Mary (Marney) Hertel, Kathleen Berlew, Kristin Esser, and Lesley Chaisson chat with host Pat Sloan on the American Patchwork & Quilting podcast.
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Guest: Mary (Marney) Hertel

Topics: paper piecing

She says: "For paper piecing, I don't like to precut. I've never liked cutting fabric. So, I like to use larger scraps, and then I sew them in place and press them in place, and then I trim them to fit the shape...I really don't have a lot of waste, because I just keep using what's left for the next smaller shape."

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Guest: Kathleen Berlew

Topics: working with wool

She says: "I use a wool rayon blend, so they're a little lighter weight than the 100% wool, which works well for my projects, because sometimes there's a lot of layering and it's not that bulky. But the best thing about it is that it's still felted, so it doesn't fray, doesn't need to be hemmed, and that's where the instant gratification comes in -- you just sew it and the project has a finished look to it."

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Guest: Kristin Esser

Topics: designing quilts

She says: "A lot of times with colorwash quilts, we try to use too many colors, and it's very hard to move from one color to the next. So with my quilt, I sat down really old school with some colored pencils and just sketched how I wanted the colors to go (which direction, which color should follow each color) until I found something that I liked."

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Guest: Lesley Chaisson

Topics: paper piecing

She says: "For foundation piecing, I found that the paper was the biggest thing. And lots of people say different things about using tracing paper (there are lots of different options), but honestly, my favorite is construction paper. It works so well. I just put it in my printer and it rips so nicely, and I don't know if that's because it has a softer texture or less pressed."