Episode 50 – Drunkard’s Path with Circular Attachment
Listen to the podcast of this postToday I talked about making the drunkard’s path block using a circular attachment – I cheated!
Jackie shared this great picture with us. I love black and white quilts. She says that the podcast has inspired her to quilt more, but her B&W inspired me to do my dunkard’s path. She machine embroidered the notes and piano. I love the use of directional fabric.
Check out www.simplynoise.com
Knitting help – When you are using dpn’s to knit a sock in the round, should the sock knit out inside out?
Winner of the Frolic Pattern – Amy Peterson from Quilter’s Notebook!
Topic this week – Playing around on the Drunkard’s Path
This is a circular attachment. I know they are available on Janome, Bernina, and Babyloc machines; not sure about other brands. The little black knob just protects the pointy tack thingy.
Cut out material for your background fabric and the circle fabric. I laid all my out so it was organized and easy to grab. This was my drawing I used to guide me on colors and cutting out.
Finger press an “X” to mark the center of the block.
Put the fabric right side up on the circular attachment. Layer the fabric for the circle on top.
Sew a straight stitch, using your hands to smooth out the fabric as it goes around.
Trim away the excess fabric from the circle. I found that my machine applique scissors worked best. You want to trim very close to the stitching.
Put it back on the circular attachment and sew a satin stitch. I used a 3.5 stitch width and .2 stitch length. I am using a machine embroidery rayon thread, but you could use anything. I also used a satin stitch foot.
At this point you should press and square up your blocks. Then cut them into quarters.
Flip the pieces over and trim the excess fabric.
Piece together. I laid everything out and stiched one block at a time, so that I did not confuse myself – I was using so many colors.
Here is the pieced quilt top. I got the pattern idea here. I plan on adding a drunkard’s path pieced border too. Right now it is 36″ square. With the border it should be big enough for a baby quilt.
20 Comments
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I am Brye Lynn, host, author, and creator of Sew ~ Stitch ~ Create! I am a lifetime sewer and beginner quilter. This blog is dedicated to my journey into the crafting world as I learn and explore my favorite medium – fiber and fabric.
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The quilt by Jackie is absolutely wonderful. I was trying to figure out a music oriented quilt for my stepmother for some unspecified holiday (depending on how long it stays in any UFO stage), and this is great inspiration for me. Thanks Jackie.
And of course, thanks to Brye for helping get me back to my sewing machine with your wonderful podcasts.
Melanie
I loved how you pieced your Drunkard’s Path quilt. It seems so quick and easy. I’m a little envious. I’m still making mine the “old way” it seems to take forever. I don’t think my machines has circular attachments, but I still like to make a quilt like way.
I am listening to your pod cast as I write….. Loved your Drunken Path blocks. Libby Leman uses this techniques for making circle quilts. I have seen her demonstrate it several times on videos / dvds. I think she cut her blocks apart then pieced them, using the satin stitch / decorative stitches to hide any imperfections in mathing the quarters. She also used stablizers to keep the satin stitches smooth. Seeing your quilt is inspiring me to try it for my next baby quilt… it is for a little boy with all primary colors. Fons & Porter shows similar blocks using bias binding imbedded in the circles I want to try that method to… I have a feeling all methods will end up in the same quilt as I love trying different techniques. It will be a blast.
Nonnie
I really liked this quilt it was colorful and bright. I have never done a quilt like this before mine are mostly nine patch. Since I have listening to your podcast I have started to quilt more.
P.S. I was wondering if you got my emails. Telling more about starting a fabric store and also wanting to know more about freelance? I haven’t heard back from you so I didn’t know. Thanks
Brye, love your drunkards path quilt and what a unique way to make it. It really looks lovely. And Jackie’s quilt looks great too. I’ve always wanted to make a black and white quilt too. The musical theme is neat too. On the sock, whenever I’ve made a sock, the outside is on the outside. When you are knitting, are you working on the needles closest to you or the ones furthest away from you? My guess would be that you are working on the ones furthest away and that is why your sock is coming out inside out. I’m sure you could finish it the way you are working and it would come out fine but you’re probably doing a lot more work than you need to. I hope this is of some help to you. I love your podcasts and play them first when they come up. Thanks for doing this.
Your drunkard’s path quilt is beautiful! Love the idea of using the circular attachment. The DP quilt has been on my list of want to dos and I purchased the templates from Elisa’s Backporch designs to make mine – one of these days! I counted my UFOs Sunday and found out I have 88 (don’t let hubby know…) so I better not start anything new…
Thanks for the podcasts, I really enjoy them!
Brye…What a great way to do the drunkard’s path block. Very cute – I’m sure the new mom will appreciate it, especially now.
PS…love the new background. I’d love to know how you did it. Very personal and clearly defines your blog and podcast! Thanks for getting me through my carpool time.
Hi Brye, love the B&W quilt, just lovely, and your drunkards path, how clever you are the result is fantastic. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the lovely comments on my Dresden Plate quilt, so glad you loved the machine quilting I did, and yes understand that your not against us Machine Quilters, that you just love to do it all with your own hands and totally agree with you as well, though having a longarm comes in handy. HAve a great week. Vanessa (Aust)
Hi,
I am catching up on pod casts since I have not listened to any since the beginning of June.
I looked at your drunkards path quilt and decided that the drunkards path quilt that I would like to do down the road will need to be with the Bernina circular attachment. The quilt turned out so cool. It is beautiful.
Almost four years ago my nephew was killed in a skydiving mishap. He was only 29 years old. At that time I was just starting to make a king-size quilt as a wedding gift for a niece that was getting married several months later. With the news of my nephew’s death and the weeks to follow, I focused on piecing the quilt as a comfort. I totally completed the piecing and machine quilting of the quilt within several months. The quilt was given to my niece on her wedding day but the quilt is dedicated in memory of my nephew.
Hi Brye Lynne.
I love the show! The drunkards walk quilt looks great.
Regarding your question about knitting in the round, your sock shouldn’t be inside out as you knit it. The side facing you should be the outside of the circle closest to you. It sounds like the part closest to you is the inside of the back.
The good news is that if you’re working on something completely in the round, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The bad news is you can’t just switch mid project, there would be a hole where you turn around. It sounds like you found a workaround for the first sock, but for the second sock, go to http://www.knititnghelp.com and under the advanced techniques, look at the advanced techniques section. There are videos for several types of circular knitting.
Keep up the good work!
Shevon
death and quilts.
you comments of about death really struck me hard. two weeks my husbands cousin lost their oldest child to a bad reaction to chemo therapy for leukemia. 5 years old. I can’t image what they are going through. but I started a quilt that I wasn’t sure what it was for what I was going to do with it. it was a little boy print. so I decided to that I was going to make the quilt as a comfort quilt for him while he was in chemo. but with his death I decided the quilt needed to be a memorial quilt for his family. my problem in finishing the quilt it that it is hard to look at it and working on it with out thinking about what the family is going through. I don’t really know the family well at all, but it is a terrible loss for them.
Thanks so much for your podcast on the Janome circle attachment. I am going to get one after seeing your post. Gotta love both Janome and all the wonderful attachments that they have. Keep up the great podcast too…..
Jackie’s Black & White musical quilt is very clever. Wonder if she is giving it to a musician? Brye, you mentioned in this latest podcast that you have one completed quilt but four (?) others that are not finished. Did you label your quilt? Would labeling a quilt be of interest to you as a future podcast?
Wow, that’s going to please that new mom – that’s for sure. Love the “cheaters” way of creating that pattern.
Very clever! I made a twin sized quilt with 4 inch quarter circles – done by curved piecing. I took a class because I wanted to learn curved piecing and was afraid to try it on my own. Well, I know how to do it now! And, not likely to do it again soon. But I would do this method.
Colleen
Your drunkard’s path turned out great! I’ve done a similar process except I used a circle cut ruler, appliqued the circle on the square and cut it. I also cut some of them on the diagonal and created more of a collage of circle, half circles, quarter and three quarter circles. I gave it away and don’t think I have a picture of it. It was fun.
Thanks for the podcast and great pictures. Tami in Denver
Hi BryeLynn … it’s nice to meet you. I’ve listened to a couple of your podcasts now including this last one on the Drunkard’s Pass. The actual technique is something that is past me right now, but I enjoyed matching up the pictures, with the verbal, and the written directions. I know that if I were ever to advance enough to use this technique I saw it here first
The part I appreciate most is your steady, ongoing explanation as to what is or did happen as you were learning to do this technique. I enjoy very much following your logic. I’m encouraged that you can take the bad and ugly with the good. By that I mean you don’t get easily dismayed, but instead follow through on the challenge or “sport” of it. I look forward to your podcasts already. It’s good thinking “shtuff.”
Jackie, Love, love the black and white quilt. Now I have another entry on my “quilts to make” list. My UFO list is schrinking because I’m determined it should do so, but…………… the “quilts to make” is growing.
Keep up the great work, Jackie.
Brye, Thanks again for the podcast – am listening now. Tami in Denver
Hi there,
I just wanted to comment on your sock knitting question. (1).When you are knitting on dpns in the round, if the working needles are closest to your body, and the opening of the sock is farther away from you, then the right side of the fabric should be facing you, and on the outside of the sock. (2.) If the opening of the sock is hanging between you and your working needles, then the right side of the fabric will be on the inside of the sock tube. Either way, you can knit a good sock, but I think most directions are written for the first way mentioned. If you are working the “inside out” way, just be sure that when you divide for your heel flap that the purl rows are done when the wrong side fabric is facing you.
Lucy Neatby recommends the “inside out” method when knitting socks in a stranded pattern, to be sure the strands are not too tight.
I have been listening for a couple of months, and enjoy your podcast. I have also been working on a Drunkards path project, using scraps and the template method. I will post pictures when I get them.
What a great way to make a Drunkard’s Path quilt!. Pfaff machines also have a circular foot. I’ll have to give this a try!
-debby, Chester NY