I often hear from quilting friends who have started English Paper Piecing (EPP) a Grandmother’s Flower Garden (GFG) which is not finished, and which is likely to remain an unfinished object (UFO).

We call these EPP GFG UFOs.

(This situation also arises with octagons and other polygons, but Monkey says, “EPP GFG UFOs are the most ubiquitous.” Someone must have given him a dictionary, a library card, or the link to wikipedia.)

Quilters tell me they wish they had known about Inklingo before they started EPP. They love a portable project but would rather sew with a running stich than use a whip-stitch, for many good reasons.

If you enjoy EPP, and finish your projects, that’s great. Stop here. Enjoy your favorite technique and feel happy about it.

However, if you are looking for a more precise, simpler, faster way to finish your quilt, Inklingo is the answer. You can add Inklingo hexagons and flowers on to your EPP GFG UFO. Print the shapes on fabric and sew with a running stitch instead of whip-stitching. You can even do some machine stitching in a hybrid. 

There is a new PDF called English Paper Piecing Rescue under the Hand Piecing tab on the web site. It describes why EPP appeals to so many of us, the ubiquitousness of unfinished GFGs, and instructions for adding Inklingo hexagons to an existing EPP UFO.

It is amazingly simple, but you will want to see the photos. There are too many to include here.

Advantages of a Running Stitch with Inklingo

•  More portable and relaxing than whip-stitching with templates
•  Efficient use of fabric (especially with layouts to cut with scissors)
•  Cut with scissors or a rotary cutter—your choice
•  Stitching lines, matching marks, and crosshairs on each piece
•  No basting
•  No templates
•  No matter how closely you look, the running stitches are hidden
•  Combine hand and machine piecing in the same quilt (hybrid)
• Compatible with fussy cutting
•  Seams are pressed to the side, not open

Try it now!

If you haven’t tried printing Inklingo shapes on fabric yet, see the Quick Start and order the free shape collection ($20 value). You will be able to print your first shapes in the next few minutes, and sew them by hand or by machine.

We hope you will enjoy finishing your EPP quilts, with or without Inklingo.

Linda & Monkey

PS From Mirriam-Webster online: Main Entry: ubiq·ui·tous
Pronunciation: \yü-ˈbi-kwə-təs\  Function: adjective  Date: 1830
: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread <a ubiquitous fashion>

Dresden Plate Design Book (FREE, 74 pages)

There have already been “complaints” about the new Dresden Plate collections—too much choice, not accurately named, irresistible, causes heart to race, etc.  LOL  These Inklingo collections include so many blades, backgrounds, and variations that to call them “Dresden Plate” seems misleading. I’m sorry. The shapes were so exciting, we could not stop!

So—infinite design possibilities AND a choice of traditional appliqué, back-basting appliqué, hand piecing, machine piecing, and hybrid piecing. Quilters who don’t even like Dresden Plate, will like some of these:

As one Inklingo friend wrote, “This is not your grandmother’s Dresden Plate!

These Dresden Plate collections got so big and beautiful that it took a whole book to describe the possibilites.  The Inklingo Dresden Plate Design Book is free and it is a fantastic tool for quilters and pattern designers. 

A Worksheet from the Design Book

Today is my sister’s birthday and we are taking her out for dinner. I have to stop now to get dressed up, but in the next few days, I will share more images of the new Dresden Plate collections here. In the meantime, I hope you will visit the Dresden Plate page on my site. You can also see a photo of the first “Dresden Plate” block (that we know about) . It was made within the first few hours by Tilde.

INTRODUCTORY PRICES  Be sure to check out the special sale prices. You could save up to $15 if you order by January 24th. (Details on the web site.)

FREE  Order and download the Inklingo Dresden Plate Design Book now, and leave a comment to let me know what YOUR complaints are, okay?

Thank you for visiting.

Linda & Monkey

Russ and I have avoided H1N1 so far, but I have heard from several friends who are suffering. The extreme fatigue sounds terrible, and so far, everyone has reported a relapse after feeling better. It is very important not to do too much too soon. A secondary infection, like pneumonia, can be worse than H1N1. We have some great tips!

The Ontario Government has published info about avoiding H1N1.  Did you know that when you wash your hands, it should take as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday? There is also advice for being prepared in case you do get it. The World Health Organization recommends a two-week supply of food, water and medical supplies for your family.

Of course, we should listen to the experts, but they forgot something! You should also print an Inklingo kit with some shapes on fabric, so that when you start to feel better you will have a fun project to keep you happy. You won’t be tempted to exert yourself and have a relapse. 

Isn’t it a great idea to have a little kit with everything already printed, and all your hand piecing tools assembled in one place?  Monkey recommends it.

Tilde's Tiny Totes

Tilde’s Tiny Totes (free pattern) might be the perfect project during your recuperation.  You can see examples and many other ideas on the Inklingo Projects blog.

Having an Inklingo kit ready sounds easy, doesn’t it? Yes, the printing is simple, but it requires a LOT of discipline. Why? It is so fast and easy to prepare Inklingo shapes, and they look so pretty and perfect, you will be tempted to sew them right away—and that defeats the purpose. As simple and easy as it is to print more, you probably won’t feel up to it if you have full-blown H1N1. 

Monkey (jumping up and down): Do not sew everything all up as soon as it is printed!

We hope you stay healthy, but it is best to be prepared. Go wash your hands and start printing, okay?

Linda & Monkey

PS Why the toilet paper roll?  <g> Instead of tissues, we use the best tp on our noses, and flush all those germs away immediately!

Rae Ann Holbrook's "Insanity"

Rae Ann Holbrook has finished the center of a gorgeous quilt top with Inklingo, using the design of Rhonda Pearce’s Award Winning quilt, “Insanity,” which was  on the cover of Issue 16/6 of Australian Patchwork & Quilting. 

It is an amazing accomplishment, especially considering some of the challenges that life has thrown at Rae Ann this year.  Neither of us is sure whether hand piecing more than 10,000 half-inch hexagons is therapy or insanity.  We know this design is easier, faster, and more portable with Inklingo than with any other method, but. . . well. . . Monkey says ten THOUSAND of anything (except maybe chocolate) is a bit over the top. 

Detail of Rae Ann's Diamonds

This is the result of a great effort:  “I can’t tell you how happy I am with how this has come out.  I’m beaming with joy.  Without Inklingo I would never have attempted something like this.  Now to print and cut more white hexes for the first border.  By actually seeing the center completed it has given me or inspiration to continue.  I’m so excited all over again.”

All different 30s prints!

To see more about Rae Ann’s quilt, please visit her blog at http://1czyquiltersniche.blogspot.com/2009/06/insanity-quilt-report.html   All the hexagons in the diamonds are different 30s fabrics!

If you are planning to make the quilt, it is a good idea to get the PDF from the magazine’s web site, with a correction.  The direct link is http://www.apqmagazine.com.au/pdfs/corrections/insanity.pdf   After that, you just have to print a few thousand hexagons on fabric with the 0.5 inch Inklingo Hexagon Shape Collection.  It is a wonderful, portable project, with very little prep time (no templates, no measuring), and you can think calming thoughts while you sew half-inch seams, one after another, with a simple, relaxing running stitch. 

Rae Ann's 30s prints, put to good use!

If you think you would like to “go insane,” you will feel right at home in the Inklingo Yahoo group, where Rae Ann and several other friendly quilters are sharing their progress on this quilt in messages and photos. 

There are back issues of the magazine at http://www.ericas.com/sewing/au_mags/aupatchnquilt.htm and you can see the cover quilt there too.  (I googled “Australian Patchwork & Quilting Vol 16 Issue 6″ to find it. No affiliation)

Rae Ann is stitching the hexagon flowers for the on the border of this top.  I asked her what’s next. Rae Ann says it will be Double Wedding Ring–with Inklingo, of course!  

Congratulations, Rae Ann!  You should be proud of yourself.  Thank you very much for letting me show your photos here.

I will share your comments with Rae Ann.  Thank you for visiting.

Linda & Monkey

The hand piecing snob is sitting on the machine—out of the goodness of his heart—but his mind is on hand piecing.

Inklingo has made the preparation so fast and precise that quilters who previously found hand piecing too tedious are interested for the first time, especially because it is so portable and relaxing.  Monkey’s Top Ten Reasons for Hand Piecing are on the Inklingo site (under the Hand Piecing tab). 

I love my sewing machine, but I am one of the quilters who enjoyed hand piecing even before Inklingo, and I made two DVD lessons, so beginners can see every step up close, and see that it is simple and fun. 

To start this blog off on the right foot (i.e. hand) there is a special price on one of my DVD lessons, so you can enjoy hand piecing some Inklingo shapes.

 
The lesson on the DVD of Jane Austen’s Writing Table Quilts is a wonderful intro to hand piecing, and the lesson applies perfectly to the FREE Inklingo shape collection for LeMoyne Star (although those shapes are also for machine piecers). Monkey says, If you aren’t too spoiled by Inklingo, you could even sew one of the Writing Table Quilts, which are very pretty, small, pre-Inklingo projects with an important connection to Jane Austen.

We will write more soon about the advantages of machine piecing with Inklingo, and about Jane Austen too. It was a plan to promote the happiness of all.  (Emma, Ch 53)  Thank you for visiting our new blog!

Happy Canada Day, eh?

Linda & Monkey