Sweet Freedom Mystery - Clue #1

Welcome to our Sweet Freedom Mystery – Clue #1!

I hope you’re ALL ready to get this 2020 Mystery Started...Here We Go!

Fabrics = Red, White

AccuQuilt GO! Die = 1 ½” Strip Die (1” Finished)

1 1/2" Strip Die - AccuQuilt GO! Die # 55024

Cut Fabrics:

Red

• Eight (8) 1 ½” x 36 ½” Strips
• Eight (8) 1 ½” x 48 ½” Strips

White:

• Four (4) 1 ½” x 36 ½” Strips
• Four (4) 1 ½” x 48 ½” Strips

Fabric Prep Tip:  Prepare your fabrics by starching/pressing for straighter/sharper cuts.  Cut strips on the ‘lengthwise’ grain of fabric to maintain fabric stability in your quilt.  Cut your fabric ‘chunks’ ½” longer and wider than your ‘actual’ die. 

AccuQuilt has a great video on HOW to cut looooong fabric strips - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX3o53nn0ks  

Cutting Tip:  Cut your 48 ½” strips FIRST from yardage to avoid any mis-cuts and ultimate yardage shortages.  Once your longest strips have been cut, move on to the ‘next’ longest cuts – in this instance, the 36 ½” strips.  IF you happen to cut too many of your longest strips, you will still be able to cut your shorter strips.

Alternative cutting:  for those who may be cutting your strips w/rotary cutter/mat/ruler, NO worries!  You may cut your strips according to the sizes given, utilizing the ‘lengthwise’ grain of fabric, just as we are doing w/AccuQuilt GO! Dies.  With this method - NO seams to get yardage requirements for our strip units.  Do what makes YOU Happy ;-)

Measure twice/cut once!

I measure the 'fabric chunks' I'm going to be cutting w/AccuQuilt Go! Dies - sometimes with a tape measure, when the yardage is longer than a typical ruler/yardstick and add an extra 1 1/2" to the necessary length for good measure.

Marking the 'cutting' line

Cutting line marked w/White chalk pencil

Fabric 'chunk' getting lined up on strip cutting die

1 1/2" strip cutting die - ready to GO!

Strips getting cut

You may certainly opt to cut your fabric 'chunks' w/rotary cutter & ruler - I use whichever method happens to be 'handy' at the time.  Since I've been working inside the house rather than the quilting studio w/ALL the recent winter weather, my rotary cutting mat hasn't been set up since the Christmas holidays and scissors were quick and available.

Because there are five (5) strips on this die and we only need eight (8) Red Strips and four (4) White strips, I slid my fabric 'chunk' over a strip, and lined up from there w/little over-hang.  You may do as you like.  

Fabric chunk slid over one strip length

Doubling the fabric lengthwise gave me eight (8) long strips - ALL one-length, in one cut utilizing the accordion-folding fabric technique for my fabric...Easy/Peasy Lemon/Squeezy!

AccuQuilt has a great video on HOW to cut looooong fabric strips -  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX3o53nn0ks

Beautifully cut Red/White fabric strips ALL ready to sew! 

Sewing the final Red Strip - notice the seam guide, gives me a consistently perfect 'scant' 1/4" seam allowance EVERY time!  I refer to this as NO-Brainer sewing ;-)

Scant 1/4" = a couple threads shy of being a FULL 1/4".  Use the 'inside' of a measuring line to achieve your scant 1/4" dimension, rather than the 'outside' measuring line:

1/4" scant seam - marked w/inside marking line (Yep, it's got paint on it - I use this gauge for multiple things, had it for YEARS, still works great!)

WHY a scant 1/4" seam, rather than a FULL/Bulky 1/4" seam?  This lean & mean scant 1/4" seam allows for the extra bulk created in seams, and takes into account the 'foldover' when we press to the dark side, giving us more accurate finished product measurements.
 
Sew:

Two (2) 1 ½” x 36 ½” Red Strips and One (1) 1 ½” x 36 ½” White strip together/right sides together = Red/White/Red strip units.  Ensure the White strip is in the center of the two Red strips.  

Create four (4) total of these Red/White/Red strip units - press seams towards the Red fabric.  Finished Red/White/Red strip units should measure 3 ½ x 36 ½”.

Red/White/Red strips strip sets (Background is my patriotic pressing cloth)

Sew:

Two (2) 1 ½” x 48 ½” Red Strips and One (1) 1 ½” x 48 ½” White strip together/right sides together = Red/White/Red strip units.  Ensure the White strip is in the center of the two Red strips.  

Create four (4) total of these Red/White/Red strip units - press seams towards the Red fabric.  Finished Red/White/Red strip units should measure 3 ½” x 48 ½”.  (IF you cut your fabrics a little 'long' to start, trim now to size.)

Pressing Tip:
Press your seams FLAT first to 'set' the seam, and allow the sewing thread to mesh w/fabric:

Press seams FLAT first

Next - Press your seams OPEN:

Next - Press seams OPEN, pressing to the DARK/Red side

Check your measurements on your finished strip units, and adjust your seam allowance if necessary to ensure your strips are the correct measurements.  These strip units are integral for EVERYTHING fitting together correctly during final assembly of your quilt!

3 1/2" wide - We're Good!

Final Sewing/Pressing Results:

• Four (4) Red/White/Red 3 1/2" x 36 1/2" strip units
• Four (4) Red/White/Red 3 1/2" x 48 1/2" strip units
  

Congrats!  You’ve just completed Clue #1 of our Sweet FreedomMystery! 

This week’s Clue should give you plenty of practice sewing your accurate/scant ¼” seam allowance and get you ALL ready for next week’s Clue...Enjoy your week!

Personal Note:  Thank YOU for choosing to participate in our Sweet Freedom Mystery to create Patriotic quilt(s) to Honor our Service Members and Veterans for their service and sacrifice for our country.

Our goal for this mystery: To create and award as many quilts as we can to Honor our Service Members and Veterans throughout our Great Country.

Happy Sewing,

Deb Lindley

Illiana Quilts Of Honor 

Sweet Freedom Mystery Facebook Group:  
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SweetFreedomMystery/ 

UPDATE 1/15/2020:  Clue #2 scheduled to be released 'around MIDNIGHT' on Tuesday, January 21, 2020...See You Then!


Sweet Freedom Mystery Info:
Fabric Requirements 
Clue #1
Clue #2 
Clue #3
Clue #4
Clue #5