Today’s post is a part of a series called The Quilt Maker’s Toolkit, showing and teaching about the products I use while I make my quilts. There are no products in this series that I do not use and use often, though sometimes my opinions may change as I grow and move along in my...
It's been quite awhile since I taught at a guild in Virginia. Before my lecture, I had dinner with about 6 women, and one of them mentione...
I have several pieces going at the moment but I am starting each morning working on my Irish Linen and wanted to share my progress! This particular linen has felt special to me from the beginning even though it arrived in pretty bad shape. I wanted to repost the before/after photos after washing with Retroclean. I spoke in my previous post about how badly damaged this is...as you can see from the very first photo fabric was missing from two corners. There are multiple tears and rips due to the fabric being SO fragile and as I handled it more tears occurred. I decided in order to keep it from completely dissolving I applied Bosal woven fusible cotton stabilizer to the back and cut it away from the Irish Crochet. This helped tremendously! I thought I had found the perfect underlayment for this but I hadn't. My first choice had a yellowish cast to it and it looked awful. This linen, after washing, had almost a grayish cast to it and NOTHING matched. A trip to the antique store on Monday provided the perfect match! I found a large, tattered petticoat in a corner of the store and it was almost perfect. I was able to salvage enough fabric, sew it together, and have the perfect piece for the underlayment underneath. Because of the perfect match most of the damage doesn't show as much...whew! The more I work with this piece the more I am seeing evidence of how someone before me so lovingly tried to save this piece too. Check out the intricate handwork trying to fix and hold this together. Sooo...check out this corner and the edging...something needs to be done about this. It's in this condition all the way around. I decided I needed to add a lace border to cover this up and give it a beautiful ending. My friend, Karen, found some fabulous crocheted pillowcase lace that was the perfect size and texture. I decided that I needed to cover up this outside border to make this work and be beautiful...I am not going to cut it off...just cover it up. The heavy texture and border of the crocheted lace will hide this. Remember I had two corners where the lace netting had rotted/torn away? I decided I needed to fill it in with "something" to add texture. I have some vintage netting from some old lace and salvaged a couple pieces and tucked them in underneath. It's not a perfect match but at least it's something in there. I'm getting ready to baste this piece...I'm using Quilters Dream Cotton Select and a beautiful woven linen yardage for the back. I'm still not sure how I'm going to do the quilting but I'll be sure to share the journey as I go. I felt it was important to share the process of this piece as it is so easy for us to discard beautiful old linens due to their damage. This particular piece is spectacular and has a wonderful presence and energy to it. You can just tell it has literally been loved to death and it's my honor to bring her back to life even for just a little while. Hugs, Cindy :)
Getting and keeping a 1/4" quilting seam allowance isn't hard. Check out these 5 ways to get the perfect scant 1/4" in your next quilt.
A Brilliant Tip for Pre-washing Yardage! Do you prefer to pre-wash your fabric? If so, you may have struggled with washing yardage. Often it comes out of the washer and dryer a twisted mess with difficult-to-iron-out creases, significantly frayed edges, and knotted threads. Carole from My Carolina Home has discovered a brilliant method for preparing …
Tutorials for sewing and quilting projects including bags, quilts, home decor, and gifts. Informational series, printables and recipes.
You’ve just finished your latest quilt, are proud of your accomplishment and want to show it off. You first share it with your family, then with your small quilting “bee” and fina…
MEET Sharon Burgess. MAKE quick quilts and a handy project bag. Be MOTIVATED to try fussy cutting. 100+ pages of inspiration...
Learn about some bad quilting habits that Superior Threads recommends that you quit.
Week 1 of the 2019 American Patchwork & Quilting Quilt-Along starts on 2/18. The assignment is: Gather Fabrics. Below you'll find some helpful tips for choosing and preparing your fabrics for this quilt, and some answers to questions we've been getting. See more about the Quilt-Along here.
Learn how to make simple block and row markers for your quilt blocks and rows. Before you complete your quilt, you'll have pieces - blocks and rows that will need to be taken care of
I have become obsessed with Flying Geese! No, not the ones currently flying south for the winter. With the quilt pattern Flying Geese. It’s a quick and easy (my favorite!) quilt pattern, and it looks great in all sorts of colors! Here is the first Flying Geese quilt I made. Outer Space Astronaut Flying Geese. And a Christmas Goose. Using the 4 at a time method makes these geese quick and easy, while also making sure that all of the points line up just perfectly like they are meant to. I’ve made flying geese before, and even wrote a quick tutorial on how to make them, but as star points, rather than as flying geese. What’s the difference, you ask? The finished product is different based on how you turn your flying geese units, and other background squares, but the construction is the same. So why, you ask, am I writing another tutorial so soon after the first? You have a lot of questions! I wanted my finished geese to be larger this time. And I couldn’t remember the measurements for cutting my fabric to make a different size. As a writer of the tutorial, I shouldn’t have to go online to look up measurements. I should have that resource available at hand at all times. Flying Geese can be made in any size, the finished size is always like this, each individual goose is twice as wide as it is long. Math, I know, it’s hard! Just a warning, more math is coming! I know, I try not to inundate you with too much math, but this time around it’s necessary. Let’s say you want your finished goose to be 3” by 6”, this will make each pair of geese into a 6” square. Why 3” by 6”? That’s the size I used most recently, so it’s fresh in my mind! So, now that I’ve looked it up, I’ve created a cheat sheet chart of many different sizes, to keep for handy use. The 4 at a time Flying Geese method uses one big square (this fabric is the goose body) and 4 small squares (this fabric is the sky). You should keep it handy too, you can pin it for later and never have to go looking for these measurements again. Now that you’ve got the list of what size little squares go with what size big squares, how ‘bout a quick tutorial on what do with them once you’ve cut them? Flying Geese Tutorial- The 4 at a Time Way To make Flying Geese this way, the large square is your width dimension (6”) plus 1¼”, for a total of 7¼”. The smaller squares are your height dimension (3”) plus 7/8”, for a total of 3 7/8”. This added fabric accounts for the seam allowances (that’s the bit that gets sewn into the seam). I wanted my finished piece (remember, finished means once it’s sewn into the quilt and no edges are left unsewn) to by 3” by 6”. To make this set of 4 geese, you’ll need: 1 Navy Square: 7¼” 4 Teal Squares: 3 7/8” Draw a line with a pencil from corner to corner across the diagonal of your 4 teal squares. Take your 7¼” Navy Square and 2 of your 3 7/8” teal squares, and place the teal squares corner to corner across the diagonal of the navy square. The corners of the teal squares will overlap in the center of the navy square, and the pencil lines will match up, to continue all the way from one corner across to the other. Pin in place Sew ¼ of an inch to the right of the pencil line. Turn the fabric pieces 180* and repeat, to sew down the other side of the pencil line. Because you’ve turned it, you will still be sewing to the right of the line. Cut along the pencil line. Iron the seam, pressing towards the smaller teal pieces. It makes sort of a heart shape. Pin your 3rd and 4th small teal squares, to the remaining navy corner of each of your heart shaped pieces. The pencil line will go from the navy corner, and should go right through the V of the heart. Sew ¼ inch from the pencil line, turn and sew ¼ inch from the pencil line on the other side. Cut along the pencil line, and press, again towards the teal. Now you have 4 Flying Geese! Here they are finished and sewn into a quilt. You can do lots of things with your 4 Flying Geese (even turn them into a star!) but here is the quilt I made with the navy and teal geese used in this tutorial. If you are wanting to making this same quilt, the original pattern (not my creation!) can be found here! My version is made with 40 different fabric combos. At 4 geese per combo, that’s 160 geese total. And, one more time, in case you scrolled by it above without memorizing it, here is the chart of square sizes again. Save it. Pin it. Use it again. And again. Happy goose flying! I love, love, love the binding I chose to go with this quilt! There’s a little bit of it in the quilt top too, but I just love it as binding.
Claire Knox Bentham, Origin 2011 www.originuk.org/exhibitor/clare-knox-bentham
Start here with a few handy hints and tips to get you going with your foundation pieced project. Whether you’re new to foundation piecing, or you’ve been at it for awhile, you’re bound to find a hint or two here to make your quilty life easier. Oh angles. The bane of a foundation piecer’s existence.…
The Complete Guide to Quilting Stitches From my many years of quilting experience, I know that one of the most important things for any quilter to understand is quilting stitches. The stitches you choose can make or break your quilt design. I have faced situations where picking the wrong stitch for a quilt block led […]
Here's a fast way to create your own New York Beauties. Setting Up the Block and Learning About the PolyArc Tool Open EQ7 and start a new project. Name it whatever you wish. (I named mine "PatchD
Sewing something by hand has been around since the beginning of time. For centuries, it was part of every-day life. With the invention of the American sewing machine in 1846, all that changed. "Ready made"...
My First pattern is so close to coming out, but there are still a few things to wrap up before I share it with all of you. I know there are a few of you that are following very closely and waiting for the release of the pattern, so in the meantime I've decided to share the pattern information, so you can gather your fabric and materials needed! Named after the poppy (coquelicot in French) the “Coquelicot skirt” is a flowy and adaptable skirt thanks to its adjustable waistband. This skirt was ins
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Are you just starting out on your quilting adventure? If so, you'll need a few quilting tools to really get the most out of your experience. Bear in mind however, that in times gone by, they didn't use all of these fancy tools and they got away with the very basics - a pair of scissors, a needle and thread and a bit of fabric...mostly scraps. So don't feel like you have to get everything on this list but if you are going to make more than one quilt, you are really going to want to get your hands on
A step by step guide to the star stitch
As a quilter, there’s nothing more frustrating than unfolding a quilt only to find it covered in creases and wrinkles. These creases can be difficult to remove, and they can even cause damage…
Hand quilting adds vintage charm to your quilts and projects. Learn some of the basics so you can start hand quilting your projects today!
Quilt basting is essential to prepare your project for quilting. Learn how to make a quilt sandwich and discover 4 ways how to baste a quilt.
We just added more tips, and now you can see all 20. Be sure to check out the new additions! Did you hear? Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting is celebrating 20 years! As we
Quilt basting is essential to prepare your project for quilting. Learn how to make a quilt sandwich and discover 4 ways how to baste a quilt.
A ruler that slips and slides on the fabric as you’re cutting is super frustrating to deal with as a quilter. It leads to inaccurate cuts and can even be dangerous if your fingers accidentally get in the way of your rotary cutter. Accuracy is key when quilting so it’s important to minimize the slippage...
If you want to start quilting, then you don't want to miss What are the Layers of a Quilt? This page is is a beginner's quilting guide from Rose at Threadbare Creations. Quilting terminology can either be blatantly obvious or slightly confusing. So, what is a quilt sandwich? It might sound appetizing, but it actually refers to the three layers of a quilt – the quilt top (the decorative layer), the batting or wadding (the insulation layer), and the backing fabric (the finishing layer). These three layers are the key ingredients of a quilt sandwich. They are basted together to hold everything in place, and then quilted and bound. Having the multiple layers add warmth, drape, and comfort to your quilt, and create a professional finish, so your handiwork will be enjoyed for generations to come. In this modern world of quilting, we are fortunate to have many options available to us, and understanding the importance of each layer will help you determine what best suits your needs and budget. Let’s look at each of the three layers individually, to understand how they contribute to creating a warm and comfortable quilt. Join Sewing It Up For More Free Patterns, Tutorials, & Guides >>
Southern Charm Quilts - how to: thoughts - Basic Quilt Making Skills - for beginners By Melanie Traylor
If your batting pieces are too small for your project, you can join two of them to achieve the necessary size.
How To Bind A Quilt by Machine is a step-by-step tutorial that teaches quilting beginners a simple way to bind a quilt by machine.
Combine the art of embroidery and the craft of quilting with our tutorials. Learn how to add beautiful and intricate designs to your quilting projects.
Something that surprised me when I first started quilting was that most quilt patterns teach you how to make a quilt top, but stop short of telling how to actually finish the quilt. Little details like basting, binding, and, you know, quilting the quilt. Of course now I realize that including all of this would […]Continue Reading...
Want your quilting to look just as good as the professionals? Using stitch in the ditch might be what you are missing! Continue reading to find out how!
Quilt basting is essential to prepare your project for quilting. Learn how to make a quilt sandwich and discover 4 ways how to baste a quilt.
Best Quilting Tip Round up! Here at Sewing By Sarah, we've offered a weekly #tiptuesday on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, and I thought it'd be interesting to see which tips were our most popular (and hopefully, effective)! Here's the Top 10 Quilting tips... Follow us on Instagram to see every #Tuesday Tip.
Know how much thread is needed to quilt a quilt so you can buy all of your quilting supplies at the same time before beginning a project.
13 Quilting Tips, tricks and ideas to make quilting easier
Learning how to fix quilting mistakes is a normal part of the quilting process. Continue reading for some quick fixes for uneven quilt blocks.
In terms of measuring, I have often wondered whether the line on a ruler should sit ON the edge or BESIDE the edge of the fabric? I know it might…
Heather Thomas teaches you all about thread while providing helpful tips and techniques for working with thread.
