Scott-Tobisch - Easy precision piecing: a new approach to accuracy & organization for quilters

PUBLISHER: Amy Marson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gailen Runge

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR: Roxane Cerda

MANAGING EDITOR: Liz Aneloski

EDITOR: Lynn Koolish

TECHNICAL EDITOR: Debbie Rodgers

COVER/BOOK DESIGNER: April Mostek

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Zinnia Heinzmann

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Alice Mace Nakanishi

ILLUSTRATOR: Linda Johnson

PHOTO ASSISTANT: Mai Yong Vang

STYLE PHOTOGRAPHY by Lucy Glover and

INSTRUCTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY by Mai Yong Vang of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

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

DEDICATION

Dedicated to my husband, Bernie. A fella can get married and become a husband. It takes heart, caring, and compassion to be a true friend.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the wonderful staff at C&T Publishing for the opportunity to write Easy Precision Piecing. Thank you for your tireless support and patience while writing this book.

To Kimberly Jolly at Fat Quarter Shop, thank you for generously donating the beautiful Baltimore Blues bundles and precuts and to FreeSpirit Fabrics for the contribution of fabric and notions. Thank you also to Suzanne Wenzlick of Suzannes Art House for the lovely rotary cutter charms.

Thank you to my students, past and present, for all your encouragement, questions, and suggestionsyou have made me a better teacher.

I am indebted to my treasured friends who set aside time from their busy schedules to make quilts for me. To my dear friend and FBFF Carrie Lakatos who made Song of Friendship and Plum Pudding while running a household with two young children. To Ione MacLennan who made Muskrat Hollow for her grandson and put off giving it to him so I could include her quilt in this book. To Pat Haslop who in spite of a last-minute call was able to find time to make Sawmill Bay. To Lauren Tolhurst and Faith McLeod for their talents and skillful quilting of the quilts. Without the efforts of all of you, the beautiful quilts in this book would not exist.

To my dear friend Sue Rogers (a.k.a. Sandbox Sue), thank you for teaching me about color, color families, and how to gain further understanding by putting theory into practice while dyeing fabric. I treasure our magical Sandbox Days.

To my chef, sewing machine technician, husband, and best friend, Bernie Tobisch. Thank you for the delicious meals, for keeping Gracie in tip-top condition, and for all your support.

It takes a village to write a book and I am so grateful that each and every one of you is a part of my village. Thank you.

Love, Shelley

the PROJECTS

Pinwheels and Nine-Patches

Sawmill Bay

Plum Pudding

Song of Friendship

Muskrat Hollow

Appleyard Lane

INTRODUCTION to the EASY PRECISION PIECING SYSTEM

Does your ruler slip when cutting?

Do your strips have the dreaded V at the fold?

Do your seams not line up no matter how hard you try?

Do your pieces mysteriously get sewn in the wrong order?

Do you ever wonder which direction to press seams in your blocks?

Does your fabric pop up at the seam after pressing?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Easy Precision Piecing System is for you. Learn about new tools and techniques for cutting, piecing, and pressing that effortlessly lead to precision. With a few simple steps, master the fine art of rotary cutting strips, squares, and triangles with ease. Find new information about thread, needles, stitch length, and the patchwork seam that naturally improve accuracy. Discover Quilt Block Buildersblock blueprints with pressing arrowsand learn how to use them while piecing to keep your units organized and seams pressed for optimal results.

The Easy Precision Piecing System has a few guidelines, involves organization, planning, and new techniques for improved accuracy. These new, simple-to-adapt, skill-building techniques will appeal to all quilters from modern to traditional and beginner to expert. It is presented in a step-by-step, simple-to-understand format. Also included is valuable information on adding borders that hang straight and a new technique for easy mitered binding.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Read about the system (Quilt Block Builders and Quilt Block Bases), and then read on for all the techniques you need to be successful. Even if you are an experienced quiltmaker, I encourage you to look through the entire book before you begin a project. At the end of the book are six projects for you to try out your newfound precision piecing skills.

NOTE: Precision Piecing Keys

Throughout youll see special sections called Precision Piecing Keys. These are tips and techniques that are keys to successful precision piecing. I encourage you to pay particular attention to these sections.

I am so pleased to be able to share this innovative technique with you in this book. I hope it brings you as much joy and success in your quiltmaking as it has brought to me.

QUILT BLOCK BUILDERSand
QUILT BLOCK BASES

Before you get into all the details of how you can sew more precisely than ever, this chapter presents an overview of the Easy Precision Piecing System. For more details on making blocks using the Quilt Block Builders, see Making Precision-Pieced Blocks.

The Easy Precision Piecing System is a piecing blueprint for auditioning, sewing, and storing patchwork blocks. The two major components are Quilt Block Builders (below) and Quilt Block Bases.