chain piecing

Do you remember the moment you learned how to chain piece?

I do.  It was a few years after I started quilting when I finally decided to take a class - Quilting 101.  What an eye-opener!  Rotary cutting, strip sewing, chain piecing, quilt sandwiches & proper binding and I was in a whole new world.  I was convinced I could make 634 quilts by the following Saturday.

Sigh.

Almost 30 years later and I have a love/hate relationship with chain piecing.  I love the speed, the methodical fluidity of the process ... I love pressing all those pieces in a row.  And snip-snip-snipping apart the connecting threads.

And can I get an amen for the amount of thread it saves?

But boy does it ever get awfully mo-no-to-nous after a while. 

As in slit-my-wrists, jump-off-a-cliff, "Is 9:00 a.m. too early for a glass of wine?" monotonous.

Thank goodness for iTunes.  And for children who know how to make their mama a perfect cup of tea.

'Cause then all of a sudden (and by "all of a sudden" I mean somewhere in the neighbourhood of three marathon sewing days) this mess ...

turns into the most beautiful and rewarding pile of these ...

and then you forget the pain and agony you went through to get here and remember that you love quilting.

Kinda like having a baby.

Without the placenta.

Comments

[Jennifer]

Oh my gosh! you are SO right on the money with this!!! And look at those fabrics mingling with one another. I admire your ability to bring the Blogger Bundle together with your Stash fabrics.
Have a great day!

[Patti McHugh]

I'm new to the quilting world and I look forward to learning how to do this... one day.

[Melissa]

So pretty! I always love what you are doing!

[jojo]

Oh good grief, you made me snot coffee out of my nose with the placenta comment! too funny. I'm new to your blog and love your color selections. They are so out of my box but I love seeing those soft colors.

[kim]

LOL, and slap me silly-you are hilarious!!! and smack-dab right on with everything you said :) Your blocks are looking gorgeous <3. It's so much fun watching you create.
xx

[greenrabbitdesigns]

Awe Kristyne!!! Yuck, only you could get from pretty fabric to that!!
V x

[A Little Blue Dragonfly]

Oh, my goodness!!! Laughing out loud over here! So loudly, in fact, it made my husband turn around and stare! Yes, we can do without the placenta!
I.LOVE.THIS.POST. My first ever quilt was an Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day Log Cabin. Log Cabins are still my favorite! I just about squealed when I saw the last picture with your stack of finished blocks. :) And the fourth picture down, the one with the bursts of color at your machine, the rotary cutter and mat on the table, the mug of tea, the music on in the background...THAT is what I love best about making a quilt. :)

[shelley]

"I was convinced I could make 634 quilts by the following Saturday." and "As in slit-my-wrists, jump-off-a-cliff, "Is 9:00 a.m. too early for a glass of wine?" monotonous." and "Kinda like having a baby. ... without the placenta"

OMG .... you have hit the nail right sqarely on the head! Terrific post! :-)

[Hildy]

Love your chain of sweetness and swoon over your gorgous pile! And conrats to your great daughters you've taught them well:-)

[Charlotte]

LOL Since I made my first quilts with templates, before I got a rotary cutter and mat, I tend to think of that as monotonous. When I started making nine patches by cutting strips and then sewing together before cutting instead of cutting squares, Ii thought I had I invented the wheel. Chain piecing can be monotonous but oh, the rewards. Much faster than hand cut pieces from templates.

[Archiethewonderdog]

They're gorgeous but you're completely right - that's why most of my sewing is done by hand ;o)

[Leanne]

Exactly! It works so well, but isn't always the most exciting task. Still, the money we save on thread buys more fabric!

[amy]

i LOVE this. especially since my placenta tried to kill me!

[Sara]

I never thought to piece a log cabin block with chain piecing. Interesting!

Yeah those placentas can be tough to get out too;) I know too much info:(

[Denise]

I feel so much better after reading this. I fantasize continuously about quilting, but when I finally get the chance to fire up my machine, 10 minutes in I'm thinking What Was I Thinking? And going crazy! The end is so great...but like some of the others here, I believe I'm better suited to handwork most of the time. Total therapy. 634 quilts: you are sooooo funny. Please don't ever change!

[Silent Scrapper]

You were lucky I wasn't drinking a beverage or eating a snack when you said all those things, including the word, "placenta"! Hoo, hoo, hoo!

I had my first experience with chain piecing when making a friend a quilt. I thought, "Why haven't I learned this earlier?!" Yeah, it can get monotonous, but it gets the job done fast!

Keep on posting those funny posts! :-D

[Kathy]

You crack me up - I just love you!!

[Andrea]

I agree! In fact, I'm planning on purchasing an IPad so I can stream something interesting to listen to, to help numb the pain of that monotonous chain stitching.... I can hand quilt or stitch by hand for HOURS on end and not mind it a bit, but that machine sewing gets to me!

[Pattie]

I first heard of chain piecing during a quilting class many years ago. I naively asked the instructor, "So when is a good time to use chain-piecing?" She laughed and said, "Whenever it's humanly possible!" Little did I know how right she was.

LOVED your post and the log cabin blocks you're creating. SO PRETTY!!

[Sharon]

best kept secret is audibles.com where you can listen to books AND sew at the same time. My two favorite things to do other than eat ice cream!

[Joana]

How does it feel to be someone else's secret temptation---my "who says you have to finish one thing before you start another" wandering from the straight and narrow of an empty UFO basket? Last week, I bought five soft, sweet, pale grey and greeny treasures to start 1/2 inch hexie-diamonds. Now I'm going to have to sort through all my strips and pieces for the perfect log cabin I've been waiting to make.....life is hard. ;)

[Bonnie Nyquist]

This is one of your bet posts ever! i happen to just love chain piecing! And log cabin blocks, just adore it!!! The fabrics together look just great...cannot wait for the next instalment!!!

[Carolyn]

I laughed and laughed and laughed at this post! Thank you! You made my day...

[Lynda]

So, so true! The log cabin blocks are beautiful.

[jan]

OMGoodness! You crack me up. But I'm with ya! And yay for the girls fixing you tea!
Your blogger bundle is looking good with your stash!
xo jan

[Nancy]

YOU ARE SO FUNNY!!! THANKS FOR THAT!

[Lisa C]

Our personal tastes are so different but your creations are absolutely drool-worthy! Love the tale! You are right!

[Rebecca Bird]

LMAO!....and can I get an Amen to that....get all excited ...cut fabric into lots of neat little piles then sew for half an hour and want to stab myself in the eye with boredom...

[Sarah]

I learnt to chain piece a few months back at my first quilting workshop. It was indeed a revelation but oh my so boring ~ Sarah x

[Gillian Dempster]

Looking forward to seeing what this pile of loveliness is going to be. Instead of iTunes have you discovered Pandora Radio? Check it out on your iPhone/iPad/iPod.

[Cindy]

Yes, I do remember! And also, rotary cutting. I remember when I first started quilting, cutting everything out from templates. How primitive!

[Dana]

More LOL-ing!! Love this post so much!

[Debbie R.]

Well, it might be monotonous, but chain-piecing sure gets the job done. And that's a big plus. Your end product (so far) looks fabulous. It's amazing how you are using the new bundle with your stash with such great results. Your colour sense, your work-woman-ship — and your sense of humour — are terrific. Thanks for such informative, beautiful and entertaining blog posts!

[UllaBee]

Gorgeous! And amazingly enough, I love mindless sewing! It is so much easier to sit and sew while I watch a movie with these kinds of projects. Sometimes I get frustrated when sewing projects make me think too much. lol! I love zoning out and just relaxing at my machine... and quick results!!! That said, I really love this whole project and can not wait to see the final pis!!!

[UllaBee]

Oh and I should mention, that I rarely ever sew start to finish like you. I just sew a little here and there, so that might make a difference, too. I wish I was as productive as you!

[Heather A]

I do LOVE chain piecing. I've become positively stingy with my precious Auriful thread.

I had to tell you how I laughed right out loud at the end of your post. Hilarious! Funny girl.

[jenni]

Out of all the blogs I follow I relate best to you! I love every fabric you choose, every pattern you make, and I totally get your sense of humor! I think you are awesome!!

[pam]

Oh I was hoping it was log cabins. They have been on my mind a lot lately. Just catching up here, I am so poor at time management and missing all your happenings. Your pictures are so lovely and I love reading and I feel always inspired. Will I see you in October or will you be moving? Anyway.. xop

[Bari Jo]

LOL... by the way I am studying your pictures and how in the world did you make these log cabins... they look different some how but I can't figure it out....