a cog's tale
Here is the process I use to assemble a laPassacaglia rosette. Every little shape has its own important role in this masterpiece. Truly a "sum of the parts"- type project!
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| the completed rosette |
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I use a water-soluble pen to trace my paper shape onto my fabric. I then find the repeat in the fabric design, and trace the next 9 exactly the same. Using about a 3/8" seam allowance, I hand cut around my traced shapes. I'm old-school about this part. Some choose to rotary cut these; I don't trust myself to keep from cutting into the next shape!
Fussy-cutting is definitely wasteful. For this reason, I pick and choose certain elements in each cog to use this technique. I do enjoy the designs I'm able to produce!
I glue-baste my paper shapes. I use a water-soluble glue pen with a thin cartridge to keep from gluing too much of my paper shape. I then fold and clip the prepared shape. I love using Wonder Clips!
One thing I try to do when sewing a fussy-cut piece is look to see that the fabric design matches up when right-sides are together (RST). Everything to the right of my needle (see above) looks good here.
I then add the yellow diamonds around the center star. Now the blue fussy-cut pieces are ready to be joined, but I have a few layouts to choose from. That's another part I love about fussy-cutting fabrics! There are several ways I can arrange the exact same pieces to make a different look.
These stars. They are so tedious and tiny! Love them, or hate them? Either way, they truly give this quilt its unique look. I assemble mine one unit at a time, and then sew the connector diamonds in between to make a partial wreath.
This rosette is complete and ready to add into the quilt.
I then check the quilt schematic to make sure about placement.
At this point, my quilt top is getting weighted from all the paper pieces that are still in place. I've only removed maybe 1/3 of them to date. I find that laying it out on my kitchen table helps to disperse the weight as I sew the cog into place.
And there we have it! All nestled in its permanent home with its vivacious neighbors. On to the next...
-Kamie
Brilliant - thank you for writing this up. The fabrics you've used in the demo make it easy to see what you're describing. Again, I will direct people from the Millefiori/ La Passacaglia English Paper Piecing Facebook group over here so they can see how it's done. We've still got total beginners joining all the time and they have a lot of questions. There are now 960 members!
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful - I love bright colours, so it's my type of quilt. Well done - it must have been a huge amount of work.
Thank you, Wendy! I actually did this post to help a specific person, and thought maybe someone else could benefit from it somehow. 960 members! Wow! I think I might need to take a peek at the group via my husband's FB :)
DeleteLoving all of your IG posts and now this blog! The pictures give a great view into your process, which is so very helpful. I love the photos that show your fussy cut hexagons, and the various design options based on orientation. And I was fascinated at how you chose to fussy cut your hexies; I'm so stiff with my design "eye", but you have just opened it wide open! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura! You know, sometimes I choose a completely random place in my fabric for fussy cutting & find the repeat afterward. It's always a surprise to see how it comes out. Especially with these rosettes-
DeleteOh my! This is so perfect! Fussy cutting is at its best when you create these great secondary designs. I am so tempted to pick up this pattern.....like I need another project!
ReplyDeleteOooh! I'm sure if you took the leap, yours would end up being the Belle of the Ball! I love your style so very much, Mary!
DeleteHi Kamie! I am partyof8ourstory and just found you on IG this past week. I started a la Passagliia quilt but haven't worked on it much. I think those tiny triangles are going to be the death of me! I can't seem to find a seam allowance that works easily. 1/4" is too much and everything else is too small. I read that folding the base first and then the pointy top and the sides last should help but haven't tried it out yet. Have you found a folding method that is working for you? Are you using clips to use less glue? Thank you for this helpful post! All of your cogs are gorgeous; I love all of that color!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm following your lovely feed, too! As for the star points, I do fold the base first. I haven't needed to try any other method. And the clips do help secure the fabric better to the paper shape, so I probably do use a little less glue. I'm so glad I decided to use the clips, b/c I was using hubby's old medical texts, and they were way too cumbersome! This project, for me, has been a hot & cold thing. I find I do have to take a break every so often from it. I'm sure you can envision your finished quilt somewhat in your mind & hopefully it's a good motivator to help you along. You'll be glad you did it! Looking forward to your progress!
ReplyDeleteHI Kamie. Someone I've met through the la passacaglia facebook page (Linda S) would really like to get in touch with you via email. She is currently working on the New Hexagon Millefiore quilt in the same color palette as you've used on your la passacaglia quilt. Might not have a blogger profile, so might not be able to comment here. If I had your email I've lost it sorry. I don't want to type her email here, but if you email me then I can put you in touch with each other. Thank you very much. Wendy
ReplyDeleteI'm just noticing these amazing quilts! I know! Where have I been? not on Instagram maybe? Found you via Mary and Patch. This is so beautiful! I am just going to watch for a while- I think it would be a lifetime project for me!
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