Finishing UFO's continues into 2015

About 18 years ago paper piecing was a new concept.  There were no patterns to buy just a concept

of making your own pattern to paper piece.  While living in the Front Range area of Colorado a group of ladies would get together informally every two weeks or so.   This depended on what was going on in the quilting world.  When there wasn't that much to do we would get together to learn a new technique offered by one of the ladies.  

Well, on one occasion we met and one of the ladies taught us how to draw a Mariners compass and then paper piece it.  Back then we used tissue paper to draw the pattern on.  Tissue paper is really easy to tear off but don't make a mistake because it will tear apart while ripping out your stitching. I wish I had remembered to take a picture before I tore it out.  I wasn't thinking on posting this at that time just on finally using the compass.  Isn't it great how far we have come in 18 years.  Now you would never know that paper piecing is still in it's infancy.  

So I made this compass and it's been tossing around my studio for 18 years.  I knew I didn't want to make a quilt out of it.  The fabrics are all long gone.  What to do, What to do?  Well I do have a 16" pillow form and this compass is 12".  What a great idea.  In the picture above I was auditioning fabrics to complete the pillow.  I found this older batik I thought would make the compass zing.

I then sewed it to the compass using a freezer paper method.  This consists of cutting out a 12" circle from freezer paper.  Throwing the circle away and keeping the background with a 12" hole.  Then iron the freezer paper to the wrong side of the background fabric. Cut out the center circle again leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.  Clip the curves and then turn under the seam allowance toward the back and press very firmly, until the seam allowance stays in place.  Tear off the freezer paper and viola' you have the background with a perfect 12" circle hole.  I placed this over the compass and centered it as best I could.  I kept it in place by glue basting it to the compass.  You could either top stitch it in place or open up the seam allowance and sew on the crease made earlier by pressing.  I chose to just top stitch.  Then I put a fusible interfacing on the back of this little block and cut it into a 16 1/2" circle and made a pillow.

Here is the finished pillow:

Another UFO bites the dust!