Beth Ferrier - Sneaky Piecing: Beths 20+ Tips, Tricks, & Techniques for Cutting, Stitching, Pressing, Finishing & More • 6 Quilt Projects

Text copyright 2012 by Beth Ferrier

Photography and Artwork copyright 2012 by C&T Publishing, Inc.

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Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Sneaky Piecing Download

Copyright 2011 by C&T Publishing, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-60705-629-4

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To Kent, who has always been my safe place to land

Many times in my life I have been blessed to have just the right person show up with just the help I have needed to grow and mature. I like to think of these people as my angels with skin on. They have been teachers and friends. There have even been chance encounters with strangers. For them, I will be forever grateful. We truly are the sum of all who have loved us.

Special thanks go to Karen Boutte, the best BFF ever, for talking me in from the ledge, again; to Cyndi Hershey at Red Rooster Fabrics and Patti Carey at Northcott Silk for their generous additions to my fabric stash; to the wonderful folks at Floriani Embroidery, whose thread was used for most of the quilting; and, of course, to the crew at C&Twhat a joy to work with you!

In my universe there is no such thing as one right way to do things. The right way is the way that gives us the outcome we want. I never argue with success. Sure, there may be easier ways, but those ways will be different for each quilter.

What I offer in this book is purely information. Its not meant to be the last word on how anything should be done. It calls no judgment on those who suggest just the opposite. Instead, simply think of these sneaky piecing tricks as additional tools for your quilting toolbox. Someday a technique that has always worked for you may let you down; perhaps something you see here will be just the right solution.

Many of us just picked up the tools and started making quilts, without any real instruction, and weve made it work. But Ive learned some strategies over my (mumble mumble mumble) decades of quiltmaking that Id like to share. Well start simply, beginning with the very basics of cutting, sewing, and pressing. Then Ill explain how to exploit those skills to make piecing more fun and successful. The projects in this book have been designed to give you the opportunity to put your newfound (or newly refreshed) piecing strategies to work, building from basic straight seams to more complex and exciting shapes.

Although I dont think of myself as naturally organized, I do like putting things in order. More than anything, I hate looking for stuff. Im sort of an anti-packrat. If I dont have a place for it, out it goes. (Im not saying that everything is always in its place, just that it has a place.) Being organized (even just a little bit) gives me so much more time to sew. In this book, youll find tons of little organizing tips to help you get the most out of your sewing time.

I also love to create systemsorderly little processes that allow me to relax into my projects without constantly checking and rechecking. I call this thinking once. Youll see fun strategies for this sprinkled throughout the book.

When I started seriously quilting in 1980, I was a stay-at-home mom. Money was tight. For close to fifteen years, I used nothing more than a 6 12 ruler and a generic rotary cutter to cut out my quilt pieces. Worse, instead of a self-healing mat, I used the Formica sink cutout left over from our kitchen remodel. No wonder the blades went dull so quickly! Penny wise and pound foolish, that was. Eventually it dawned on me that having the right tool for the job would make the process easierand lots more fun.

During the second fifteen years of my quilting life, I have hoarded my pennies, used coupons, and shopped the sales to build up my arsenal of quilting tools. Ive brought home tools that have become favorites, as well as more than a few that have fallen into the What was I thinking? category.