Template 3 Troubles!

[lsipes]

Just tried (unsuccessfully) to add the outer ring (template 3) to the pieced ring (template 2).....ugh! We've created a fabric bowl. Wrestling an alligator wouldn't describe our difficulty. Now concerned that our templates are not printing accurately despite the fact that they seemed to line up ok. Anyone else out there having similar problems? Concerned that if we try and tweak this we will create bigger problems and pretty certain that we will not be able to "stretch" our outer ring to lie flat even after the stabilizer is removed.

Any thoughts? Should we start all over? What checks and balances did we miss? Do we have circle diameters for a point of reference?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Doodles and her Mom!

[quiltingmidwife]

I have been doing all the tests suggested with the templates/printing and although like you my centre circle came together without any problem, I became increasingly worried about the exponential effects of any loss or gain in the measurements. I did measure up my join so that the grid squares measured 2" but after all the messages posted I went back (after I had made the centre) and measured the whole of the sheets and found some discrepancies amounting to 1/4" over the entire length of the page. I could not get the test page to measure accurately which suggests that neither of my printers measure to that degree (an HP laser and an Epson inkjet). We looked at other solution to printing documents with measurements. Architects would seem to have the same problems because printers don't think in measurements they think in dots per inch and they get round it by using plotters or very high spec printers generally found in industry and not in households. I have taken a test page to a speciality printer today which thankfully looks OK, just need now to get all the templates printed by them. SO, I think to be safe, I will have to do the entire centre circle again!

Just an extra consideration, being a US site, the templates , I think, are designed on US letter size paper and not on ISO (International Standards Organisation) sized paper, A4. International members/BOM'ers need to be aware of this as it can also cause problems.

This is my first TQS BOM and having got excited, chosen and bought fabric etc, I am feeling a little disheartened about all the printing problems and the possibility that it might not work out. Hopefully my solution will work for me but I don't think I will feel wholly comfortable until I get further down the line and things hopefully fit together.

[quiltingmidwife]

Just tried (unsuccessfully) to add the outer ring (template 3) to the pieced ring (template 2).....ugh! We've created a fabric bowl. Wrestling an alligator wouldn't describe our difficulty. Now concerned that our templates are not printing accurately despite the fact that they seemed to line up ok. Anyone else out there having similar problems? Concerned that if we try and tweak this we will create bigger problems and pretty certain that we will not be able to "stretch" our outer ring to lie flat even after the stabilizer is removed.

Any thoughts? Should we start all over? What checks and balances did we miss? Do we have circle diameters for a point of reference?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Doodles and her Mom!

Yes I am having the same issue! Only it's template one does not fit template 2 and scared to even cut out template 3. Reprinted the templates out at work and they were fine. I measured and remeasured and it maintained the grid. My center circle seems too large and template 2 starts to pull up like a bowl. There seems to be too much fabric to fit in that circle so I have not only a bowl starting, but there is excess I cannot fit right. I have sewn a circle in a circle before but never had this much trouble. Reaching the extremly frustrated point and afraid to continue for fear this thing is going to be so wonky it will never work. I have spent time and money on this and aggravated at this point. Cannot for the life of me figure out what the heck went wrong! I am ready to cut off a 1/4" on template two so it will fit but then is everything else going to be off down the line?? HELP! I really like this quilt and want to make this work!!

[quiltingmidwife]

I finally cut out template 3 and sewed it to template 2, then I sewed template 2 to 1. It curls up like a bowl! No matter what I do, it will NOT lay flat. I have pressed it,starched it, pressed again and now it bows up in the middle! No matter what I do it seems one side will lay flat and the other side curls up. I did measure the grid and it was at 2" and 3" so I cannot understand what could be wrong! For the life of me this thing will not lay FLAT! I have it taped down to the cutting board now and hoping that by morning this thing will finally work. I never give up but this one is about to get tossed! Does anybody have any idea what the heck I could have done wrong??

[SusieQMcF]

Help! I am having a horrible time with template 3. I've reprinted and attempted to reglue twice. No way is the circle big enough for my 1 and 2 unit (already sewn together without any problem). I'm also having difficulty making any sense out of the hash marks. Help!

[SusieQMcF]

Okay, I am having trouble too. I am currently "unsewing" parts of template 3 from the pieced border (2) to see if I can flatten it out. I really... really... pinned etc etc, and got the bowl others talked about. I snipped (judiciously) to see if it would "ease" in more easily. I re-inspected my cutting lines and adjusted here and there. I pressed and pressed (and ironed) to see if it would work. Now I have am going to hand-baste the parts I have "un"-sewed, then re-sew and see if if works better. It will work, one way or "tother", but I would love to hear how those who have posted in the Show-And-Tell have made their "beauties" look so wonderful! This BOM is definately a learning lessons. I think I am missing something.

[SusieQMcF]

Oh dear! I am waiting for my kit to arrive from USA but now I am beginning to regret the decision to get it in kit form. I would have at least had a go if the fabric was from my stash, but if all you very experienced quilters are having such a hard time to get the templates to work I am truly worried.

[SusieQMcF]

Don't worry,Crow. I'm confident our quilt friends will help us get this worked out. I won't give up if you won't !! :lol:

[SusieQMcF]

Hi Crow, I too have ordered a kit from TQS and after reading the forum have decided to just pull some pieces out of my stash and have a go as I have never done paper piecing or applique before and I'm not too sure on the printing either so the whole thing for me is going to be a total learning experience, but I'm up for it. I have printed out the templates and had some problems but our paper sizes are different here ( Australia) and after reading the forum I got it right " I hope" I certainly have the 2 inch OK .I have started to piece the centre and have got to the point where I have put the centre applique on, quite frankly it was totally foreign to me trying to work out the paper piecing but I took it one step at a time and it is working, I suppose the next step putting the circle on the outside will tell a story but as I have measured and laid it out it certainly looks like it will work. At first the printer (I have bought a new one) decided to chew up some of Ricky Tim's stabiliser, I bought an A3, so I put it through an old canon fiddled and it was OK. I thought it wise especially under my circumstances to have a dummy run and maybe I will do a few more along the way as I don't want to mess up my fabric from the kit, don't be discouraged by what you are reading, just jump in as I did and hopefully it will work out and if you do have problems the forum is a wonderful support system, we need to have confidence in our own ability, good luck

[SusieQMcF]

Okay, I am having trouble too. I am currently "unsewing" parts of template 3 from the pieced border (2) to see if I can flatten it out. I really... really... pinned etc etc, and got the bowl others talked about. I snipped (judiciously) to see if it would "ease" in more easily. I re-inspected my cutting lines and adjusted here and there. I pressed and pressed (and ironed) to see if it would work. Now I have am going to hand-baste the parts I have "un"-sewed, then re-sew and see if if works better. It will work, one way or "tother", but I would love to hear how those who have posted in the Show-And-Tell have made their "beauties" look so wonderful! This BOM is definately a learning lessons. I think I am missing something.

I too have unsewn the three rings and by no means am I experienced. I too would like to know what others have done to make it work right or did they have any issues at all?? My center star seems to be too big and the outer ring seems too small.I did follow Sarah's directions in another post, so either it is me or it's the template. Will fiddle with it when I get home from work tonight, Like Leslie said "it wiil work one way or another".

[SusieQMcF]

Thanks for the encouragement Barbara. I feel I am going to need it for this BOM. I heard today that my kit has arrived and having paid the tax on it on line, it should reach me on Thursday. I am used to paper piecing and I have done some applique but I dont like the fact that so many people seem to have run into problems. The tip about the paper size being different in the US - we usually use A4 here in UK -is a useful tip and I will remember to change my paper size to letter size when I try.I am a bit more than 1/2 way through making the 2011 BOM and I would have liked to finish it before starting Sedona Star but I think it would probably be wise to keep up with others doing this one and be able to seek advice.
Muriel

[SusieQMcF]

Hi Muriel, Hope everything goes OK for you, I am also going to be doing the Ruffled Roses this year it will be nice to see what you are doing with that also. I today printed out the rest of the templates and laid them all out on the lightbox and they all line up perfectly, I am going to be using Ricky Tims stabiliser as I am using that on my dummy run and it is wonderful, not that I am familiar with paper peicing, I have printed out on paper the patterns and am keeping them to use as my templates so that I can make sure that everything will line up when I do it on my kit, hopefully it will get here soon, I am finishing off the 1/2 square triangle exchange quilt and decided to put flying geese around the centre, had to do the math for that too, as you can tell I am not an experienced quilter, but I must say that I am a stickler for everything to be as perfect as possible I don't like to look closely and see anything wrong, I have put the borders on and the fabric which I was going to use for the outer border was a floral and when I laid it out it didn't look right and the fabric that looks good I don't have enough of so I got online and they are sending what they have left, but it won't be enough I am hoping that the dye lot will be OK with the type of fabric it is it might be good, if not I will have to have a look around here, I am running out of time as I still have to quilt it and it takes a while for the fabric to get here. I would like to know the overall width of the centre of the Sedona Star to know that I am on track with it, if it sews together the same as the template I should be OK the centre is good.

[SusieQMcF]

Finally!! It lays flat!! :shock: I took all the rings off ironed them , then re-read the post by Sarah on cirlces in circles , then watched the show with Jacqueline de Jonge on sewing curves. I was not centering the start points like Sarah said and since most of the paper came off in the battle of rounds one and two the outer ring was not spaced out evenly. Now I feel better about making the rest of month one. Whew! It was operator error! ops:

[SusieQMcF]

Finally!! It lays flat!! :shock: I took all the rings off ironed them , then re-read the post by Sarah on cirlces in circles , then watched the show with Jacqueline de Jonge on sewing curves. I was not centering the start points like Sarah said and since most of the paper came off in the battle of rounds one and two the outer ring was not spaced out evenly. Now I feel better about making the rest of month one. Whew! It was operator error! ops:

Sack the operator? :wink:

[SusieQMcF]

Yay!!!! Success!!!! Problem was my printer. Sent the file to my husband to print at work. Haven't sewed it yet, but the size is totally bigger. The laser printer is my new hero!!