Machine-Piecing

When I was a candidate for the title of master craftsman in quilting through EGA, the requirement was that every stitch be done by hand except for one side of a quilt binding. That was true of all six projects that were submitted for the scrutiny of the judges. In the past, I have done machine-piecing but even though I have been quilting for 30 years, I decided to sign up for a "Craftsy.com" class with Kaye England called "Re-piecing the Past: Civil War Blocks then and now." I am so happy I did!

A lot of invaluable tips are shared in the class, and block after block is taught via videotaped segments that are clear and understandable. However, I am glad that I have had some prior experience with machine-piecing. A beginner would have a difficult time keeping up. I had difficulty with one block but I will try it again now that I have reviewed the lesson a second time.

Here is a photo of one of the quilt blocks I enjoyed making. I did not have an appropriate toile fabric to add for the center so I chose to include the image of a lady wearing a Civil War dress.

I am not sure if I will make a Sampler Quilt with all of the blocks. I feel that the class is a point of departure and the knowledge I learned is transferable to other projects. There are still several blocks remaining to try my hand at. I feel more confident now that I understand the processes of joining triangles by machine. I highly recommend the class. I appreciate the fact that I was able to purchase it on sale and that there is unlimited lifetime access to the class content.

Oh, and I did finish the master craftsman program in the year 2000. So you see, one can teach an old dog new tricks! This was certainly a good refresher course and a chance to become re-acquainted with my sewing machine after spending years in quilt research and publishing so many books and articles!