The Pixel Project Post #3: Sewing the Blocks Together & A Giveaway

It took me forever to actually start sewing this project. The idea of sewing all these tiny squares together is a little overwhelming. It's a lot of work for very little progress, but I love how they are turning out. I originally planned to make (9) 12" square blocks and piece them together for a 36" wall hanging. That idea changed quickly. I've now decided to make my blocks all different sizes and sash them with scrappy linen pieces and make a usable quilt. I'm also throwing in various solid blocks of shot cottons. I've made five blocks so far. One was used in a pillow. The four blocks below will be included in my quilt. I'm still undecided on how large the quilt will be or how many "confetti" blocks I'll make.

I really wanted to try out the interfacing technique with this project. I originally saw it on Oh Fransson then Angela from Cut to Pieces used Stick-N-Washaway from Pellon on her Mario quilt. Since I have recently signed on as a project designer for Pellon I asked if they would be willing to send me some product. They generously sent a bolt of Stick-N-Washaway for me to try out on these blocks.

There are pros and cons to this technique. If you are concerned about matching corners, using this interfacing technique really helps. I think it would also be very helpful if laying out a completed design such as Angela's Mario blocks. Although, with several extra steps, I'm not sure it actually saves time. I made three blocks using the interfacing technique. I made two blocks piecing normally. Because I am sewing my squares together randomly, I found that sewing my blocks the old fashion way was a bit easier. The trick is consistency. I have a 1/4" foot with a guide that makes a huge difference for me. I just chain pieced, and the block came together relatively quickly. I pressed seams to alternating sides for each row so the seams nested well when matching corners. Overall, it really wasn't that painful. It's pretty brainless sewing that I can do while watching a show on my laptop.

In related news, my first official Pellon tutorial is up! As I mentioned above, I made a pillow using one of my confetti blocks. The full tutorial can be downloaded here. In the tutorial I detail the process of using the Stick-N-Washaway. I found that the blocks can shrink up quite wonky as they are drying. I decided to clip my blocks to an acrylic ruler while they dry to minimize crazy shrinkage. This helped my project, particularly because I'm using a mixture of linen and cotton which shrink at different rates.

Here's a peak at my pillow I put together for the tutorial using with one confetti block. It's a great way to give tiny piecing a try.

Giveaway! Closed

Courtesy of Pellon, I have some Stick-N-Washaway to pass along to two winners. Just leave a comment and I'll sent out two yards for a couple of you to try. I'll announce winners on Wednesday.