Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

Metro Hoops: A Finish and Pattern Review

IMG_1269

This finish of Metro Hoops by Sew Kind of Wonderful, using the Quick Curve Ruler is truly a happy one for me.  I thought I would share my thoughts on the construction experience and give credit to some things that were helpful to me.

At the start I had a lot of issues with the pattern instructions and my inability to grasp them.  The curved piecing was easy, it wasn't that.  Before I even got started on making the blocks, Dawn White sent me some notes containing a few tips to make the curved piecing a simple matter.  The Sew Kind of Wonderful website also has some helpful video tutorials on sewing curves.

My issue was that the instructions how to square up the blocks was very confusing to me, and I was close to tossing the entire project in the trash until a clever reader (Liz A.) emailed me a tip that made all the difference.  You see, the blocks have corner squares that absolutely need to match up, or you will be very frustrated with the look of things.

IMG_1235

Once I started trimming the blocks properly things lined up and went together very nicely.  

After getting through making this project I have a couple of tips of my own for those of you brave enough to tackle it.  

1)  Start with a simpler Sew Kind of Wonderful pattern, such as Urban Winter.  I actually set Metro Hoops aside and made Urban Winter to see if I could achieve good results with the curved piecing and squaring up instructions.  No issues with that pattern.  After that, I went back to Metro Hoops with more experience and a better mind set.

2)  If you do decide to make Metro Hoops, use fabric that isn't your most precious.  In other words, you won't be sick if it gets wasted.  Because you will waste a lot of fabric.  There will be plenty of blocks you have to toss because you can't square them up right or have some other issue with.

3) Have lots of extra fabric.  Because as I said in point #2 you will be wasting it.  You need fabric to spare.

4)  Use spray starch and plenty of it.  Spray starch is the only thing that is going to get these blocks to lay flat and behave.

The fabrics I used were a jelly roll of Oh My! by Sanae and a gazillion yards of plain unbleached muslin I had in my stash.  I had plenty of fabric left over and could have made extra blocks to make the quilt larger (and also wasted about a dozen blocks that wouldn't square up right).  

My spray starch of choice was Mary Ellen's Best Press.

Am I pleased with the end result of this pattern?  Yes, definitely.  I like it a lot.

Would I recommend the pattern?  Hmmm, yes, but it would be helpful if the square up instructions in the pattern were revised to be clearer, or if Sew Kind of Wonderful would post an additional tutorial on how to specifically square up blocks that have these tricky corner triangles that must line up perfectly.  I would not recommend this as your beginner Sew Kind of Wonderful pattern choice.

Will I use Sew Kind of Wonderful patterns and the Quick Curve Ruler in the future?  You bet I will.  These patterns are some of the most interesting looking ones I have seen in a while, and it was fun to be challenged.  In fact, I have been working on a third Sew Kind of Wonderful pattern called Metro Lattice that I can't wait to show you more of.

Best of all, I have to once again thank the generosity of my readers for sharing their tips and experience with me.  The staff at Sew Kind of Wonderful was also very responsive, emailing me back with ssuggestions when I communicated with them that I was having issues.  The internet makes this sewing experience like one big class, doesn't it?

39 responses to “Metro Hoops: A Finish and Pattern Review”

  1. I am going to start a hoops might be the next town raffle quilt for 2015 I hope to get started and have few problems still I wait for new video on squaring up
    after!I finish my Tennessee waltz glad you finished it is beautiful!

  2. I am going to start a hoops might be the next town raffle quilt for 2015 I hope to get started and have few problems still I wait for new video on squaring up
    after!I finish my Tennessee waltz glad you finished it is beautiful!

  3. I am going to start a hoops might be the next town raffle quilt for 2015 I hope to get started and have few problems still I wait for new video on squaring up
    after!I finish my Tennessee waltz glad you finished it is beautiful!

  4. It is beautiful and I admire your determination to get that ruler to work for you. well worth it. At this oink in my life, I think I will watch you instead of buying one for myself! great job Nicole!
    Mary

  5. It is beautiful and I admire your determination to get that ruler to work for you. well worth it. At this oink in my life, I think I will watch you instead of buying one for myself! great job Nicole!
    Mary

  6. It is beautiful and I admire your determination to get that ruler to work for you. well worth it. At this oink in my life, I think I will watch you instead of buying one for myself! great job Nicole!
    Mary

  13. Love your quilt. I was thinking of making Metro Hoops but HATE the waste of fabric. I prefer to cut and sew accurate rather than trim so this is not my ideal pattern.

  14. Love your quilt. I was thinking of making Metro Hoops but HATE the waste of fabric. I prefer to cut and sew accurate rather than trim so this is not my ideal pattern.

  15. Love your quilt. I was thinking of making Metro Hoops but HATE the waste of fabric. I prefer to cut and sew accurate rather than trim so this is not my ideal pattern.

  16. Applause, applause!!! Metro Hoops is wonderful and am glad you had the determination and helpful suggestions to persevere a finish it! Will you add borders? So many quilts go borderless these days, but IMHO, this one might like to be framed – or not! Are you happy dancing?!
    I appreciate your link to helpful info. and your own suggestions as a veteran of making Metro Hoops.
    My current project is a very simple and cheerful Baby 9 Patch.
    Hugs!

  17. Applause, applause!!! Metro Hoops is wonderful and am glad you had the determination and helpful suggestions to persevere a finish it! Will you add borders? So many quilts go borderless these days, but IMHO, this one might like to be framed – or not! Are you happy dancing?!
    I appreciate your link to helpful info. and your own suggestions as a veteran of making Metro Hoops.
    My current project is a very simple and cheerful Baby 9 Patch.
    Hugs!

  18. Applause, applause!!! Metro Hoops is wonderful and am glad you had the determination and helpful suggestions to persevere a finish it! Will you add borders? So many quilts go borderless these days, but IMHO, this one might like to be framed – or not! Are you happy dancing?!
    I appreciate your link to helpful info. and your own suggestions as a veteran of making Metro Hoops.
    My current project is a very simple and cheerful Baby 9 Patch.
    Hugs!

  19. The end result is beautiful, so good on you for persevering. Thanks for sharing your experience. So helpful.

  20. The end result is beautiful, so good on you for persevering. Thanks for sharing your experience. So helpful.

  21. The end result is beautiful, so good on you for persevering. Thanks for sharing your experience. So helpful.

  25. Your quilt is lovely. Thanks for sharing your experiences, good and bad, with this pattern.

  26. Your quilt is lovely. Thanks for sharing your experiences, good and bad, with this pattern.

  27. Your quilt is lovely. Thanks for sharing your experiences, good and bad, with this pattern.

  28. It’s beautiful, I like it very much! When you use the spray starch do you apply it in a different location or right at your ironing board? I’ve had issues with it making my ironing board cover sticky after using it for a while…I love to starch my fabric to make it crisp, but don’t like my material sticking to my ironing board cover when I iron.

  29. It’s beautiful, I like it very much! When you use the spray starch do you apply it in a different location or right at your ironing board? I’ve had issues with it making my ironing board cover sticky after using it for a while…I love to starch my fabric to make it crisp, but don’t like my material sticking to my ironing board cover when I iron.

  30. It’s beautiful, I like it very much! When you use the spray starch do you apply it in a different location or right at your ironing board? I’ve had issues with it making my ironing board cover sticky after using it for a while…I love to starch my fabric to make it crisp, but don’t like my material sticking to my ironing board cover when I iron.

  31. Love your finished quilt and the great pattern review! I know you’re not the only one who’s experienced the squaring up problem so hopefully they will revise their pattern instructions 🙂

  32. Love your finished quilt and the great pattern review! I know you’re not the only one who’s experienced the squaring up problem so hopefully they will revise their pattern instructions 🙂

  33. Love your finished quilt and the great pattern review! I know you’re not the only one who’s experienced the squaring up problem so hopefully they will revise their pattern instructions 🙂

  34. yep, i LOVE the virtual quilting friends! thanks for the tips and advice. i’ll start with the simpler pattern. ;p

  35. yep, i LOVE the virtual quilting friends! thanks for the tips and advice. i’ll start with the simpler pattern. ;p

  36. yep, i LOVE the virtual quilting friends! thanks for the tips and advice. i’ll start with the simpler pattern. ;p