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Use diamond shaped blocks for your Valentine’s Day quilt

Use diamond shaped blocks for your Valentine’s Day quilt

by Paul Leger

Yesterday we started working on a Valentine-themed wall hanging. I showed you how Sew Easy templates make easy work of fussy cuts. Today we’re going to start with sewing the pieces together.

Now that the fabric diamond shapes are cut, we’ll start sewing. Before we do that. I’ll lay out the pieces on a design wall to make sure I like the overall color placement and that I know which diamond piece to sew where.

the pieces of diamond shape fabrics are place on point with a central red heart suronded but lighter colored fabrics. The outer pieces of fabris are also red to frame the wall hanging.

Laying out the pieces of cut fabric to audition their placement

Since we’re working with diamond-shaped blocks that will be set in columns and on their point as we’re working on this quilt, we’ll have to remember that the rows will be diagonal.

To piece the diamonds I’ll refer you back to one of my earlier blog posts here on QUILTsocial. The technique I used with dog ears will help as you as you work with diamonds since you want your points to match nicely.

I sew in a chain piecing style as I find it easier.

Pieces of diamonf shaped febrics sewn two by two. As two are sewn two more are sewn and continue until they are all sewn.

Example of a chain piecing

Once you’ve finished your chain piecing you may want to use this great little tool the Heirloom Thread Cutter.

Heirloom brand thread cutter attached to a lanyard and has a threader included in the handle.

Thread cutter that I used for this project.

You’re going to love this little tool. It comes with a lanyard and can be detached and hand held. In Thursday’s blog, I’ll be showing you another fun little tool that is included within this cutter.

When I do a long set of chain piecing I simply slide the chain from one hand to the other while cutting the thread between each sewn pieces! SO quick!

Using thread cutter to cut fabric thread between sewed pieces of fabric on the chain piecing.

Using thread cutter on the chain piecing

Now that all the pieces have been separated it’s time to press the seams open.

Since these are smaller pieces and that there are so few of them to press, I just set up a mini ironing board like the GO BOARD Tabletop Ironing Board w/Iron Rest next to my sewing station.

Also because these pieces are so small, I prefer to use a mini travel iron like the GO IRON Mini travel / Craft Iron. This one has several settings and has a water reservoir for those of us who like steam. It also has a really cool and comfortable grip.

Every seam must be pressed open. I am pressing seams open using a Go Board mini iron on a small ironing board that can be used anywhere.

Pressing seams open using Go Iron and Go Board

All seams need to be pressed open.

As the rows are getting longer all seams must be pressed open.

Pressing all seams open of the wall hanging rows.

Once all the seams have been pressed open, continue sewing until all rows are sewn.

All the fabrics heve been sewn to form diaganal rows.

Rows sewn

Join me tomorrow to complete the Valentine wall hanging!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series.
Go back to part 1: Sew Easy templates make easy work of fussy cuts

Go to part 3: 1 trick to match up diamond shaped block points perfectly

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1 comment

Laura January 13, 2017 - 5:47 pm

I’m liking this series so far. Diamonds are a change up and interesting to me.

Reply

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