Tuesday Tutorial – Mile a Minute Quilt – Step 2

Let the fun begin… without looking take a strip from the paper bag and sew each small scrap that you selected to this strip.  Once the first strip is full pull another from the bag (don’t look).  The only way you can put a strip back is if it’s exactly the same fabric you just used.

Sewing small scraps to a strip

 Clip the scrap pairs apart and press to the dark side.  After this first step, you will press towards the most recently added fabric.

Clip the scrap pairs apart

Press toward the darker fabric

 Have you tried stack pressing?  First place your little pair on the iron board with the dark side on top, I always press the seam closed first to set the seam (relax the thread in the seam) and then nudge the seam open toward the darker fabric.  Place your second piece with the seam along the first seam that you just pressed open,  set the seam and then press toward the darker fabric.   

Stack Pressing

Nudge seam open

The first seam helps to keep the second seam straight, and gives you something to press against.  Keep stacking until it gets a bit too thick and start another stack.

Now take these little pieces to your cutting board and trim one side (if needed).  I like to have one straight edge to work with.

Trim one edge

 
Once you’ve done a little straightening back to the sewing machine and pull another strip from your bag and sew your new scrap pairs to it. 

Sew scrap pairs to a new strip

Now press toward the most recently added fabric, I do the whole strip at once. 

Press toward most recently added fabric

 Back to the cutting board to cut them apart.

Cut your little pieces apart

Continue adding your little pieces to strips from the bag in this manner until you have 80 blocks that are at least 7 inches in each direction.

Next week we'll continue with step three.