Quilts, Quips, and other Nearsighted Adventures

Quilting is a wonderful hobby.  I always call it art, because it is.  I mean, how many people can take perfectly good pieces of fabric, cut them up into hundreds of pieces, and make an entirely different piece of fabric that’s quilted through three layers, bound, and serves to beautify the area it’s displayed in or keep you warm and snug at night like a comforting hug?  But quilting is more than that.  It does things for you that you may not have realized.  Quilting is a wonderful way to relax, and in today’s fast paced and overly stressful world, finding ways to unwind and promote well-being is crucial.  Quilting stands out more than other therapeutic activities due to its unique blend of creativity and mindfulness.  The art of quilting allows folks to express themselves artistically and offers a wide range of therapeutic benefits that can improve mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.

Understanding What Quilting Is

Before jumping into the therapeutic aspects of quilting, I think it’s important to have a deeper understanding of the art of quilting itself.  It’s a traditional craft which involves stitching together layers of fabric to create a quilted textile.  Although its origin can be traced back centuries – from ancient Egypt to medieval Europe and colonial America — quilting has evolved over time, incorporating various techniques and styles which reflect different cultures and individual creativity.  Quilting is not just a simple sewing technique.  It is a form of artistic expression that has captivated and fascinated people for generations.  The process involves carefully selecting fabrics, cutting them into precise shapes, and stitching them together to create a cohesive design.  Each quilt tells a unique story, with every stitch representing a moment of creativity and passion.  Initially, quilts were purely functional.  They kept us warm and provided comfort during cold weather.  However, quilts also served as a social connecter.  Women would gather together, sharing stories and laughter, as they stitched their quilts, creating a sense of community and connection.

But quilting evolved from simply a method to the means of keeping us warm at night.  It took on a new dimension as they became more than just a practical item – they became works of art.  Quilters started experimenting with different patterns and designs, pushing the boundaries of their creativity.  Intricate geometric shapes, vibrant colors, and detailed stitching techniques became the hallmark of a well-crafted quilt.  Quilts have continued to evolve to reflect changing trends and cultural influences.  From traditional patchwork quilts to modern art quilts, each style tells a unique story and offers a glimpse into the quilter’s perspective and personality.  Quilts have become a way for individuals to express their creativity and showcase their unique sense of style. 

Techniques and Styles

We quilters use lots of different techniques to bring our creations to life.  We make patchwork quilts, sewing together small block units of squares, rectangles, and triangles to create intricate patterns and designs.  This particular technique allows quilters to showcase their skills in precision cutting and sewing, resulting in visually stunning quilts. 

Applique quilting – which happens to be my favorite – is another popular technique that adds depth and dimension to a quilt.  Quilters attached pieces of fabric onto a background fabric (by hand or machine) creating beautiful motifs and designs.  This technique allows for endless possibilities, as quilters can experiment with different shapes, sizes, and colors to create unique and eye-catching designs.  And despite how “complicated” this technique can look, it’s actually really forgiving. 

Free motion quilting is a technique which allows quilters to create intricate and detailed stitching patterns.  By using a sewing machine with the feed dogs lowered, quilters have the freedom to move the fabric in any direction, creating beautiful and complex designs.  This technique requires skill and practice, but the results are truly breathtaking.

Another technique used by quilters is foundation paper piecing.  This method ensures precise and accurate quilt blocks.  Quilters sew fabric pieces onto a paper foundation, following a predetermined order and pattern.  This technique is perfect for creating intricate designs that require precise measurements and angles.

Quilters also have the freedom to experiment with different styles.  From traditional to contemporary, from abstract to realistic, quilting styles are as diverse as the quilters themselves.  Some quilters draw inspiration from nature, incorporating floral motifs and earthy colors into their quilts.  Others find solace in geometric shapes and bold, vibrant colors, creating quilts that are modern and eye-catching. 

The ability to express yourself through quilting is a large part of its therapeutic power.  Quilting allows you to escape from the stresses and chaos of everyday life and immerse yourself in a world of creativity and self-expression.  The process of selecting fabric, designing, or choosing a pattern, and stitching the quilt together is not only relaxing, but empowering.

How Quilting is Therapeutic

All of those quilting techniques and styles are wonderful parts of quilting.  However, another equally brilliant part of quilting is its therapeutic benefits.  Yes, quilting offers numerous therapeutic benefits.  Engaging in this creative process can be a form of meditation and a means of emotional healing that promotes overall well-being.

• Quilting as a Form of Meditation

When quilters immerse themselves in the process of quilting, they enter a state of flow where time seems to stand still.  Focusing on the intricate stitches, the choice of fabrics, and the overall design allows the mind to relax and let go of everyday worries and stressors.  This meditative state promotes a sense of calm and inner peace, similar to the effects of traditional meditation practices.  Furthermore, quilting offers a tangible result of the creative process.  Seeing a quilt come together, block by block, gives quilters a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, boosting self-esteem and confidence.

• Emotional Healing Through Creative Expression

Quilting also serves as a powerful tool for emotional healing.  The act of creating something beautiful from raw materials can be empowering and uplifting.  It allows individuals to express their emotions and experiences through the choice of colors, patterns, and designs.  The quilt becomes a visual representation of their journey, providing a sense of closure, healing, and personal growth.  Moreover, quilting can help individuals process difficult emotions, such as grief or trauma.  As we stitch and create, the rhythmic and repetitive movements offer a cathartic release, and this allows us to channel our emotions into the quilt.  This is a pretty awesome process, as it helps folks find solace and acceptance.

Quilting is a Form of Art Therapy and There’s Some Serious Science Behind It

While the therapeutic benefits of quilting are widely acknowledged, it’s essential to understand the science behind the general topic of art therapy.  Numerous studies have explored the psychological and neurological impact of artistic activities, shedding light on their profound effects on well-being.

Engaging in artistic activities, such as quilting, triggers the release of endorphins, which are the “feel good” chemicals in the brain.  The endorphins promote a sense of pleasure, reducing stress and anxiety.  Artistic activities also stimulate the brain’s reward center, increasing the dopamine levels and promoting feelings of satisfaction and motivation.  Which means to me that quilting really does help keep you sane and get you through life’s rough patches and major battles.  Additionally, art therapy provides a creative outlet for self-expression.  Through the creation of art, individuals can communicate thoughts and emotions that may be difficult to put into words.  This process can enhance self-awareness, promote introspection, and foster personal growth and resilience.

Besides all of these wonderful art therapy aspects, there are also neurological benefits to art therapy.  Studies have found that engaging in creative activities stimulates neural pathways, improving cognitive function and enhancing problem-solving skills.  The action of quilting requires both artistic and mathematical thinking, activating different regions of the brain and fostering neuroplasticity, which is crucial to maintaining brain health (so quilting is good for your mind!).  Art therapy has also been found to regulate the stress response system, reducing cortisol levels and promoting a sense of calm.  This can have a profound effect on mental and physical well-being, as chronic stress is linked to a range of health issues, including cardiovascular disease and weakened immune functions.

• Stress Relief and Relaxation

In a world of constant stimuli (which only seems to be getting worse and worse with each passing day), finding moments of peace and tranquility is essential for maintaining a healthy mind.  Quilting provides a much-needed escape from the stresses of daily life.  The rhythmic and repetitive nature of quilting can induce a meditative state, calming the mind and reducing anxiety.  The focus required to stitch and piece together fabrics redirects attention away from negative thoughts and worries, promoting a state of mindfulness and relaxation.

• Cognitive Stimulation and Memory Enhancement

Quilting is not just an artistic pursuit but also an intellectual one.  Choosing fabrics, designing patterns, and solving puzzles of color and shape stimulates the brain, improving cognitive function and problems-solving skills.  Additionally, quilting engages memory recall as quilters must remember specific techniques, patterns, and measurements.  The mental exercise involved in quilting helps keep the mind sharp, particularly in older adults, reducing the risk of cognitive decline and conditions such as dementia.

• Boosting Creativity and Self-Expression

Expressing yourself creatively is deeply fulfilling and can have a positive impact on overall well-being.  Quilting allows individuals to explore their artistic side, experiment with color combinations, and develop their unique style.  It encourages creative thinking and problem solving, fostering a sense of accomplishment and self-expression.  Quilters can convey emotions, stories, and personal narratives through their fabric choices and quilt designs, turning their creations into a tangible and meaningful form of self-expression.

• Social Connections and Community Building

Quilting has a rich history of bringing people together.  Joining quilting groups, attending classes, or participating in quilting bees not only provides opportunities to learn new skills but also fosters social connections.  Quilters often share their knowledge, exchange ideas, and offer support to one another.  The sense of belonging and fellowship found within quilting communities can combat feelings of isolation, enhance social skills, and promote well-being.

• Fine Motor Skills and Hand-Eye Coordination

A craft/art such as quilting requires precision and dexterity, thereby promoting the development and maintenance of fine motor skills.  The repetitive nature of stitching, cutting fabric, and manipulating small pieces enhances the hand-eye coordination, making quilting a great activity for individuals of all ages.  These are particularly beneficial for older adults, as they help maintain manual dexterity and hand strength.

• A Sence of Achievement and Legacy

Quilting is a tangible art form that allows individuals to create lasting legacies.  The completion of a quilt project brings a sense of achievement and pride, boosting self-esteem and self-confidence.  Quilting can become cherished family heirlooms, passed down through generations, symbolizing love, warmth, and the skill of the creator.  The knowledge that one’s work will endure beyond their lifetime can provide a profound sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Quilting is far more than just a craft.  It is a therapeutic journey that nurtures our minds and bodies.  Whether you’re a seasoned quilter or a novice eager to embark on this creative adventure, pick up that needle and thread, and let the positive effects of quilting transform your life – one stitch at a time.

I felt I really needed to nail down how therapeutic quilting is before I move into telling you how quilting has helped me cope in the past and how it’s helping me deal with things now.  You know, life is not scripted.  I mean, as we come into our “own” – graduate, begin building our adult life – we have a certain script written in our heads:  What we expect, what we want to happen.  However, life is funny.  I didn’t expect my dad to have cancer (ironically the same kind as I have) in 2005.  I didn’t plan on my daughter developing cervical cancer or my brother having Multiple Myeloma. I assumed, in my naivety, that life would cycle as normal.

That definitely was not the case.  Those were some difficult curve balls, but one thing I can testify to in all of them is quilting really helped me mentally and emotionally.  And now, trying to navigate through this particularly rough patch in my life, I’ve found myself on the receiving end of news that is really life-altering.  When you get a cancer diagnosis, you’re bombarded with a LOT of information, and most of it’s in terms you’ve never heard before.  Doctors talk about treatments and medications and labs and vitals and dozens of things most of us only have to deal with once a year when we go in for our annual physical.  You’re overwhelmed.  Not with just the information, but with decisions, logistics, and side effects.  Things which are routine suddenly can become dicey.  And while prayer does definitely help, it’s quilting that has calmed my soul.  The rhythmic pull of needle and thread, the ability to still be productive even when I’m at one of the rare moments in my life when I have to slow down and think about me, is an awesome, calming thing.  It allows me to think a bit more clearly and slows down my racing heart.

And for that, I will be forever grateful for the art and craft of quilting.

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

Most quilters realize that neutrals play an important role in making quilts.  Neutral fabrics are crucial in quilting because they provide balance, allow featured fabrics to stand out, and create a sense of calm and sophistication. They act as a grounding element, preventing a quilt from appearing too busy or overwhelming, and help to define the overall design. In the past, neutrals usually referred to gray-, black-, white-, or cream-colored fabrics.  This definition has changed over the past several years, and now we see almost any color can be used as a neutral – as long as it does the job of a neutral.  However, for this blog, we’re primarily going “old school” and discussing the use of white, cream, black, or gray neutrals.

Traditionally, neutrals are used as background fabrics for brightly colored or patterned patches to help them stand out and create a visually appealing contrast.  They are also used to create negative space.  Sometimes these areas are smaller, like in “traditional” patchwork quilts, but more contemporary quilts incorporate large areas of neutral fabric for negative space and surround them with a few pieced blocks.  This can highlight the design elements within the blocks and create a modern feel.  With this blog I would like to take neutrals and place them in unusual places in traditional blocks so we can study the effect of changing things up.  Most quilters like to change a few things in a quilt to truly make it their own.  Substituting a neutral for a print is the easiest way to do this and it’s relatively easy to do. You just have to think out of the box a little bit. 

Let’s start with a easy, traditional block – the Nine Patch.  Conventional Nine Patches look something like this:

There are squares of color fabric separated by neutrals.  However, when you flip the script and have squares of a neutral separated by squares of colored fabric, you get this look:

And when you combine them in a quilt, it looks something like this:

Now lets take a bit more complicated block, the Bear’s Paw (also called Hand of Friendship).  Traditionally, the block looks like this:

But when you begin to remove the focus fabric from the larger block units and substitute neutrals, the block looks like this:

You also can substitute the block’s rectangle units  with a neutral and get this look:

Or this look:

Both of which can result in quilts that look like this:

Now you can begin to see it’s really easy to re-design a block simply by switching up fabric placement: Substitute a neutral for a colored patch of fabric.

Let’s continue on and do a little more “radical” replacement.  By taking a block with many units and substituting a neutral for several of those units, you can come up with a completely different look.  So, let’s take this block:

And begin to replace some of the colored fabric with a neutral to change its look.

What you’ll find is not only do the blocks take on an entirely different look, but when those blocks are placed in a quilt, the results can be stunning. 

When you set them on point, the look is even more striking.

If you decide to try this design idea, there are a few neutral fabric issues to keep in mind.

1.  The sky is literally the limit.  Pair a soft cream with a deep charcoal to create a striking impact or use subtle variations in tone, like ivory against light gray, to add movement and energy.
2. Incorporate neutral prints with small motifs such as polka dots, stripes, or florals to add visual interest while maintaining the neutral palette.  Solid colors can appear “flat.”  Tone-on-tone or neutral-on-neutral adds movement and interest.
3. Consider undertones.  Neutrals, like gray and beige, can have either cool (blue, green, or purple) or warm (pink or gold) undertones.  Match the undertones of your chosen neutrals to the dominant colors in your quilt project for a harmonious look, or experiment with contrasting undertones to create visual intrigue – for instance, pair a warm neutral with a cool color palette.

As always – remember there are no do-or-die rules in quilting.  There are lots of good suggestions, but no hard and fast rules.  Personal preference plays the most significant role in quilting.  Experiment with different combinations and see what feel right for you and your desired aesthetic.

Until next week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

If you’ve read any of my blogs about thread, you may remember a few things about my relationship with it.

1. I am a self-professed thread snob.  I am picky.  And I don’t like the cheap stuff.
2. For piecing, I like a 2-ply, 50-weight thread – usually either Aurifil or Wonderfil. 

My overall plan with piecing any top is to reduce bulk as much as possible in the seams, so I like a thinner thread that’s strong.  But that’s for piecing.  When it comes to the applique and the quilting process, I have a confession to make – I like thick thread and I cannot lie.  While my selection in piecing thread is pretty tame and consistent, my choices in quilting thread run all over the map.  If I just want lots of lush, quilting texture, I go for a thin thread, such as Superior Thread’s Micro Quilter.  It’s a 100-weight thread which simply melts into the background and leaves lots of wonderful texture behind.  If I’m quilting a lap quilt, cuddle quilt, charity quilt, or just a quilt with no other special purpose other than keeping folks warm, I tend to reach for a 40 to 50-weight thread.  However, if I want my quilt to bring the drama, if I am confident in my quilting stitches, I reach for a 12 to 30-weight quilting thread.  If you remember anything about thread weights, the higher the number, the thinner the thread.  So while a 100-weight Micro Quilter may be super thin, a 12 or 30-weight is super thick.  With this type of thread, the quilting definitely either co-stars with the piecing or is the star of the quilt itself. 

In today’s blog, I want to show you how lovely this thicker thread is and how to incorporate it into your quilts or your quilting projects (this thread works really well with bags).  I also want to give you a few hints about how to prepare your machine for this thread (we’re talking about domestic machines in this blog, not long arms), how to quilt with the thicker thread, and what are some pitfalls to avoid. First let’s talk about sewing machine needles.

Preparing Your Machine to Sew with Thicker Thread

• The smaller the sewing machine needle number, the finer the needle.  This type of needle can be used for thin threads, such as silk or an 80-weight or above.  The higher the number, the larger the eye of the needle, and the better it’s able to handle thicker thread.  Typically the most commonly used sewing machine needle is a 90/14 (the first number – in this case 90 – is the European number; the second number – in this case 14 – is the American number).  However, for thicker threads, the eye of the needle needs to be larger to accommodate the fatter thread.  A topstitching needle is a good choice as they have both a larger eye and a deeper groove along the needle shaft.  Another good choice is a 100/16.

• Tension adjustments may also need to be made.  Thicker threads may require loosening the tension slightly to prevent the bobbin thread from pulling through to the top and to ensure the thread lays flat. 

• Use a thinner thread in the bobbin than on the top.  This can minimize tension issues and bulk when machine quilting.  A 50-weight thread in the bobbin works really well.

• You may want to skip using your automatic needle threader if your machine has one.  It may not work with the thicker thread.  Plan to thread your machine manually.

• You also may want to skip using your automatic thread cutter when sewing with heavier thread.   Often the automatic cutter won’t play nice with the thicker thread.

• Lengthen your stitch.  While the thicker thread is lovely, it does create a bit of bulk that could bunch up under your presser foot.  Lengthen your stitch just a bit.  My M7 is factory set at a stitch length of 2.5.  I lengthen my stitch to 3.1 to 3.5 to keep the fabric feeding evenly over the feed dogs.

• If your machine has fancy, decorative stitches, play with those using thicker threads.  Avoid densely stitched patterns, such as the satin stitch, because those can become bogged down with the heavier thread.  But open-ish designs, such as the ones below, are great.  It’s like the thicker thread punches the design work up a notch or two.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Try different needle sizes, different tension settings, and different stitch lengths to find out what works best for your specific machine and thread combination.

Taking a Closer Look at Thicker Thread

In many ways, finding a good, heavier weight thread is just like determining a good piecing thread.  You want a thread that’s not linty, has no slubs, and the plies hold tightly together.  If the thread is 100% cotton, a long staple cotton will work better than a short staple one.  Unspool several inches of the thread and run it between your index finger and thumb.    If you feel any bumps, discard the thread.  These are slubs and all they will do is aggravate you.  They won’t go through the eye of the needle and will jam up the stitching process.

If you’re working with a polyester thread, chances are there won’t be any slubs.  But what I have found out through the years is that some sewing machines can be pretty persnickety about thick polyester thread.  Some machines like certain brands better than others.  Generally my M7 plays well with every brand except Glide.  For whatever reason, those two do not work well together.  I’ve tried different needle sizes, different needle brands, all types of tension adjustments, but the fairy tale is just not happening.  I simply don’t quilt with Glide. 

Just like with sewing machine settings, don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of thread so you can see what types and brands work well in your machine.  Just remember to keep a 50-weight thread in your bobbin.  And one final word – hand quilting thread is generally a thicker thread, but you don’t want to use it in your sewing machine.  Some hand quilting thread is glazed, meaning it has been treated with beeswax or some other substance to keep the thread from tangling and knotting during the hand quilting process.  The beeswax (or whatever is used to glaze the thread) can rub off in your tension disks and cause a lot of trouble.

For additional information about machine quilting thread, go here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2021/05/26/thread-the-stuff-which-holds-it-all-together/

Preparing to Quilt with a Heavier Weight Thread

At this point in my quilting blogs, I know I sound like a broken record, but here I go one more time:  Practice. Practice.  And practice some more.  Even if you’re pretty proficient in the machine quilting process, heavier weight threads just give a bit of a different feel when you quilt with them.  Make some small-ish quilt sandwiches and get ready to play. 

The first step I want you to take is to thread your machine with the heavier thread on top of the machine, making sure you have a top stitching needle,  90/14, or 100/16 needle inserted in the machine.  Wind a bobbin with 50-weight thread and drop in your bobbin case and then attach the walking foot onto your machine.  While yes, you can certainly free motion quilt with the heavier thread, starting out with the walking foot allows you to get a good feel for the differences in the weight of a thicker thread without having to worry about manually controlling your stitch length.  Lengthen your stitch length, slow your stitching speed down, and then begin sewing simple, straight lines across your quilt sandwich.  After you’ve completed a few, stop and admire the thread.  Do you like what you see?  Is the thicker thread showy enough for you or do you want to kick it up to a 12-weight just to see how it looks?  Compare the stitching with this type of quilting thread to some quilting performed with a 40 or 50-weight thread.  The stitches made with the lower weight thread seem to melt into the background when compared to those stitches stitched with the heavier thread. 

Remove the quilt sandwich from your machine and with a marking pen, draw some zigzags across the top.  Re-insert the sandwich under your needle and stitch the zigzags.  Repeat the exercise but this time try Greek Keys, Squares-in-a-Square, and any other design (such as gentle curves) which can be performed while using your walking foot. 

Once you’ve tried these stitches out with your walking foot, try one of your more “open” decorative stitches.  By open, I mean any decorative stitch that doesn’t require a close placement of the stitches, like a satin-type stitch

Sometime these stitches can be performed with the walking foot still on your machine, but others may require you to switch to an open-toe type of foot.  Consult your sewing machine manual to check the requirements for your machine.  Once you have the correct foot on (or can continue to use your walking foot), try a few of the open designs with the heavier thread.

The stitches with thicker thread look so different than those made with a traditional 50-weight thread.  And while you’re test driving these stitches, it would a good time to note on your quilting sample what these could be used for. Scales on a fish or butterfly wing? Flower details?  Bird wings?  Heaven knows most of us have at least a dozen fancy stitches on our machines.  Now is a great time to use them!

Let’s try free motion quilting with the heavier thread.  This is a little trickier than quilting with a walking foot, but it’s still not too difficult.  There are two very important guidelines to remember with this exercise.  First, slow your stitching speed down.  I generally do not free motion quilt very fast even when I use a 40-weight thread, but I still need to slow down a tad more with the heavier-weight thread.  This slower speed helps keep the thread from “bunching” and assists in the second guideline, which is be sure to lengthen your stitch  to a little longer than 1/8-inch.  With free motion quilting, the feed dogs are dropped, and you control the stitch length.  It honestly takes a bit of practice to manually lengthen the stitch. 

Once you’re consistently keeping a longer stitch length, try some of your “go-to” free motion patterns.  I think you’ll be surprised how different they look with a heavier weight thread. 

One last tip about quilting with a thicker thread.  There may come a time when you would like the heavier weight thread to showcase the quilting on the quilt back.  This is especially true if the quilt back is a solid color.  Using a thicker thread on the back could definitely bring the zing.  When this is the case, simply quilt your quilt from the back instead of the front.  Thread the machine as normal, with a 50-weight thread in the bobbin, but when you position the quilt sandwich, place it with the back of the quilt face up, and quilt per normal.

Thinking Outside the Box with Machine Applique

Normally, when quilters begin discussing machine applique, three types of stitches are involved in the conversation: The blanket stitch for raw edge applique, the hem stitch for prepared edge applique, or a variation of a zigzag stitch which can be used for either raw edge applique or prepared edge applique.  Right now, I want to banish all three of these from your mind as we move into the final part of this blog.  That’s right.  You have my permission to pretend they simply do not exist.  I also want you to forget about 40 or 50-weight thread used in most machine applique projects. 

Let’s take a fresh look at machine applique and this time let’s pull in some heavier weight thread and some of the decorative stitches on your sewing machine.  You can completely change the way your applique looks.  First, let’s take a look at the decorative stitches on your machine.  You’ll need a stitch that can be easily manipulated around the edges of the applique pieces, just like the blanket or blind hem stitch.  These are a few from my M7 I think would work well.  They are open (so the thicker thread won’t bunch) and can be controlled enough to stitch around the applique pieces to keep those in place. 

From there, you’re applique pieces are a blank canvas.  You can use those thick threads and fancy stitches to define and design petals, flower centers, and leaves…

Give figures such as my favorite Sunbonnet Sue a complete make over…

And add delicate details in thread which would be a pain in the tookus to make with fabric.

Or punch up standard blanket stitch into something just a bit more exciting. 

Incorporating heavier threads into quilting projects expands so many creative possibilities and allows you to break through the standard designs.  It adds a layer of fun and new possibilities to even the most traditional designs.  Thicker threads give more texture to quilting stitches and makes for striking applique work.  Experiment!  Push the boundaries of what you traditionally do!  Break out your thicker thread and set aside some time with it and a scrap quilt sandwich.  You’ll not be disappointed.  It is truly time well spent.

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

For real time reference, this blog was written July 14, 2025.

It’s mid-summer and I’ve been   a pretty busy quilter.  I’ve quilted two of the T-shirt quilts I’ve been working on, have the third one on the longarm, and have one bound and ready to go.  As soon as the other two are completely finished, they’ll be winging their way to my aunt’s home in South Carolina, where hopefully they’ll ease the heartache she, my cousin, and my uncle feel from my cousin Kemp’s passing a little over a year ago.  As soon as they receive the quilts and have a chance to look them over, I’ll post pictures of them in my blog.  But I do want Kemp’s family to see them first.

The second quilt grouping I’ve worked on are these three little delights:

I have a Halloween door quilt, a bench pillow cover, and a small quilt. For several years now I’ve always decorated my entrance way according to seasons and holidays. It always makes me smile when I come through the door.  These were so, so, so much fun to make.  The door quilt and the bench pillow were made from kits from Shabby Fabrics and the Fat Quarter Shop.  I made the small quilt out of scraps leftover from each.

Now on to my new favorite color.  If you’ve been a regular reader of mine for any length of time, or one of my close quilting friends, you may remember my favorite color is purple.  I don’t use it overwhelmingly in my quilts or really anywhere in my house (except my bedroom), but I do love purple – especially the light, lovely lavenders.  Recently however, yellow has commanded my attention, and I need to tell you why.  Let me also throw in a disclaimer here.  If you would rather not know personal things about me or if health-related topics stress you out, feel free to click out of this blog and go about your day – no hard feelings.

Let’s back it up to Memorial Day.  I was looking forward to the long weekend.  It had been a particularly difficult season for my husband’s and my business.  We were getting through that, and things were settling back into my normal routine.  I got up on Saturday with plans to head to Danville with the hubs.  I had fixed my hair and make up and went into his den/study to tell him I was ready to go.

“You look yellow,” were the words out of his mouth.

I kind of brushed it off. I had changed makeup foundations and purchased a new brand.  I figured I had leaned too hard towards one with yellow undertones.  I explained this to him, and we got in the car and headed for Danville.  That night when I removed my makeup, Bill perused me again.

“You’re still yellow.”

Well, as much as I had been looking forward to a quiet weekend, it didn’t happen.  He put me in the car and headed to a Mediquick clinic near our home, thinking I needed an antibiotic or something.  A urine sample later, they were taking me to High Point Regional Hospital because I was jaundiced – pretty badly.  I chose High Point  Regional Hospital due to the fact it was affiliated with Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.  I knew if something was seriously wrong, they would immediately transfer me to Baptist in Winston Salem. 

Which they did.  Not only did I have jaundice, but it was due to the fact I had a mass blocking my bile duct from my liver to my gall bladder.  I’m sure you know what happened from there. 

Tests.

MRIs.

Scans.

A stent was inserted via endoscopy from my liver to my stomach because the mass was blocking the gall bladder duct.  A biopsy was performed. 

Here’s the deal. Yes, I have a mass on the head of my pancreas.  It’s approximately 3.9 centimeters.  After two biopsies and sixteen samples later, the majority of that mass is negative.  Five samples came back as rare positive cells (which means “few”).  There also are a few spots on my liver.  Mayo Clinic was consulted, they read the biopsy and agreed with Wake Forest Baptist Hospital’s findings.  Blood was drawn and sent away for DNA sampling to pinpoint exactly what type of chemotherapy I need. 

The good news is the stent is working wonderfully.  I call it “Steve” and he and I have a great relationship.  Most of the time I don’t even know he’s there.   And I no longer look like Marge Simpson.

I also was introduced to a drug called Creon.  When you have issues with your pancreas, quite often it cannot secrete the enzymes you need to properly digest your food and Creon replaces those enzymes.  I can’t tell you what a wonderful difference this has made.  I can eat pretty normally (no salads or red meat due to the stent – at least for now) without the miserable bloated feeling I had before.  I take it right before I eat.

So what does all this mean for me?  Well, my chemo doctor has arranged for a port to be installed (which I’m grateful for because I am tired of identifying as a pincushion) and chemo begins July 30. I’ll have chemo once every two weeks for 14 weeks. I am optimistic and want you to be optimistic for me, too.  What does it mean for my blog?  I hope nothing changes.  Most of you know I keep several blogs “in the can” and ready to post, so if I miss a few days writing, it doesn’t affect the blog for a couple of weeks.  They may be shorter than normal, and I may re-run some of the more popular blogs from years ago my new readers may not know about.  But if I’m late posting, don’t give up on me.  I’m still here.

What can you do?  Pray, send good vibes, good juju – whatever it is you do, please send it my way.  Bill has been a regular Florence Nightingale, and I don’t know what I would do without him.  My kids are pillars of support.  My brother, Eric, as well as my daughter have been great sounding boards as cancer survivors.  My quilting sisters surround me with love and distract me when I get gloomy.  My quilting BFFs, Janet and Susan, have taken me out for meals and worked to keep our quilting life as normal as possible.

Ironically, I feel really good.  My energy levels are back to normal. I’ve stopped losing weight (I lost 30 pounds before they put me on Creon).  But if I didn’t become jaundiced, turned that wonderfully, horrible shade of yellow, I would have never known about this ticking timebomb in my abdomen because I had no pain, no symptoms at all.

So I’m loving that color right now.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.  If you belong to a prayer circle or your church has a prayer list, I’d be ever so grateful if you would put me on it.  I believe in the power of prayer and the power of the Great Healer.  I’ve seen His work.  Message me if you have questions (within reason) or want to know how I’m doing.  I do understand that each cancer journey is unique and personal, and other people have tried diets and alternatives, but I’m sticking with my oncologist at Baptist and what he tells me to do.

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

Pardon me for a second while I climb up on my quilty soapbox one more time…

Quilt documentation…quilt journals…quilt labels are topics I have written about many times since 2010.  Every so often an event, a quilt, or a picture of one of my foremothers sitting in front of a quilt on Ancestry.com will set me off again, wondering why the quilt at least didn’t have a label.  It makes me sad, it makes me wonder, but above all, it makes me just a wee bit angry.  Quilt documentation – accurate documentation – is so important not just to quilting history, but also to women’s history itself. 

The study of women’s history did not begin in America until the 1970’s.  Until roughly the 1920’s, with few exceptions, a good chunk of what we know about women came through their work in textiles – quilts, clothing, household linens.  However, we have so little documentation on these items.  There are some diaries, household inventories, and letters, but overall there is serious lack of documentation on any of it. Which makes people like me – who invest a good portion of their quilting research time in history – just a tad irritated.  But what’s even worse is today’s quilters, as a whole, still see little need for documenting their work. 

And a part of me gets it.  I do.  Documentation is one more step in the quilting process.  When we’re finally in our studios and we have a couple of hours to sew, the last thing we want to do is write down thoughts, inspirations, or the reasons behind us doing what we do.  However, let’s “second think” this process.  By definition, the word documentation means “material that provides official information or evidence or that serves as a record.”  The evidence of our quilting is the quilts themselves.  But the information behind those quilts lives in our heads and our heads only until we decide to share those facts with others.  Documentation preserves the historical and cultural significance of quilts, which act as valuable records in our lives as women (and men, too).  Documentation provides the context of artistic expression and social history.  It ensures the stories behind these quilts are not lost, allowing future generations to understand the context, techniques, and personal narratives woven into each quilt.

Here’s why quilt documentation is particularly valuable:

• The Historical Record

Quilts aren’t just decorative items.  They are more than just something to keep us warm at night.  Quilts themselves are just as important historical document as declarations, decrees, and treaties.  Quilt documentation captures details about the quilt’s creation, the maker, and the era in which it was made, providing insights into women’s history, cultural practices and artistic expression.

• Preserving Legacy

Documenting quilts ensures the stories behind them are preserved for future generations.  These stories might include the maker’s personal experiences, family history, or the purpose for which the quilt was made.  Quilts are often family heirlooms, and documenting them helps preserve the stories and memories associated with them, ensuring they are passed down with context and not conjecture. 

• Understanding Women’s History

Quilts offer a unique perspective on women’s history, as they were often a primary form of artistic expression and a way for women to connect with their communities.  Documentation can reveal the diversity of quiltmakers, their ethnicities, races, and social classes, providing a more complete picture of women’s roles in society.

• Prevents Anonymous Quilts

All of my antique quilts – except one – has absolutely nothing about the maker on the quilt.  No names, no dates, no locations.  While I can love and admire these quilts for years, I will probably never know who the creator was nor why she made that quilt.  And that’s just a tad heartbreaking.  So many quilts are made without detailed information about their origin, making them “anonymous.”  Documentation helps reduce the number of anonymous quilts by capturing the stories and details of their creation, ensuring that these quilts are not forgotten.

• Promotes Appreciation

How will the future generations of folks ever even care about quilting if there’s no historical data telling why quilting was and is important?  How will they know the value of meditatively pulling thread and needle through fabric or enjoying the company of other quilters if there’s no evidence of it?  Documenting quilts can enhance appreciation for the artistry, craftsmanship, and cultural significance of these textiles as well as inspire new generations of quilters and researchers to explore the rich history of quilt making.

Those are the reasons why quilt documentation is valuable.  Hopefully the reasons are eye-popping enough that you want to begin to take steps in documenting your quilts.  However, I also want to be perfectly frank with you at this point: I don’t document all of my quilts.  I have a chest full of seasonal table toppers, small quilts, and door quilts which I have not put one word into documenting.  As a matter of fact, they don’t even have a label.  Why?  Because I use them throughout the years and at some point, I’m sure they’ll be “used up” and tossed.  While I love these quilts – they do bring a great deal of color and joy to my home – I haven’t documented any of them except for the few times I’ve mentioned them in my blog.  But there are some quilts in every quilter’s life, which deserve documentation.  Those quilts that are heirlooms.  Those quilts whose creative process kept you sane through a particularly stormy period in your life.  Those quilts made for special occasions, special days, or for special people.  All of those deserve documentation.  Why?  It all goes back to the first paragraph of this blog: Preserving history.  Those special quilts are often family heirlooms and documenting them helps preserve the stories and memories associated with them, ensuring they’re passed down in context. 

Documentation can also help you keep track of where your quilts are and who now owns them.  If you’re a prolific quilt maker, you may have promised certain quilts to certain people and having a paper trail of those promises can help you keep everything straight.  Documentation also allows you to record materials, size, construction, and any special features or patterns.  This type of information provides valuable insights for future quilters and historians.  When I make a really special quilt – such as an heirloom one for the grand darlings – I keep the pattern, sales receipts for fabric and notions, and any sketches in a notebook for their future use.  I think this type of information will be interesting for them in the future and will help keep the quilt in historical context if they decide to sell it.  Which brings me to my next point, documenting your quilts can serve as a source of information and inspiration for future generations who may be interested in your craft, family history, or specific quilt.  As I continue to plow through research on my maternal side of my family, I am struck by how many of the women were quilters and were often photographed with their quilts. 

I would love to know the history of these quilts and their makers, but there’s nothing out there on the internet.  Imagine how grateful your family will be if they have access to the details about your quilts.  This would not only give them a better understanding of your quilts, but also a better understanding of you.  As you share your personal stories, your inspiration, and your memories related to each quilt, you add layers of meaning and connections to your work.

We’ve discussed the ways documenting your quilts may help your family and future generations of quilt historians and quilters, but it also could benefit you.  Documentation is often required for quilt shows and exhibitions.  Having a fairly detailed record of your quilts can be very helpful.  This information will tell you when a quilt was begun and when it was finished, how large the quilt is (without having to take the time to re-measure it), the name of the quilt, any pattern used, and who did the quilting (if it wasn’t you).

Since we’ve discussed documentation in detail – why it’s important and how it’s helpful – let’s talk about what exactly should be in the information.  I’m not necessarily talking about pages and pages of notes and details, but it is helpful to have a few pictures of the quilt, the name of the quilt, the dimensions, any pattern used either directly or for inspiration, the date the quilt was started and the date finished, who the quilt is for, the occasion the quilt was made, the city and state the quilt was made in, and who quilted the quilt.  So this isn’t a ton of information and it’s not going to take you hours and hours to record.  Some quilters keep this information in a Word document and save it to the Cloud, some quilters keep physical journals of their quilts and the information.  Some quilters have discovered Quilt Alliance.  Quilt Alliance is a website (https://quiltalliance.org/) and they specialize in assisting you in your quilt documentation, either written or in video format.  I would encourage you to check them out.  They do make it super easy for you.

Lastly…let’s talk quilt labels.  I must admit, for quite a number of years, I was pretty naïve about them.  This was because my early quilt teachers emphasized that quilt labels were just as much a part of the quilting process as the binding and the piecing.  Your quilt wasn’t finished until a label was attached.  It wasn’t until I began quilting with other quilt groups that I found out this quilt-label-sentiment did not sit well with all quilters.  Some quilters labeled each and every quilt.  Some quilters only labeled significant quilts, and other quilters eschewed labels all together.  Personally, I still believe they are very important, if only for the fact that if your quilt got lost, if it had a label, it could find its way home faster than if it had no label.  But do I still label every quilt?

No.

See the above paragraphs about door quilts, small quilts, and table toppers.  Unless I give these quilts as gifts, they do not have a label.

However, I still believe a quilt label is the least you can do as far as quilt documentation goes, and labels really don’t take a long time to make.  I make my label when I cut out my quilt.  I’ve found if the label is in with all the quilt pieces, it’s really no trouble to sew it on.  However, if I had to stop and make a label after the quilt was complete … well, it might not get done. 

My labels aren’t super big, but they do contain enough information for quilt historians to have a successful search if they want to.  My labels have the following information:

Name of the Quilt

My name and if I pieced, appliqued, and quilted it.

If I did not quilt it, I have “Quilted By” on the third line

City and state I was in when I made the quilt

Quilt pattern used or the one which inspired the quilt (if any).  If there is none, I add that I designed the quilt on the second line.

The date the quilt was started and the date it was finished.

One esoteric fact – such as the price of a gallon of gas or a loaf of bread on the date the quilt was finished. 

I use computer generated labels.  For me this is the easiest and fastest way to make a label.  I use a word processing program and can drop clip art or pictures into the label if I want to.  Most of the time I add the date started and finished with a Pigma pen, because while I certainly know the date I began the quilt when I make the label, it’s anybody’s guess when the quilt will be complete. 

Until recently – within the last few years – I always included the label as part of the binding process.  I would sew on the binding and then add the label.  However, over the past several years there has been an increase in quilt thefts, both at shows and from luggage.  A hand-sewn on label is pretty easy to dispose of and if the label is the only truly piece of evidence identifying your possession of the quilt, you could lose your quilt for good.  I now applique the label to the quilt backing and quilt through it in the quilting process.  That label is on good and tight, and I don’t think anyone will go through the trouble of removing it.

I hope this blog has given you pause to think about how important quilt documentation is.  While you don’t have to document or label every quilt you make, I hope you make sure the important quilts in your life do have some kind of information attached to them.  You may not consider your quilt very important or even noteworthy, but that doesn’t mean future generations of quilts and quilt historians won’t. 

Until next week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix.

We quilters come up with all kinds of quilting games to keep ourselves amused.  We take on challenges, design mystery quilts, and participate in sew-alongs.  At some point in your quilting journey you may be asked to join in a Round Robin.  What is a Round Robin?  It’s a quilt made by a committee.  Let me explain. 

A Round Robin is a collaborative quilting project where a quilt is created by several people, each adding a round or border to a central block as it’s passed among quilters.  In other words, you make a block.  This is the center medallion for your quilt.  Then this center is passed to another quilter who will add  bottom, top, and side borders to it.  This process is repeated by another quilter.  Eventually, it’s returned to you, with (hopefully) your quilt center enhanced by all the beautiful borders added to the medallion. 

Round Robins became a “thing” about 20 years or so ago, and interest in them has waxed and waned as time goes on.  You may not hear about any Round Robin for several years and then all of a sudden there are several which pop up on your quilting horizon.  And it’s good to note that a Round Robin is different from a Row Robin.  A Round Robin will look like this:

A center with numerous borders encircling it.

A Row Robin will look like this:

With a Row Robin, quilters design a row of quilt squares or applique or quilt squares and applique and make the row a specifically required length.  The rows are sewn together to form a quilt.  Usually a Row Robin has some sort of theme to it (such as Summertime Fun), but not always.

This blog will hopefully shed some light on two aspects of a Round Robin:  How to start one and how to successfully sew your way through one.

Rules to Round Out Your Robin

The first thing needed is a group of committed quilters.  Most Round Robins work pretty successfully with five to six members.  More group members mean more borders and if you’re not careful you could end up with a huge quilt top.  If you have more than five or six, consider breaking them into two groups.  It’s also helpful (if possible) to have advanced quilters in one group and beginner/intermediate in another.  If this isn’t doable, be sure any beginner quilter who wants to participate has access to an experienced quilter who can mentor them.

The next thing to do is decide on the center block size.  This doesn’t have to be a “do-all-end-all” rule, but it is important to keep the medallion at a reasonable size.  A lot of Round Robins assign center blocks anywhere between 12-inches and 18-inches square.  These sizes make the center block easy to work with, but won’t make the finished quilt too large.  And while we’re discussing the center square, let me throw in a personal frustration with some medallions.  Please – for the love of all things quilty – don’t make your center square the holder of all prime numbers.  In other words, don’t make the center 13-inches, 17-inches, 19-inches, or any other prime numbers square.  Prime numbers can only be divided by themselves, which makes constructing a pieced border difficult.  The quilter receiving your block will have to figure out a “floater” (narrow border) which will bring the prime-numbered center square up to a size that’s easier to work with. Another issue which you may want to address is can the center block be a rectangle?  This may sound a bit picky, but if you have beginner/intermediate quilters, those folks may be much more comfortable working with a square than a rectangle.  An advanced group of quilters are more likely to just go with the rectangle without too much worry.

Center sizes and participants decided on, now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. 

Some Round Robins have a lot of rules.  Some have a few.  And among close quilting friends, there may be none.  It all depends.  Personally, I think a few rules are good to have as they set some guidelines and expectations.  I do think that each participant should prepare a “kit” to go with their block.  This “kit” can be a bag or box and in it place your block and fabrics you want used to make your borders. 

Let’s pause for a second and talk about the fabric.  While it’s nearly impossible to perfectly calculate the amount of fabric needed for all the borders (because who knows what some of your creative quilting friends will come up with?), do try to have yardage as well as fat quarters, 5-inch charms, etc., in your box.  A variety of fabric cuts always work better than say three 1-yard cuts of fabric.  Remember this will be your quilt top when the Round Robin is over and you do want it to be something you love.  Second, even with the best fabric intentions, there will come a time when the material in your box may run short.  If that happens, do you want the other participants to call you and you re-supply with your stock, or is it okay if they pull from their own stash?  This is important, so I also think it’s imperative you have a note in your box with your contact information on it, as well as your fabric preferences, such as “no browns” or “no batiks” or “my favorite color is blue.”  This gives the other quilters a bit of latitude if they can pull from their own stash to bless your quilt. You may also want to include additional information such as your favorite quilt block, your not-so-favorite quilt block, and any techniques you don’t particularly care for – such as applique or prairie points, etc.*

Now for turnaround time.  Each quilter in your group will have a chance to add borders to your center square.  This means the blocks will need to be swapped out and given to another quilter in the group.  Some groups give their members one month to complete the borders and hand it off to another quilter.  Some Round Robins allow for more time. My “rule” for handling the turnaround time is to assess the groups’ members.   If everyone works full time or has lots of family demands, a two-month turnaround time may work best for everyone and alleviate any stress.   Regardless, I think the last border needs a two-month deadline because it is the largest border and will require more time. 

Finally, the group needs to decide if there will be “progress reveals.” When it’s time to swap kits, will everyone show what they’ve done or will they wait until the Round Robin is complete and everyone reveal their completed Round Robin then? 

Now that some simple ground rules have been established, let’s talk about successfully completing your Robin.

How to Be Successful with Your Round Robin

Round Robins are fun.  They stretch your expertise and creativity as a quilter.  If they sound like something you’re interested in and like to try, I encourage you to do so.   However, before jumping in headfirst, I also encourage you to think about a few things – with the first being your own time.  Do you have availability in your schedule for a Round Robin?  While we all know life can happen and things can change on the spin of a dime, overall do you have the time to commit to designing borders for what is essentially someone else’s quilt?  You can’t just throw on plain fabric strips as borders in a Round Robin.  Nope.  There’s some piecing or some applique which needs to be involved. 

The second issue is communication.  Be sure to reach out to the person whose quilt is under your needle if you have any questions.  The Round Robin participant may have a list of likes and dislikes in their kit, but still sometimes questions arise.  Don’t pretend to be a mind reader.  Get in touch with the person and ask your questions.  Trust me, they won’t mind answering any concerns. 

Third, don’t allow your Round Robin to become just another UFO.  Try to, as much as you can, already have a finishing plan for your quilt.  Having the backing, a quilting plan, and even the binding prepped makes finishing the quilt so much easier.  Of course, you may not know the exact final measurements until your quilt is back in your hands, but you probably have some idea – especially if there have been several reveals during the Round Robin. 

I realize not every quilter works like I do, but I will share with you the way I handle Round Robins.  As soon as I have the quilt kit back in my studio, I pull the quilt out and place it on my cutting table.  I look at it closely, following any type of theme the other participants may have begun with their stitching.  I also take out the fabric from the kit and arrange it around the center square to give me an idea of what I have left to work with – what are my largest “chunks” of fabric, and which ones are my “scrappies” that I could enlist in  an applique process? Finally I read any notes/preferences the block owner has left for me so I can be sure to follow her guidelines. 

Then I let it simmer for a short while.  My cutting table is in a location I walk by several times a day when I’m in my studio.  As I’m just kind of taking it in, my quilty subconscious is hard at work – thinking, analyzing, and creating.  After a few days (usually five to seven days), I revisit the block and boot up my EQ8.  By this point, I usually have some kind of idea about what I want to do.  EQ8 helps me sketch these ideas out so I get a really good image of how the quilt will look with my borders – especially if I take a picture of the quilt center and load that into EQ8.  I check and double check my borders, contact the owner with any questions or concerns and get to work.

I’m also one of those quilters who tend to be hyper-focused if I have a deadline.  I will work almost exclusively on the Round Robin until I am finished.  This way it’s one more thing off my quilting plate and I can work on my own projects with no guilty feelings. 

Round Robins are fun, challenging, and will definitely stretch you as a quilter.  I love them for all those reasons plus the fact they put me in the designer’s seat.  I make all the quilty decisions about the borders I will add on, all the while keeping in mind the theme of the quilt and the work the previous Round Robin participants have done.  If you have the opportunity and the time, I would encourage you to give a Round Robin a try. 

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

*I think the most negative experience I ever had with a Round Robin had to do with fabric – or a lack of it.  I was participating in one several years ago that my local guild was offering.  At that time, the group leader stated, “additional fabric is optional,” knowing that most of us had abundant stashes we wouldn’t mind pulling from – which overall was true.  One of the participants had a larger than required center block and she wanted us to use only batiks – which are more expensive than quilting cottons.  And she included no batiks in her kit – it was just her center square.  While I’m normally not a petty person (no, really, I’m not), I drew the line at this.  I don’t keep a lot of batiks in my stash, but I had a bit of yardage in a blue batik.  I cut plain strips as narrow as I could get away with and sewed them on the center.  While I think it’s great to pull from your own stash to help round out a Round Robin’s borders, I do think it’s insensitive and selfish to put the entire burden of your quilt’s borders  on the participants. 

This week we’re finishing up our series on UFOS and how to manage them. Today we’ll take a hard look about what to keep, what to give away, and what to toss.

How Do I Decide What to Keep and What to Release?

This is a very personal question, and both the questions and answers can vary from quilter to quilter.  Below are some general questions I ask myself, to clarify what’s worth my time and energy. These may or may not work for you.  You may see the need to create your own evaluation standards.

• Do I still love this project?  Do I still get excited about it?  Does it still inspire me?
• Am I still willing to expend the time and energy on this UFO?  Be really honest with yourself when you ask this question.  You may still love this pattern, but do you want to spend all the time it would take to hand applique 16 blocks?  Do you really want to piece 67 four-inch blocks?  If you honestly, truly can’t see yourself expending the time and energy to complete the project, let it go.  Or at least set it aside and think about it for 24 hours and then re-evaluate the question.
• Will I hold off on any new projects while I complete this one? Again, honesty is key here.
• Will working on it bring joy or feel like a chore?  If it feels like an obligation, is the UFO really worth it?
• Does this project still make sense?  A baby quilt for someone who is now a teenager may not make the cut.  A quilt you began for your bedroom 10 years and three paint jobs ago may not work any longer for you. 
• Can I realistically finish this in the next six to twelve months?  Again, honesty is key when answering this question.  If you’re obligated to other quilts (such as a class, a guild project, etc.), answer this question carefully.  If you can’t see yourself either finishing or at least making a major headway on the quilt, you may want to let it go.  I think the exceptions to this rule are either hand pieced or hand appliqued quilts.  Those naturally take a bit longer, but if you’re consistently working on them, keep them.

Also, allow me to be completely transparent here.  There are some projects you will never complete no matter how many times you ask those questions.  Some unfinished projects create more stress than they’re worth.  So much so that they’ll never inspire any inspiration – they’ll make you want to shove them out of sight and out of mind again.  So if seeing a project triggers guilt or anxiety, or you’re avoiding it because of past mistakes, or if it feels like an obligation rather than a joy, rid yourself of them or allow time to soften your feelings.  That quilt I worked on when my dad was in Hospice?  I know I will never finish it.  It’s too difficult to work on. It brings up too many memories. Instead, I took the three blocks I did finish and had them framed.  I still can’t bring myself to hang them, but one day I will.  The applique quilt from that chaotic class?  I know I will finish it.  The fabrics are beautiful and as soon as I can dig the bin out of my storage closet, I will start on it again and I can see myself finishing it in a year’s time.  If the project is one you’re avoiding because of past mistakes, it’s probably a good idea to get rid of those, too.  This kind of depends on where you’re at progress-wise as a quilter.  When you began the project, it may have been too difficult for your skill level.  Since then, you may have learned more and conquered the techniques that were giving you such a hard time.  Now you may be able to complete the quilt just fine, but again, the question is will you? 

Finally, if the project remains feeling more of an obligation than a joy, it may be time to find it a new home or repurpose it.  We have enough obligations in our lives.  Quilting should be fun and not a chore.  The path forward is this:  Be honest with yourself (do you truly want to finish the project), assess your options (can it be repurposed or passed along) and let go of perfection (a finished project with imperfections is better than an abandoned one). 

Allow me one more helpful hint under the topic of what to keep and what to let go – it’s really great if you have another quilting buddy who can work with you through this process.  Someone who can look at your UFOs with fresh eyes can be super helpful as you decide whether to finish, rework, or release projects.

Give Yourself Permission to Let Go

Sometimes this is the most difficult thing to do.  We look at our UFOs and try to weigh the financial and time investments already expended against the freedom of releasing them.  So it’s important to give yourself permission to let go of them. Releasing them does not mean either the project or you are failures.  Allow yourself to feel the space for new creativity – clearing out the old allows for new inspiration.  And choose intentionally – only keep what truly deserves your time and energy.  This can be accomplished by making four piles of your UFOs.

Pile One – Keepers.  You realize you do love the project and will finish it soon.  Prioritize the projects which bring you joy.

Pile Two – The Maybes. You’re unsure if you’ll keep the project or let go of it, but the UFO has definite potential.  Maybe it needs a fresh perspective or a slight tweak.

Pile Three – Nope.  These UFOs are no longer for me, but someone else may love it.  Plan to donate it, sell it, or swap it.

Pile Four – Beyond Saving.  If it’s damaged or no longer relevant, let it go.

Try to move the piles three and four out as quickly as possible.  Immediately store pile one in bins, labeled bags, or clear, plastic containers to keep them organized and accessible.

Now let’s talk about that ubiquitous pile two, the Maybes.  This is where I step aside from it for about 24-hours and then return to pile two and make some decisions.  At this point, at least for me, it’s either a hard no or I need to keep it.  If it’s a nope, then I move these UFOs out of my studio as quickly as possible.  For the ones I want to keep, they get their own storage bin, labeled bag, or clear, plastic container.

I Have My Keep Pile.  Now What?

Momentum is key at this point.  I find it helpful to begin with the UFO which is the closest to being finished.  If the quilt only needs a binding or a small fix, move it to the top of the list.  Finishing a project gives you a quilting rush (it releases the dopamine in your brain) and makes you want to finish another one.  If a certain step feels overwhelming, consider swapping tasks with a friend.  For instance, in my local guild, we have a member who absolutely loves to bind quilts.  If one of us is in a pinch to finish a project, or we simply don’t like to bind, we ask her if she would like to do it.  And if you don’t like to quilt your own quilts or you simply don’t have the time, let a long arm artist finish this step for you.  There is no shame in that game.

Finally, even after you’ve looked through your Keep file, you’re still feeling a bit overwhelmed, rethink your projects.  Can some of them be downsized into a lap quilt, wall hanging or mini quilt?  If you’ve only made a few blocks, could these be joined together for a wall hanging, table topper, or bed runner?  And leftover fabric as a result of this downsizing can be added to your stash, donated, or put on the free table at guild meeting.  And a quilt top you don’t love enough to finish could be used as a backing for another quilt.  The important thing is to think outside the box as you push your way through your UFOs.

Ready, Set, Go!

Once you’ve perused your Keep Pile a couple of times, now let’s get organized and keep the momentum going.

• Begin with the easiest project or the one closest to completion to keep the momentum going.
• If you’re not sure what project to start with, write the names of each on a slip of paper, put the slips in a container, and draw one at random.
• Keep all materials for each project together in clear zip-lock bags or bins.
• Mark the progress on the pattern with notes to avoid confusion when you pick up the project next time.
• Keep a hand project near your chair, another in a tote for on-the-go sewing, and one by the machine.  That way there’ll be no searching for the next project.  You’ll be ready to put in some serious stitching.
• Dedicate 20-60 minutes a day (or whatever works for your schedule) to your UFOs.  I have found two ways to keep progressing on any project – UFO or otherwise. When I sit down to sew, I set a 20-minute timer.  This way I can commit to 20 minutes of uninterrupted sewing time.  You’d be really surprised what you can accomplish in 20 minutes.  If I have a particularly challenging quilt under my needle, I make a “date” with it.  This is a block of a couple of hours where I’m completely devoted to the project.  For me, this is usually when my husband goes and plays golf.  I’m guaranteed a few hours of uninterrupted time. 
• Track your UFOs.  Set a date you want a project completed and then keep up with its progress by logging it into your note section on your phone, a paper  calendar, or use an app such as Quiltful.  I use an Excel spreadsheet.  Mark off each completed step and completed project.  This is such a satisfying thing to do!
• Try to make it social and fun.  Partner with. a group or a friend for accountability.  Use a self-reward system – celebrate progress with small regards such as a new fat quarter, a notion, a class, or a fancy coffee.  Join or organize a charity quilt day for those UFOs you don’t think you’ll keep.  Giving back also spurs momentum and can be so motivating.  Plan a quilt retreat focused on finishing projects. Participate in UFO challenges (there are Facebook groups for this), quilting groups, or sew-alongs. Being part of such a group can be very encouraging and applies a bit of accountability.    Be just as creative with the finishing process as you are with every other step of this procedure. 
• Limit new projects.  Before starting a new project, commit to finishing at least one UFO first.  And if you do start a new project, write down your vision, deadline, and plan/schedule your next steps so it doesn’t turn into another UFO.
• If you do have to set aside your UFO for a while, be sure to make a note where you left off so when you pick it back up, you know exactly what to do.

By keeping things manageable, organized, and fun you’ll find you can finish more UFOs than you thought you ever could.  The sticking point – as much for me as anyone else – is starting the process.  After you’ve quilted over 40 years, you have more than a few UFOs.  I’m sifting through mine a few at time so I don’t feel so overwhelmed.  Hopefully I’m making wise decisions.  I encourage you to do the same (unless you have absolutely no UFOS and finish one project before starting another). 

Until Next Week …

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

*This blog was inspired by Sorting and Letting Go of UFOs by The Art of Home.  Huge thank you to my quilting friend Sharon for sending me this information.

Most of us have them.  Many of us have more than a few.  They sit, lurking in the darkest parts of closets, the deepest depths of drawers, or stowed away under a bed.  Occasionally they sit out in the open, invading the solitude and creativity of our quilt studio – silently judging us and us judging them.  What am I talking about?

UFOs.

For the uninitiated, when quilters talk about UFOs, we’re not talking about unidentified flying objects.  Nope.  What we’re referring to are Unfinished Objects.  These UFOs are different from WIPS (works in progress) but may be related to PIGs (projects in grocery bags).  The term UFO indicates a project started long ago that we haven’t put a stitch in for years and have no firm date to put another stitch in.  These poor projects may be a year or two old, or older than 20 years.  We can’t seem to get rid of them, but nor are we motivated to pick them up and start again.  Either we’ve hit a mental brick wall, have lost interest, got stuck on a step, or simply became excited about a new, shiny project which caused us to stow away what we were working on and begin something new.  Either way, we’ve accumulated a few (and in some cases more than a few) UFOs.  What I hope this blog does is help you begin to understand why you have these unfinished projects, sort through them with a critical eye, and make a plan for those poor, ignored projects.

I think if we can talk about why we have UFOs, those facts will go a long way in both understanding how to handle them and how to keep from having so many.  Something got in the way of our completing the project and whatever that something was, it was strong enough or attention diverting enough to cause us to cease work on them. Sometimes we just lose interest in them.  The process could take longer than we expected or what seemed like an exciting project suddenly isn’t any longer.  But for whatever reason, the thrill is gone, and we find ourselves studiously avoiding the project.

Frustration may be another factor holding us back from completing the process.  The pattern could be harder than we thought, a new technique may be tricky and difficult, or it may seem we suffer setback after setback or interruption after interruption and finally just give up before we start beating our heads against the wall of our quilt studio.  We also could feel overwhelmed at the number of UFOs we have.  They may seem like an unsurmountable mountain we will never conquer.  It just doesn’t seem as if we will ever have enough time to complete them.

If negative associations are attached to a project, that may be another reason we have problems working on those quilts.  I have two of these projects.  One is a quilt I worked on while my father was in Hospice.  Another is a beautiful applique quilt I began in a class.  For many reasons, the class dissolved into chaos, and I left the group, tucking the quilt squares away in a tub.  I haven’t picked them up in years.   

However, by far the biggest reason I think we quilters have UFOs is what I call the “Magpie Syndrome.”  Supposedly Magpies (and their cousins, crows and ravens) like to collect shiny things.   These bits of bling catch their attention, and they’ll drop whatever else they may have in their beaks and grab the next shiny scrap.

I hate to be a myth buster, but this is an old wives tale.  Scientists have studied these birds for years and the evidence does not support the Magpie’s affinity for shiny objects.  However, the evidence for quilters liking shiny new things is definitely not a myth.  We are known to be deep in the middle of a project, but when confronted with a new, beautiful pattern or fabrics, toss what we’re working on in a box and immediately begin the new project with only a twinge of guilt to remind us of the work in progress.

If we’re aware of the reasons we tend to turn an active project into a UFO, we can avoid falling into the UFO trap.  There are several different ways to evade this trap – and not all of them include buckling down and finishing the project.  We’ll get to these a bit later in this blog.

How UFOs Affect Your Creativity

Different artists (quilters, artists, writers, etc.) often have their own explanation of what creativity is and how it works for them.  All of these explanations are valid, but what all of them tend to have in common is this: It ebbs and flows.  Sometimes you’re riding a creativity high – the fabric harmonizes beautifully, corners match, everything is square, your applique stitches are awesome, and that binding is just perfect.  Other times, not so much.  You struggle to make sense of directions, all of your cutting is just a bit off, and the fabric that matched so perfectly in the quilt shop now seems to be just one shade off.  Sometimes your creative well runs deep and at other times it’s as shallow as a mud puddle.

I like to think of my creativity as a river.  The water of creativity continuously flows in and out of this river and brings nourishment and life to the creatures living in and near the river.  This continuous flow keeps the water fresh and everything around it full of creativity.  However, if something builds a dam in this river, it can cause the river to back up and make a reservoir.  This water can become stagnant and unhealthy.  If we are in a situation where our creativity ceases to flow, suddenly our projects (whether it’s a quilt or a blog) can become an aching burden, not something which sets us free to fly.  When we cling to unfished projects that no longer bring us joy, inner peace, or that we no longer love, those UFOs can block our creative energy (the river) and lead to creative stagnation (an unhealthy creative reservoir). 

In order to break down this “dam” we need to let go of those UFOs we know we will never get around to finishing.  And we must be brutally honest with ourselves as we work through this process.  Does this project still bring us any joy?  Can we honestly see us investing our time and resources to finish it?  If the answer to these questions is no, it’s time to let them go.

Before anyone clutches their pearls, I don’t mean toss these projects into a trashcan, so they end up in a landfill.  That’s irresponsible and wasteful.  But what we all need to learn to do is to release what no longer serves us.  And this can be difficult.  When we look at the time we’ve already spent on the project, the money we’ve invested, and the creativity we’ve poured into it, it’s so easy to lie to ourselves.  “I’ll get back to it soon,” we whisper, as we shove that UFO back down into a bin and stow it away, out of sight, out of mind.  It’s difficult to admit we may never actually touch that UFO again, but we can’t turn loose of our investment in it.  To cancel out this nagging feeling, tell yourself it’s okay to move on from this project.  It’s fine to let it go.  We can pass this unfinished project along to someone else who may love it and accept the challenge of completing it.  Quilt guild meetings are great places to do this.  If you don’t belong to a guild, but you do belong to some online quilt groups, ask if someone in that group wants it.  You can haggle about picking it up or mailing it, but chances are you can find someone who will love it more than you do.  And the feeling of releasing the UFO to someone else is amazing.  Years ago I began a block of the month with Lucy Boston’s Patchwork of the Crosses.  This was one of those labor intensive, fussy cutting BOMs which was absolutely beautiful and held my attention for exactly six blocks.  I learned a lot about fussy cutting, but I also learned this BOM wasn’t for me.  I found out, through a local quilting group I met with, that there was a woman who wanted this very BOM but was too late in the sign-up process.  I sold her my finished blocks, all my tools, and about 16 additional kits I had not touched.  I honestly don’t know which one of us was happier – me or her. 

If you can’t find a taker, repurposing the materials in the UFO is always an option.  The fabric can be used for other projects or can be filed away in your stash for later quilts.  If the project is halfway or more complete, see if you can make it smaller, or simply stop where it’s at in the process, bind it, and use it as a table runner, bed runner, lap quilt, or charity quilt.

No matter how you let those UFOs go, this process opens the door for new ideas and a fresh flow of creativity. 

Next week we’ll take a look at how to pick through your UFOs and decide what to keep and what to re-purpose or re-home.

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

I’ve written this blog since around 2010 —  first on Blogspot.com and now on WordPress.  That’s about 15 years, give or take.  And during this time, I’ve seen a lot happen in our quilting world.  We’ve lost quilters, lost magazines, seen large quilting organizations shut down, and some quilt shows never regain their traction after the pandemic.  But, at least for me, losing so many brick and mortar quilt shops over the last 15 years has been the worst.

Many quilters, most quilters I would wager, enjoy the process of looking at actual fabric, petting it, and making sure it works with the other fabric we have picked out for the quilt.  Traditionally, fabric shopping has not been a passive experience.  It’s a physical, active one.  So much depends on making sure the material is a good choice – from lighting to dye lots.

And so much of that experience has been stripped from us.  We could sit and argue economics, pandemics, a shrinking of the quilt market – we could sift through dozens of reasons brick and mortar quilt shops are closing, but the reality is they are and overall, American quilters (at least) have fewer in-person shopping options. The fact is, we’re all participating in the indoor sport of online fabric shopping, whether we want to or not.  This is a sport not for the faint of heart or anyone with a trigger finger which can throw stuff in our shopping cart with a click of a mouse.  Because let’s face it, online fabric shopping can be tricky.  What I would like to do with this blog is break down the experience into three areas:  How to find reputable sites, how correctly judge if the online fabric will work for you, and how technology can help you make the best decisions.

Reputable Sites

In many ways, online shopping for quilt fabric is no different than shopping for anything else – you must watch out for online sharks who want to sell you an inferior product at maximum damage to your wallet.  If your former favorite brick and mortar store moves to all online sales, this is pretty easy to do.  You just continue to order from them and continue using them for as long as they’re open.  This happened to quilters in my area when Keepsake Quilting closed their fabric warehouse in November 2024 and now everyone must order online.  Because I know Keepsake sells good fabric and their customer service is stellar, it was a pretty easy transition.  Yes, I have to wait longer for my fabric – instead of buzzing in and picking up whatever I need, I’m suddenly just like most of their customers.  I have to wait for the USPS, FedEx, or UPS. 

But what if your favorite brick and mortar chooses not to stay open at all – even online?  First piece of advice I’d offer is stick to the well-known and well-loved sites which have served the quilting community for so long – such as Shabby Fabrics, Fat Quarter Shop, Connecting Threads, etc.  These have served the online quilting community for years and are stellar.  Personally, I have had more internet shopping experiences with Fat Quarter Shop, but all three are wonderful to work with. 

Another thing which makes these stores great is their large inventory of pre-cuts, such as the 2 ½-inch and 5-inch charm squares.  Normally when we purchase either of these two, we have some sort of project in mind.  But besides being two of the most versatile charm packs, they also can serve another purpose:  auditioning as substitutes for yardage purchases.  When you’re perusing online fabrics for a quilt, and the fabric(s) you’re considering are available in a charm pack, go ahead and purchase the charm pack.  Once they arrive in the mail, you can compare the fabric(s) in the charm pack you want to use to your other fabrics.  This way – in person and under the correct lighting – you can see if your choice will work well.  Instead of sinking a larger amount of money in yardage which may not work, you’ve invested a much smaller amount of money in a charm pack or two and then can purchase the desired yardage with confidence.  And goodness knows we all can sew up a charm pack or three into a project or use them in a quilt.

If you’re like most quilters, the fabric in your stash may – ahem – be curated over a many years’ time span.  We could quite possibly have material which dates back to before the Millenium.  There is no shame in this game.  However, when we use these fabrics in a quilt and find we either run short or need some other vintage-y fabric to round out our quilt, it can be difficult to try to match up these fabrics online.  We could carry the fabric to a brick and mortar store to try to find a blender or some other fabric which may work, but shopping online for a fabric that coordinates can be tricky.  If you ever find yourself in this situation, Fabric Wholesale Direct and Stone Mountain and Daughters are great sites to find both wholesale and designer deadstock fabrics.  If major yardage is needed, I recommend Thousands of Bolts (and Only One Nut) (seriously, that’s the name of the site) or Fabric Outlet. 

There are other great, reputable sites which have both quality fabrics and stellar customer service – such as Hancock’s of Paducah, Missouri Star, etc.  I know I haven’t come close to even scratching the surface of all the good, reputable sites.  If you have used a site not mentioned and can vouch for both quality and customer service – the cornerstones of any great online shopping experience — please throw it in the comments at the end of this blog.  If you come across an online fabric site you haven’t heard of before, or one you’ve never purchased any fabric or quilting notions from, Google the site.  Read the reviews – both good and bad – before you make any purchases. 

How to Judge if the Fabric Online Will Work for You

Even when you know you’re shopping at reputable sites which offer quality fabric and stellar customer service, how do you truly know if what you’re ordering will play nice with the fabric you already have in hand for your quilt?  Purchasing fabric that’s not physically in front of you can be tricky.  A bit later in this blog I’ll go over a few things you can do to make this process easier for you on the technical end of things, but first let’s just take a look at a fabric website and see what it can tell you about our fabric choices.

If you want to streamline the process and be very sure all your fabric will play nicely together, the easiest thing to do is purchase all the fabric from the same fabric family.  A fabric family refers to groups of fabrics that share similar characteristics, fiber types, or uses. These groups help categorize and help you understand the broad range of fabrics used in various textile applications.   For us quilters, this means a fabric manufacturer, such as Henry Glass, has asked a designer, such as Michelle Yeo, to design a line of fabrics which have a variety of prints, small print fabrics which can read as solids or solids themselves, and a focus fabric.  For instance, Michelle Yeo designed this fabric family (The Lost Gardens of Heligan) for Henry Glass. 

This is a gorgeous selection which will become available for purchase in March 2026.   All of the fabrics in a family, such as this one, coordinate well and could be used in a quilt with no problems.  And while the process of ordering all your fabrics from the same family causes the fewest problems with online ordering, it’s not without its drawbacks – the primary one being not all fabric families come with a true dark or light.  So let’s take the first screen shot of The Lost Gardens of Heligan and add a black and white filter.

You can see that most of the fabrics now appear as a gray.  This means they are not true darks, but are mediums, meaning if you construct a quilt out of these gorgeous fabrics, it will look muddy.  You need a light fabric, and a dark fabric tossed in with the mediums to add a true sparkle to the quilt’s surface.  And just a heads up here – most fabric families are overwhelmingly mediums.  A good plan is to take a picture with your phone of the fabrics you’re thinking about purchasing and then add a black and white filter in your photo editing app.  If you get true darks and lights as well as mediums, you’re good to go.  If you don’t, you’ll probably want to add the dark and light from somewhere else.  This process works well both with physical fabric and if you take a picture of the website with your phone. 

One additional thought about fabric families.  Some fabric manufacturers deliberately keep the same dye lots if they continue adding to a family over several years.  A great example of this is Kansas Troubles by Moda Fabric. 

This particular line of fabric has existed for some time, and it remains one of my favorites.  I love the cheddar-y oranges.  Since the inception of Kansas Troubles, Moda has  consistently used the same dye lots with all the fabrics since the beginning – meaning if I add to my collection (which was started around 2016), the fabric I purchase today will coordinate with just fine with those 2016’s purchases.  Some fabric families are like this.  Google the one you’re working with to see if yours does.

If purchasing all the fabric for your quilt from the same fabric family is out of the question – you may just need a bit of additional yardage to round out your fabric haul – there are a few additional concepts to keep in mind:

• Color Descriptions.

This seems like a really simple concept.  If a fabric is described as blue, it’s blue, right?  Maybe.  However azure, cerulean, cobalt, cyan, navy, sapphire, sky, ultramarine, and indigo are also blues too, and you know the color cyan is vastly different from the color navy.  This concept – different names for the same hue – is important to keep in mind as you shop online.  A sapphire blue will be very different from an indigo blue.  You also want to look for adjectives such as “warm” or “cool” colors.  A fabric described as having warm undertones means there are some reddish dyes thrown in.  A fabric with cool undertones means there are blue or gray dyes thrown in. 

These undertones can make the fabric have very different appearances.  Again, referring back to our blue fabric – a blue with a warm undertone may almost appear purple, while one with a cool undertone will appear bluer to the eyes. 

• Multiple Photos

If you can find photos of the fabric at different angles, close-up shots, and photos of the fabric draped or folded, you are able to get a much better idea of how the fabric really looks, verses a flat color swatch.  Some online fabric sites are much better at this concept than others. 

• Pantone/Hex Codes

Pantone colors are described by their allocated number, for example, PMS 205, is pink. There are over 1,000 colors identified in the Pantone Color Matching System, including metallic and fluorescent colors. The solid palette is also identified by a suffix following the color.  If you’re making a quilt from primarily Pantone colors, this numeric system is quite handy to have around.  You can use the Pantone code to help you find additional fabric which will work in your quilt.  You also can get a Pantone Color Chart at http://www.PANTONE-colours.com.  And an interesting aside here – Pantone Color 448 has been deemed the ugliest color on the face of the earth. 

Pantone came up with the color as a response for a hue that would bring to mind filth, ugliness, and death.  Some countries – particularly Australia – wanted to package cigarettes with this color as a further visual warning to folks about the dangers of smoking. 

To purchase fabric using Pantone codes, first identify the specific Pantone color you need (e.g., Pantone 19-0001 TPG for a green fabric). Then, look for fabric retailers that offer fabrics in Pantone colors or provide color matching services. You can also use Pantone color guides or apps to find the closest matching color if you have a reference fabric. 

Hex codes are a bit different and are not connected to the Pantone Color Codes in any way.  The way Hex codes are configured is a bit of a process, but the good news for quilters is we don’t have to do any of the configuring.  It’s done for us.  To use a hex code when purchasing fabric, you’ll typically find a hex code for the desired color, then use that code when ordering fabric online or specifying a custom fabric color. Many online fabric retailers or custom printing services will allow you to input a hex code to match a specific color. If you have a color you want to match, you might need to find the corresponding hex code. This could involve using a color picker tool in a design program, searching online color libraries, or using a color map that displays hex codes for various fabric shades. 

If you’d rather go analog and not deal with apps or color maps to match Hex colors, then use this:

The Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool.  In my opinion, this beats any version of a color wheel I’ve ever used.  The Hex color code is written on every color swatch.  Easy-peasy.  The Pantone Code is not listed in the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool; however, Pantone has an app you can download with all their color swatches.  That part of the app is free.  There is a paid portion of the app which allows you more detail.  If you find yourself using the Pantone colors a great deal, it may be worth the extra bucks.   If you don’t, then it’s a little pricey (in my opinion). 

Using Technology for Online Fabric Purchases

While Pantone and Hex codes are great ways to find just the color fabric you’re searching for online, admittedly not all websites understand what those codes are or what they mean.  So it’s equally important that your computer, tablet, or phone screen show the most accurate colors that they can.  In order for this to happen, you may need to calibrate your screen.  Screen calibration is the process of measuring and adjusting the colors on your computer monitor to match a common standard.  This means, if your screen is calibrated correctly, you stand a much better chance viewing the fabric online in its true colors.  Listed below are some general  calibration guidelines.  As always, refer to your manual or IT person to make sure these will work with your device. 

To recalibrate your Android’s phone’s screen, you’ll need to follow specific steps that depend on your device and operating system. Generally, you’ll find calibration options in your phone’s settings, often under Display or Touchscreen settings. Some Android devices may offer a calibration tool or reset calibration option within Language & keyboard settings. For iPhones, there isn’t a built-in calibration process, but you can try resetting settings or performing a hard reset. 

To calibrate a tablet’s touchscreen, navigate to the settings menu and look for a “touch screen calibration” or similar option. Follow the on-screen instructions to calibrate your device. For Windows tablets, you can open the Control Panel and select “Tablet PC Settings” to calibrate the screen.

To calibrate your laptop screen in Windows, use the built-in “Calibrate display color” tool. You can find this by searching for “calibrate display color” in the Windows search bar. Alternatively, you can access it through Settings > Display > Advanced display settings. 

To calibrate your desktop screen, you’ll typically use Windows’ built-in tool or a third-party calibration tool. This involves adjusting brightness, contrast, gamma, and color balance to achieve the most accurate display. 

I hope this blog has given you a few tools to make online fabric shopping just a bit easier, made you more confident about your decisions, and taken a lot of the mystery and “cross your fingers and hope for the best” attitude out of the equation.  It’s always a little tricky to purchase fabric which is not physically in front of you, but it is possible to make good and wise decisions without busting your budget.

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

One of the greatest things about quilting is there are no rules.

Nope.

None.

Honestly.

There are no hard and fast, do-or-die rules and there are no quilt police.  Now I will be the first to tell you, there are some quilters who may want you to believe in both the rules and an enforcement crew follow-up to make sure you follow those rules, but they are figments of some quilters’ very uptight imaginations.  The closest thing we have to a rule is the ¼-inch seam allowance.  Most of the time, that ¼-inch seam allowance works just dandy, but there are times it doesn’t.  Quilting “rules” are simply guidelines, not ironclad laws, meaning those guidelines can be broken or even completely ignored if you need to. Some quilters prewash their fabrics, some find it easier to work with fabric right off the bolt. Some quilters always use matching thread, some like contrasting thread.  Some quilters pin religiously, some do not. 

What I would like to do with today’s blog is free you from any pre-conceived ideas about some so-called quilting rules. Just because you may have heard these in a quilting class, or from quilter you follow on social media, does not make them rules.  They’re all merely suggestions.

• You must pre-wash your fabric.

Points to you if you’ve been my reader long enough to know I do adhere to this guideline.  I prewash all my fabrics except the fabric I plan to use as a background for my applique.  I do this because the prewashing goes a long way in ensuring fabrics won’t bleed on one another when they’re washed – however, the prewashing process isn’t foolproof. But it also goes a long way in preventing any crocking. 

Prewashing also removes any finishes which tend to flake off when the fabric is handled.  These flakes irritate my nose and make me sneeze.  Prewashing also gets rid of any dirt or odors the fabric may have picked up when it was stored in a warehouse somewhere. 

I do know that many quilters see this as an unnecessary and time-consuming first step in the quilting process.  And if you’re one of those, just remember God created Color Catchers and you may want to use a few when you wash your quilt for the first time.

• You need to use matching thread in piecing and machine applique.

Nope.  If you come from a garment-making background, you almost feel compelled to use matching thread.  But when you think about all the colors we use in quilting, that would be difficult to do.  You would spend a lot of time re-threading your machine.  Most quilters tend to piece with a neutral-colored thread, such as an ecru, white, black, light or dark gray. However, there is no rule which states you can’t or shouldn’t use matching thread.  That decision is entirely yours.

If you machine applique, the same premise holds true.   You may want your thread to match your fabric, you may want to use monofilament thread, or you may want your thread to contrast.  The choice is entirely up to you and the look you’re going for. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

• You need to pin before sewing.

Some quilters pin, some use clippies, some thread baste, and some simply hold the fabric together with their fingers and sew.  This is a personal choice and I’ll be the first to admit I tend to wander between all four choices.  I pin more frequently than use clippies or baste, but I have found that if I need my points to meet perfectly, I will machine baste my pieces before sewing. It all depends on the complexities of the block and what I have near my sewing area – which is why I use primarily pins. My clippies are usually found with my binding kit.  As long as whatever method works for you, that’s all that matters.

• All quilt blocks require a ¼-inch seam allowance.

Most of the time, this usually works.  But not always.  Personally, I try to make a test block out of scrap fabric before I begin my blocks for the quilt.  Why is this important?  Let’s say I’m making a quilt with 10-inch finished quilt blocks (the size they measure when sewed in a quilt), which means they need to measure 10 ½-inches unfinished.  I cut my units out, sew then together with a full ¼-inch seam allowance, only to discover the block measures 10 ¼-inches unfinished.  This doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you carry that difference say over a row of 10 blocks, it will come up 2 ¼-inches shorter than needed.  And if you’re working with an on point quilt, this can be really tricky unless you know how to recalculate your corner and side setting triangles.  But this test block has shown me I may need to use a scant ¼-inch seam allowance or less in order for my unfinished blocks to measure correctly.

I have also found that a scant ¼-inch seam or less works best when I’m paper piecing a block with lots of parts.  It simply cuts down on bulk and makes it easier to quilt, although you must take a bit more care when removing the papers so the seam isn’t weakened.

• Always press towards the darker fabric.

Again, this is one of those guidelines talked about so much it almost seems like a rule.  Usually, this is the best thing to do, if you can.  Pressing towards the darker fabric prevents any shadowing showing through the lighter fabric.  However, I think keeping the ability to nest my seams is more important because this keeps corners crisp and points intact.  And if I can’t do this by pressing towards the darker fabric, I will press towards the light and grade my seams if the shadowing is really obvious. 

• Never press a seam open.

This statement depends on so much.  There are honestly sometimes you cannot press a seam towards the side – such as with some complex star blocks when you have lots of seams coming together at one intersection, like this:

It won’t work, there’s too much bulk and the seams need to be pressed open to reduce this bulk. 

This – the bulk – needs to be kept in mind as you’re piecing your quilt, because the quilt will need to be quilted either by you or someone else and bulk can be difficult to get a machine needle through (even sometimes with a long arm), and impossible if you plan to hand quilt it.  If there are a lot of seams coming together at one juncture, try pressing those seams open to reduce the bulk. 

One caveat to this:  If you press the seam open, don’t quilt directly over the seam.   A few places here and there are fine, but if you stitch in the ditch, stitch to the right or left of the seam and not directly on top of it.

• All binding should be cut on the bias.

Girl, please.

No.  Nope.  Negative.

Most quilters use French Fold Binding – the binding strips are cut 2 ¼ to 2 ½-inches wide, across the grain of fabric.  The strips are joined on an angle, seams trimmed, and then the strips are folded wrong sides together and pressed before stitching it onto the quilt. 

That’s not to say bias binding is never used.  If you have a quilt with a scalloped border, the best thing to use is bias binding because it will hug those curves like nobody’s business.  It’s also worth noting that bias binding will hold up better over time than the Frend Fold binding simply because of that bias cut.  So if you’re making an heirloom quilt you want to last the ages, you may want to opt for bias binding.

• Hand quilting should be on a hoop or frame.

This is such a personal choice, and allow me a personal example of this.  When I began quilting years ago, I learned to quilt by hand without a hoop – a process I became very comfortable with.  Over time, I met this amazing woman in my local guild named Karen (and she’s not one of those “Karen’s”).  Karen can hand piece and hand quilt like nobody’s business.  Her work is as near perfection as any I’ve seen. A few weeks ago she offered a workshop on hand quilting.  In this workshop she offered you time to hand quilt without a hoop, with a hoop you held in your hands, two different kinds of hoops on a stand, a large floor frame, and a small floor frame.

I imagined after I retired, I would get a floor frame and maybe spend my evenings hand quilting a few of my antique quilt tops.  However, in Karen’s workshop I discovered floor frames were not for me.  I much preferred the frame on a stand that you could rotate 360 degrees.  I am so glad I was able to “test drive” these frames before investing money in a floor frame!

I’ve said all of that to come to this point:  This is one of the most personal decisions you can make as a quilter and there’s no right or wrong answer – it’s what works for you.  If I could offer one word of advice, it would be this: Begin either without a hoop or with a handheld hoop before investing hundreds of dollars in a floor frame or a frame on a stand. *

• You must use small needles for hand quilting.

If I had to throw out another almost-rule for quilting, this would be it.  If you remember your hand needle sizes, the larger the number the smaller the needle.  From what I have read, the ideal quilting needle (which are called “betweens”) is a 12.  It is a super tiny needle.  Do I use those?  Nope.  Absolutely not.  The eye is so small, by the time I get the thing threaded, I’m ready to quit.  I’m much happier with a size 10 between. 

The needle size also depends on the type of quilting done and the fabric and the thread.  Big stitch quilting generally uses a heavier thread and you use a chenille needle.  Batting also plays a part in the size of needle needed.  Cotton batting is a bit tougher to push a quilt needle through than polyester or silk batting.  Let the quilting process tell you what you need, not some abstract, so-called “rule.”

• Always use a ruler when rotary cutting.

Again, this is usually true.  However, some quilters (such as myself) enjoy cutting without rulers from time to time.  I have freehand cut strips and sewn them together – this is such a great creative exercise.  Quilters also use a rotary cutter to cut around templates. 

• You must use 100% cotton thread.

This used to be pretty much a hard, fast rule.  When quilting began its revival in the 1970’s, polyester thread was nowhere near the quality it is today.  It would cut through cotton fabrics.  The safe bet was to use cotton thread with cotton fabrics.  Fast forward to today, and it no longer holds true.  Polyester thread has greatly improved.  And while many quilters would still prefer to use all-cotton thread, if a polyester or cotton-wound polyester serves your purpose, it won’t hurt your piecing a bit.  If I had a spool of 40-weight cotton thread and a spool of cotton-wound polyester which were the same color, I’d piece with the cotton-wound polyester because it would take up less room in the seam allowance than the 40-weight cotton thread.  Again, one of the main goals in quilting is to reduce bulk, and the polyester would do this much better than the cotton.

And the sky is certainly the limit as far as the quilting process is concerned.  Any thread which suits the way you want your quilting to look can work – cotton or not.

Let me also add a caveat to this – if you’re making any type of quilted item which may find itself in the microwave, always use 100% cotton thread or it will catch fire.

• Always use the Golden Ratio for borders/all quilts should have a border.

If you’re a bit fuzzy about the Golden Ratio for borders, go here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2018/07/26/sashing-and-the-golden-ratio/comment-page-1/.  The Golden Ratio is a helpful guide, but it’s not the law.  Experiment with different widths and shapes.  If your choice in borders makes you happy, that’s all that matters.

And no, not all quilts need borders.  There are a great many antique quilts which have no borders.  In all reality, borders and sashing didn’t become widely used in quilts until after the Civil War.  That does in no means mean you need to have one or any at all on your quilt.  If you’re happy with your borderless quilt center, that’s all that matters.

• Applique background fabric should be a solid, neutral color.

One look at a quilt such as this:

Or this:

Throws this “rule” completely out the window.  An applique background fabric can be any fabric, as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the applique.  Personally, I think a solid color applique fabric (for background or in the applique design) tends to appear flat and uninteresting.

• Traditionally pieced blocks are the only “true” quilt blocks which matter.

Again, girl, please.

Any block sewn or appliqued and put into a quilt is a quilt block and should be treated with the same respect and admiration as the beautiful “traditional” quilt blocks.  Old and new blocks require skill, patience, and time.

• Rotary cutting is the best way to cut out a quilt.

A lot of the time, this is true.  If you’re cutting strips and then subcutting into smaller units, rotary cutting is a fast and accurate way to cut those types of quilts out.  The same goes for borders – rotary cutters save time and increase accuracy.  However, rotary cutters are generally not great for cutting out applique pieces and small templates.  Scissors are usually better and more accurate for these.

• Any thread below 40-weight is not suitable for quilting. 

In the piecing process, this is true.  You want a thread weight and a ply number which are the least bulky in the seam allowance as you can muster.  For me, it’s a 2-ply 50 or 60 weight thread.  But the quilting process and machine applique are entirely different animals.  Even a 12-weight can work for these – it all depends on the look you want.  I hope to have a blog on how these lower weight threads work in the near future.

Finally, I urge you to be a quilting rebel and ignore these so-called “rules.”  I don’t know what group of pretend, self-appointed quilt police came up with some of them, but feel free to thumb your nose at them and proclaim yourself a Quilting Rebel.  For me, there’s only one hard, fast rule in quilting:  Have fun!

Until next week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

*There are several companies which make wooden quilting hoops and frames.  And since my blog is not sponsored by anyone, I will name drop the company I get mine from:  Barnett’s Hoops (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063630738459#.)  They also make wonderful things like sewing caddies and applique desks (lap apps).  Their goods are not made ahead of time and stored in a warehouse somewhere.  Each item is individually crafted when you order it.  And while yes, it may take you a while to receive your order (my husband ordered my quilting frame in October, hoping to have it by Christmas, but it arrived shortly afterwards), the wait is well worth it.  The customer service is amazing and I’m more than happy to give them a shout out.  They have crafted a lap app, storage box, and thread caddy for me.  All of them are wonderful and even after years of use, are still perfect.