What a Waste!
Yes, I know I've probably discussed this with you before but I've forgotten everything you told me. Bear in mind, I've been blogging over 4 years, I'm 4 years older and I have lots of new talented bloggy friends. :-)
Look at that mess - I've been using snippets to start & stop all my seams when I'm sewing. I've decided it's a waste of thread and effort. Sigh! Many of you use a 'leaders and enders' system to make second blocks - what's your method for getting organized? Would you please share some tips with me?*
If you've read the Stash Manicure blog this week there are two fantastic posts about 'leader and ender' projects.
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Maybe I'm just doomed to use the snippets of fabric! LOL
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I've been sewing like the wind the past two days - there's definitely a smile on my face and a song in my heart!
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Are you having a good week?
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In Friendship!
31 comments:
I keep saying I'm going to use leaders and enders but I haven't done it yet. One of these days! :0)
I used "snippets" for a while, then decided it really was a waste of time -- I could be sewing something to keep. Now I keep stacks of pieces beside my machine to feed through whenever I stop sewing the "real" project. My Kitchen Sink quilt was a thread-saver project. Four-patches are great, too.
Whatcha workin' on?
I saw that post too, it's a good idea. I'm thinking I should do this, if I do and actually make something I'll let you know.
I have the pieces for a scrappy quilt cut and next to my machine. It uses lots of 4 patches, so in the end I will have all the 4 patches made for the other quilt. It's like a 2 for 1. ;-)
I'm loving the leaders/enders method...I'm a reformed snippets/scrap user! I precut the whole project and keep it in either a box or baggies to the right of my machine, with all the pieces for each block together, and just keep feeding the pieces through at the beginning and the end of strip sets. I have two projects going now and when I get tired of one, I work a little on the other...try it...it's fun!!
I thought Leaders and Enders was a good idea too but had trouble finding something that would work for me. I find that coin quilts using left over 2.5 x 5" pieces is good, no thinking or planning other than sewing a set number in a line. I look for easy patterns that I can use for this work. I had left overs from a blue and green quilt so I found the Between friends and have been happily making 4 patch/16 patch units to eventually make into this beauty. I think, for me, the key is something I can do without having to think too much. I love the concept. I have actually made a baby quilt using this and like I said am now on my second one using the BF pattern.
Oh and one more thing, I just saw that if you take the 2.5 x5 either from a JR or half a charm, you can make awesome dresden pieces, so this might be a cool thing to do too!
Bonnie Hunter has a great new book called "Adventures with Leaders and Enders". I always work two quilts at once and just use the piecing for the next quilt as my leaders and enders. Right now I have four quilts started and use whatever scraps work for each quilt. Soon, I'll have four new quilts!
I don't use leaders and enders - never had any need to I guess. My featherweight machine starts perfectly without any trouble so I save the time of using the leaders/enders. I suppose I'm just a lucky one. Plus I'd never know what to do with them all.
I don't use leaders and enders. I can't seem to wrap my brain around sewing two quilts at the same time :-D I have a vintage singer and it sews beautifully but I usually like to hold down the thread when I begin sewing just in case. I think it's just out of habit from my other sewing machine.
Hello, Darlene! First off thank you for the lovely response to my previous comment! I had a lovely time away from the city heat! I have caught up on your posts since coming back, and happy to hear the result from your DH check-up is positive! Puh!
Secondly, welcome to the club ;o) I'm a big fan of leaders and enders, but I'm not the most organized one. Sometimes when I have two projects on the go at once I use one as a l/e for the other one, which work very well. And I usually have a box of 2" scrap squares sitting by my sewing machine, so whenever I don't have a second project on the go that needs small piecing I use these to make small fourpatches. Sometimes I have plans for these cuties, other times I don't. That cute little Plan C Schnibble I told you about is the result of a clean up in the pile of finished scrappy four patches ;o) Just give it a try, and you'll find a system that works for you!
Hugs and stitches from me
Being a "snippets" user, I was intrigued by Bonnie's leaders and enders when I first heard of them and even got her great book. So, I decided to take the plunge and cut out red & white squares for a snowball quilt and starting using those squares and my leaders/enders. I did pretty good for awhile, but it does require some extra thought, so I do revert back to my old "snippets" when I get lazy :o) It is a great idea though!
I cut scraps into 1.5" squares and just pick up a light and a dark and stitch them together. Then, when they are all stitched together, I pick up 2 pairs and sew them together into a strip. Then I pick up 2 strips, then 2 2-strip pieces. I am ending up with a 16 patch that will finish at 4". I think I may have 50 or more of these finished.
I haven't got the knack of the whole leader/ender thing. I started with a little project and ended up workig on that exclusively!!
I used to use one piece of fabric that got sewn over a gazillion times, then I just threw it away. I don't really have that much room around my machine. I try to chain piece as much as possible, and if I have to cut the thread, I do it and don't feel guilty about it. Maybe someday I'll try a leader/ender project.
I'm not sure I understand the whole thing. I use my leftover binding pieces to start a project but it didn't occur to me to end the same way, I'm going to try that. I've never tried sew more than 1 quilt at a time, maybe I should experiment.
I haven't used the Leaders and Enders method yet but after reading about it on my blog... I think I am going to give it a try. I like what Anne Ida and Mama Spark have said. Great ideas!
I usually resort to snippets to start & stop I tend to use the same 2 over & over & over so that you can't tell what the original fabric was. . . .so there is alot more thread on my snippets than what you show.
Lately though I have started to use the "extra" triangles from making other blocks (like snowball) with squares as starters & stoppers.
Once the triangles are finished I don't press them or anything. . .they just go into a plastic shoebox until I feel like working with them.
My thought is that I will use them for a scrappy Broken Dishes doll quilt or something. . . but for right now I'm not worrying about them.
Gee, I'll try to get something as a visual aid on my blog to better explain what I do.
I'm just now trying to set up a leader-ender project for the first time. Since you have already done so much cutting recently, you should be able to have a box or stack of pieces to sew next to you and just start putting together parts. The only hard thing I see with this method is remembering to pick up the leader-ender each time you put something under the needle, LOL!
I use the snippets. I glad to read I am not the only one.
someone suggested Bonnie Hunters technique and book. they are excellent. I think someone mentioned her on Stash Manicure before. I always used the little leftovers from binding for my "stopper/starters" but after hearing about Bonnie's method and trying it, it is all I do now. I think of it as a BOGO (buy one, get one) that the local grocery stores have...you're working on one project and in a very short amount of time (for me it was about a month)you have enough units for another quilt! I made scrap 9-patch blocks and scrappy snowball blocks for my 1st one. I would recommend trying it out, Bonnie has a blog and website with tutorials as well. I'd link for you but alas I'm on my daughters laptop as my computer is having "issues"...
I do like several people have said and try to have 2 things going at the same time...I get much more of 1 project sewn, but a good start on the 2nd one...and no waste.
Leaders and enders don't work for me either. I'd rather sit down and do 100 or so, all at one time, rather than fiddling with various color combinations. I DO cut my extra fabric bits into specific strips and THAT works for me.
I do a really good job of using the leaders and enders technique within the same project to conserve thread so I do that. Have tried to keep a separate project at hand in order to use them for leaders and enders but have found I just can't concentrate on more than one project at a time at the machine. Too confusing.
You have a lovely blog, I will be back!
I think leaders and enders is a great idea, but most of my quilt projects are chain pieced, so I only use a few pieces from other projects as I go.At least this way it keeps details from another project fresh in my mind so I know exactly what is going on with it.
Have been catching up on your blog and I am so happy to hear that Mr Daze is ok.. :o)) And that you have lots of quilts in progress... so I will sit back and see what you will make... and enjoy..:o) HUGS!
I use snippets too but I cut them from strips or the selvage part I cut away
I like them to be about an 1" x 2"
I tried the leader ender thing and didn't like it
just mho.
Kathie
I love doing leader/enders and, like Quilter Kathy, find sometimes the project I'm using for leader/enders switches places with my main project :) If I have not planned ahead well, I'll just grab two pieces from the scrap bag, then add a third piece, etc. ala Bumble Beans 15 Minutes Project to use later http://www.bumblebeansinc.com/2010/07/got-15-make-fabric.html). The key is to not have to think about the two pieces you grab for the ender.
Being a processor of fabric scraps I keep a bin of 2.5 square by my sewing machine and sew a light to a dark when ending or beginning a chained project. They add up so fast; When the 2sie bucket is full I iron them and make 4 patch, iron and put away; I have a few bags ready to use.
I have been using the pieces of Amanda's quiltalong lately (CrazyMomQuilts). That is basically what I do. If I am piecing a pretty simple and repetitious quilt then I just keep it by my and work along on it while I am doing other things. It at least keeps it moving.
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