Happy Friday! Today half-square triangles made with Aloha Girl are one of my favorite things…they are for the next “Simply Small” project…and having these finished up means my mini quilt will come together soon! I have a couple of other favorites to share today too…time-saving favorites!
Design boards are a favorite! I’ve used a lot of things over the years to lay out blocks: pizza boxes, paper plates, layer cake cardboard, and even my rulers. But they are all slippery. These design boards are wonderful. They are made with foam core board with batting scraps on top. The edges are bound which keeps the batting in place. Lori Holt has a terrific tutorial for making these here.
With this new batch I made the other day I now have 8 boards. I have four that are 15″ square which work perfectly for laying out 12″ blocks, and I also have four smaller boards measuring right about 10″ square each…perfect for 6″ and 8″ blocks. I don’t know how I lived without these, and I’m happy to now have doubled my supply.
I like to lay out blocks for the next day before I put everything away for the night. This is especially helpful on busy days…I know I can just head into my sewing room and get a few blocks pieced because they are ready to go on the design boards. (I also can get four 6″ blocks prepared on one of my 15″ boards).
Another favorite sewing notion of mine is Flatter. It comes in several scents (Fig is my favorite) and is a great alternative to starch. While I do still use starch occasionally, I’ve been using more of this product lately. I spray my blocks lightly before setting the seams and then there is just the hint of this on the blocks for their final pressing. It seems to add a little body to the fabric without being stiff, and I really think it helps with piecing accuracy especially when working with smaller bits of fabric.
Hope you are planning on a weekend with sewing and quilting! Thanks so much for stopping by!
PS My “Friday Favorites” posts are never sponsored in any way…they are just a round up of things I like and use on a regular basis…
Robbienae says
Thanks for the hint about Flatter, I will look to find some in my area! I have finished 2 lovely queen size quilts this week due to the 7 inches of snow in NC!
em's scrapbag says
I have a couple of those boards and love them.
Karen Dobbs says
Do you like Flatter better than Best Press?
Cindy Anderson says
An alternative to using binding on the project boards is duct tape. It finishes the edges nicely and is so easy to apply.
Cindy Anderson says
And duct tape comes in many colors and patterns too!
Helen L says
I have some of those boards too, thanks to Lori! I hate making them but love using them: never seem to have enough! 🙂 My favorites lately are navy backgrounds with florals: I see you have a few. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!! Hugs, H
Hildy says
Love Lori's boards they're great!
Rebecca says
I made up design boards for my quilting buddies Christmas presents. instead of additional batting on the back I used the silver ironing board fabric so they can be flipped and used as a small pressing station.
Laura Chaney says
What a great tutorial for the design boards. Those are such a great size!