and 240 sections ready for making 48 more blocks. I'm thinking of packaging them in sets of 5 and finishing them over a period of time. I may need to do a little sliver trimming on some of them as my first 2 blocks are 1/16" oversize. And I may need to add sashing to my quilt design so the bulky seams won't be next to other pieced blocks. This is the way I do most of my 4-patch, 9-patch, rail fence, and some other blocks, and also whole quilts with a sunshine and shadow type pattern. I like the fact that it makes mirror images which is what is needed for some of these blocks. And if I'm really careful I don't have to square up often.

Annis, thanks for such a good description and photos. You amaze people with your tiny piecing--the double strip piecing trick is brilliant.

I couldn't resist making these cute nine patch blocks. Since I will have no retreaters for at least a month or more I decided I might as well add another project. It's not like I don't already have more than I have time to do but sometimes you just need a break to work on mindless sewing. I'm making mine with 81 half inch squares using the bargello method and my double strip piecing technique. By cutting the strips twice the width and sewing 2 seams down the middle 1/2" apart, at least half of your seams will be accurate. You have to cut that 3rd strip the single width measurement. I don't take time to starch so this method works best for me. To corral the fabric you can use Jaybird & Mais 30/31 1/8" Adhesive Foam cut into 1/2" x 5" strips. Coating it with 1 or more layers of 3M Nexcare flexible clear tape will make it a little stiffer and keep the lint away. Both available on Amazon and 1 roll of each will make enough strips to last forever. You can share them with your friends. Use a ruler to help position the strips accurately (1/4" less than your single cut strip width away from the needle on the left side plus a little more to make a scant seam allowance). The right side should be next to the edge of the fabric but not touching so the fabric will feed smoothly. I usually layer my fabrics before cutting and sew with the lighter fabric on top. Sew a sample strip from scraps until you get it exactly right. Of course I'm using my new and improved seam guide underneath that has all of the markings on it and is still waiting for instructions.

I have all of the initial strip sets done, the center section of the block, and enough strip sets assembled to do 2 more sections. I've decided 48 blocks is enough to do a lap size quilt. Working an hour here and there may get them done in no time. I'm thinking of doing stack 'n whack kaleidoscope blocks for the applique blocks if I can find the right fabric.

Thanks, Margo, for this info. I am posting a blog with photos of your process—thanks for this.

Nfiegirl, I “chunky cut” my fabrics (Sue’s instructions call for 8”x10” for these double nine patch blocks) then lay them out flat on an old beach towel. I use a 50-50 mixture of water and Sta-Flo liquid starch in a spray bottle to saturate the fabrics and leave them overnight to dry. I steam them for a crisp fabric that makes cutting and piecing a lot more accurate. I still use Barbara’s recommendations to carefully measure each step of the way. The smaller the pieces, the more important it is to be accurate!



I also used the same background for my double 9-patches, and mathematically figured 3.22 yards for that.
I starched 3-1/2 yards, chunky cut into 10”x 21” pieces.
Hope this helps.

Barbara...what is the Sta-Flo method that Margo used? Also, If I want to use the same background fabric in the 9-patch block, what would the approximate yardage be? Pat

around doing some upholstering for my daughter's restaurant, and wrangling the two grandsons I started assembling the strip sets for the 9-patches. Thanks to reading Barbara's blog, I was being really careful, did a lot of measuring and a bit of reversing. I think I may starch the next batch before cutting. Hopefully I can begin cutting and putting the ninepatches together tomorrow.

Got my first double nine patch done this morning. Only 63 to go. I am sure my stack like Margo's will
take me a long time to do. HelenW

I don't have trouble with the Quilters Select 60 or 80 wt threads shredding in my Bernina 765--same model as the 770. The usual reasons for shredding is bad needle, wrong size needle or tension too tight or top thread getting caught on the spool pin/guides. They are fine threads so can slip around the spool pin or guides.

I know it's frustrating. When you finally diagnose the reason it's usually a head-slap moment. Good luck and let us know how you solved it.

Barbara, Thank you so much for all your hints. After following your procedures I was happy with my "very close" to 2 inches on my first strips. Just wondering, if you or anyone else has had shredding issues with Quilter's Select threads? I put in a new needle, have my straight stitch plate on, rethreaded, checked the bobbin, etc. Love the idea of using it for piecing, but it is getting old stopping to fix all the time. Any hints? I have a Bernina 790 Plus. Thanks in advance!

Wow Margo. That is quite the stack of 9 patches!

NanaPie, I am working on a blog post to show it.

Margo gets great piecing results from saturating chunks of fabric with a 50/50 starch water solution. Allow to dry overnight, press with steam, then cut those narrow strips. The fabric is firm and stable so her piecing is very precise.

Barbara or Margo, what is the Sta-Flo method you're referring to?

Wow, Margo! They look great!