HQ DAYS 32, 33, 34 35 - Pinning Technique

Well this post will cover 4 days activities.  Days 31, 32, 33, and 34 were spent making face masks, primarily for a local hospital.  I took a little break yesterday afternoon and this morning to get my Coronaville and Temperature Quilt caught up.  This afternoon I will get back into the mask mode and make some for a local volunteer fire department that contacted one of my friends with a need for face masks.  This is sure making a dent in my fabric stash :) which pleases me.

 This is the 5th full week I have been in Home Quarantine, or I guess I should say the current reference Stay-At-Home.  I don't actually have "the virus", so not quarantine I guess.  But I like the HQ term so will continue to use it.

My block 35 is the purple house with red door and yellow roof.  I am enjoying picking out fabrics from those I have pre-cut to make my houses - and trying to keeps color balance through out the quilt.  I have them all on my design wall and I am afraid I may need a bigger wall before this is all over.  Right now, they are saying in SC it may be June before we can start moving about.  The "elderly" \, which I am considered one, may be asked to stay home longer than others.  But that's ok - that is the way it started, and I sure do not want to get the virus or give the virus to any of my friends and family.

My Seasonal Temperature Quilt is coming along nicely.  Spring blocks have the green between the temperature blocks and this green fabric makes me happy.

I know I have talked about how I have learned to pin my quilts in the past, but today when joining one temperature row to another, I thought about it again and decided to share it again.  My dear friend Darlene (who I sure miss spending time with) taught me to pin at a diagonal when I want to match seams. This allows you to sew right up to the seam before pulling the pin out and works fantastically, especially since I press my seams open - and flat.  I have also started pinning straight edges sideways - this way I do not have to worry about the raw edges being even and can sew right past the needle without hitting it. 

One thing I have learned is to push the pin through twice and it won't come loose while you are sewing.  For years I only did it once, and on long seams the pins would work their way out.

 I am taking an on-line class with Katrina Hadjimichael and noticed that she pins straight on the seam line, rather than perpendicular to the seam.  She then removes the pins as she gets to them.  It's always interesting to me to see the ways people do things differently, which is one reason I enjoy workshops.  I had signed up for a Mexican Star workshop that was scheduled for April, and sadly has been postponed.  I sure do miss spending time with my quilting friends.