Klosjes

I have put together my 4" klosjes ..... and gosh darn it, but it sure looks good (do you agree?). In the end, a few rows got knocked off and I went with this number of blocks instead. Now, I have gone ahead and am making 6" klosjes. Do you think I'm crazy ..... no, don't tell me that, please! :o) In the photo below, you can see the difference between the sizes. They are a lot easier to make and quicker to do.

In my last post, there were two comments about how my klosjes were made and what is English Paper Piecing. The following gazillion photos are all about these subjects. So, if you are not interested, bye, bye and see you later, aligator.

English Paper Piecing and how my klosjes are made.

A - I have EQ6 and Block Base software program and printed out the templates (for those of you who do not have EQ, my next post will show you how you can make a template for these klosjes). There is no seam allowance for these templates and I have cut around my templates leaving excess material for turning back. When I pin my templates to the material, I try to make sure the straight of grain is up/down.

B - the excess fabric has been folded over to the back of the paper template and basted. This is what they look like at the front.

C - This is what the back looks like. Looking towards the bottom of the photo, can you see blue arrows showing the direction of sewing? The pieces are whip stitched together in the direction you see. The blue broken lines just indicate where the thread is just passing through the back layer to get to the next seam to be sewn down, and so on. This way, I'm not stopping to secure, cutting and re-knotting the thread to start sewing the next seam. A little bit of a time saver. :o)

D - shows the direction to sew on the next piece.

E - you will have to do a bit of folding and pinning for the next section.

F - The last seam and the direction to sew. Secure your thread at the end of this seam.

G - sew in the last piece.

H - this is what your klosjes should look like now.

I - and this is the back. Do not remove your paper templates or basting stitches.

J - My klosjes will finish at 6", so I cut out a 6-1/2" square piece of background fabric and mark placement lines from corner to corner. I used Crayola Washable Markers and these blocks will be hand washed (and dried on a towel) to remove the lines before the blocks are sewn together and ironed.

Using the diagonal lines on my klosjes, move your klosjes around until all lines match up on the diagonal. Another thing, make sure your fabric is on the straight of grain when you pin your klosjes to the fabric, regardless if your klosjes are placed vertical (as shown below) or horizontal.

K - This is what my klosjes looks like after the circle has been appliqued onto the background fabric. My light backgrounds will have the klosjes sitting vertical and my dark backgrounds will have the klosjes placed horizontal.

L - This is the back, with the excess background material removed and all the paper templates and basting threads.

So, now you know how I do my klosjes.

Have a great day!