There’s kind of an ongoing joke among folks who have quilted for a while: Which came first, the pattern or the fabric? Yes, it’s kind of corny and yes, it’s a direct derivative of the old chicken and egg joke, but it’s still valid. Do you buy fabric for a pattern, or do you buy a pattern to use up the fabric you bought weeks ago? Or do you do a bit of both? I would like to push the boundaries a bit further by asking, do you know what kind of pattern to buy? I mean do you know what kind of quilter you are, so you’ll know what type of pattern to toss in your cart before you check out? Let me explain.
You see, most patterns have some kind of label on them indicating what skill level is needed to successfully deal with the quilt pattern. Usually these labels fall into the categories of beginner, intermediate, advanced, and the ubiquitous “for all levels.” However most quilt patterns don’t define these labels, which makes it difficult to determine if you’ve purchased a pattern which falls within your skill set. What I’d like to do first is loosely define what each label means.
Beginner
Can sew a seam in a straight line (more or less…somedays I have a hard time sewing a straight seam).
Can follow basic pattern instructions and recognizes basic quilting terms.
Familiar with the most frequently used quilting jargon.
Can measure and cut fabric in a straight line with a ruler, mat, and rotary cutter.
Can press fabric and knows the difference between pressing and ironing.
Is familiar with the basic functions of their sewing machine: move the needle, wind a bobbin, vary stitch length and width, sew a straight stitch and a zig zag stitch, and can clean and oil their machine.
Intermediate
Has completed (more or less successfully) several projects.
Is proficient in multiple quilting techniques.
Has taken classes (either in person or via internet) and/or has read numerous books on quilting to improve their skill set.
Can sew amazingly straight lines.
Knows how to handle curves, paper piecing, and applique.
Very familiar with quilting terms and jargon.
Knows how to cut in the most efficient manner.
Has a repertoire of tips and tricks on various quilting topics.
Is becoming comfortable working with color.
Can balance a range of print sizes within a design.
Knows a great deal about threads and needles.
Has sewn with a variety of fabric textures.
Advanced
Has many years of sewing experience.
Has mastered many techniques.
May be designing their own patterns.
Have taken classes (either in person or via the internet) from experts.
Has quilted many, many years and has tried almost every quilt block out there.
Sews with precision, expertise and near perfection.
Knows most quilting terms and jargon.
Discovers and shares quilting tips and tricks.
Takes only advanced classes (Meh – I’ve been known to take a class simply because I like the teacher or the folks taking the class).
Has years of experience combining color palettes and scaled prints.
Knows how to work with all types of fabric and may even be designing their own.
Completes some or all of their quilt tops from start to finish – including the quilting.
Fluent in all characteristics of threads and needles.
If you’ve read through these characteristics and can definitely place yourself in one of these categories, that’s awesome! With other quilters, there may be some definite gray areas. For instance, in the intermediate quilter category, applique is mentioned as one of the techniques to master. I was introduced to applique as a beginner and by the time I hit the intermediate stage, I was already fluent in it. And if you’ve sewn other projects before quilting, don’t put yourself in the beginner category. You may not have made quilts, but you know how to read a pattern and are familiar with your machine and different fabrics. I would put folks like this in an advanced beginner group. Maybe construct your first quilt from a beginner pattern, but if it bores you to tears, next time reach for an intermediate one.
All of the above information is important, but what about the labels on the patterns? Do the beginner, intermediate, and advanced labels on quilt patterns match the labels put on quilters? The answer is “Yes, — for the most part.” Beginner patterns are very detailed, have lots of pictures, and are generally straight line sewing. Intermediate patterns are not as detailed. For instance, these patterns may tell you to make 48 four-patch units, measuring 2 ½-inches unfinished, but not tell you how to make them. They assume you have a favorite construction method and will use that to complete the four patch units. Intermediate patterns may use multiple techniques (such as piecing and applique) and include curved piecing. They use complex color palettes and advanced blocks and block units. Or they may take a basic block and put a new twist on it.
Advanced patterns assume you have several quilts under your belt and are familiar with lots of techniques. They may employ a super complex skill set, such as intricate and realistic paper piecing. This category of quilt patterns includes miniature quilts – the scaled down version of the larger original. The applique may use many, many small and detailed pieces. The piecing may take a basic unit and break it down into multiple, complex pieces. For instance, a pattern may call for six side-setting triangles for an on-point quilt, but each triangle could be made from 20 smaller triangles. Often the directions are brief and there are fewer pictures than even in an intermediate quilt pattern. These patterns are detailed, but so rewarding.
The last category of quilt pattern is the All-Skill Level pattern. These patterns assume someone who has never quilted before can follow the directions and successfully make the quilt top. These types of patterns are frequently offered as a free bonus when you purchase pre-cut fabrics. I admit, I have issues with these patterns. Some of them are very well-written and are fun to make. Others…not so much.
Now that I’ve defined the beginner, intermediate, and advanced labels for both patterns and quilters, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of what really makes a great quilt pattern. In a world where we all can self-publish either on paper or electronically, the market is flooded with quilt patterns. There is so much to choose from and so many of the designs are simply lovely – but just because the final product is breathtaking, doesn’t mean the designer knows how to write a good pattern. Here are the characteristics of what I think makes a great quilt pattern:
The unfinished sizes of each block unit are given. Take a look at this quilt block
This block is called Birds in the Air and it’s made up of half-square triangles, small triangles, and one large triangle. Let’s say the quilt directions tell us the unfinished block measures 6 ½-inches. That’s great, but it would be even better if the pattern would say exactly how large those HSTs should be once they’re sewn together. If the initial directions tell us to cut two 3-inch squares of fabric and make the HSTs by sewing ¼-inch away from a diagonal line drawn on the square and cutting it apart on the drawn line, there is a chance – simply because we’re dealing with bias once the squares are cut in half – the HSTs could end up in several slightly different sizes and a bit wonky. I prefer to make my HST’s a bit larger and then cut them down to the correct unfinished size. Unless that size is given by the pattern, I’m working with trial, error, and a great deal of “hope this works out.” When dealing with any block unit which has some bias (such as HSTs, Square-in-a-Square, and Flying Geese) I always would rather make those unit’s just a tad larger and then trim them down to the required unfinished size. This also is super helpful in making sure all your unfinished blocks come out the right size, too.
2. More than one quilter has made the quilt before the pattern was published. Taking for granted the designer has at least made one of the quilts by the pattern, it’s always good to see if they asked other quilters to make the quilt by their directions. And here’s where I am going to turn into a pattern snob – remember what I told you about it’s super easy to self-publish now? I have absolutely nothing against self-publishing. Nothing at all. However, because it’s so easy to do this, it’s also easy to get in too much of a hurry and publish before enough testing is done. Take for instance this book, Simple Double-Dipped Quilts: Scrappy Quilts Built from Blocks with a Unique Twist.
Kim Diehl wrote this book and designed the patterns. As you flip through the book, it’s easy to see she employed several other quilters to piece these quilts. By doing this, Kim was assured her patterns were clear and understandable. Sure, Kim could make the quilt, but if someone else could also successfully make this quilt by her directions, Kim knew (for the most part), her directions were good.
Even if you’re not using a book, check to see who made the quilt on the pattern front.
If it’s not the designer, you’re assured at least one other person made the quilt according to the directions given.
3. Google the quilt pattern. You don’t necessarily have to do this for every pattern. Those from well-known quilt designers will have a track record of accuracy. However, before you purchase a pattern from a designer you’re unaware of or unsure of, take a couple of minutes to whip out your cell phone and Google the pattern. More than likely, the designer and bits of information about them will pop up. Move past this and hit the image tab. If no other images appear except for the quilt made by the designer, you may want to back away from the pattern. A couple of issues may have occurred, the first being the age of the pattern. If it’s a relatively new pattern, no one may have had the time to make the quilt. You may want to wait a little while before you commit to it. Give it some time and see if others can successfully make the quilt.
The second issue may have to do with the directions. Go back and read what Google says about the designer. If you read several negative reviews about the directions, you definitely want to back away. Ask me how I know.
4. Corrections are given. No matter how careful pattern designers are, mistakes are made. These aren’t made deliberately, but people are human, so errors happen. Most pattern designers – even the new, obscure ones – have a web page or blog. The good designers post corrections on their web site or blog. Quite often these corrections will come up in your Google search of the pattern and designer.
One last word about patterns before we call it a week. I consider myself an advanced quilter. After 33 years, numerous quilts, an eagerness to try any technique, and an impressive quilting library, I think I can label myself as advanced. However, I do keep some beginner quilt patterns in my studio. I have these hanging around for several reasons. First, these are really fun quilts to make. I enjoy constructing them and quilting them. Second, if I’m involved with an advance quilt which really requires some concentration and determination, there will come a point when I need a break. An easy quilt is a great way to have some mindless, productive sewing and still have a good time. Third, there always seems to come a time when I need a baby gift, a chemo quilt, or some occasion when a quilt is just the thing to give. By having a simple quilt pattern tucked back, I can quickly put a quilt together and get it bound and quilted. On a side note, I’ve used one of these patterns so often, I know by heart how cut and sub-cut the fabric for the blocks. If I have scrappage left over from cutting out a quilt, I will cut it into the required sizes and tuck them away to make a quick, scrappy version of the quilt.
Quilting is fun. It’s supposed to be a stress-release. Making sure you’ve picked the right pattern keeps it tension-free. Be aware of what kind of quilter you are and what kind of pattern you need. If you’re getting kind of bored, move up to the next level and try a more challenging pattern. But above everything else, enjoy your time quilting!
Until next week, remember The Details Make the Difference!
When you ask a quilter if they are an artist, a hobbyist, or a sewer, generally you’ll find a good chunk of us will fall into all three categories. Some definitely consider fabric their medium for creating works of art. Some consider quilting a hobby and others quilt along with sewing garments or other crafty things. However, in one aspect all of us fall into the artist category because we deal with both positive and negative space.
The word negative is the key to a lot of ideas – those black and white images produced on a strip of film way back in the day when the camera was a separate piece of technology not on your phone, a bad attitude, or a bank account in serious trouble. However, for quilters the terms negative and positive can be broken down into two simple ideas:
Positive space is the area of interest.
Negative space is the background.
What I want to try to do with this blog is define both spaces in the realms of traditional quilts and modern quilters. This blog is by no means the definitive work on either. I just hope it proves to be a “jumping off” place to spark your interest and get you thinking. There are lots of articles and books on this subject by artists who have studied negative and positive space a lot more thoroughly than I have.
First, let’s take a look at a “traditional quilt” and its use of negative space. With a traditional quilt, the background is considered the negative. It doesn’t matter what color the background is – ecru, gray, black, red, pink, purple or any other color – the negative space is the background fabric. The background can be solid, a micro-print, tone-on-tone, etc.
The above image is a “traditional” quilt – it has pieced blocks, sashing, and borders. In this quilt you can see the background fabric is a mottled fabric and it enhances the block in several ways:
It’s used as a buffer between the blocks. Used as the sashing between the blocks, rows, and borders, it separates each block and each row.
It allows the viewer to have the time to view each block and gives the eyes a resting space before moving onto the next block.
It creates a framework around each block, each row, and then the quilt center.
It enhances the positive images of the quilt – the areas of interest – the blocks and borders.
Let’s see what happens when we take away the negative space in a traditional quilt.
This is still a nice quilt. However, in keeping with my Zone of Truth caveat, it makes me just a bit jumpy on the inside. There is nowhere for my eyes to take a break and “catch a breath” before moving onto the next block (although I seriously like the secondary design this quilt has going on). I am one of those folks who liken viewing a quilt to taking a long, slow stroll. I like to look at a block or two or a specific area on the quilt, think about it, and then move onto the next section. When the negative space is removed, there’s nowhere for my eyes to do that. I feel I must take in the entire quilt at one time.
This quilt is the same. The 1718 Coverlet is indeed a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but it’s a struggle to look at because there is literally no negative space. It was English paper pieced and owned by the Brown family of the United Kingdom. The Coverlet was purchased at a 2002 auction by the British Quilters Guild. I think it’s remarkable the Coverlet has held up as well as it has because most of the fabric used is silk. Despite its “peerage” I still think it’s difficult to look at. I have to force myself to pause at each block and look at it closely.
However, there is one group of quilters who are absolutely own the use of negative space – the Modern Quilters. This particular group of quilters uses bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work.
Quilt by Karen Abraham
These quilts embrace negative space and use it to its best advantage. It surrounds the pieced blocks and can serve to bring calm to the brightest color scheme. Personally, I find modern quilts thought-provoking and soothing all at the same time.
Quilt by Jennifer Meakins
The aspect I find so different between modern quilts and traditional quilts is the actual quilting. Traditional quilts use quilting to enhance the pieced blocks and fill in the negative areas. Modern quilts use the quilting as part of the overall quilt design. Skeptical about this? Okay, think about your own quilting. When you chose a pattern and piece the quilt, at what point do you consider the actual quilting? You may be careful with the piecing process so that the quilting process is easy, but when do you actually think about the quilting design? Once the quilt is finished and you must consider how to quilt it? When you talk with your long arm artist to decide if an edge-to-edge or some custom quilting will enhance the quilt? Or do you consider how you will quilt the quilt before you make the first cut into the fabric?
Quilters who are accustomed to working with lots of negative space often already have the quilting planned in their minds before they start piecing because the negative space works in tandem with the piecing for an overall effect.
In both kinds of quilts – both modern and traditional – negative space plays as much an important role as the positive does. Negative space offers balance, symmetry and is the Ying to the Yang of design. And the ways to work with negative space offer so many quilting options.
It can create movement. Quilted lines, waves, arrows, etc., can draw the eye across the movement. Curvy designs can soften hard angles and lines.
It can showcase blocks. This is especially true with traditionally pieced quilts.
Negative space can be used to create optical illusions, such as in this quilt:
Quilt here and above by Steph Skardal
For me, negative space is used most optimally when it serves to deconstruct the traditional. This can be done with both applique and pieced quilts. All it takes is for the principle of subtraction to be applied to a pattern. For instance, take this traditionally pieced quilt:
Now let’s subtract a few blocks and see how it looks:
You’ve got more negative space and more places for your eyes to rest. There are also lots of opportunities for quilting. The deliberate subtraction (or deconstruction) of a traditionally pieced quilt completely changes the look.
Applique quilts go through a similar process when they’re deconstructed. Below is a pretty traditional Rose of Sharon Quilt.
Look what happens when we subtract some of the blocks. The entire “mood” of the quilt changes. Alter the fabric from the traditional red, green, and yellow to some of the brighter, new fabric lines, and it’s almost unrecognizable as a Rose of Sharon.
With most quilts, some negative space is needed to assure symmetry and balance. Which raises the question, do all quilts need negative space? Well, no. The 1718 Coverlet answers that question. However, if you’re like me and feel just a bit anxious as you view the quilt, you may tend to believe quilts need the negative space to balance the busy-ness in the other areas of the quilt. Most do have blocks or parts of blocks which serve this purpose. For instance, consider Log Cabin Quilts. One side of the blocks is usually constructed out of a light-colored fabric (at least lighter than the other fabrics).
It’s this lighter color which allows the eyes to rest as they travel across the quilt. Look what happens when half the block doesn’t contrast as much.
It’s difficult to really see what’s happening with this quilt. The contrasting logs don’t have to be light-colored fabrics, but they do need to be in sharp contrast to the other fabrics.
Then there are quilts such as this
The Snowball block is the joiner block for this quilt.
Which use “joiner” blocks instead of sashing to separate the blocks. Generally they help the quilt form a secondary pattern, but they also tend to have more negative space than the primary blocks, giving your eyes a place to rest.
So now that you may have decided to construct a quilt with lots of negative space, how are you planning to quilt it? I have a few favorite techniques I use. My list is by no means exhaustive, but these are generally my “go-to” quilting formulas for large areas of blank space.
Echo the shape of the block – After the inside of the block is quilted, outline outside of the block a few times, with each line of quilting about ¼-inch away from the other. Then use some filler loops, meanders, or swirls to move to the next block.
“Wallpaper” the quilt – Simply use horizontal or vertical rows of straight line quilting to cover the quilt. Wavy lines can also be used, as well as grids. It really doesn’t matter, chose one and cover the quilt with it.
Break the background into shapes and quilt each shape – This one is a lot of fun. Before you put the quilt on the long arm or sandwich it up for your domestic machine, divide the negative spaces into shapes. Mark the spaces with a water-soluble pen (or your preferred marking tool) and then quilt the outline of the shape. For instance, if you’ve divided your background into rectangles, stitch around the outline of the rectangles once or twice. Then fill the center with tiny meanders, loops, or whatever you like. Then move to the next shape, outline, and repeat. When you’re finished, you will find some really interesting texture has emerged.
“Ghost” in the blocks – This one may require a little ruler work unless you can freehand some perfectly straight lines. This technique works like this – let’s say you just quilted an Ohio Star, and there’s enough negative space to quilt another Ohio Star – just without an actual pieced block there…
Wallpaper Quilting
Squares with different quilting motifs
Quilt and “Ghost Quilting” by Beth Sellars
This certainly makes for remarkable texture and a great deal of eye candy.
Personally, I think all my quilts need a least a little negative space. This “empty” area gives the eyes somewhere to take a breather and it adds symmetry and balance to a quilt. Without negative space, I feel almost anxious when I look at a quilt. I hope this blog has explained some of the options negative space holds for you as a quilter, and it’s given you some ideas on how to handle it.
Until Next Week, remember the Difference is in the Details!
I am so blessed to be a quilter. Not only have I had the wonderful opportunity to take classes and make wonderful quilts, but I have also had the privilege to meet so very many exceptional men and women who are not only proficient in their craft, but they also have unique stories to tell. And many of those men and women have not only helped me become a better quilter, they have also helped me become a better person. Their stories have touched my heart. And a few have touched my soul.
Such is the person of Anita Smith.
I “met” Anita more years ago than I’ll admit. I’ve always enjoyed applique – it’s my favorite quilting technique – so when I found an ad in a long-forgotten quilt magazine for The Applique Society, I sent in my dues. After a few years, I had the privilege of serving on the board, and that’s when I met Anita. She was the founder and past president of TAS. Eventually I rotated off the board and she came back as President, setting the “little” applique group up to spectacularly meet the challenges of the 21st century. Throughout this time we chatted on the phone, emailed, texted, and once saw each other at the TAS Annual Meeting. The stitches which joined us as friends quickly tightened as I learned more about her. In October, I asked Anita if she would share her story with the readers of my blog. She graciously agreed. My interview with her is below, along with some additional comments from me. Please note English is not her native tongue – German is. And despite the fact she claims she still struggles with her words sometimes, the passion she has for her quilts shines brightly despite any language barriers.
Anita: Thank you Sherri, for asking me to do this interview for you. This is the first time someone has asked to interview me. I have had to really take the time to think through why I have done what I have in my quilt life and especially my applique life. I hope I have adequately answered the questions you have asked and have made the interview interesting for those reading it.
1. Tell me about your past. Where did you grow up?
Our family immigrated to America in 1956 after the war in Europe left that country in poverty. We were sponsored and ended up in Ohio. My parents were tailors and I lived in Ohio until I got married. In 1971, when my husband and I married in California, we lived in the San Diego area where he was stationed in the Navy during the Vietnam War era.
Anita lives on Whitbey Island, Washington. She often posts pictures of her home on her Facebook page. It’s gorgeous. And despite the fact I’m not a cold weather fan, I think living there would kind of be like living in a fairy tale.
How did you end up on Whidbey Island?
When a good friend moved to Washington State in 1978, I visited her and fell in love with Whidbey Island.
And could you tell me a little about Whidbey?
It had a simple and down to earth living. It has ocean water all around the island with clean fresh air. The atmosphere was more “back to earth” and we were getting into that lifestyle during this time. We love living on the island. It is like being in a woodland retreat area, but we live there full time. The evergreens, mountain views, ocean views, eagles and whales abound in the area. It is so restorative to live here.
2. Why did you decide to learn to quilt?
Shortly after moving to Whidbey in 1979, I met a lady at the camping resort we were staying at who was into quilting. She invited me to go to a local quilting class she was attending. It was a major turning point in my life. My parents were tailors, but I didn’t learn to quilt from them. I only learned how to “tear out things” because they were perfectionist with their sewing. So when I met Helen Thompkins in 1979/80, she was someone I could learn from because she made sewing/quilting fun and positive. Helen taught the old way in hand piecing and in quilting and best of all she offered lots of encouragement and humor.
Anita’s First Quilt
Were you self-taught or did someone teach you?
After learning how to do the basics in quilting with Helen Thompkins, I had people ask me to teach them how to make the quilt I was making. I loved helping people learn and so my quilt teaching began in 1981. I love, love teaching beginners and also those who don’t think they can learn. I have so many success stories. I show them what they CAN DO and not focus on what they already think they CAN’T DO. Because I was teaching beginners and intermediate students, I needed to learn more and there was not much available at the time. So I learned from books and magazines how to quilt. I wanted to do the hand method because it was more adaptable to my style and also my goal – friendship and a slower pace of the quilting process. I was not big into machine piecing at the time. I still love teaching the simple hand method and process. Many people are “product minded and focused.” I am “process minded and focused.”
3. I know applique is your passion. When did you decide this would be your “calling” in the quilt world?
In Helen Thompkin’s class I fell in love with the freedom of applique. I loved that with applique, the restrictions of squares and triangles disappeared, and the freedom of shapes and design emerged. I began to teach applique more and more as more students wanted to learn. There were a few that became star students and accomplished much. After teaching one of my students the Baltimore Album style applique, she showed a friend who happened to have an original family Baltimore Album quilt. We all researched this quilt after she showed it to us. What an amazing experience it was to hold an “authentic” Baltimore Quilt! I continued to keep in contact with this family and we worked on replicating this quilt over the next few years. I also created the historic “The Captain’s Quilt”. I am still working on this quilt and hope to finish it in the next year or so. While on a family trip in 1996, I had the opportunity to go to Baltimore and was able to attend the first Baltimore Applique Society quilt show. That was a life changing experience to see all those beautiful Baltimore style quilts.
In October 1997, Anita along with several of her applique friends and with the support of some well-known applique artists, founded The Applique Society. Through the years it grew from a small, local-ish group to a group of appliquers from across the globe. At first it was a loosely formed group, with some local chapters, linked with a bi-monthly newsletter. When Anita returned as President, COVID pushed Zoom into nearly everyone’s consciousness, including the TAS executive board. We now have monthly meetings via Zoom as well as great workshops with nationally and internationally known teachers. Trust me, if you like to applique, the $25 dues is some of the best money you’ll spend.
But it all began with this woman and her vision.
What prompted you to start The Applique Society and how did that come about? Can you give me a brief history of where it came from to where it’s at today?
Itwas while I was at the Baltimore Applique Society Quilt show I got the “vision” of an applique group which would go around the world and have many members. I was in the hotel room where I was staying and began to write down the vision. I still have that notebook today. After I got back home from that trip, I spoke to a woman who had begun a large quilt group in our area which was very successful and drew many in the Pacific Northwest area. She was so very helpful to answer many of the questions I had and then she gave me the name of Jeannie Austin. Jeannie was immersed into Applique and Baltimore quilts. It was after talking to her about my trip to Baltimore and the Baltimore quilt we discovered on Whidbey Island, that we became good friends and very involved in the Whidbey Island Family who had the Baltimore quilt. We proceeded to help the family understand the value and significant history of the journey of this quilt.
Elizabeth – Jane – Anita –Robertson Quilt
The daughter of this family just finished writing about the journey of this quilt and the history surrounding it. She completed her own exact copy of the original quilt, and the book has the patterns of this quilt too. Here is the link in case you wanted to learn more about this amazing story and history. It has captivated me! It has impacted me! And this family has impacted me! It is amazing when a quilt is so impacting in our life.
The Robertson Quilt – Track its journey from Baltimore to Whidbey Island
In December 1996, I discussed the possibility of starting an applique group in our area with some well-known applique quilters and received great “do it” feedback. I put 100 invitation letters in the Freeland post office on Whidbey Island. That invitation letter went to all the quilt groups in Washington State I could find addresses for, to see if there would be enough interest in starting an all-applique group in the Pacific Northwest. I began hearing back from some and expected about 30 people in the spring of 1997.But when the day came, over 80 people showed up at the little local quilt shop in Edmonds, Washington. The steering committee was formed, and the people were in place to make history; The Applique Society (TAS) was birthed that day. October 1997 we became a nonprofit corporation in the State of Washington. In October 2022 we celebrated 25 years as TAS. In the fall of 2018 I joined the TAS board again and along with open minded board members, we have taken TAS to a new direction of this applique journey. We have gone to online Zoom monthly meetings and a quarterly newsletter. We have nationally and internationally well-known teachers give presentations and classes via Zoom. TAS is growing and moving with the times of how to reach out to the world with the “language of cloth”. We all understand this language of cloth even if we don’t speak the same language. We have met so many wonderful people through the World Wide Web. Check us out at www.theappliquesociety.org
No conversation with Anita is complete without talking about the quilts she has made or is in the process of making. Many of her quilts are from her own designs. All of the quilts are beautiful. Despite what she says about perfection, her quilts are pretty darn close to it.
4.There are four quilts you’ve made which really speak to my heart and I’d like for you to talk about those:
1790 Love Entwined redrafted by Esther Aliu
Now this is a good start to ask about the quilts I have made and am in process of making. Love Entwined is a great one to start with. As soon as I saw this quilt in 2013, it grabbed my heart. I just knew I needed to make this quilt. Because I was not familiar with the history 1790 Georgian Era, I decided to do some research and see what colors would be used during that time period. Since the original quilt was photographed in black and white, there was no color information available other than the description by the photographer and that information was subjective. I researched the Georgian Era and was able to get great info from an architectural designer friend. She had resource books she copied and scanned that showed the colors and the structures from that time. I took that info and then went to my large collection of fabrics I had been building the last 10 years. I usually would get 1/3 to ½ yard pieces of fabrics with interesting designs on them which would give an applique piece some depth and movement. I had been working as an office manager for a doctor at the time and took some of my paycheck to buy fabric each month that was on sale. So, because of this, I had all the fabric I needed for this project. I just loved the process of choosing the fabrics. I would choose the fabrics and then put them into one of the extra-large zip storage bags – 2ft x 1ft x 7 inches (60cm x 51cm x 18cm). I will not use any of the fabric in that bag until my project is finished. The fabrics are contemporary designs and colors are different than what some would use. I have taken the “family colors” of the Georgian Era and worked from that source to create what I have done so far. I love, love the colors I have chosen.
I worked on this quilt from July 2013 to December 2015 when life changed for me. My second mom got dementia, broke her hip, and had to move into a nursing home. I was her Power of Attorney and had to travel to Florida to deal with all the contents of her home, her 10ft x 20ft storage unit, and then sell her house. It was an intense period, and I had no time to stitch. So the quilt was waiting for me to finish it when I got back. It will get finished and worked on… soon. My mother, who was a tailor, saw the quilt in 2015 and had some positive comments about it. That was a rare thing coming from her. She told one of the staff in the nursing home she was in that “her (Anita’s) stitches are better than mine.” She did not tell me directly. I only overheard her saying it. So when I finish this quilt, I will have good memories of that comment and this picture of her looking at it and inspecting my handwork.
Anita’s mother inspecting Anita’s Love Entwined Quilt
Some of you may wonder at Anita’s term “Second Mom.” This woman’s name was Lillian Kemp. Both Lillian and her husband, Jack, played large roles in Anita’s life. I’ll let Anita explain this before we move onto the second quilt:
Lillian Kemp was my second mom. When Brad (my husband) was transferred to San Diego, he missed his girlfriend back in Ohio. In March 1971, he went walking on the Coronado beach near the Navy base. That very week I had gone to the local Baptist Church for a revival meeting at the invite of Brad’s father. I accepted Jesus that evening, and my prayer was “God you know how badly Brad and I want to get married, you work it out.” Jack Kemp would go around and pick up sailors for the weekend and bring them home to a give them a meal and take them to church on Sunday. He saw Brad walking on the Coronado beach and picked him up. Lillian and Jack talked to Brad about this girl he was missing, and Lillian said, “Maybe in a few months when you get settled, you could have Anita come out and stay at our house”.
Brad wrote to me about it and the plan was made for me to go to Jack and Lillian’s house in two weeks. We were 18 years old and in love and nothing was going to stop us from being together. I was there in April and then on May 8, 1971, we got married in Jack and Lillian’s home with their Pastor officiating the marriage. Lillian became my second mom. Her only child, a son, died tragically two years later in a car accident, and we became even closer. She was also a spiritual mother, too, in my walk with God. So God answered my prayer in that simple Baptist church on the day of my Salvation. In 2021, we celebrated 50 years of marriage.
Good Grief (1856 Huguenot Friendship Quilt – Triplett Sisters pattern)
“Good Grief” became the name of my quilt in 2020, based on the 1856 Huguenot Friendship Quilt pattern by the Triplett Sisters. In March 2020, my good quilting friend did not survive open heart surgery and died at 65 years old. We had done so many quilting and applique things together and then she was gone. I had to do something to refocus the grief and loss. I helped the family with sorting through her quilting area, but the grief was still so deep. So I decided to focus on something creative. In May 2020 I began the Huguenot Friendship quilt.
Little did I know how much this quilt would be important in the grieving process in 2020. Each block was “doable”, and each block brought color and focus on beauty instead of sadness. I also had a garden to grow and canning to do, but the blocks were also part of my year. I “stitched a garden to heal the soul”.
Then September 3, 2020, my mother died at 91 of sepsis and organ failure. My two sisters were able to be with her when she passed. I prayed for her at home because it all happened so quickly and there was a limited amount of people who could see her because of the COVID restrictions in the hospitals. So I did not go to her. At least she was not alone as many people were that year. She died in the hospital with her two daughters (my sisters) with her. My brother also could not make it either. It was sad.
October 2020, they finally opened the nursing home my second mom was in, and I could go see her. But I was only allowed to visit for 15 minutes a day. For two weeks I went every day to see her and my last day I was able to be there 30 minutes. During the off times I was in my hotel room and worked on the applique for the Huguenot Friendship blocks. I had cut and basted all the blocks before I left to go on the trip. It became the focus. I also listened to positive messages on YouTube. Dealing with GRIEF… at just losing my mother, more GRIEF… realizing my second mom was not far behind…
Then December 22, my second mom died. She was finally free from her dementia, from her broken body, and from the world of loneliness. Her sister died in the same nursing home just that past August. This is why she stayed in Florida. I wouldn’t/couldn’t take them away from each other.
Grief became “Good grief” in this quilt. I stitched a garden to heal my soul. Those who have experienced grief and loss understand this journey. The colors I chose for the center were different. I had some fabric that had bees in it and had that in beige, red and black. I again chose fabrics from my collection which were unique and had interesting designs and colors on them. The black became the border because in Europe it is common to put a black border around cards to announce the death of a loved one or funeral notices. I thought this was perfect for my “Good Grief” quilt. That is what quilts are, a language spoken in cloth which is understood, no matter what unique language we actually speak.
“The Journey of Hope” quilt
I have been working on this idea of “The Journey of Hope” for many years. I always wanted to make a quilt about my family’s heritage but was not sure how to do that. In the fall of 2018 I took a class from Susan Standley about a westward journey through the book named “Hope’s Journey”. It sounded really interesting and so I went to the classes. I learned a lot each month but because it was talking about the journey which women took to go west in America, I had a hard time connecting with their stories. I began to think about my own journey to America and I journaled about my thoughts on this subject as I was going through the classes with Susan.
The author of the book, Betsy Chutchian, came to one of the meetings. It was at this meeting I told her about my idea to try and make my quilt more personal to my family’s history story by using blocks I researched from other books and libraries of old blocks. I did lots of searching and found my best sources were “The Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns” by Jinny Beyer and “Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns” by Barbara Brackman. EQ8 in conjunction with the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns created Block Base. It was a wealth of information to search out names of blocks which would work for my quilt idea. Searching out the right names and the right sizes all were possible with the resources I found. At the end of the classes I presented the name of this quilt as “The Journey of Hope” to Betsy and got her blessing with a label for the quilt and it was signed by her saying “Follow your path… Hope’s Journey – Betsy Chutchian 2019”. In 2019 I did all my block research and then it was time to design the quilt. Now that has been a journey and process! I have sketches in my notebook but each one was inadequate. My only source in 2019 was the Jinny Beyer book. The next challenge was how do I get these blocks to fit into my design? There were so many obstacles in this process. Then in 2020 the Block Base and the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns joined forces. I ordered the book and program, and it changed the whole idea of my focus. Now with EQ8 I could create the blocks I had put down on a list and make them into the size I wanted. But first I had to pare down the list to what would fit in the area I wanted to make a quilt. What size would I make this quilt?
That is when my desire to use the Fibonacci method of quilt sizes came into play. I knew I was limited on the full size of the quilt being 105 inches, so I found a ratio that would work with that and came up with the 65 inch center with 10 inch borders. Then I found I could make the blocks in the center 5 inches, 10 inches and 15 inches and still be within the Fibonacci ratio. Patterns were picked and the design emerged. I also wanted to put the name of the quilt in the border. I had to research a German Typographer and found one. I was able to get the print for the quilt project design and just recently completed the typography with border sizes and patterns. The blocks in the center of the quilt will tell the story by their block names, like farmers daughter, wagon wheel, Ohio Star, snowball wreath, danger signal, cross and crown, and many more. There are 55 blocks in the center and 4 blocks in each corner. If I hand piece one block a week (which is reasonable), it will take over a year to make that area. Then I would do the applique in the lettering for another half year or so. This will not be a fast quilt. The outer border is still waiting to be designed. So 2020 was taken up with the “Good Grief” quilt and 2021 was trying to heal from the loss of my mothers and my friend. I thought I was finally on the mend and able to proceed with the things needing done in my world. BUT 2022 proved to be a difficult year.
From January 2022 to July 2022, I lost 5 key people in my life to death. Again the grief wants to engulf you. It was harder this time. REFOCUS, REFOCUS, REFOCUS and I worked through the summer with gardening to work through the grief. But I also had time to reflect too. It was at that time I thought about my father’s family and their journey during 1939 to 1945. My father’s family came from East Prussia. In 1945 the Russians invaded East Prussia and killed, tortured, and violated men and women. They took the land away from any German/East Prussian property owners.
During this invasion and while they were trying to escape, my father’s grandfather watched his beloved 22-year-old granddaughter killed in front of him. My father’s father died also in the invasion. They both had to be buried somehow in the worst winter in the area and the frozen ground took a week to dig the hole for both of them (granddaughter/son-in-law). There was so much loss, starvation, and death around them. I can’t imagine the losses they had to deal with and the emotions that go along with that. My father was 17 and his brother 18 when they were forced into joining a military or die that day. In 1945, his 3-year-old and 5 year old brothers only had their grandfather to take care of them. How did these people have HOPE? How did these people, my ancestors survive this?
I am the family historian, and I was able to get the last letter that great grandfather wrote in 1949 before he passed away. In this letter there was a message of HOPE. Hope of his other granddaughter who was going to America, hope of a future. He spoke of making sure they got a Bible when they came to America and make God and the Bible were an important part of their lives. With this they would have HOPE. There was NO bitterness in that letter. No anger of the loss, ONLY HOPE in all the words to her. My father gave me this letter and told me it was from his Grandfather and would weep telling me about this letter. After I had it translated (it was in old script writing) I understood why the letter impacted him so deeply. I tear up just reading it too. It is like this great grandfather is still speaking to his family today.
As the family historian, I have collected all the stories of the family’s journey to freedom and HOPE. I think it is now that this story needs to be told in 2022. We all need HOPE again.
I have been thinking a lot about… how did this man find HOPE in that difficult time? How did my parents find HOPE during a time of hopelessness and poverty in the country we immigrated from? So it is time for the story of “The Journey of Hope” quilt to be told. Watch for the progress in the coming year.
Sisterhood Quilt – The members of TAS from around the world who sent in blocks since 2000 to 2022
The Sisterhood center block design was a wonderful gift to The Applique Society (TAS). Bunny Leighton had heard of my vision for TAS — that it would reach applique lovers from around the world who knew and understood the “language of applique.” She took this vision and created the design “The Sisterhood.” Bunny captured the heart and soul of The Applique Society.
I took that design and made the block. It is 34 inches high by 34-1/2 inches wide. I used fabric that would represent the cultures shown. I even found actual Japanese fabric for that culture.
Once I had the center finished, I thought, “What else can I do with this block now?” The idea was to have as many people as possible who were interested in doing so, make a block for the quilt. Some only did their signatures. Others made simple applique blocks and then others made more detailed applique blocks. Blocks from around the world were sent to me to include in the quilt. This quilt, when finished, will be in some museum for historic value documenting the applique lovers of this time period and The Applique Society. I’ve spent 23 years of collecting blocks for this quilt. Right now I am in the process of seeing what I need to do to finish the quilt and begin to do the quilting. I would really like to hand quilt the center. So maybe a combination of machine quilting and hand quilting will happen. We will see what takes place as it gets closer to that phase.
If you would like to make a block, send your block to
Anita M Smith
P.O. Box 491
Freeland, WA 98249-0491
USA
Block details
**Cream or Off-White Cotton – washed
**7-inch block… I will cut the block so please keep the design inside the 6-inch design area
**Use a Pigma Pen or archival pen to write on the block
**Applique Design and/or embellishment is welcomed
**On each block please include your full name, city, state, and country
**Also include the date, month, and year you completed the block
What has each quilt taught you?
In writing about all the quilts above and the journey I have taken with each one, I see it taught me I love to tell stories with fabric, my first love in quilting is applique and I love to “paint with fabric.”
How did you decide on the designs?How did you decide which fabrics to use?
Each quilt is unique and each one is created based on an original idea. Even the quilts which were from a pattern like the 1856 Huguenot Friendship Quilt was turned into a unique quilt by using different colors and an additional name. “Good Grief” stitched a garden to heal the soul. It brought healing.
The Journey of Hope was planned one way and then when new information and opportunity to create something unique in unique sizes came about, it changed the whole idea and now it has taken on a life of its own. The Journey of Hope continues to tell me what to change and what to add. It is fun when a quilt “talks” to you.
Love Entwined pattern is going to stay as it was created. What changed was the fabric, the colors from what was seen so faintly. I love that the quilt was photographed in black and white because then it unlocked the creativity of each maker for their own version of the quilt. Love Entwined was the first quilt that “talked” to me and told me what fabric to use. It surprised me what fabrics I chose, but they worked.
See below the original from a book and then the redesigned center by Esther Aliu.
5. Where do you see yourself in five years as a quilter? Do you have goals? If so, what are they?
That is a very good question. In five years I will be 76. I hope the quilts I have at the top of my list “to be finished” will have been done and have gotten into one of the major quilt shows and that some will win major awards. We can all dream… but I know from the quilts I have seen, the level of perfectionism one must achieve in order to win awards may be out of my reach because of the fact I will not obsess with perfection in my work. I will do my best in the work I do, but the perfection goal is not there. I do know my work has to “speak” and must have “heart” and has to “deeply move” the viewer. Good Grief did this. I watched at our local fair where it was hung, that there were many brought to tears, and many had difficulty speaking after reading the label or the note I put with the quilt.
When I finish “The Journey of Hope,” my goal for it is to put it in Houston and then see what it does. When it is finished being shown around, I will take it to Germany and present it to the East Prussian Museum for the historical value of its story. I hope it moves people to heal and to have HOPE.
6. What was it like being interviewed by Ricky Timms?
I was so nervous to meet Ricky. He is so well known and I didn’t know what to expect. When I met him he IMMEDIATELY put me at ease. Before I was recorded, he asked many questions, and I answered them. It was then that he went over what his goal was and what he hoped to ask me. Also where to look and what quilts would be focused on. Once the interview began, Ricky asked the questions just like a friend would ask. All the preparation ahead really helped, and I felt totally at ease in the interview. Ricky said he was given a chance in his life with quilting and so he was giving people a chance to share their ideas, quilts, and stories with the interviews he gives. He was giving back what he was given and passing on the kindness. It was an honor to meet him and talk to him.
7. What other hobbies do you have besides applique and quilting? (Details on your garden and food preservation would be greatly appreciated).
My other love I enjoy is working in the garden and my yard. I love the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest and to hear the owls hooting, the birds singing, and to watch the bees and hummingbirds. You can listen as the bugs fly by and watch a dragon fly light on top of a fence. You can see the swallows fly and catch the bugs. You watch spring blossom and nature begin again after the rest of winter. Doing the physical work outside confirms to myself that I can still manage on my own things that others would hire out to do. I have helped my husband build a fence around our two large lots. I painted them with stain last summer. Building flower beds and watching the Irises grow and the lavender attracts the bees again.
I also love photographing nature. I love being able to see if I can create it in applique. I post these photos on Facebook to share with those that may not know about such simple beauty.
My favorite thing to do is to take a walk on the beach where my son lives and look for Agates. I explore the earth near the beach and imagine what people and Indians were doing over 100+ years ago in the area. I love walking in his woods and listening to the quiet and smelling the earth and the ferns abundant on his property.
My life and goals are simple. I keep my applique techniques simple. I seldom watch TV. I enjoy learning and listening to positive messages. Since losing nine people in two years, I am reminded my time on earth has an “expiration date.” I know where I am going and that gives me peace. What I do want to do is live my life to the fullest while I am still on this earth and fulfill the plan God has for me to do. I know doing applique and quilting, working with TAS, canning and gardening, and being a mentor and teacher to those who God brings into my life — all these things have purpose. So I want to fulfill my purpose on this earth.
8. What is the one quilt pattern you would make again and again and why?
I have made the Disappearing 9-patch for Veterans Quilts in a group I am a part of. It was lots of fun and so I made some regular quilts with that pattern. I love that you can have a core fabric and then because of the way you cut the 9-patch there is one square that will be larger than the others. That one can be a fun fabric like I plan on using for a special quilt for a family member I want to make. Plus the 9-patch can be any size and it can still be successful. Just try it… you will like it…
Usually at this point in my blog, I’m wrapping things up. I search for a few well-chosen, possibly witty words to close out my column so you will remember it long enough to remind yourself to read it again next week. I can’t do that with this blog. The words which Anita has spoken and written so eloquently are more than enough for all of us to remember what she said, and even more so the journey she has taken as a quilter. She’s a remarkable woman and so extremely talented.
I am so blessed to have her as a friend.
Until next week – Remember the Difference is in the Detail!
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
PS: All photo credits for this blog also go to Anita
Social media. We quilters use it all the time. We look up patterns. We join on-line groups and Facebook pages. I blog. You read my blogs. We tweet and Instagram and thank the good Lord for the resources YouTube brings to us. As matter of fact, we use social media so much and have for so long we kind of take it for granted.
However, allow me to insert a personal story at this point. Let’s take a trip back to the seventies. A lot was going on then, both historically and socially. And one of those events was the introduction of HBO. While cable television had been around since the forties, it wasn’t until around 1972 that HBO – the Home Box Office – became available to large cities and then trickled down into the suburbs. One of those suburbs was my little hometown, and my dad was one of their first customers. Dad owned a couple of companies during this time, and he often had to work nights to fill in for absent employees or just to keep things running smoothly. He saw HBO as an opportunity to watch movies he didn’t have time to see at a regular theater and as an alternative to our local TV channels. He signed up, the cable was laid, and we were soon watching programs other folks around us weren’t.
Which in a small town brought up lots of discussions – weren’t we worried about inappropriate programming? Didn’t this mean our family would watch more TV (especially my brother and me) than normal? Didn’t it bother us that we were paying for both good and bad programming? Dad had some pretty hard, fast answers: No, no, and no. No one would force us to watch anything we didn’t feel was appropriate, he and Mom made sure our chores and homework were done before Eric and I plopped down in front of the television (which, for the record, I’ve never been one to watch hours of TV), and you pay for electricity, which can bring both good and bad into a house, so what’s the difference?
Here’s the bridge between HBO and social media: They both work the same way. There are both good sides and bad sides to social media, just like there are good points and bad points with movie channels. Which side you allow into your life and your quilting determines its impact on both you and your art. Social media – like HBO – is neither inherently good nor bad. It, in and of itself, is neutral. It’s how it’s used which determines its influence.
Right off the top of my head, I can list lots of advantages for social media:
We can stay connected with quilters from all over the world
Lots of information and research are available from hundreds of sources with just a click of the mouse
You can both shop and pay for on-line “must have” quilt purchases
So many learning opportunities!
Zoom meetings for guilds and other quilting groups mean teachers are available from anywhere in any time zone
Even if you move to an area with no quilt shops, guilds, or groups, you can stay connected with the ones back home or find new ones.
All social media is a stage, and I really, really want to operate the trap door.
There is a dark side to social media, too, even for quilters who (in my opinion) seem to have the sunniest of dispositions.
Online vs. Reality – If you’re like me (and a lot of other quilters), when you’re lacking inspiration, have a few extra minutes here and there, or you’re trying to find a quilt pattern, you will peruse social media as well as Google/Google images. Sometimes these pictures are photoshopped – the photographer has downloaded the actual picture into a software program and has “touched up” the real image. Getting rid of a few stray threads is one thing, but to alter the image to the point where it looks almost nothing like the original is another. And according to my photographer husband, sometimes it takes a trained eye to know if a program such as Lightbox or Photoshop has been used. There is a chance – if you’re looking at a picture of a quilt – you may not be looking at the “real” thing. The image could be altered. So if you look at a quilt and think “Oh, I could never make something like that. It is so far above my skill level,” there is a chance no one has actually made that quilt. It’s an altered derivative of the original.
However, once those thoughts have run through your head, it’s super-easy to think you can’t make it or you’re not a good quilter or you begin to have massive amounts of self-doubt. If this happens, take a deep breath and turn off your laptop, iPad, or step away from your phone and repeat this: I can make that quilt. I do have the skill set. I can do it. It’s just a quilt.
Increased Usage – Using social media can be like eating potato chips. It’s nearly impossible to eat only one chip. Once you’ve used one site to find something, your search will very obligingly return few more. This is especially true with YouTube. I may only want to watch one or two videos about quilting feathers, but YouTube will very helpfully line up five more for my viewing pleasure. Next thing I know, I’ve spent three hours watching videos about quilting without putting in a single stitch. A timer can be helpful in these situations. Set it for 15 minutes or a half hour. When it dings, step away from the screen and move on to the next thing.
Social Media Addiction is a Real Thing – This is a bit different from the Pit of Increased Usage. This addiction occurs when you post something – a question or better yet a picture of what you’re working on – and afterwards you continually check the social media page to see how many people have liked or commented on it. Psychologists tell us every “like” or positive comment produces a hit of dopamine to the brain (dopamine is the chemical in the brain which allows us to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation) and other happiness hormones. Our brains happen to like this very much and want to repeat this process as many times as possible. So we find ourselves continually checking our social media pages and every time the number of “likes” or comments increases, we feel pretty good about ourselves. Then as the number of these taper off, our “feel good feelings” go away and our brain sends us a signal: Do something else so we can feel this happy/satisfied/motivated again.
This, if we’re not careful, can begin a cycle of Social Media Addiction. Feel bad? Post a picture or comment to see the responses. Didn’t get as many responses and likes as last time? Let’s see if we can fix this. Post something else. And the cycle continues.
Allow me another personal example. I have written a quilt blog since 2008, first on Blogspot and now on WordPress. Most of the time – as a matter of fact all of the time until around 2016 – I received virtually no feedback. Once in a while I would get a comment or a like, but not often and certainly not enough for me to keep checking the blog app on my phone to keep up with the nonexistent numbers. I was writing for my own pleasure and fun.
Then in 2016, something happened. For starters, by this time my writing had improved. Second, for whatever reason – karma, happenstance, sheer luck – I began to have regular readers and they would comment. People began to subscribe. This made me happy, of course, but it still didn’t make me check my WordPress app on a daily basis. Then in 2018, the unthinkable happened. I posted on Wednesday morning as normal, then after lunch I received a message from WordPress: I had over 1,000 readers since I posted at 8 a.m.
You better believe for the next several months I rabidly checked my WordPress app several times a day. Could I have over 1,000 readers in one day again? If I didn’t, what did that say about my writing? Was my topic relevant? Then I began looking at which countries my readers were from. Needless to say, I nearly drove myself (and probably some other folks) nuts.
I had an addiction and I had to get over it. I removed the app from my phone for nearly a year. If I wanted stats, I would have to power up my laptop and go through all that trouble to find out how many readers I had and who was reading from what country. I do admit I now check the app a few times a week to look at the numbers. The countries don’t bother me so much anymore, but I am thankful folks in lots of other countries take the time to read my blog.
It’s important to note the opposite can also happen. Unfortunately, I’ve seen some real “Quilting Bullies” on some sites – especially Facebook. I am happy the admins of most of these pages will shut the bullies down quickly. However, I’ve seen some pretty bad manners. If one quilter shows something they’re making which another quilter believes was done incorrectly, poorly, or (gasp and clutch your pearls) not the way they would have done it, they criticize the project and the quilter. If you post something and expect to receive complete validation or a huge hit of dopamine every time, don’t be surprised when it doesn’t happen. I even would go so far to say if having another quilter post something derogatory would bother you to the point you didn’t want to quilt, it’s probably a good idea not to post anything.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) – Admittedly, this is one of those issues which seems to occur in younger social media users. Fear of Missing Out kind of goes hand in hand with Social Media Addiction in that FOMO sufferers feel the need to frequently check their social media pages. However, instead of posting something in order to get a hit of dopamine, FOMO people are afraid if they don’t continually monitor their social media, they’ll miss out on something. So if you’re constantly scrolling Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or other sites in order to catch immediate releases of patterns, books, or just day-to-day updates from your favorite quilters, you may suffer from FOMO.
A few final thoughts before I end this blog, and this deals with YouTube. I love YouTube as much as any other quilter. There are some YouTube quilters I follow and watch regularly. We will get to them in a minute, and I’ll tell you why I follow them and think they’re simply wonderful. However, I’d like to issue a few cautionary statements about YouTube videos and channels. First, almost anyone can start their own YouTube channel. YouTube has proven itself to be the great equalizer. No more paying the “regular” channels to put something on them or hoping they pick you up as an afternoon or morning show. With YouTube, there’s no dealing with the camera and lighting people at a local station or PBS. You can film and edit your own stuff, load it up, and unless YouTube dings it for inappropriate, stolen, or plagiarized content, it will be available for viewing in just a bit. As a result we have access to hundreds of quilting teachers from all over the world. Some of them are very good. Some of them are not. After you’ve quilted a while you can pretty much weed out which teachers are worth watching and which are not. It’s important to remember most of the sewing and quilting parts of the videos are sped up due to time limitations. So if you think you’re hopeless because you can’t sew or quilt as quickly as some of the YouTubers, don’t despair. There’s more than a good chance they can’t sew or quilt that fast, either.
As promised, these are the quilters I regularly watch on YouTube:
Angela Walters – If you want to learn to quilt or quilt better on your domestic sewing machine or long arm, Angela is your girl. She has teaching videos where she uses both and breaks it down so it’s super-simple. Angela is the one who really got me over my fear of quilting on my domestic sewing machine. She does demonstrate how to piece quilts, with most of quilts using pre-cuts and a little additional yardage. She also has live YouTube (and Facebook) shows about once a week. You can type in your question in the comment section, the questions are monitored, and she does answer them. Bonus, she checks back with the comment sections for several weeks, so she can continue to answer questions.
I like Anglea because she’s real. If she’s speeding up the videos, it’s apparent. She will point out what quilting areas gave her problems and how she worked through them. Her tapings are relaxed, and she has this way of just making you feel you can quilt as well as she does, and that nothing is impossible.
Karen Brown – This Canadian quilter is simply wonderful. She owns up to her mistakes and then tells you how to avoid them. At the beginning of every new year, she has a declutter challenge which is a lot of fun. She (along with thousands of other quilters) cleans out her sewing rooms and gets ready for a year of clutter-free quilting. I love that she’s a “green” quilter – she repurposes everyday items as useful sewing tools and makes after-quilts to cut down on the number of scraps hitting landfills. She also offers technical solutions and covers a myriad of quilting topics in a clear, concise way. If she speeds up her videos, you definitely know it. She’s just a great, all-around quilter.
Abby Cox – Admittedly, Abby Cox is not a quilter. She’s a seamstress and is proficient in garment history and construction. While I don’t make garments any longer, she has placed a longing in my soul to construct a Victorian dress. I’ll probably never do it, but a girl can dream. However, I have found her hand sewing tutorials to be EPIC. No one does it better than Abby. She is one of the wittiest YouTube sewers out there. If you want to be educated and entertained, I strongly recommend her YouTube videos. The one on bras is enlightening and HYSTERICAL. The one on Valentine’s Day is even better.
This next quilter is not on YouTube, but you can find her on Instagram. She generally has a new video on Instagram every day – Bethanne Nemesh. If you’ve been around long arms, long armers, or looked up instruction for long arms, her name will pop. She’s more than a long armer, she is an artist. What this woman can do with thread and a long arm is amazing. She also can help you become amazing, too. I’ve taken several of her on-line classes and she is truly incredible. And much like Angela Walters, she makes you believe you can do what she does – which is half the quilting battle. Bethanne is incredibly generous with her time and knowledge and definitely worth the daily watch.
Like a lot of things in life, social media is neither good nor bad, black nor white, positive nor negative. It’s what you do with it and allow it to do to you which matters most. Use it for good, and when it’s impacting you in a negative way, know when to shut it down and walk away. Either way, I can’t picture our current quilting world without it. Use it wisely and well.
Until Next Week, Remember the Difference is in the Details!
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
PS — A couple of “housekeeping” things. First, one of my readers gave me a really great suggestion. I wrote a blog a few weeks ago about quilt shows and entering your quilts. I mentioned there had been some theft of quilts from shows in the past several years. This reader suggested getting your show quilts appraised for their value prior to entering them. It’s a great suggestion. And while an insurance settelement can’t replace the quilt, at least you’d have money to buy new fabric to make a replacement quilt.
Second, next week you may want to brew yourself a cuppa before you read my blog. It’s a long one — nearly twice as long as I normally write. I am interviewing my very good quilting friend, Anita Smith. She talks her journey as a quilter and an immigrant. May want to have a few Kleenex around, too.
One of the very few quilting “rules” is the ¼-inch seam. It’s one of the standards drilled into our quilting consciousness from the time we pick up our first quilt pattern.
Sew a ¼-inch seam.
Keep a consistent ¼-inch seam.
You’ll always use a ¼-inch seam.
There’s no denying ¼-inch seam is pretty important. However, what’s more important is to know what tools there are available to help us keep that consistent ¼-inch seam, and the difference between a ¼-inch seam and a scant ¼-inch seam. Let’s talk about the two different types of seams first.
Two Types of Quilt Seams
The standard ¼-inch seam is just that – a full ¼ of an inch. It should measure consistently ¼-inch throughout the seam. In most quilt patterns, if the directions state ¼-inch seams or don’t indicate the seam width at all, it’s understood the full ¼-inch seam allowance is implied. A scant ¼-inch seam means the seam allowance is a thread or two under a full ¼-inch. Usually quilt directions will indicate if a scant seam allowance should be used. The pictures below show the difference between the regular ¼-inch and the scant ¼-inch seams. The white chalk line is ¼-inch away from the edge of the fabric. When I use a full ¼-inch seam, the stitches fall directly on top of the chalk line.
When I use a scant ¼-inch seam, the stitches fall slightly to the right of the chalk line.
The dilemma a lot of us quilters fall into is Multiple Machine Management. One of the standard pieces of advice I received throughout my quilting years was, “Always use the same machine throughout your piecing and assembly process.” I determined a few years ago the reason this tidbit of guidance was continually flung my way is this – different sewing machines mark their ¼-inches differently and it can be easy to get confused if you switch out machines, resulting in your seams not remaining consistently ¼-inch. And while this really is excellent advice, most quilters know this may not be possible, because most of us have more than one sewing machine.
I currently have five domestic sewing machines. And let me remind you this is a Nonjudgement Zone. I have a Featherweight, a small Juki I use for classes, a Juki 2010Q, a Janome 7700, and my M7 Continental. Most of the time, I start and finish my quilts on my M7. However, if I decide to attend a day quilt retreat, bring a machine to a sit and sew, or take a class, I’m not hauling around my M7. She’s a beast. I’ll take the Janome 7700 or my small Juki. In all actuality, I may trade off machines several times during my quilting process. I need a way to make sure all my machines are sewing an accurate ¼-inch seam allowance.
There are several techniques and tools available for this process. We’ll take a look at each and weigh the pros and cons.
The Quilting Foot
Before the advent of sewing machines designed especially for quilters, these were considered “specialty feet” and were an added cost. Now if you purchase a sewing machine designed for quilters, these are normally thrown in at no additional charge. These feet vary in appearance from machine to machine, but the standard feature among all of them is they have some way of letting you know you’re sewing a full ¼-inch seam. The foot for my M7 looks like this:
The phalange on the right lines up with the edges of my fabric. As long as the fabric stays snuggled up to the phalange, I’m sewing a full ¼-inch seam.
Quilting feet may also look like this:
As long as the edges of your fabric are lined up with the right side of this foot, you’re sewing a full ¼-inch seam.
There are even walking feet which have a ¼-inch seam designation. This is the one for my machine.
Quarter Inch Walking Foot
Regular Walking Foot
I use my regular walking foot for sewing on binding, paper piecing, or quilting. However, I have found the ¼-inch walking foot to be remarkably handy if I am piecing a quilt with lots of seams joining together at one spot.
There are also scant ¼-inch quilting feet. Some quilter’s sewing machines have this foot thrown in as part of the package. With others, this foot is a separate purchase. I use the Little Foot brand scant ¼-inch foot.
When you line the edges of your fabric up with the right side the foot, you sew the scant ¼-inch. If you’re able to move your machine needle’s position a little further to the right, you may be able to sew a scant seam without purchasing an additional foot. Read your sewing machine manual or Google your brand to find out.
Faith in the Feet
If each of your sewing machines has a quilting foot (which in my opinion really should be called a “piecing foot”), the assumption is you can sew a consistent ¼-inch seam no matter what machine you’re using. The idea is valid, but that’s putting a lot of faith in your presser feet without solid proof. It’s super-important to know for sure the ¼-inch seam is consistent throughout your machines. Fortunately, there are a few ways to handle this.
The first way is to set up your machines to sew a ¼-inch seam. Gather some scrappage and sew a ¼-inch seam 6-inches long on each of the machines. Then, one at a time, take each seam and press it open (I think it’s good to do one at a time, so you won’t forget what fabric was sewn by what machine). Measure the pressed-open seam allowance. If it measures a full ½-inch, then you know that sewing machine does sew a consistent ¼-inch seam allowance.
Full Quarter Inch Seams
Scant Quarter Inch Seams
If you have a machine (or two) which fail this ¼-inch seam allowance assessment, try this second test to make sure something didn’t go wonky on the first one:
Cut three strips of fabric, 2-inches wide by 7-inches long. Two of the strips should be the same color and one needs to be a contrasting color (this just makes the test easier).
Sew the three strips together, using the same ¼-inch foot used on the first test.
Press the seams towards the center strip. Measure the joined strips crosswise. It should measure exactly 5-inches in width.
Measure the center strip. It should measure exactly 1 ½-inches wide. If it’s narrower than this, your foot is grabbing more than ¼-inch. If it’s wider, then it’s grabbing less.
If this test meets the 5-inch and 1 ½-inch measurements listed above, run the first test again just to be sure. On the first try, the machine could have wobbled, the foot could have bobbled, or something happened to alter the ¼-inch seam. If you have two consistent tests producing two consistent ¼-inch seams, you’re good to go.
If your machine and its foot failed you, don’t despair. There is still something you can do. This little tool right here:
Is an amazing apparatus to have in your quilting notions. It’s the Perfect Piecing Seam Guide. It’s available through Keepsake Quilting, Perkins Dry Goods (perkinsdrygoods.com), and Amazon. It’s not a major purchase, cashing in at a mere $8.15 (on average). However, it’s one of the handiest gadgets to have on hand, especially if you’re test driving a new sewing machine and want to make sure its quilting foot is truly ¼-inch.
On the right side of the guide is a raised edge. In the middle of the raised edge is a tiny hole, just big enough to insert a sewing machine needle. Raise the presser foot on your machine and adjust the seam guide so your needle will go through the hole on the guide completely. Do this manually or you may break a needle and scare yourself silly and ruin the guide. Once the needle is through the hole, leave it in the down position and then mark your needle plate on the right side of the edge of the seam guide. That mark shows you where you need to have the edge of your fabric as you sew. Some folks use moleskin, fingernail polish, a fine-tipped permanent marker, or a magnetic seam guild to mark this ¼-inch spot.
At this point, usually the question pops up about moving your sewing machine needle – instead of marking your machine on the ¼-inch spot, can’t you just move your needle over to the left or right to adjust for the difference? Of course! Just two pieces of advice here – make a note somewhere about how much to move the needle over (the note section on your cell phone is a handy-dandy place to put it) and make sure you move the needle back to the original position when you’re through.
Now, after all of this, I’m getting ready to completely disavow the ¼-inch seam quilting rule: It’s not always valid all of the time.
Nope. The ¼-inch seam rule is not the do-all, be-all, and end-all of quilting. It’s far more important your blocks consistently come out the same unfinished size called for in the pattern. Sometimes this may mean using a scantier-than-scant seam allowance. Sometimes this may mean using a larger seam allowance than the ¼-inch. Most of the time, however, the true ¼-inch will work best. But you really need to know this information before you start slicing and dicing your beautiful quilt fabric. For this reason, I strongly recommend making a test block out of some scrap fabric and then measuring it after it’s finished and pressed. If this block comes out slightly larger or smaller than the desired unfinished size, check a couple of things:
If you’ve moved your needle recently, did you move it back to its normal position before you began sewing?
Did you grab the right presser foot? One of my machine applique feet looks nearly identical to my Little Foot. I have put the wrong foot on my machine more than once.
Did your foot “bobble” any? Sometimes in our rush to sew, we don’t attach the presser foot correctly, and it wiggles a bit. Make sure your foot is on securely.
Also make sure you’re feeding the fabric through your machine at a steady rate. Frequent stopping and starting can cause seam allowance issues, as well as sewing too fast. It’s difficult to control your fabric when you’re sewing too quickly. Steady fabric feeding and a moderate speed are helpful to maintaining the ¼-inch seam allowance.
4. Check your thread. The weight as well as the number of plies can make a difference. If your block is just a tad too big, try switching to a heavier weight thread with more plies. If it’s just a bit too small, switch to a lighter weight thread with 2-plies.
Standard disclaimer here: I do not work for Janome, Juki, Singer, The Little Foot Company, Amazon, or Keepsake Quilting. When I mention products, it’s because I use them, like them, and get stellar customer service. I am not paid by these companies nor do I receive any free goods for mentioning them in my blog.
Most of the time quilt patterns use a full ¼-inch seam. Knowing how to consistently sew one is a little detail which makes a huge impact on your quilt and your quilting experience. However…it’s just as important to know when to break that ¼-inch rule and how to do it.
Until Next Week, Remember the Details Make the Difference!
Okay, here’s the scenario. You’re casually searching the internet quilting sites. You’re not really looking for anything specific, but you come across this darling quilt pattern. You check the price. It’s not unreasonable. Added bonus, it’s a digital download. Before you can say bibbitybobbityboo, you hit up Paypal and it’s yours. You download it to your computer, print it out and raid your stash. Next thing you know you’re having a wonderful time making this darling quilt.
In the middle of this creative chaos, a quilting buddy drops by and has the same reaction you did to the pattern – she falls in love with it and wants to make the quilt, too. You give her the website and the price, but she responds with this: “Why don’t you just email me a copy of your pattern?”
And here’s where the slippery slope of copyright violations begins. On one hand, it’s simply an email, upload, point, click, and send. On the other hand, your friend didn’t pay the designer for her pattern. You want this person to remain your quilting buddy, but you know the sale of patterns is what funds the designer’s cost of living. But it’s only one copy, right? It doesn’t really hurt anything.
Or does it?
Before we slide too far down this slippery slope, let’s take a brief look at what a copyright is, what it covers, and how long it lasts. What we recognize as a copyright began in 1790. The first copyright law was written into the United States Constitution. Copyright materials were given legal status in the US District Courts and were good only for 14 years. Things rocked along pretty smoothly for 40 years. Then the United States Supreme Court heard the Peters v. Wheaton case, which entailed a reporter’s publications of the Supreme Court Justice’s opinions. Another person (Wheaton) published Peters’ (the reporter’s) work. The justices ruled against Peters because the work dealt with opinions which could not be copyrighted. The next big copyright event occurred February 3, 1831. New regulations pushed the lifespan of a copyright to 28 years and musical works could now be copyrighted. From there, the timeline goes like this:
August 18, 1856 – Dramatic works are protected
March 3, 1865 – Photographs are protected
July 8, 1870 — The second general revision of the law centralized copyright activities, including registration and deposit, in the Library of Congress. It also extended protection to works of art and gave authors the right to create their own derivative works, including translations and dramatizations. The indexing of registration records began.
August 31, 1876 – The Statue of Liberty is copyrighted
January 19, 1880 – Supreme Court decides ideas cannot be copyrighted
January 12, 1885 – It’s determined government publications cannot be copyrighted
There have been additional tweaks made to copyright laws, but these are the big ones. What’s important to quilters boils down to just a few main points.
Anything written or published prior to 1927 is now public domain. There are a few exceptions to this, and these are primarily major works in which a family, publishing house, etc., has gone to great lengths to maintain the copyrights. Even the Wizard of Oz books are now public domain.
Anything written or published between 1928 and 1978 has a copyright life of 95 years, but the copyright had to be renewed 28 years after the work was first written or published.
In 1992 the United States Copyright office completely eliminated copyright renewals.
You can copyright a quilt pattern, article, book, etc., in one of two ways: Register it at the US Copyright’s website or mail a copy of whatever it is to yourself and don’t open it. The postmark serves as date marker just in case your copyright is called into question. The unopened envelope or package demonstrates it hasn’t been tampered with.
If a work – be it a musical composition, an article, a book or part of a book, or a quilt pattern – has a copyright, this means only the author, composer, or designer has the right to distribute the copyrighted work as he or she decides. Which means if you didn’t have the designer’s permission to email your quilting buddy a copy of your pattern, you’ve broken the law. So will the police (the real police, not the quilt police) break down your door and arrest you?
In all probability, the answer is “No.”
Unless you are making hundreds of copies, selling them, and pocketing the proceeds, your one shared pattern with your quilting friend will raise no eyebrows nor make you need bail money. However, what you have done is taken money away from the quilt designer. These quilty artists and engineers spend huge chunks of their time coming up with wonderful patterns, notions, and reading material for quilters. Yes, it’s fun. Yes, they have a passion for quilting and quilters. But they also have bills to pay and mouths to feed (even if it’s just their own). Selling these patterns, notions, books, etc., is not just their passion, it’s their job. It’s how they make ends meet. It’s how they monetarily survive to create even more patterns, notions, and reading material. If enough people “share” the designers’ goods, it can put a serious dent in their income. Enough to make them warily decide if they’ll invest the time and energy to do it again. So at this point, I think it’s important to realize making copies of patterns for your friends is definitely an illegal activity, but even more than that, it’s unethical. Some folks may even say you’ve stolen money from someone without getting caught.
In the not-too-past-past, a Facebook quilting group’s administrator wanted to begin a group quilt initiative. The premise was everyone who wanted could make the quilt and they would share pictures and their construction experiences on the Facebook page. It was a noble idea, and one meant to bring the group together. The issue which sent everything sideways was this: The administrator made copies of books and online instructions from several bloggers and combined them in the group project without permission from the bloggers/designers (several who, by the way, were members of this Facebook group). The result was a great deal of rudeness, and the administrator threw the protesting bloggers out of the Facebook group. The admin’s reasoning was the patterns were all wonky log cabins and people have been making log cabins quilts for hundreds of years. The bloggers’ stance was, “Yes, that’s true, but you lifted my directions, word for word, without asking me for permission to use my instructions.”
And the bloggers/designers were right. Despite the fact the log cabin quilt block is one of the oldest blocks, the instructions belonged to the bloggers and the Facebook admin should have sought their permission to use their directions. Revisiting our initial scenario, let’s say the quilt pattern your friend wanted a copy of was made of tiny Dresden Plates.
The Dresdan Plate has been around for over a hundred years. It’s obviously not copyrighted any longer. But the directions written by the designer are not that old. That’s what is copyrighted.
At this point, I would like to address a few copyright areas which can seem a little gray.
What can you do if a friend or quilting group really likes the pattern you’re using and wants the pattern?
There are several answers to this question. If you’re through with the pattern, you can always let them borrow your pattern. If you don’t think you’ll ever use the pattern again, you can give them the pattern. If neither of these are viable options, send them the website information, and gently explain why you don’t copy patterns. One of three things will happen. If the person didn’t know copying (either by email or print) a pattern was a copyright violation, they’ll agree with you and purchase their own pattern. If the person isn’t your real quilting buddy, they may be a bit huffy about it (don’t think it won’t happen – it has to me). However, if the person is a real friend, they won’t think anything about it and either purchase the pattern or ask you to loan it to them when you’re finished.
Is there anything quilt pattern related which is not copyrighted? Surprisingly, most quilt motifs are not copyrighted, unless they’re highly specialized, computerized, or are a pantograph. A quilt you make is not copyrighted, and quilts you make to give to others are not copyrighted because no money has changed hands. It gets a little trickier when you make quilts to sell. If you make a quilt from a designer’s pattern, then you may need to get permission to sell quilts made from the pattern. However, if someone hires you to make a quilt from the pattern, that’s different. The pattern is purchased, and you are paid for your labor. The best advice I can give is read the fine print on the pattern. Most designers state their copyright policy somewhere on the it.
What about if the pattern is in a magazine or a quilt book by various designers? Again, read the copyright policy in the front of the book or magazine. Most of the time you only need permission from the designer to sell quilts made from their pattern.
What about a raffle quilt?
Guilds and other quilt groups make raffle quilts to raise money. The quilt is made, and tickets are sold for a chance to win the quilt. If a pattern is used, the guild or group needs permission from the designer. Let me also add this: I’ve worked with my guild’s raffle quilts for nearly 13 years. We have never had a designer tell us “No.” We are always very careful to give the designer credit on our tickets or any other printed information, either in hard copies or digital.
If you alter a quilt, at what point does it stop being the designer’s work and become yours?
The general rule is if anything – a work of art, a poem, play, music, or quilt – is altered more than 40%, the design then is yours. However, there is kind of an ethical caveat to this. Once that 40% is bridged, the original work is given some credit, such as “Inspired by: ____” on the label.
What if I have a pattern which is out of print and my friend wants to use it? Is it okay to make a copy of it then?
If the pattern was printed prior to 1928, the copyright laws have long expired. There are no problems. However, quilt patterns do come and go quickly in our quilting world. Personally, I had a quilt pattern I looked for several years and finally found it on a used book site. I can share how I handle the out-of-print situation, but this is one of those gray areas you need to come to your own conclusion. I search the web and see if the pattern or book is still in print anywhere (not used editions, but new). If it is, I order from there. If my searching comes up empty, I make a copy – especially if I know the designer is deceased. Most of the time, a designer’s family doesn’t continue to operate the business after the designer passes. They will sell what they have in stock and then close the business or sell it to another designer. There are a few exceptions to this, such as Sue Garman’s quilting site, Come Quilt with Me. As I understand, her daughters are still running her site and printing her beautiful patterns.
Do I need to protect my own quilt designs?
Yes, yes, yes – a thousand times yes. Copyright it (by either method mentioned above). Don’t share it on social media until you do. Even if you have no plans on mass producing patterns or becoming the next quilting show star, all your hard work is encompassed in that quilt. Don’t think some conniving conperson won’t lift your design, claim it for theirs, and mass produce it on those cheap “blankets” we’ve all seen on Facebook. It’s your baby. Protect it.
One final word about designers. You can promote them without fear of any copyright infringement. If you see a quilt you like on Pinterest, pin it. This drives more quilters to the quilt, and they’ll discover the designer you’re so fond of and maybe go purchase a pattern or two from their site or one of their preferred retailers. You can mention the name of the pattern, the designer, and the designer’s website on social media. This will go a long way to help them out.
It is true one measly copy of a quilt pattern does little harm. However, if enough people do this, it can really hurt quilt designers. I even heard – firsthand, by the way, from a very popular quilt designer and teacher – she had to stop her students from turning off their cameras in Zoom classes. If you’ve taken Zoom classes, you know turning off your mic and camera can broaden your band width and keep your computer from freezing during Zoom. During the time she was allowing students to turn their camera off, it seems someone videotaped the workshop with their phone and then loaded it up to YouTube. This allowed hundreds of people to access her classes for free. It wasn’t fair to the students who paid for the workshop, and it certainly wasn’t fair to the designer who makes part of her living from paid classes. Some copyright issues deal with gray areas. Others are clearly black and white.
Until Next Week, Remember the Difference is in the Details!
I love getting comments from my readers – both those who agree with what I write and those who vehemently disagree with what I write. My blog about quilt store etiquette had several comments and it was fun responding to each one of those. A few months ago, one of my commenters asked if I could write a blog about Broderie Perse. And if there’s one thing I love even more than comments, it’s blog ideas you want to hear about (so feel free to leave suggestions – hint, hint).
I have viewed many quilts which used the Broderie Perse technique – primarily antique ones. As a matter of fact, until last year, I considered Broderie Perse one of those “older” applique techniques, rarely used any longer, but beautiful when executed correctly. However, 2022 kind of threw this idea for a loop. You all know my affinity for Zoom classes. I took several applique Zoom classes last year which used this technique, and the results were amazing. I decided then I needed to up my applique toolbox to include this technique.
Broderie Perse actually means Persian Embroidery, but it’s not embroidery at all. It’s applique. This type of applique has been around since the 1700’s. And since this technique has quite a bit of history behind it, I thought it would be a good idea to begin with its definition and then move to its history. Broderie Perse fabric is a Chintz material. Chintz comes from the Hindi meaning “spotted, speckled, variegated, or sprayed.” Chintz fabric usually has a white base with floral and animal prints on it. The most popular of these prints is The Tree of Life, which found its way onto hundreds of quilts in the 1700s. These prints were made from a woodblock, and were printed, painted, or stained. Most of the Chintz fabric came from Hyderabad, India, and they were used for bedcovers, quilts, draperies, and curtains.
Now let’s start at the beginning of Chintz’s exportation from India to other parts of the world and an explorer named Vasco de Gama.
Vasco reached Calicut, India in 1498. From that point, lots of items were exported from India to England and France – primarily spices and minerals. However, the lovely Indian Chintzes also were included in the exports. They were well-received and became much sought after. By the time 1680 rolled around, more than a million pieces of Chintz were imported to England each year. It seemed every household which could afford the imported fabric, had to have it. It was a best-selling item which put a lot of gold in the pockets of import companies and dry goods retailers.
However, it also put a lightning bolt of fear in the hearts of fabric manufacturers both in England and France. At this point in history, neither country had the knowledge nor the technology to make printed fabric. They could produce solid-colored fabrics and then dress makers and tailors could have this fabric embroidered.
But they didn’t know how to make the Chintz fabric which was now so popular it was used in the clothing of royals and well-to-do:
And when this clothing was no longer worn by those folks, it was passed down to servants and others which re-made the Chintz into linings or clothing.
So you can see how all this Chintz-iness put a serious crimp the in the money coffers of local textile mills. Chintz popularity grew so wild that by 1686 France banned the import of Chintz and in 1720, England followed suit. Their governments felt the bans were needed in order to protect their local fabric manufacturers and uphold this end of their economy. Which it did – but boy, did the consumers grumble. They liked the Chintz. They wanted the Chintz. They were not happy they could no longer get it. However, in the long run, these bans worked in favor of the consumer. The textile mill owners in France and England soon realized they had to “up their game.” They had to learn how to produce printed fabric. But India wasn’t real keen on sharing their technology (because the bans hurt them economically) and England and France couldn’t find the Thomas Edison of fabric printing anywhere in their countries.
As almost any historian can tell you, where there is a great want for something which is super-scare, little things called the “Black Market Economy” and “Legislative Loopholes” will emerge. The biggest legislative loophole came from France, and it concerned the Court of Versailles.
The Court of Versailles was exempt from the ban – so all those French noble folk could continue to get all the Chintz they wanted.
England’s royalty wasn’t about to be so two-faced boldly divided. There weren’t any stated loopholes, but there was a great deal of subterfuge in play. To begin with, England’s military had a presence in India. These military personnel began to carefully obtain samples of the Chintz printing in each step of the manufacturing process. These were smuggled back to England along with any information garnered when the samples were acquired. And a priest, Father Courdoux, who was living in India actively converting the Indians to Christianity, also played a crucial role. While he was busily converting India’s citizens to the Roman Catholic Church, he also was pumping them for information about Chintz printing. This knowledge was then written down and sent back home.
With all the samples and information flowing into both countries, by 1759, England and France were producing their own Chintz.
But in many ways the damage was already done to Chintz’s popularity. By 1759, the French had been without Chintz for 73 years (unless you were in the Court of Versailles). The English had no Chintz for 39 years. By this time, the women of both countries had purchased the remaining imported Chintz and developed ways of making it stretch as far as they could. They cut it up – separating the flowers, fauna, and animals. Then they stitched those down on a solid-colored background which closely matched the background of the Chintz. And Broderie Perse was born.
This is a museum example of English Broderie Perse. The figures were stitched down using a very fine buttonhole stitch or the raw edges were folded under and whipped stitched into place. One tidbit of interesting history which really surprised me was it appears a paste was sometimes used to adhere the applique motif to the background before sewing. Quilt historian Kimberly Wulfert shared this information: “In more than one source I have read, paste was used in the early 1800s by women making cut-out Chintz quilts.” In the 1882 Dictionary of Needlework, Bullard and Shiel mention Broderie Perse Quilts and also mention paste: “The fabric is stretched on a frame and then the applique pieces are pasted in place. Once the paste is dry, the fabric is removed from the frame and the motifs are stitched in place.” Unfortunately, no mention is made about what the paste is made of or from. However, I assume we can surmise from this that the use of basting glue is not a new idea to quilting.
So this is how England and France handled the Chintz shortage, but what about the United States? By the 1700’s we had settled the East Coast and were gradually pushing westward. Did the US have a Chintz affinity, make Broderie Perse Quilts, or suffer from the Chintz bans? The answer to these questions is “Yes.” Yes, the women of the United States loved Chintz fabrics. And yes, they felt the pinch of the Chintz bans. Both France and England exported goods to the United States. When both countries were “banning” the fabric, it meant less Chintz yardage was reaching our coastline. Even when England had the technology to manufacture their own Chintz, we were at their mercy on pricing and taxes. As a colony, we were forbidden from manufacturing any of our own printed fabric, so we could do nothing to lower the price on Chintz or even to change the market competition. As a result, Americans were paying a high price for any Chintz fabric, regardless of the quality. Most families could not afford to pay for yards and yards of the beautiful fabric, but you know what?
Most families could afford one yard. And American women developed what they called “One Yard Quilts.” Just like the English women, they would take the one yard of Chintz, cut the figures apart and trim off any borders or print, then applique those down onto their homespun fabric. The result was a standard-sized bed quilt. Where the American Broderie Perse and the English Broderie Perse really differed was in the arrangement of the figures. American quilters would arrange as many of these related figures together as they could to form a large center block which was appliqued. Then other pieced blocks were arranged around the center block to make a Medallion Quilt. These quilts became so popular that once America was able to manufacture their own printed fabric (in the late 1700’s), Chintz fabric was printed with one large design for the Medallion center and enough smaller pieces to surround it. By 1840, Chintz could easily be found, and it was affordable. It began showing up in pieced quilts as well as appliqued.
We can’t leave the history of Broderie Perse behind without talking about one of the most famous Broderie Perse quilts: The Rajah Quilt.
The Rajah Quilt is a large quilt created by women convicts in 1841, while traveling from Woolwich to Hobart. They used the materials organized by Lydia Irving of the British Ladies Society for “Promoting the reformation of female prisoners.” First, let’s take a look at the Powerhouse of Persuasion known as Lydia Irving. Lydia served on Elizabeth Fry’s British Ladies Society. Elizabeth was the leader of this group and one of the society’s goals was to reform women convicts and then re-introduce them back into the public as true gentle women. Lydia had a two-pronged approach to this goal: First, talk to the captains of the convict ships who were taking these women to the (then) penal colony of Australia and persuade them to allow the British Ladies Society to give the female convicts much needed items to take with them – knives, forks, aprons, and sewing materials. Second, she convinced the Naval Board to fund these items. The plan was to visit every convict ship the night before it sailed to calm the women bound for Australia and give them the items.
On April 5, 1841, 180 women prisoners were given sewing supplies before they sailed on the ship, Rajah. The women’s names are still known and listed in records. They set sail from Woolwich and by July 19, 1841, they had arrived at Hobart. It was during this journey they embroidered and sewed materials into an appliqued coverlet now known as the Rajah Quilt. Kezia Elizabeth Hayter (who was the only free woman aboard ship) was probably the “designer.” Kezia had come from Millbank Penitentiary to help the women of Australia form their own society, mirrored after the British Ladies Society. Approximately 29 of the female convicts worked on the quilt. The quilt includes a message embroidered in silk thread which thanked the “Convict Ship Committee.” It was presented to Jane Franklin, the governor’s wife. The quilt was sent eventually sent back to Britain to Elizabeth Fry and was forgotten. It was rediscovered in the 1980’s, tucked away in an attic in Scotland. It was returned to Australia in 1989 and is now held at the National Gallery of Australia. It can be noted research shows this quilt wasn’t particularly unique, as other forms of convict needlework are mentioned, but what does make The Rajah Quilt special is it’s the only documented quilt made by convicts which still survives.
After reading nearly 2,000 words about Broderie Perse, maybe you’ve decided you’d like to give it a try. It’s not difficult – especially if you like applique. And it can be done either by hand or machine. You may have most of the supplies already in your studio.
Broderie Perse Supply List
Applique fabric – For a traditional look, use cotton Chintz fabric with medium- to large-sized, clearly defined motifs. If the figures are too small, the process may become too frustrating, especially if you’re still fairly new to applique.
Background fabric – In traditional Broderie Perse, the quilter matches the applique background fabric to the Chintz background. I have seen Broderie Perse on contrasting backgrounds and it’s lovely. Use what you like.
Fusible Web – This is for machine Broderie Perse. You’ll want a light to medium weight.
Basting Glue – This is used for hand sewn Broderie Perse, but it comes in handy if the fusible webbing comes loose with your machine applique.
Stabilizer – This is for machine applique. A light or medium tear-away works well, as does the iron-on Easy Knit.
Sewing Machine – This is for Broderie Perse done on the machine. Your sewing machine needs an adjustable zig zag or buttonhole stitch.
Applique Needles – These are for the Broderie Perse done by hand. I usually use a #9 or #10, but like most things quilting, use the needle you like best and works well for you.
Thread – The thread should blend with the different colors of your motif, no matter if you’re sewing the motifs by hand or machine.
Small, Sharp Scissors – You’ll fussy cut around the motifs, so you want a scissor you can control and get into small spaces and curves with easily.
General Sewing Supplies
To Begin
No matter which applique method you choose, the first step in Broderie Perse is selecting the motifs. Study your Chintz carefully and choose the motifs you want to use. Avoid any small ones, as they can be frustrating to sew either by hand or machine.
If you are machine appliqueing – Apply the fusible web to the piece of fabric with the motifs. Rather than attempting to press the fusible only on the pieces you want to use, just apply the webbing to the entire piece of fabric. This way you know the fusible is on all motifs. Once the fusible is pressed into place (be sure to follow manufacturer’s directions), leave the paper backing on the fabric. This makes the motifs easier to cut out and stabilizes any curved, bias edges.
If you are hand appliqueing – Carefully cut out the motifs you want to use. If the Chintz is soft, you may want to press some starch into the wrong side of the fabric to give it a crisper hand.
Once the motifs are cut out, you will probably need to do some additional trimming. For machine applique, you want as much of the background removed as possible. For hand appliquers, some decisions will need to be made at this point. If you plan on using traditional needle turn applique, you will want to leave a slight background margin around the motifs to turn under – less than ¼-inch but a tad more than 1/8-inch. If you plan to use a buttonhole stitch, trim away as much of the background as possible. You won’t need a margin to turn under.
Even if you have a really good idea of what motifs you want to use and how you want to arrange them, cut out as many motifs as possible. It’s always better to have too many than not enough. And who knows? Once you begin arranging all the applique pieces, you may come up with a better idea and need more.
Let me also insert a word of caution here about the background fabric. If the applique background is a different color than the Chintz background, and you’re either machine appliqueing or hand appliqueing using a buttonhole stitch, make very sure all the Chintz’s background is trimmed away as much as possible. If not, it will be glaringly noticeable.
Once the motifs are chosen and trimmed, begin arranging them on the background fabric. If you’re machine appliqueing, keep that paper backing on the motifs until right before you’re ready to press them into place. I find my iPhone super-helpful at this point. Arrange the motifs. Take a picture. Look at the picture and see what you want to change. Keep this up until you have everything arranged the way you want it.
If you are machine appliqueing – Once you’re happy with the design, remove the paper backing from the motifs. Using the picture on your phone as a reference, arrange the applique pieces a final time, making any adjustments needed. Then fuse the motifs into place, using an up-and-down pressing motion and following the manufacturer’s guidelines for temperature setting.
It’s easy for the applique pieces to shift out of place when pressing. And this can be really frustrating, especially after you’ve spent a lot of time arranging and re-arranging your design. I can tell you how I handle this. I use pins to hold the motifs in place. I push the pins into the design vertically, and then remove them as I press. If you want to use this method, you’ll need to have a heat-resistant pad under your design. In the past I’ve used folded sheets or beach towels. However since this little tool entered my quilting life
I use my wool mat. It works better than anything.
If you are hand appliqueing – You will want to glue baste your motifs into place. You can pin them in place, but I have found the applique pieces want to shift when pinned. I glue in a similar method as I fuse. I pin the motifs in place by pinning them down vertically. Then I carefully lift the edges of the pieces and apply the glue (Roxanne’s Glue and a pair of tweezers work wonderfully for this). Once everything is glued into place, I allow it to dry. Then I carefully remove the pins, adding more glue if needed, and give the piece a press with a hot, dry iron. This will set the glue. One word of caution – no matter if you’re needle turning or using a buttonhole stitch, if you hand appliqueing, don’t put glue on the edges of the motifs. It will be impossible to turn the fabric under or push a needle through it. As I lift the edges of the applique pieces, I apply the glue more towards the center of the motif.
Once the applique pieces are securely in place, now it’s time to stitch.
If you are machine appliqueing — Now it’s time to determine if you want to blanket stitch, zigzag stitch, satin stitch, or use one of the other decorative stitches on your machine. It’s really helpful if you have a spare motif to practice on. This allows you to try out stitch lengths and widths to see what will work best. Before you begin stitching, but sure to apply the stabilizer to the wrong side of the background. The stabilizer helps prevent the background fabric from being chewed by the feed dogs as you manipulate your fabric, so the needle follows the curve of the motif. Be sure to change your top thread as you stitch, as this thread needs to match the applique piece, not the background. Once all the stitching is complete, follow the stabilizer’s directions on how or if to remove it.
If you are hand appliqueing – Most hand sewn Broderie Perse employs either needle turn – where the edge of the motif is folded under and stitched in place – or a tiny, closely set buttonhole stitch.
Either way works well, and it’s all up to you and whichever technique you like best. Just like with machine applique, be sure to change your thread to match the motif, not the background. However, unlike machine applique, you don’t need a stabilizer if you’re hand appliqueing.
And that’s it. Broderie Perse isn’t difficult, but it is handled a bit differently than “traditional” machine or hand applique. I have not made an entire Broderie Perse quilt, but I have begun using the technique in applique, by cutting out leaves or flowers and adding those in my “traditional” applique pieces. It adds a lot of detail without a great deal of work – and you have to love a technique which does that!
Until Next Week, Remember the Difference is in the Details!
With one of our first “official” blogs of 2023, I am bravely tiptoeing into a controversial territory. This hot-button topic is one I’ve seen quilt guilds nearly split over and quilters get a bit defensive about. What quilty topic could possibly be so contentious?
Prewashing fabric.
Before you either:
A. Shout down this idea because color catchers are now a “thing” and can even be found at your local Walmart
B. Declare with great certainty modern dye processes have reach the stage where fabric is completely color fast
Or
C. State you only make art quilts or wall hangings, neither which will ever be washed
Indulge me for a few minutes about the subject of prewashing, bleeding fabric, laundry detergents, chemicals, and cleaning dirty quilts. I realize this is a lot of territory, but I promise we’ll cover it as succinctly as possible.
Let’s begin with a Zone of Truth. When I started quilting in the early eighties, I was taught to prewash my fabric. I considered this the very first step in beginning any quilt. As I developed my stash, any new purchase made its way into the laundry room to be washed and air dried. I thought everybody prewashed their fabric and was pretty confused when I discovered they didn’t. I found out some quilters thought prewashing was an unnecessary step which took time away from the actual quilting process. They had great confidence in modern dye methods and color catchers.
I get this. I really do. I understand why some quilters would simply rather not prewash their fabric. I also understand why some folks would only prewash because they fear a fabric would bleed. While still in this Zone of Truth, I will tell you yes, one of the reasons to prewash any fabric is to try to prevent one fabric from fading or bleeding onto another. However, prewashing is no guarantee your fabric won’t bleed. Bleeding is an entire subject unto itself, and it will be covered in this blog.
Why You Should Prewash
So, if prewashing is no certain guarantee to prevent bleeding, why prewash? I mean bleeding is essentially what A, B, and C deal with at the beginning of this blog. If prewashing serves up no sure-fire bleed prevention, why should any quilter take the time and energy to wash all their fabric? Glad you asked. There are actually several reasons.
The fabric may be dirty. Just because the fabric is new-to-you, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily clean. Consider the process: Fabric is manufactured in one place, may be dyed and treated at another location, shipped to a warehouse for distribution, trucked to a local store, and then either displayed or stored. Between manufacturing and the LQS sales floor, hundreds of hands may have touched the fabric. So yes, the fabric could be dirty.
You may want a soft fabric to work with. This is especially true with hand piecing, hand quilting, or hand applique. Sometimes removing the finish off the surface of the fabric by prewashing makes the material easier to handle. This also gives you the option of using the just the right amount of starch or sizing to give it the feel you need in order to execute the technique you’re using.
You may want a smooth-looking quilt. Prewashing does remove the shrinkage factor. If a quilter is using 100% cotton fabrics, some shrinkage will occur. Often it will happen at various rates between different fabric manufacturers, even though all your material may be 100% cotton. If you throw different types of fabric into the quilty equation (homespuns, sateens, cottons, etc.), you’ve really upped the differences in shrinkage. Homespuns shrink more than cottons. Cottons shrink more than sateens. When every inch of fabric is prewashed, the shrinkage factor is removed. If a smooth quilt is what you’re working towards, prewashing just about guarantees this appearance.
You may be allergic. If you’re like me and have a pretty low tolerance for things like perfumes, powders, and dust, the finishing on quilt fabric may also send you into a sneezing frenzy. The finishing chemicals (the compounds used to make the fabric look “pretty” on the bolt) can flake off into tiny specks and after a good inhale into your sinus passages, you may find yourself in full-out sneeze mode. Prewashing the fabric gets rid of the finishing chemicals and will make your sewing life more comfortable. After all, you don’t want to sneeze all over your pretty, new fabric.
Most of the time, prewashing will help prevent bleeding. Prewashing does remove excess dye; however, it does not in and of itself, prevent all bleeding.
Why You Shouldn’t Prewash
Just as there are reasons for prewashing, there are also reasons for not prewashing:
Unwashed fabrics have a crisper hand. When the finishing chemicals are left on the fabric, it’s crisper. It also sews and presses better.
You want an “antique” look for your quilt. Unwashed cottons used in a quilt, along with untreated cotton batting, can produce the soft look and feel of an antique quilt. Don’t prewash your fabric and quilt the top with an untreated cotton batting. Bind it. Throw it in the washer on a delicate cycle and let it air dry. It’s at this point the fabric and batting will “pucker” due to shrinkage and give your quilt that soft, antique look.
Perhaps the quilt will never be washed. If the quilt is destined to be a wall hanging, it can certainly fall into this category. Likewise, most art quilts. If it’s an heirloom quilt which will be looked at more than it’s used, this type of quilt also fits into this classification. I guess my question is at this point, do you really know that for sure? Who’s to say your great-great descendants won’t throw the quilt into their Maytag?
It takes time. As I said in the beginning of this blog, it’s another step and it’s time which could be spent cutting out the quilt or piecing the blocks.
Remaining in this Zone of Truth, it’s really up to you if you want to prewash or not. You know what you want your quilt to look like and what kind of time you have at your disposal. Let me just throw in these few cautionary statements:
Be consistent – Either prewash all your fabric or none of it. This way you know how all your stash has been handled, no matter when you acquired the fabric. Personally, I’ve moved beyond washing every piece of fabric that comes into my house. I’m not at the same place I was when I started quilting in the early eighties. I participate in fabric swaps and donate fabric for raffle quilts and charity projects. I anticipate most quilters are not like me and don’t prewash. As I hand the fabric off to the donatee, I tell them the fabric hasn’t been prewashed. This way they know how to handle my it. I also don’t prewash fabric destined for my art quilts. I like the stiffness unwashed fabric gives to the quilt and honestly, most art quilts will be carefully vacuumed and not washed. Ditto with my applique backgrounds. I don’t wash those. I’ve found the slight shrinkage difference between the unwashed background fabric and the prewashed applique patches work to gently pull my hand applique stitches beneath the fabric, making them nearly disappear. What you don’t want to do is mingle prewashed fabric with non-prewashed fabrics. The difference in the shrinkage factor (the unwashed material will shrink a bit and the prewashed fabric won’t) may make the quilt’s appearance a bit wonky.
Use the bleed test – Directions for this are given a bit later.
Children’s quilts – If the quilt is for a child, be sure to prewash all the fabric if for no other reason than to make sure it’s clean.
Precuts – Personally, I don’t prewash any precuts. Most patterns designed for jelly rolls, charm packs, etc., don’t allow for a shrinkage factor and may need the entire fabric area available for use. Quilts made from precuts are the ones I throw into the washer along with a couple of color catchers once they’re bound.
There are no quilt police – There aren’t any at all, no matter what anyone tells you. No one needs to “fabric shame” you no matter what technique you decide to use.
How To Prewash Your Fabric
At this point, if you have decided to prewash all your fabric every time you make a quilt or think there may be certain times you’ll prewash, you may be asking, “Is prewashing any different than doing regular laundry?”
The answer is “Yes.” This may surprise you, but it is different from washing your towels and pajamas. However, it’s no harder, either, but there’s a couple of things to keep in mind. First, use cool water and the gentle cycle. If you dry the fabric in the dryer, use a low heat or a delicate setting. Sort your fabrics into lights and darks – just like you’re supposed to do with your clothes. The biggest difference to consider is the soap. If you remember this blog: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2022/05/18/stuck-on-glue/ I stated the most important idea to keep in mind with both fabric and quilt preservation is the pH. You want the pH in to be as close to neutral as possible. Most laundry detergents are alkaline – and this is for a good reason. The vast majority of clothing stains are acidic. When an acidic stain meets an alkaline detergent, the result is a salt, which easily washes away. To preserve the fabric, we want to keep it as close to a neutral pH as possible. Orvus (sometimes this is labeled simply as “Quilt Soap”) is my personal favorite. However, there are hundreds of kinds of soaps on the market which are pH balanced. Any of these are fine to use, just don’t use one with optical brighteners. One helpful hint: If you’re washing a fabric which may fray a bit, such as loosely woven quilting cottons or homespuns, you may want to pink or zig zag the edges so there won’t be threads everywhere in the washer.
Bleeders and Crockers
Now let’s talk about bleeders. Commercial fabrics are colored with dyes which for the most part, are color fast. Today’s dyes are even better than those produced only five years ago. However, as you handle all your fabric, remember every piece of it has the potential to bleed – most notoriously reds, blues, deep greens, browns, blacks, dark purples, and all batiks. Fabric whose color is transferred to surrounding material are called “bleeders” or “crockers.” Bleeders can truly be heart breakers. I speak from personal experience. Once upon a time, I made a small Rose of Sharon quilt. It was not much larger than a small throw quilt, but I had hopes of entering it in a show. I dutifully prewashed all my fabric. I even washed my reds twice. I did beautiful hand applique work. I finished the top, sandwiched the quilt, and quilted it. Bound it. Threw in in the washer one final time. I opened the lid of the washer to a gorgeous Red Rose of Sharon Quilt with a pink background – background which was white before I washed it.
There were lots of tears that day. Lots. Of. Tears.
Even though I had thoroughly prewashed the fabric, it still bled. Bleeding (or crocking) occurs when the bleeder fabric transfers its color to an adjacent fabric as they rub together. It can happen when the fabric is wet or dry. I had a dark quilt back (which also had been prewashed) crock all over my long arm during the quilting process when the fabric was obviously dry. However, there are times when we all have to use some of those fabrics which may bleed in our quilts. How do we handle them in such away to minimize the risk?
Allow me to introduce you to the bleed test. It’s quick, it’s simple, and is about 98 percent effective.
Step One: Take a 3-inch square of the fabric you need to test, and a 3-inch square of white fabric.
Step Two: Take a container of cool water (somewhere between the 80–85-degree range) and add 1/8-teaspoon Orvis or some other pH balanced soap. Stir to distribute the soap. Add the two fabric squares to the container and stir for a few minutes. Then let them sit for 30 minutes. Check the container to see if there is any dye in the water. If there isn’t you’re good to go.
Step Three: If there is dye in the water, repeat the process with the same fabric squares. However, this time when you remove the squares out of the water, lay them out to dry on a paper towel, with the two pieces of fabric slightly overlapping.
Step Four: After the squares are dry, give the white piece of fabric a careful look. If no dye has transferred to it, you’re probably okay to use the darker fabric.
Retayne
So…what if there is a dye transfer? What do you do? Is there anyway you can use the darker fabric without fear of bleeding? There are a couple of other steps you can take at this point. First of all, there is a product on the market called Retayne. Lots of quilters and fabric dyers know about this chemical and I can testify from personal experience, it works pretty well. Retayne was developed as a color fixative for commercially dyed fabric, but now it can be found in quilt shops and big box stores such as Hobby Lobby and Walmart. The critical issue with this chemical is the directions. They should be closely followed. The fabric needs to be agitated in hot water (140 degrees) for twenty minutes, rinsed in cool water, and dried immediately. I suggest you use the hottest hot water setting on your washer and turn off the cold water tap in the back the washer.
The reviews on this product are a mixed bag. Some quilters love it, others have had less than stellar results. I think those who have been less than impressed with Reytane probably haven’t had their water hot enough. I would issue a few cautionary statements about the product:
Always, always, always follow the directions with Reytane.
Rit Dye also has a color fixative, but it’s not the same thing as Reytane. It only works on fabrics dyed with Rit.
There are some “home recipes” for Reytane. I have not tried any of them, but from the chatter I’ve read on quilting sites, overall these are a waste of time and money. They seem don’t work.
Remember Reytane is a chemical. It is not pH neutral. It’s important we keep our fabric and quilts as close to pH neutral as possible. As soon as you’re through either making your quilt or treating the fabric with Reytane, be sure to wash them with a pH balance soap to put the fibers back in neutral territory. Any quilt or fabric treated with Reytane should be washed only in cool water.
Synthrapol
There also is a product called Synthrapol, and the chemistry teacher in me completely geeks out with this product. It is so cool. Synthrapol is a surfactant usually used in hand dying fabric. It keeps the unattached dye molecules suspended in the wash water instead of allowing them to settle back onto the fabric. Directions for use depend on if you use Synthrapol as a prewash or after wash, so read the instructions carefully and follow them to the letter. However, you may use a surfactant every day and not realize it.
If you wash dishes with the blue Dawn dish detergent, you use a surfactant – it keeps the greasy food particles from settling back on your dishes. And it’s only the blue Dawn which has the surfactant quality. So, could you use blue Dawn as a surfactant on your fabric?
Yes! I have used it on small pieces of fabric – usually two yards or less. If you’re dealing with major yardage, you will probably want to stick with Synthrapol.
If you’ve used both Reytane and Synthrapol on your fabric, and you’re still not sure about the bleeding issue, you can repeat the prewashing processes until the rinse water runs clear. These steps may need to be repeated several times. However, if any doubt remains, I wouldn’t put that fabric in my quilt no matter how much I loved it. The possibility of it bleeding all over a quilt I had spend weeks of time on just isn’t worth it. There is bound to be other fabric out there I can use which is color safe.
What to Do If You Have a Bleeding Quilt
If you’ve had the heartbreaking, soul-numbing experience of having a fabric bleed on your already constructed quilt, don’t lose heart. There are still a few things you can do to try to salvage it. First – no heat whatsoever. No hot or warm water, no iron, no drier. Heat will set the stain permanently. Don’t let the quilt stay folded up when it’s wet – that’s a sure-fire way for it to crock more. Let it dry flat and then try the following:
Hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip or cotton ball.
Dissolve some Oxyclean laundry powder in cool water. Saturate a cotton ball with the mixture and try it on the stain.
You can repeat these processes as many times as necessary. If all else fails, after the quilt is completely dry, wash it again and use some Color Catchers.
What to Do with a Dirty Quilt
All quilts get dirty. Wall hangings, art quilts, heirloom quilts, antique quilts, and quilts used every day. This part of my blogs deals with “regular” quilts. Cleaning wall hangings, art quilts, heirloom quilts, and antique quilts are dealt with in this blog: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2022/06/01/caring-for-antique-quilts/
However, the fact is, most of the quilts we make are in pretty constant use – bed quilts, cuddle quilts, throws, lap quilts, and crib quilts. Things get spilled on them or they simply get soiled from use. There will come a time when they need to be cleaned and it’s essential to know how to do it properly so we can extend the life of the quilt for as long as possible. If you made the quilt, how did you treat the fabric prior to quilt construction? If you prewashed your fabric, treat the quilt in the same manner as you treated the fabric. Use a pH balanced soap. If Reytane was used, be sure to use only cool water. If the quilt is heavily stained in places, try using a stain remover with Oxyclean to lift the stain so it will wash away. If you didn’t prewash your quilt, be sure to throw some Color Catchers in with the quilt. Wash the quilt on a delicate setting.
I know some folks may be wondering if handwashing would be better for the quilt. Not necessarily. If you read the blog referenced above which deals with cleaning antique/heirloom quilts, you’ll discover handwashing quilts brings about its own issues. I do handwash my delicate applique quilts, though.
You can dry your quilts in the dryer, if desired. A low heat setting or a setting for delicates works just fine. Personally, I like to let mine air dry on their own. I believe the washer puts them through enough stress. The biggest take away from cleaning dirty quilts should be this: Do everything you can to return them to a balanced pH. This will extend the life of the fibers.
To prewash or not to prewash will remain a hotly contested question among all quilters. However, like most quilty things, there is no right or wrong answer – it’s what works best for you. I would encourage you to remember the bleed test and use it on dark fabrics and all batiks (which are notorious for bleeding). If you do have a crocker, remember we have Retayne and Synthrapol to help stop the bleeding. And a good washing does everyday quilts a world of good.
Until next week, remember the difference between a good quilt and a great quilt is all in the details!
Quilts are made for many reasons. Sometimes they’re a gift. Sometimes they’re made to live on a bed, as physical hug for the person residing under the covers. Sometimes they’re made for play or to simply cuddle under while watching TV or reading a book. And some quilts are made for the sheer joy of creating. I don’t know why you make your quilts. I don’t know if you create because you’re in love with the process of making something functional and beautiful and you’re happy with this process. I also have no idea if you’re constantly striving to become a better quilter and while you’re delighted with the creative process, you wonder what you could do to improve your skills and make stunning quilts. Me – I fall somewhere between those two categories. I love everything about making quilts (well…except for the whole cutting the thing out process). I make quilts for all kinds of reasons, too. However, I do make quilts to enter into quilt shows primarily because I want the judges’ critques.
Not my quilt, but isn’t it stunning?
Right now, I can almost picture my reading audience. It’s suddenly divided into two camps – those who enjoy entering their quilts in shows and making quilts for this reason, and the second group who hate the idea of their quilts in any type of competition. They may not mind showing their quilts at all, but don’t believe in competing against other quilters. So, before I have a quilty war on my hands, let me say both camps are right. There are no rules which state you need to enter at least one quilt in a competition. There are also no regulations stating quilt competitions are wrong. Like most things concerning quilting, it all depends on what you like and what works best for you.
This blog will spear head two topics. The first topic is how to make an award-winning quilt. Yes, I have done this a few times. I do have a few ribbons under my belt, so I can somewhat speak from the point of I-do-know-what-I’m-doing-most-of-the-time. And even if you have no plans on entering any quilt show, you may get a few tips about what characteristics go into making stunning quilts – because at some point in your quilting career, you will want to make a special quilt for some occasion or person and will want that quilt to be super-extra-special. The second topic deals with how to handle the competition – what to do, how to prepare, what’s expected, etc.
Characteristics of Award-Winning Quilts
Strong visual impact and use of color
For the last several blogs I’ve preached the use of lights, mediums, and darks. All of those lessons should be taken into account when choosing fabric for a show quilt. Before a judge touches your quilt, examines the stitches, or feels the binding, they will simply look at your quilt. It needs to grab their attention right then because the judges only have a few minutes to spend with each quilt. If it doesn’t, they’ll critique the quilt, but then it will be waved away from the holding table. Also remember, most of the time quilts are judged on a flat surface, not hanging.
If I can give you one piece of advice at this point, take pictures of your quilt blocks on your design wall. Take a picture with your cell phone, then flip the picture to black and white to make sure the contrasts are working for you. Then lay them out on a flat surface and repeat the process. Between the two photos, you will see what you may need to change. And it’s a lot easier to change anything while you’re working with blocks than later when the entire top is assembled, and the borders are on.
Almost Perfect Piecing
Be careful with your points. Be sure they’re sharp and the points aren’t lopped off. The seams and points should match up precisely and be sure the thread blends in with the piecing. If you’re like most quilters, we tend to use a palette of neutrals when we piece – dark gray, light gray, beiges, white, and black. If any of the thread colors stick out like a sore thumb, don’t be afraid to take a marker, Pigma pen, or Inktense pencil to the thread and make it match the fabric.
Watch for shadowing – this is when the darker fabrics show through the lighter ones. I realize most of the time we press our seams towards the darker fabrics. However, there are times when we can’t. If you are dealing with this issue, there’s a two-step process to work around it. First shorten your stitch length a bit. Then, once the seam is sewn, trim the dark fabric in the seam allowance from ¼-inch to an eighth of an inch. If the thought of such a tiny seam allowance gives you the heebie-jeebies, back the lighter colored fabric with a thin muslin. This is always my last resort, because no matter how thin the muslin is, it does add a bit of extra bulk in the seam allowance. However, this method does work, the seam allowance is kept intact, and I haven’t experienced any real issues when I quilt the top.
Every Bit of Workmanship is Looked at Carefully
Remaining on the topic of piecing for a few more sentences, let me reiterate the following:
Intersections should meet
Points should be kept sharp
Thread should match the fabric
Avoid shadowing
Let me also add it’s important to watch your stitch size. Every sewing machine comes with a default stitch length. Many times this stitch length is too long for quilts. My machine’s default stitch length is 2.5. I lower it to 2.0 – 1.8, depending on the size of my block units.
For applique (no matter if it’s by machine or hand), make sure the edges are secured and the curves are smooth. Like pieced quilts, points should be sharp, no matter what applique method is used. Thread should match the applique pieces, not the background fabric, and avoid shadowing by lining any light-colored applique fabric which rests on top of a dark piece of fabric.
The quilting itself – whether by hand or machine – should consist of small, straight stitches. It should be of a consistent density, not too heavy in some spots and then hardly there in others. The stitch length should be even and if backtracking is needed, it should go directly over the previous stitching. Some quilt judges go so far as to say there shouldn’t be any quilting on applique pieces. I really beg to differ on this opinion. Some applique quilts have large applique pieces. Quilting can be used to add details to these units. For instance, I’ve quilted in veins of leaves, details in petals and flower centers, and have given the illusion of fur on a bunny. In all of these situations, the applique pieces have been large, and the quilting added to, not detracted from, the applique. I will go so far as to say this: I don’t think an edge-to-edge design is effective for an applique quilt destined for a quilt show. It’s fine for other applique quilts, but not for show quilts. However, I do think it’s perfectly okay for the quilting to showcase details in the applique elements.
Binding and Edge Treatments are Important
Once upon a time, several years ago, I had the awesome opportunity to assist a well-known quilt judge with a small exhibit of applique quilts. This was several, several years ago and I didn’t know as much then about quilt judges and quilt judging as I do now. The judge carefully looked over all the quilts, and the next thing they did was grab each quilt by the edges and feel the binding all the way down the sides. After the judging was over, I asked why. I was told all quilt judges will examine the binding. This judge just did it as one of the first things off the list. In short, I was told it’s important for the binding fill to the folded edge. The binding shouldn’t be flat.
The corners also need to be 90 degrees and stitched shut on both the front and the back. The thread needs to match the binding as closely as possible.
Most of the time, included with the examination of the binding, the borders also are assessed. The edges of the quilt should hang straight. This means you need to square up the quilt center before sewing on the borders, and all the borders should be cut on the same grain of fabric – either all width of fabric or length of fabric – don’t mix the two. If cording, beading, or scallops are used, make sure they are well done and held securely in place.
The Back of the Quilt is Also Examined
One of the last items a quilt judge checks off is the back of the quilt. The judge generally flips one corner of the quilt over so the edges meet near the right or left side and examines the quilt. If the work is exceptionally good or there are questions, the quilt may be flipped so the entire back shows. If the back is pieced, seam lines will be examined to see if they’re straight. Quilting stitch length will also be noted. The judge will also check to see if she can tell where the quilting stopped and started again. “Obvious starts and stops” is a frequent entry on many quilt critiques (including my own). It’s important to camouflage stops and starts as much as you can. The easiest way to do this is use a busy quilt back. A multi-colored print quilt back can cover a multitude of quilting sins – just sayin’.
It’s also a good idea to make your quilt back interesting. Add some kind of stand out feature, such as the use of left-over quilt blocks or an interesting label. Both of those go a long way in impressing a quilt judge.
Make Sure Your Quilt is Show Ready
Make sure your quilt is clean. If you need to wash the quilt to remove any marking, please do so. After it dries, press it. Make sure there is no pet hair anywhere on the quilt. If you smoke, take the quilt somewhere for it to “air out” for a few days to rid it of any smokey smell. Trim and bury any thread ends. Examine the quilt top closely. Make sure all applique pieces are securely stitched as well as any beading or embroidery. Finally, if you are able, hang the quilt and make sure the borders aren’t wavy. If the quilt label is securely attached, it’s ready to be entered in the quilt show.
Now you’re ready to fill out your quilt show application and send the quilt to be judged. There are several issues you need to be acutely aware of before surrendering your quilt to the quilt judging committee.
Know your competition audience
If the show is primarily for applique quilts, don’t send in quilts which are exclusively pieced. If it’s a modern quilt show, don’t send in a traditional quilt made with traditional calicoes. If it showcases art quilts, don’t send in a miniature. Be sure your quilt is compatible with the competition. Which means…
Read the application, rules, and regulations thoroughly
Read them through, set them aside, then read them through again. There are some things you need to be exceptionally aware of. First, is it a juried show? If it’s a juried show, the process is a bit more difficult. A juried show means you can’t just willy-nilly fill out the application and send it in with the quilt. Usually this means you must first submit pictures of the quilt to a group of quilt judges who will decide if your quilt meets the criteria for the show. If your quilt is chosen, you’ll be notified and it’s at this point the quilt is sent into the show. Normally, juried quilt shows are only for the super-large quilt shows such as the AQS and Mancuso quilt shows – not the smaller, local ones.
However, for both juried and non-juried shows, it’s vitally important to read and understand the application. Some shows require a separate registration form for each quilt and often there is a separate fee for each quilt. Others may request pictures of the quilt to be turned in with the registration form regardless of whether it’s a juried show or not. However the one item all registration forms have in common are deadlines, and you must respect those deadlines. Putting on a quilt show is an enormous amount of work (I was in charge of a small, local three-day quilt show, so yes, I speak from experience), and the deadlines help bring order to chaos. Note the deadlines. If you need to mail in the registration, fees, and pictures be sure to drop them in the mail at least a week before the due date. If you can’t drop your quilt off on quilt intake day or pick it up after the show, find someone to help you. Don’t think it won’t matter if you’re an hour or two late. Chances are the show helpers will have cleared out and gone to lunch by then.
Quilt categories are another area which need special attention. Somewhere on the registration sheet or with the information accompanying it, there will be a list of quilt categories. It’s important to register your quilt in the category which best describes it. For instance, there will probably be a category for wall hangings and one for art quilts. If you have a quilt which fits the size for wall hanging, but is more of an art quilt, be sure to place it in the art quilt category. Two groups which tend to give quilters problems are small quilts/miniatures and duets. There is a difference between a small quilt and a miniature. A small quilt is exactly that – a small quilt. It can be a wall hanging, a table topper, or something similar. A miniature is a scaled-down replica of a large quilt. Duets are quilts made by two quilters. And while you may have pieced and/or appliqued the quilt entirely by yourself, if someone else quilted it, most quilt shows would place this quilt in the duet category. There is some debate about this, especially if the quilter has paid for the quilting, but the best advice I can give you is to read the regulations carefully to determine what the show’s definition of a duet quilt is. It’s important to register your quilt in the correct category. In some larger shows, no matter how beautiful quilt may be, if it’s entered in the wrong category, it’s disqualified. Smaller quilts shows are more flexible, and they may opt to move your quilt into the correct category.
Also pay close attention about the hanging procedure. Find out if a sleeve is required and if it is, what size it should be. Will all everything be hung? Are sleeves required for small wall quilts or miniatures (sometimes they are displayed on a flat surface). What about quilted clothing? Will those be hung on the pipes and drapes, or do you need to supply a clothes hanger?
Lastly, the quilt intake day for judging, the day the quilts are judged, and the days of the show may be several days apart. What will be the quilts’ “traffic pattern?” Will you need to pick them up from each event and take them to the next or will they move from the judging back to you and then you take them to be hung at the show? And most importantly, what is the security surrounding all the events? Will the quilts always have quilt show folks around them? If the quilts stay overnight at the show location, is it locked and off-limits until the show opens? I never want to think of someone stooping so low as to steal a quilt, but the past few years have certainly shown us this is happening with an alarming frequency.
Now What?
Okay, you’ve bitten the bullet, filled out the forms, paid the fees, and your quilt is now in the process of being judged and then hung in a quilt show for everyone to see. Now what should you expect?
First, let’s talk about what I consider the best thing that comes from a judged quilt show – the judges’ critiques. Some folks look at “critique” as a dirty word. It’s really not. The judges aren’t criticizing everything about your quilt. They will tell you the great things about your quilt, as well as what areas you need to work on. During the judging process, the judges spend only a few minutes with each quilt and dictate to someone (this person is called the judging scribe and they write everything down) what’s good and what’s not-so-good. This lets you know what you need to work on. I find this very, very helpful because I want each quilt I make to be better than the last one. However, let me also add this: The critique will tell you what areas need work, but they won’t tell you how to fix it. The judges can only spend a few minutes with each quilt. It’s up to you to research and discover how to correct any quilty areas which need help.
Now allow me to be honest with you at this point. The critiques are helpful to me. They may not be helpful to you. If you think reading though several “needs more” comments or not winning a ribbon will tarnish you love of quilting, you may want to steer clear of entering your quilts in shows. I have quilty friends who are great quilters but they won’t enter shows for this reason. They realize the process may dim their love of quilting. Likewise if you’re one of those people who absolutely must come away with some kind of prize or ribbon, you may want to steer clear of shows. You won’t win a ribbon at every show. You won’t take Best of Show at every show (especially if it’s your first quilt show entry). You just won’t. If a lack-luster showing in a competition will alter how you feel about quilting, be very careful about what quilts you enter in a show and what shows you enter. I want the critique. If I get a ribbon, it’s a bonus.
Finally realize all judging is subjective. Yes, there are certain quilt elements every quilt judge will look at – sharp points, seams that meet, even quilting, great contrast, etc., but a lot of it comes down to the judges’ likes and dislikes. Some may like embroidery. Some may not. Some may have a preference for applique quilts. Some may drool over great hand quilting. When it comes down to the last half-point, it all may depend on the judges’ preference. My quilting BFF won Judges Choice because she used a lot of blue in a quilt and the judge loved the color blue. The use of this color broke the tie.
Oy-Vey.
And let me add this here – although most quilts are judged horizontally, they’re shown vertically. You will be surprised at the difference when viewing your quilt vertically rather than on a bed. The results are stunning!
Not every quilt we make will be a show quilt. Some of you may choose to never enter any of your quilts in a show. Some of you will. There are certain quilt elements every great quilt has regardless of its show status, and these are the essentials which turn a good quilt into a great quilt just perfect for special people or a special occasion. I’d like this blog to serve two purposes. First to encourage you to do your best work with every quilt – but always have fun in the process. And second, enter a quilt show and get a critique if you’re inclined. You will learn a great deal.
Until next week, Remember the Details Make the Difference!
Here we are again…365 days (more or less) after the first day of 2022. The New Year is upon us, and once again (since it’s now tradition), it’s time to reflect back at my quilty predictions of 2022 and see how well I did foretelling what would happen in our quilting world. So without further ado let’s take a look back at my 2022 prognostications and see how well or how badly I did.
Zoom will remain a major player in the quilting world. I think I nailed this one. Guilds are still using this option, because they’ve discovered a wealth of quilting teachers from all over the world available with a click of the mouse. Not only that, but quilters from all over the world can join their guild. Many quilt instructors have decided to completely forego leaving the sanctity of their own quilt studios and comfort of their own beds and are only teaching via Zoom and other similar platforms. For as much as we still love in-person meetings (and need them), Zoom is here to stay. Embrace it.
Personally, I love it.
The return of in-person quilt shows. Again, I will give myself a 100 on this one. As more people received vaccinations and boosters, we timidly tip-toed back into small, local shows and then the larger national and international ones. Most of us shed our masks and determined Covid would always be with us in some shape or form, and we would deal with it. We needed to return to “normal” life and for us quilters, that means quilt shows. We drove ourselves to local shows, boarded buses and planes to get to the large, far away ones, greeted fellow quilters with hugs, and shopped until we dropped. We oohhhed and awwwwed over quilts and decided quilting was still the most fun anyone could have
Brighter colored fabric, but more expensive. I did pretty well with this prediction, too. I think 2022 produced some really stunning fabric lines, although I still believe most of them lack a true dark. The colors were bright, beautiful, and clear, hinting at the hope we had for a new year with new beginnings. However, a lot of the fabric gave us sticker-shock. The average price of a yard of quilting cotton fabric was $9 in 2022, with some areas selling a yard for as much as $15. Batiks averaged $15 per yard. However, the prices didn’t go as high as some predicted. The cotton crops were actually better than expected in 2022, with 118.5 million bales produced, 2.7 million higher than 2021. The 2023 isn’t expected to reach the 2022 levels, but you never know. The weather at its best is unpredictable, and the supply chain still has major kinks to work out.
Organic quilting will be a player in 2022. With so many people either returning to sewing in 2021 or picking up the hobby, I believed many of these folks would turn to quilting as a way to continue the craft. And while we did see the number of quilters and guild members increase, most of these “newbies” remained within the traditional realm. There were no clear break aways, no massive increase of art quilters, and no shunning of the “traditional” quilting rules. I completely missed this one. For number four, I get a big, fat “F.”
T-shirt quilts will get an upgrade. This one was pretty accurate. While T-shirt quilts remain popular, they are also now known as “Memory Quilts.” These encompass quilts made from baby clothes, caps, special garments, etc., and include lots of specific events in life not marked by special T-shirts. And gone are the uniform blocks set in neat rows and columns. Layouts are varied and a lot more interesting.
Comfort is key. When I wrote out this prediction, I specifically mentioned a return to quilted clothing. I believe I failed in this prediction. While standard quilted coats such this
Remain popular, quilted clothing as we quilters know it, has remained seemingly popular only with quilters, who tend to make their own.
Okay, four correct predictions out of six isn’t too bad. Now, let’s take a squinty look at my quilting crystal ball and see what 2023 may have in store for us.
Prediction One: Sustainability will remain important as more and more quilting goes “green.” I think we will see the development of certain quilting tools, such as cutting mats, made from recycled materials. I think there will a push to use as much of the fabric as we can in our projects to keep it out of landfills (although cotton fabric has a pretty fast rate of complete deterioration). Crumb quilting, scrap quilts, etc. may become the next hot topic in our quilting world.
Prediction Two: Pieced quilts will reach a new high in popularity. I’ll be completely honest with this one – I read this prediction on several other professional quilting blogs. I’m not sure why this is a prediction, other than pieced quilts do take less time to construct than applique quilts (no matter if the applique is done by hand or machine). If folks’ schedules are filling up, and time for quilting is becoming more compact, this prediction makes sense. However, from a quilter who absolutely adores applique, I’m a bit bummed by this. Not to say a pieced quilt isn’t a thing of beauty and a joy forever…but yeah…I do love me some applique.
Prediction Three: Two-color quilts will be abundant. As I perused quilting web sites and magazine this year, I began to see more and more quilts made from only two colors. I think this trend will continue, as these quilts are crisp and elegant looking. My biggest issue with two-toned quilts is deciding on only two colors!
Prediction Four: The slow-stitching trend will grow in popularity. Again, let me throw this one in a Zone of Truth: I love handwork. Ever since I started quilting I had to have two types of on-going quilt projects – one for handwork and one parked under my sewing machine needle. When I tired of one type of sewing I could switch to the other and hand sewing proved itself to be wonderfully portable during those years I ran Mom’s Taxi Service. But as I’ve grown older, I have the heart-felt realization of just how therapeutic it has been in my life. It comforted me when my dad was in Hospice. It occupied my time at my mother’s bedside when she was in and out of the hospital until they diagnosed her hemoglobin and iron issues. It (and prayer) kept me sane when my daughter was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and it re-played its sanity inducing qualities while my brother was undergoing stem cell treatments. At a time when I could have easily turned to something else to calm me down, it was needle, thread, fabric, beeswax, prayer, and a thimble that stitched my world back together. And these feelings about handwork – slow stitching – have only grown stronger as I have grown older. At the end of my most hectic of days, 15 to 20 minutes of hand work calms my spirit and clears my mind so I can sleep.
We must admit, the last two years of our lives have teetered on the verge of panic, insanity, impatience, and worry. I think a lot of quilters discovered what I have known for a long time – slow stitching is just the best.
Prediction Five: Dense quilting will be featured in the majority of quilts. Most quilters with some years of stitching behind them can attest dense quilting has slowly become a “thing” over the past several years. There are probably several reasons behind this. More quilters have long or mid-arms. Domestic sewing machines now have ruler feet, allowing any quilter who has no fear of dropping their feed dogs, to produce the same quilting stitches that once were only done by long arms. Quilters have found this is fun and a lot of us have come to love the quilting part of quilts as much as we love the piecing and applique. Since we love it, we do more of it. I still prefer any of my bed quilts or cuddle quilts to be soft and not quilted within an inch of its life, but wall hangings, table toppers and runners, or show quilts? Stitch them until they can stand up on their own.
Prediction Six: Landscape quilting will become popular. If you’re like me, you’ve seen landscape quilts before, and visions like this
Come to mind. These types of landscape quilts are lovely, have beautiful details, and are so wonderful to look at.
And we’re intimidated beyond measure if we think we could make one even similar to these. Many of us wouldn’t even attempt it. All I gotta ask at this point is why not? The quilters who made the above landscape quilts have done this a long time, but they didn’t begin with all these quilts oozing all that talent. They probably began with a much simpler type of landscape and gradually moved into these breathtaking beauties. I think, since COVID kind introduced free form piecing and quilting coupled with the fact we have lots of new quilters who aren’t intimated by what they don’t know, we could possibly have a resurgence of landscape quilts which may be as simple as this:
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
This year should be interesting.
Now comes the time when I introduce the theme for 2023. I struggled with an idea for this year. We’ve covered a lot of quilty territory since I began writing my blog. I looked at the award-winning quilts from Paducah and Houston. I listened to my quilty friends talk about what was under their needles. From all of these sources, I have decided 2023’s theme is (insert drumroll here)
The Difference is in the Details.
Why this theme?
Well, as I looked at beautiful quilts, dissected the award-winning quilts, and listened to my quilting buddies, I realized the things which make the difference between a good quilt and a great quilt are the little details. Some of these you may not even think about, as they may be second nature to you. Others may be more obscure, and they may not have even crossed your mind. But they all have one thing in common: they’re not hard – they just might take a few more minutes of your time.
We’ll talk about a lot of those little details this year! And I’ll keep you up to date on what’s under my needle. My fruit blocks are finished, and I will begin assembling this quilt with a new technique I want to share with you. I have designed the borders for my alphabet quilt and will raw-edge applique those – they’re pretty detailed, so this is gonna take a while. I will also finish my Colors of Springtime Quilt and my reverse applique project. As far as new projects go, I want to finally begin my long-put-off Sunbonnet Sue Quilt and Windblown Tulips. However, my biggest challenge this year is quilting my tops. I have three laying on my long arm, gently reminding me they’re not quite done. I have a feeling my personal theme for 2023 is Finishing, as I have several quilts which are really in the home stretch.
