Quilts, Quips, and other Nearsighted Adventures

This week the topic is long arms.  What they are, how to decide on a design, and (if you’re not performing the long arming), how to talk to your long arm artist.  This blog doesn’t discuss loading your quilt, tension issues, or anything else involving the mechanics of a long arm.  A long arm is much like quilting on your domestic machine in that each machine is a little different and has a few quirks.  The sooner you know those quirks and how to deal with them, the happier the relationship between you and your long arm will be.

Which brings me to Loretta.  Most of you know that Loretta was my long arm.  I’m using past tense here for a reason.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Loretta and I began to have severe communication problems.  She worked fine before I left for Saint Thomas in April.  Upon return, the tablet refused to talk to the long arm.  I rebooted her, plugged and unplugged her, searched for software updates – all to no avail.  I finally called tech support and was told that it sounded like I was having mother board issues.  I was to pack her up, take her to UPS, and ship her to Sewing Machines Plus in California (where she came from).  I did this and a week later she arrived safe and sound in sunny California.  The tech replaced the boards, gave her the spa treatment (cleaning and oiling), packed her back up and three days later, she arrived on my doorstep….

In a box with the sides dented in. 

Inside were the crushed remains of my sweet Loretta. 

One more call to my tech and she was packed up again, winging her way back to California.  I received the sad phone call she was beyond repair, but since it was Fed Ex’s fault she was crushed (I mean, Sewing Machines Plus had FRAGILE all over the box), I received a new long arm which is an upgraded version of mine.  LeAnne is similar to Loretta, but there’s still a learning curve. 

Oy-Vey.

But now let’s talk about long arming quilts in general.  Whether you’re long arming the quilt yourself or having someone else do it, the first thing that has to be considered is the style of the design.  And this basically falls into two categories – and all-over design (sometimes called edge-to-edge quilting) or custom quilting.  We’ll take a brief overview of both, kind of defining what each is and when to use them. 

A all-over design is a quilting pattern that literally goes all over the quilt.  If you long arm, you realize that this quilting is done in rows by using either pantograph or with a computerized design.  It has lots of repeats and it goes from one edge of the quilt to the other.  This is the easiest and quickest way to quilt a top (and if you’re paying some someone to quilt your quilt, it’s also the cheapest).  There are some standard edge-to-edge designs, such as the meander or loops, but there are also some really cool designs with flowers and leaves and almost anything you can imagine.  It’s easy to match either the fabric or the quilt block to the all-over quilting.  If you’ve used floral fabrics in your top, there are quilting designs with flowers.  If you’ve made a Christmas quilt, there are hundreds of all-over Christmas quilting patterns.  So, if you’re quilt isn’t an heirloom one, or one destined for a show, or some other significant quilt, an edge-to-edge design is a great choice.  This is particularly true if most of the fabric in the top is has a busy design on it.  If this is the case, the quilting really isn’t going to show that much, so don’t spend your time or money on a custom quilting job.  It won’t be seen, as the quilting will compete with the pattern in the fabric. 

Custom quilting is exactly as the name describes – the quilting is unique to that quilt, with different designs used in different places in the quilt.  Very little (or most likely, no) computerized quilting occurs.  It’s all hand-guided and can involve ruler work.  Labor intensive, it is generally reserved for heirloom quilts or show quilts.  If you plan on having a quilt top custom quilted by a long arm artist, be prepared.  It’s pricier than an all over design.  If you want custom quilting by your long arm artist, this is the time to have a very frank conversation with him/her and ask to see photos of their work.  Custom quilting can be limited by two factors – skill and available resources.  For instance, if you want lots of ruler work, and your long arm quilter doesn’t have the ruler needed, you may be asked to either contribute to the purchase of that ruler or change your design to incorporate only the rulers the quilter has in hand (these rulers are expensive).  If you want free-hand work, such as lots of feathers, and the quilter isn’t comfortable with the amount or type of labor involved with this, again, you may have to change the design plan for the quilt or work with another long arm artist. 

Whichever type of quilting you decide on, it’s important to bring a few things to the table, no matter whether you’re performing the quilting or someone else is.  And while this is not a blog about how to prepare your quilt for the long arm artist or your own long arm, let me throw this in here:  Every long arm machine has its quirks.  As a matter of fact, in my opinion, long arm machines are the most temperamental sewing machines out there (and that’s really all they are – a great, big sewing machine that will only perform a straight stitch).  If you have a long arm, you  become well aware of whether your machine likes solid backing or pieced, how to run the seams if you’re using a pieced backing, whether it can tackle a double batting, etc.  If someone else is quilting your quilt, it’s very, very important that you have a long discussion with your long arm artist before you deliver the quilt to them.  They will explain how to press your quilt top and your backing, how to mark the quilt if it has a distinct top, and lots of other things you probably haven’t thought of.  Communication is the key if you want your quilt quilted according to your design plans and the long arm artist remains sane.  Listen to them and ask questions.  Ask lots of questions.  If something is not clear, ask for clarification.  Trust me, the long arm quilter wants this.    

Besides these facts, there is something else you need to have in mind before you or anyone else puts a stitch in the quilt sandwich – you need to have a good idea of how you want your quilt to look when it’s quilted.  If you’re hiring out your quilting, do not tell the quilter, “Just do whatever you think best.”  Even if you’ve worked with this person before and they do just wonderful work, don’t say this.  What your idea is appropriate for your quilt and their idea of what would work with your quilt may be two entirely different things.  To avoid any hard feelings or disappointment, come to the table with some ideas.  If you simply want an all over design and it’s a Christmas quilt, ask what Christmas edge-to-edge designs they have in stock.  If it’s a Maple Leaf quilt, ask if they have a design with leaves.  Get the conversation started and the long arm artist can then add to your idea and come up with a quilting plan that will knock your socks off. 

If you’re thinking custom quilting may be the way to go with your quilt, still come with some ideas in mind.  You really need some kind of vision of what you want in order to get the conversation started with your long arm artist.  Once you give the quilter an idea of what you have in mind, quite often (most often, really), they can add to that and between the two of you, a quilting plan will fall into place that both of you will love.  I realize that creating a custom quilting design takes some time and a bit of research, but it is really worth it.  Here are some following ideas to get you started with your long arm artist. 

Go Opposite.

If your quilt has a lot of hard, straight lines, go with a quilting design that is curvy, loopy, or has circles or spirals.  These curved lines will help soften the design and actually enhance it.  Sometimes these curvy designs are built into the computer design component of a long arm (if it’s computerized) but sometimes they will need to be done freehand in order to make them fit the design of the blocks in the quilt top.

Let the Theme of the Quilt Decide the Quilting for You.

If the quilt has cute little houses that are either pieced or appliqued, quilted fences, clotheslines, gardens, etc., would be perfect, fun, and wonderfully whimsical.  If there are pieced or appliqued flowers, quilt bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and fairies into the picture.  Quilt the veins in the leaves.  If you have cats or other animals on the quilt, try for whiskers or dog bones or pet dishes.  This is actually a really fun way to quilt the quilt. 

Talk to Another Quilter, Do a Google Search, or Spend Some Quilty Quality Time on Pinterest.

Any of these can give you tons of inspiration and are a great starting point to get some quilting ideas moving along.  A screen shot of some of the ideas to show to your long arm artist will help him/her, too.

Doodle Your Blocks

This is actually my favorite way to design any custom work I do or have someone else do for me.  I either draw up each block, enlarge a drawing of the block to the exact finished size, or print the finished sized from EQ if I’ve used that program to design my quilt.  Then I take a pencil and begin to doodle on the block.  This usually begins after I’ve done some research on the quilt and looked at ways others handled the quilting.  After I believe I’m happy with the design, I set it aside for a week or longer and then come back to it.  If I still like the design, that’s what I go with.  If I’m quilting an applique quilt, I will do this for every block.  If it’s a pieced quilt and I have block repeats, I decide if every block that’s the same will be quilted the same or if I will change things up a bit.  The important fact to come away with here is give yourself some time to make sure you really like the design idea.  If you don’t, there may be many quality hours with a seam ripper in your future. 

If You Can’t Come Up With Anything Your Happy About, Set It Aside for Awhile.

Let me state at this point, I don’t mean abandon it.  And I don’t mean put the quilt away because truly “Out of Sight is Out of Mind.”  Lay the quilt on the bed  in a spare bedroom.  Hang it on the wall in your quilt room.  In my situation, I lay it on the dining room table because I pass through this room on the way to my quilt studio. The point is put it somewhere you can see it at least a couple of times a day.  After a week or so, that quilt will tell you how to quilt it.  I know that sounds a little hokey, and maybe even borderline psychic, but it will.  One day you will look at that top and it will plainly  tell you how to put those quilting stitches in it. 

Moral of the blog here is that quilting is not the quick afterthought after months of piecing a quilt.  It needs time to come up with ideas, perhaps do some research, and even some doodling.  It may mean some on-line searching for the just the right pantograph or software download.  And if someone else is performing the quilting component, it will mean at least one very frank and detailed conversation.  Probably more.  Quilting is more than just the stitches that hold the quilt together.  For me, it’s what adds the soul to the quilt.

Until Next Week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

Last week we discussed how important quilting some of your own quilts can be — how that really increases your skill level as a quilter. And we focused primarily on using the walking foot. However, as much as you may love quilting with your walking foot, there may come a time when nothing but lowering the feed dogs and free motion quilting will do.  There are no instructions in this blog about exactly how to do this, as it varies from machine to machine.  Big Red works differently than my commercial Juki. 

What I can emphasize to you is this technique talks practice and patience.  If you want to learn how to meander the life out of a quilt or use one of those wonderful new ruler feet and quilting rulers, it takes practice.  Sewers in general get used to the feed dogs doing the work.  We simply guide the fabric as the motion of the feed dogs move it under the needle and out the back.  When a quilter free motions, the feed dogs are dropped, and we have to be in charge of moving the fabric.  The results are uneven stitches and even some skipping.  This is normal.  However, like most everything else in life, the more you practice, the better you get at it. 

And you have to be patient with yourself while you learn.  If you’ve sewn for any length of time, it’s easy to get used to sitting down at your machine and whipping something out.  It’s easy to get frustrated with yourself as you’re trying to get this technique down pat.  Go easy on your machine and easy on yourself.  You’ll get better at it the more you do it.  Meandering, stippling, or simple wavy stitches are great for the beginner.  As you get used to the feel of dropped feed dogs and can control your stitches, try the harder techniques, such as dot-to-to quilting, spirals, using rulers, etc.  Draw or trace a design on a scrap quilt sandwich and see if you can follow the lines. It’s come to the point where I honestly can’t tell (unless someone tells me or there’s information pinned to the quilt) if some quilts have been quilted on a long arm or a domestic machine – that’s how far the quilting process has come. 

The statement that commonly comes up at this point is I’m afraid I’ll ruin my quilt if I try to quilt it myself.  I know the feeling.  I felt the same way.  And if I have a quilt I truly believe I will enter in a show, nine times out of ten I won’t quilt it myself.  At least not yet.  Not unless it’s a small one that I can do on my commercial Juki or Big Red.  I don’t feel I have the chops as a long arm quilter yet to do a show quilt justice.  There are some ways to overcome this, with the first one being simply practice. Make some small quilt sandwiches out of a solid fabric, no bigger than 18-inches square.  Thread your domestic machine with a contrasting thread.  Practice on one of these sandwiches every day if you can.  The more you practice the better you will be. If you’re low on batting or don’t have batting scraps, unthread your machine, drop the feed dogs and practice on a piece of paper.  Just know that after several of these paper practice sessions, you will probably want to change your needle, as paper will dull it faster than fabric. 

Try quilting a few charity quilts.  If you belong to a guild or a bee, they may have an organization they make quilts for.  Most of the recipients of these quilts don’t know a thing about quilting, they’re just grateful to receive a quilt.  The little mistakes you make won’t matter to them.  And most of these quilts are not really large ones.  It won’t take you forever to quilt them and it is a much-needed gift not only to the person that receives the quilt but also to your quilt group – most of which are constantly needing folks to quilt tops. 

Join an on-line quilting group that emphasizes the quilting process.  Leah Day’s website is chock-full of patterns and ideas.  Angela Walters has a Facebook Page called Build A Quilt that is a wonderful resource for domestic machine quilters (I think this is also on her website if you don’t Facebook).  She also has some great YouTube videos under the title The Midnight Quilt Show.  These are not only instructive, they are hilarious.  Each of these ladies generally has some type of quilt-along that I would encourage you to join. 

Make sure you baste your quilt sandwich well.  This step, although not needed when a quilt is long armed, is a necessary process when quilting with a standard home machine.  It keeps the quilt sandwich from wiggling out of place.  Some folks baste their quilts with needle and thread.  Some use safety pins.  Some use basting spray.  If you pin or use thread, make sure the stitches or pins are fairly close together – no more than an inch to an inch-and-a-half apart.  Personal observation here about basting sprays.  I love this product for small quilts, but anything much bigger than a twin-sized quilt has always caused me issues.  Over a  period of time needed to quilt a larger quilt, the “stickiness” seems to wear off and then I’m dealing with a shifting quilt sandwich.  And I usually must change my need after quilting a top that I’ve spray basted.  The adhesive rubs off on the needle shaft and that causes problems with the next thing I sew.  I’ve tried cleaning the shaft with rubbing alcohol, but that does not work as well as simply inserting a new needle.

Try to change top thread as few as times as possible.  I have found that unlike the long arm, I can have a different colored bobbin thread and top thread in a domestic machine.  In this aspect, a domestic machine is really easier to deal with than a long arm (more on why this is so in a follow-up blog).  Sometimes it’s necessary to change thread to match fabric, but it’s much easier to find a thread that will work over the entire quilt.  My favorite go-to thread color to use over an entire top is a light yellow.  And as with piecing, make sure you use quality thread.  You may want to even purchase a thread stand so you can use thread cones instead of spools.  These not only save money, but also time – less of a chance you need to change spools as your quilting.  Another time saver for me is to purchase pre-wound bobbins.  I do this for piecing and quilting.  These bobbins come with more thread on them than I’m able to get on the bobbins I wind.  Superior Thread is my favorite resource for these (they have alllllllllll the bobbin colors that match their spools and cones).  For me, having to stop and re-thread my machine or change the bobbin breaks my quilting rhythm. 

Speaking of thread, make sure your needle works with the thread you’re using.  This seems like a little thing, but it’s not.  If you use a fine thread, such as a micro-stippling thread, in a too large of a large needle, it will constantly break.  Most thread will come with some information about what size of needle is best to use with it.  Personally, my favorite quilting needle is a new top-stitching or leather needle.  These have a sturdy shaft and a super-sharp point that will easily penetrate all the layers of my quilt sandwich.  Always use a new needle when you start quilting.  And if it’s a large quilt that’s being quilted, you will probably want to toss that needle after you’re finished.  It’s fulfilled its life expectancy.

When you’ve finished quilting the quilt, wash and block the quilt before you stitch on the binding.   This is a step which many quilters omit.  And I’ll be honest, if it’s a cuddle quilt for me or a play quilt for a child, I will forego this step.  However, don’t be deterred from performing this.  It makes all the difference in the world in the way the quilt lays or the way it hangs on a wall.  It’s easy to do.  After you’ve rinsed and spun the quilt on a delicate cycle in the washer, remove it and lay it flat.   The surface needs to be one that you don’t mind getting a little damp and don’t mind sticking pins in.  A bed really doesn’t work well for this – it’s too soft.  Pin the quilt down, step back and take a look at it.  If the corners aren’t square, begin manipulating the fabric and re-pinning it to get perfect 90-degree corners and straight edges.  Then allow the quilt sandwich to dry completely before binding.  This one step improves the appearance of a quilt and helps mask any quilting “goofs” pretty darn well.

I hope that this blog encourages you to begin quilting some of your own tops.  Start with small ones and work your way to larger tops.  Trust me, this process makes you an all-around better quilter.

Until next week, Quilt with Passion,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

Here’s the scenario…you’ve cut your fabric.

You beautifully pieced or appliqued all your quilt blocks.

You’ve sewn those blocks into rows.

You’ve put on the borders (correctly…so they’re not waving at anybody).

Now you get to the last line of the quilt pattern instructions:  Quilt as desired.

Aaaannnnnndddddd that’s where a lot of us freeze.  Quilt as desired?  Really?  After all of the effort I just put into that quilt top now the last line of the instructions contains only three words?

While more and more quilt patterns and magazines do give suggestions, there still are quite a few sets of directions out there that leave the quilting entirely up to the maker’s imagination and creativity.  And while some quilters seem to have no trouble coming up with ideas to execute themselves or give to their quilting artist, others of us struggle.  Prior purchasing my long arm, I quilted a good deal of my tops on my domestic machine.  Then three years ago, Loretta became a reality and I learned how to quilt on her.  However, I’ll be the first to admit, I often have a hard time deciding how to quilt a top.  I will tell you that it gets easier with time and practice, but I still sometimes have issues with the quilting.  This blog will be divided into two sections (and possibly two blogs, depending on the length).  The first section will discuss ideas about quilting on your domestic sewing machine.  The second section will deal with long arm quilting, no matter if you’re doing the long arming or you’ve farmed it out to your long arm artist.  This blog does not address the technique of how-to free motion quilt on a stationary machine or long arm.  It simply offers ideas and few tricks.  Learning to free motion on either machine requires a book, not a blog.  This blog also does not discuss batting.

I firmly believe that everyone needs to quilt some of their own tops.  I think this process makes you a better quilter because it forces you to thoroughly deal with each step of the quilt-making process.  You see first-hand why squaring up is important.  You understand the need of keeping everything (as much as possible) on-grain.  So, if you haven’t already, take the plunge and quilt some of your own tops – even if it’s just small ones. 

I’m also assuming with this blog that everyone has access to a domestic sewing machine, as hand quilting is another blog unto itself.  Even if you have a small machine, such as a Featherweight, you can manage to quilt small tops. Quilting on a regular sewing machine is also called “Stationary Machine Quilted.”  This is a term that’s commonly seen at quilt shows either on the information attached to the quilt or in a brochure available at the show.  This simply means that the machine cannot be moved, the quilt sandwich has to be moved in order to quilt it.  If it’s a smaller show, this can also mean a mid-arm machine, as some of those are also stationary.  At other times, mid-arms will have their own category, especially if it’s a bigger show. A mid-arm quilter is (generally) larger than a domestic sewing machine, but smaller than a long arm. 

First some ideas that need to be considered whether you’re quilting on a domestic machine or long arm.

 What is the technique and design used on the quilt top? Is it an applique quilt or a pieced quilt?  Is it a little of both?  Each technique requires a different approach.  With pieced block, you can quilt in the ditch and then echo quilt that if desired.  With applique, you echo around the appliqued pieces, but then have to consider what will be put in the background.  Typically, you don’t quilt over the applique pieces, but again, that’s not a hard, fast rule.  If my applique pieces are large (such as in Country Inn), I will stitch over the pieces in some facet because if I don’t, the batting may sag there over time. 

What is type of fabric is used?  Here’s where you have to love print fabric:  It hides your quilting mistakes better than a solid will every time.  If you’re new to the quilting process, the tiny little “blips” are not as visible as they would be on a solid material.  Also, if prints are used (and I’m talking about pieced quilts here, not applique), fancy quilting, such as tight crosshatches or feathers, will not be as visible.  Unless you’re just jonesing to use those quilting techniques, they can be left off.  A meander, looping stitches, or a simple all-over design works well or simply stitch in the ditch and echo it.  The choice of a printed fabric should also be considered with the backing fabric – it won’t show obvious stops and starts or other goof ups as readily as a solid back. 

However, if you’re a confident quilter, a solid fabric can showcase your quilting chops beautifully.  Please use that solid fabric and let your talents shine.

What is the purpose of the quilt?  Generally, if it’s a cuddle quilt, play quilt, or a charity quilt an all-over design works well.  That type of quilting is quick and pretty mindless.  These types of quilts tend to be washed more than other quilts, so the quilting has to really secure the backing, batting, and top together and hold up to a washing machine and possibly a dryer.  A close meander or other edge-to-edge quilting is perfect for this.  If the quilt is destined for a bed, you may want to have a more custom quilted look.  And if you plan on entering the quilt in a show, you definitely want custom quilting.  More of this a bit later in the blog about long arm quilting.

Now let’s get into quilting on a standard sewing machine.  For years I quilted my tops on either this machine…

Or this one. 

The Juki is a commercial machine, and probably could be classified as a mid-arm.  I love quilting on Big Red – she has hundreds of specialty stitches and she’s a dream to sew on, but she is computerized.  While this New Horizon machine was the second in a line that Janome designed for quilters (these have a larger throat that enables you to manipulate your quilt easier), I got kind of antsy about how continually dropping the feed dogs on a computerized machine would affect it.  So, I purchased the larger Juki, which is a heavy-duty, commercial machine.  It only sews a straight stitch and doesn’t give so much as a whimper when you drop her feed dogs and free-motion the life out of a quilt. 

With either of those or any other domestic machine, the first thing I would urge any quilter to do is fall in love with your walking foot.  I’ve mentioned a walking foot before, in the blog I wrote about paper piecing.  A walking foot is wonderful because it uses a dual-feel mechanism that can push multiple layers over your feed dogs as one unit – nothing shifts out of place.  If you’re just beginning to quilt your tops on your sewing machine, a walking foot (when paired with good basting or pinning) keeps the quilt top, batting, and backing together and they don’t wiggle out of place.  If your machine doesn’t come with a walking foot, read through the sewing machine manual and find out if the machine is a high-shank or low-shank.  Then do a Google search to find if a generic walking foot is available or if your sewing machine brand has one available specific to your machine.  They’re not too terribly expensive.  I use my walking foot for paper-piecing, sewing on my binding, and quilting. 

There are several options for walking foot quilting.  You could stitch-in-the-ditch (sew along the seams that join the block units together) and then echo quilt out from that about a ¼-inch.  Let me also throw in here that some machine brands have a stitch-in-the-ditch quilt that is very helpful with this technique. 

“Gridding” the quilt is another option.  This quilting technique includes crosshatching, regular grids, grids with wavy lines, and the hanging diamond grid.  When I first began quilting my own tops, these were always my go-to quilting patterns.  There were no obvious stops and starts – I quilted completely off the edge with each line of stitching. 

You can use the walking foot on some applique quilts.  My standard quilting technique for quilting applique is to stitch closely around the applique design and then echo stitch one or more times out from the initial close stitching.  If the applique block is small, I may just echo stitch the entire thing.  But if it’s a larger block, once the initial stitching and echo stitching are complete, I do some kind of close stitching in the background to make the applique “pop” off the block.  If the applique is large and has gentle curves, the walking foot can go around the applique just fine – you don’t have to use your darning foot and drop the feed dogs for this, although you may have to when you’re dealing with the background. 

There is one process that you must serious consider when quilting with the walking foot, and that’s how to mark your quilt.  If you’re stitching in the ditch, the seam serves as a guide to help keep the stitches straight.  But if you’re echo quilting, crosshatching, stitching a vertical and horizontal grid, or making hanging diamonds, the quilt top usually needs some kind of marking.  And it’s always easier to mark the top before  you make the quilt sandwich.  A long rotary ruler is handy to use as a straight edge.  It covers more space.  My favorite ruler to use for marking is this:

This is an extra-long yard stick my BFF Janet gave me a few months ago.  It came from her father’s business all the way from the great state of Indiana.  It is a handy, handy thing and I love it.

Almost any pen/pencil can be used to make your guidelines.  My favorite is this: 

Once the quilting is completed, simply run a hot iron over the top and the marks disappear.  I know there’s some debate about these (and other similar pens), but I make a really light mark, not a bold line, so I’m not too concerned.  There are also the wash-out pens…

After the top is completed (but not bound), toss the top in the washer and use cold water to rinse the top out.  Hot water may make the marks permanent.  After the top is rinsed and spun out, continue to block the quilt and let it dry.  Then bind. 

And of course, there’s the good, ol’ #2 pencil.  Just don’t make a really dark line. 

Then there is always Painter’s Tape.  If you read my blogs from last year, you may remember during my guild’s Small Quilt Challenge, I learned to use Painter’s Tape as a guide to quilt one of my small quilts.  I liked it so much that I went back to Walmart and purchased a roll of that tape in every available width.  It’s a great way to mark your quilts because it makes no marks on your quilt top, permanent or otherwise.  The trick with Painter’s Tape is you use it after you’ve made the quilt sandwich.  And one strip of tape can be used several times (just move it over as you quilt) before the sticky wears off and you need a new strip. 

Most walking feet come with this little gadget:

You may have wondered what it is.  It’s a quilting guide.  If used properly, there is no need to mark the quilt by any method.  It inserts in either side of your walking foot and can be moved according to the width desired between the quilting lines. 

This is a handy-dandy accessory and I have found it works well with small quilts.  However, with larger quilts, where I’m manipulating a lot of bulk through my machine, the guide will shift and I’m constantly re-adjusting it.  Just beware that if you decide to use this, you will need to make sure that that the width between your quilting lines stays consistent. 

If you’re walking foot is similar to mine and it has an open area,

chances are you can also use some of the “fancy” stitches on your machine in the quilting process without changing to an open-toe foot.  The walking foot can continue to move the quilt sandwich over the feed dogs and beneath the presser foot and those fancy stitches can be used to outline blocks or fill in empty spaces.  If you machine has stitches other than a straight stitch and zig zag, use them.  The really do add a touch of whimsy to the quilt top. 

Part of using other stitches can include the buttonhole stitch used for raw-edge applique.  I do this a lot with my raw-edge applique quilts.  I find it especially useful in quilting the background before I applique the block.  Simply put a thin layer of batting behind the background fabric, just like you were making a quilt sandwich, but don’t put a back on it.  Go ahead and meander or crosshatch the background as usual, but stop and start 1/4-inch away from the edges.  This keeps the batting from being caught in the seam allowance when the blocks are joined together. Then applique as normal and finish as desired.  The quilting process won’t take as long because you’ve already performed a good deal of it during the piecing.

Whew. This blog is getting longer than I anticipated, so next week we’ll pick up free motion quilting on your domestic sewing machine.

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

My favorite part of making a quilt is picking out my fabric.  Now let me make a quilting confession:  I couldn’t always say this.  It wasn’t until after I had quilted several years that my fear of choosing the wrong fabric began to fade.  Sometimes I still wonder if I have made the right choice, but between the years of 1986 until 2019, I think I’ve gotten better at the process, although there still is room for improvement – there always is.

This week I would like to share with you what I’ve learned to make me more comfortable with the process.  I once was a beginner and I understand the (often) overwhelming confusion when you enter a quilt or fabric store – especially a large one.  The first time I shopped at Hancock’s of Paducah (one of THE motherships of quilting), I literally had to back out, take a deep breath, and then go back in. The colors were a complete cacophony and I didn’t know where in the world to begin.  I was used to nice, neat little quilt shops that arranged their selection by designer and then by color.  Hancock’s of Paducah had aisles and aisles of fabric which equated to aisles dedicated to one designer, with all of that designer’s material arranged by families and within these families, arranged by color.   Instead of a few hundred square feet to look through, there were thousands of square feet to peruse and then there was the warehouse with all of the clearance items.  Oy-vey.  I was never so glad to have a shopping list and swatches in my life.

I realize that this is not usually the scenario for fabric shoppers.  In fact, if you’re lucky enough to have a brick-and-mortar quilt or fabric store near you that’s still in existence, you’re not going to be perusing bolts and bolts of fabric.  More than likely, you may be purchasing most of your fabric on-line.  So how do you begin to pick your fabric?  How do you know when to choose a solid colored fabric or a print?  Do the “rules” change from applique to piecing?

Let’s take that last question first – do you make different fabric choices if you’re appliqueing rather than piecing?  Generally, no.  The same rules apply.  If anything, you can go a little more rogue with applique by choosing fabrics that fit the image you want to portray rather than dealing with all-cotton piecing fabrics.  In other words, if you want to use something like sparkly lame’ for an appliqued wedding dress, you can do that.  While a non-cotton fabric will work with either machine or hand applique (just make sure you prep the fabric correctly), generally speaking, it would not work well with piecing. 

Let’s take an overview of fabric first and bear in mind we’re discussing color, hue, and print with this blog – what works best where.  This is not a color theory post – color theory requires a book, not a blog. 

The first place that’s really the easiest to begin (especially if you’re a beginner) is with a pre-chosen stack of fabric – like a pack of fat quarters or layer cakes – that are bundled together and for sale as one unit. 

I realize there are other precuts available (jelly rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.) but for most quilt tops, the fat quarters or layer cakes seem to be the most versatile.  The only fabric you generally have to add to either of these is a neutral, and that’s not too hard to pick out.  If you’re wondering how many pre-cuts a quilt top takes, I have a blog on that – just give it a Google.    The great thing about precuts is they’re huge time savers and wonderful teachers.  They save time because all of the fabric, except for the neutral, is already chosen.   They’re also great teachers because they can show you what fabrics go together.  This gives you a good overview of color theory.  The only drawback here (and I’ve mentioned this before in another blog), is that generally there is no true dark.  However, these are awesome beginning points and just because there may be no real dark involved in the fat quarter or layer cake doesn’t mean they should be discounted.  If you’re a beginner, use these to get you started.  If you’ve got some quilting miles under your belt, you can pick your true dark when you chose your neutral. 

There is another terrific reason for choosing precuts besides learning about colors, and that reason is scale.  Usually the fabric involved with precuts will also have varying-sized prints in them, and this is really the issue I want to talk about in detail – print fabric verses solid fabric and when to use both or either. Fat quarters and layer cakes will have prints that are so small they can read as solid fabric, as well as medium-sized and large prints (which you need to use with care – more on that later).  With precuts not only do the colors play well together, but scale of the prints also play well together.  So, choosing precuts just about assures nearly every fabric selection will look wonderful in your quilt.

However….if you’ve been around the quilting block a few times, you are probably like me and have curated a somewhat prolific (if not impressive) fabric stash, and that’s the first place you go to pick out fabric for your quilt.  This can be a little daunting but it’s also really exciting. There are very few things that make me happier than pulling all the fabric from my stash to make a quilt and not have to spend any additional money, except for perhaps the backing (and that’s because I like the wide quilt backing material). 

One of the first places I go for inspiration is Pinterest.  Sure, I have lots of quilt pictures stored on my phone but finding them may require significant search time.  With Pinterest, they’re neatly filed away, sorted by category, and it just takes seconds to find them.  I can study color and scale in those quilts and get a good idea about what type of fabrics I need to pull from my stash. 

Another way I begin picking my fabrics is to pull one piece of material that I really like and begin choosing fabrics around that fabric.  Take this print:

This is a new purchase from Fabric.com.  I am a sucker for fall-colored fabrics and when this showed up in my email box, and it was on sale, a few yards were called for.  I can pull lots of colors ideas from this print:  green, orange, yellow, and a medium white.  There’s even some of my very favorite color here – purple.  I can always use this fabric as a jumping off point to begin to pick my colors.  As a matter of fact, this is the way I begin at least 95 percent of my quilts.  A fabric that serves as a basis for the rest of the color selection of a quilt is called focus fabric.  And if there is any questions about what colors you need, take a look at the selvage of your fabric.

See these dots?  This is the manufacturer’s way of letting you know what colors were used when printing the material.  All of these colors will work well in your quilt. 

The important concept to keep in mind as you’re choosing your material is that you want the colors to be the same vibrancy as in your focus fabric.  You don’t want them “grayed down” or “lightened up.”  For instance, while I could use a green as a supporting color in this quilt, a mint green wouldn’t work.  The green in my focus fabric is more of an yellow-green – something a light green isn’t. 

Like wise the purple in this fabric has red undertones.  I wouldn’t want a lavender or deep purple.  Those just wouldn’t work, even though they’re in the same color family. 

You’ll want to pull a variety of colors that have the same vibrancy – from lighter to darker.  Don’t try to be too matchy-matchy (all of the same color greens or same color yellows).  If you do this, your quilt looks flat.  In addition, I also try to find a “zinger” fabric – something that is just a little off or unexpected.  I try to find a “zinger” for every quilt, but this doesn’t always happen.  Sometimes there just isn’t one in my stash or one in the store or one on-line that I can find. 

Now let’s talk scale.  You not only want some great colors in your quilt, you also want fabrics with varying scale as well as solids.  Let me park it right here and talk about why scale is important and why your quilt needs prints.  Without prints, your entire quilt will look flat.  And by that, I mean there’s no ebb and flow, no motion, nothing to direct your eye where to move…it’s like looking at a sink full of water with no bubbles.  It’s like eating a soft pretzel with no mustard.  It’s like a hot dog with no chili.  It’s like pulled pork with no good, ol’ Lexington, North Carolina barbeque sauce.

In other words….it’s boring.

While I readily admit that there are a very few quilts that lend themselves towards solids (think Amish quilts here), most of the time – for both applique and piecing – prints are needed to add movement and depth to a quilt.  While some solids could and should be used in a quilt, their use should be limited.

If you study fabric collections, you will notice the size of the prints vary.  There will be some like this:

This print is so small, it can actually “read” as a solid (it may appear to be a solid when looking at the quilt from several feet back).  Sometimes these small prints are the same color family as the background, and sometimes they are another color, so the print has a little more “zip” to it. 

They’re are also called “blenders” if the print is in the same color family as the background.  These are great to use in in any size unit of a quilt block.

And there are some medium sized prints. 

These prints, whether they are the same color as the background or an opposing color, are obvious to the eye.  These give definite motion to the quilt.  You do have to be a little careful that the block unit they’re used for is big enough so the print can be seen.

And then there are these: 

These are large prints and if you’re thinking at this point that most large prints would be focus fabrics, you’re right.  There are some tone-on-tone large print fabrics that are wonderful for applique backgrounds or can serve as a neutral for your quilt.

It is important to have a variety of prints in your quilt – small to large.  If you choose all small prints, your quilt will “read” solid and look flat.  But if you choose all medium or large…

It looks too busy.  If I just used these fabrics in a quilt, there would be nowhere for my eyes to rest and the quilt wouldn’t “breathe.”  You need some small prints as well as the medium prints. 

Now, let me throw in some words of caution here and a general “rule” I follow.  First, I am a firm believer that if at all possible, it’s good to sprinkle that focus fabric throughout your quilt, not just keep it for the borders.  If you do this, make sure that the patches you use it in are big enough to support the print.  For instance, with the fall focus fabric above, I wouldn’t want to use it in probably anything less than a 3-inch square or a 5 ½-half-square triangle.  Why?  I would lose too much of the print.  It wouldn’t show up.  And if you have a beautiful print fabric, you really want it to shine. 

Now for my general “rule” (and please remember there are no hard and fast rules about quilting other than you have a good time).  I try to designate my solid fabric for the smallest units in my quilt and I try to make that solid fabric one of the most vibrant in my quilt.  Again, take a look at the focus fabric above.  I really want to find a solid purple to go with this fabric.  It would be vibrant and hold its own against the black background and other prints.  In addition, if the solid fabric is used in the smallest patches, there are no worries about losing the integrity of the print in the unit. 

I know I have talked colors and tints and hues in other blogs, but I think this is the first time I’ve addressed the importance of scale to any degree.  And while solids will always be important, prints are the fabrics that add character to the quilt.

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And now I have some sad news to share.  After three years of serving as my long arm, Loretta is no longer with us.  She developed mother board issues and had to be shipped back to Sewing Machines Plus in California a few weeks ago for repairs.  While she survived the trip to SMP just fine, she crashed and burned on the way home.  Fed Ex was not kind to my girl.

After some harried phone calls with my tech at SMP, I was asked to once again ship her back to them for repairs.  Last week I got the phone call that she was beyond repair and they were replacing her with a King Quilter Special Edition.  My new long arm head arrived  Saturday, and I’ve spent the last several days getting LeAnn up and running (which is another story for another blog… oy-vey).  I’ve still got to put on the last encoder (the X-axis encoder has been a pain in the tookus), and I’m waiting on the correct laser to be shipped to me.  Stay tuned…I’m looking forward to working with LeAnn.  I’ve got three quilt tops waiting in the wings….

Until Next Week, Quilt with Passion,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

So…. Earlier this month I ran a blog about items you may want to put on your Christmas list for that significant other to have for you under the tree.  One of those items was this:

The Cuttipillar Light Box.  I will readily admit this is my very favorite light box to date.  Yes, it’s a little pricey, but it came with a carrying case and a translucent cutting mat that can sit on top of the wafer-thin lighted surface, allowing you to cut fabric on top of it.  It’s has LED lighting and three brightness settings.  I love this thing…I use it weekly.  I work with a lot of applique and it has been worth every red cent I paid for it.

However, if you don’t applique often, or not at all, it really doesn’t make sense to throw that much money into a light box.  Chances are if you did, that light box would end up collecting more dust than anything else.  But there still may come a time when you need a light box for quilting or another craft.  In this blog I want to talk about some other ways to deal with this dilemma without breaking the bank.

The first way, of course, is simply purchase an inexpensive light box.  Walmart has them.  Amazon has an array of them.  I purchased the light box I used for years (before I found my Cuttipillar) from a tattoo supply house.  If this is what you plan to do, make sure the lighted surface is large enough to fit your needs.  If the box is only going to experience occasional use, a cheap light box will work just fine.

Nonetheless, there’s a few of you out there that are  just dipping your toes into applique and aren’t quite sure if that’s a technique you plan to stick with.  Maybe you’re trying to still figure everything out and any purchase beside fabric and pattern is completely off the table.  But you still need a light box to trace the pattern.  Have no fear, I want to share with you a few easy ways to make your own light box without spending a red cent (or at least not many of them).

Old X-Ray Light Boxes – If you happen to know a medical office that’s re-upfitting its establishment and can wrangle your way into purchasing one of their old x-ray light boxes (these were used to illuminate the x-rays, allowing the doctor to read them), these are great!  The lighted surface is large and is wonderful.  My mother has one of these that she uses in her stained-glass classes.  They may even give it to you, so they don’t have to deal with disposal. 

Flat-bed Scanners – Before printers  developed the capability to scan as well as print and copy, folks had to have flat-bed scanner in order to scan and send documents or pictures.  When turned on, the bed will light up, and that lighted surface is pretty large.  The only downside to this is that the top of the scanner is attached to the bed and isn’t removable.  That is about the only issue that will need to be dealt with.  Check out thrift stores for these.  Most of the time old flat-bed scanners can be picked up for a few dollars. 

Storage Box – A clear plastic storage box (generally priced between $10 – $15) can be converted into a light box.  You may even have one in your quilt area that’s full of fabric you could shift somewhere else.  The box needs to be deep enough and long enough to add the light with a little room to spare.  The lid should be flat, so the drawing surface will be smooth.  You’ll need a light source to go in the box and there a couple of ways this can be accomplished.  You could cut a hole in the side of the box, close to the bottom and insert a light source that plugs into an electrical outlet.  However, my favorite light source is this:

These are battery operated and can be purchased at most dollar store establishments.  Simply put these in the bottom of the box, press them on, return the lid to the box, and trace away.  If the box is big, a couple can be used.  And if the light is too bright, just tape down a piece of white paper over the lid to diffuse it a bit. 

Acrylic Sewing Machine Extension – If your sewing machine has one of these, it can do double duty as a light box.  Simply put one of those press-on lights underneath the extension and get busy.

These are “small” fixes for a light box – they’re only so big.  There may come a time when you need a bigger one – especially if you’re making a Baltimore Album Quilt or working with a quilt that has large applique panels like this:

Commercial light boxes and those homemade light boxes listed above can only be so big.  So, what’s a quilter to do?  Below are some solutions that will not cost you anything but a few dollars.  In fact, you may already have these in your home or garage.

A Kitchen or Dining Room Table that Has an Extension Leaf Capability – Pull the table apart as if you’re inserting the leaf.  Measure that area and head to the hardware store/building supply house and pick up a piece of Plexiglas that will fit that area.  The Plexiglas will fit into the area the table extension would go.  Be sure to tape the edges of the Plexiglas with some kind of tape to keep it from scratching any of the table’s wood surfaces.  Place a light source beneath the Plexiglas and you’re good to go.  Bonus factor in this set up is that it’s just the right height to take the strain off your back. 

Window or Sliding Glass Door – If you don’t have a table that has extension leaf capability, you can always use a large window or a sliding glass door.  Simply tape the pattern to whichever one you’re using and trace away.  Of course, using this method means you have to do your tracing during the daylight hours (unless you can talk someone into standing outside the window or door with a light source at night)

Light boxes are wonderful tools for any quilter, and if you really like to applique, they’re a must.  If your budget allows it, purchase one that fits your need and your wallet.  If you’re only an occasional appliquer, one of the homemade light boxes may fit your needs better.

Until Next Week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

PS — Thanks to everyone who commented on The Quilt That I Can’t Finish. Ya’ll had some wonderful ideas and I’m thinking about exactly what I want to do. I’m leaning towards making it a wall hanging with the picture of my dad and me in the middle. I’ll let you know what I decide.

The World Needs

Strong Women.

Women who will

Lift and Build Others

Who Will

Love and Be Loved

Women Who Live Bravely, Both

Tender and Fierce.

Women of

Indomitable Will

 —Amy Tenney

I think there comes a time in every quilter’s life where methods and circumstances converge at a point  where a quilt is more than a quilt.  It’s a work of art.  It’s therapy disguised as needle, fabric, and thread.  It’s sanity kept by sewing.  It’s when the machine is almost a confessional or a few stitches shy of an altar call.  In 2018 (which you may remember is my terribilis est annus), I needed such a quilt.  Something that would occupy my mind (to stop it from thinking about everything that possible could happen) and challenge my talents.  Thus, the hunt for a pattern began.

I found my quilt in Kathy McNeil’s Language of Flowers.  If you don’t know who the award-winning Kathy McNeil is, stop right now and Google her.  Look at her quilts and be in awe.  She is simply amazing.  I love her, her generous and sweet spirit, and her quilts and patterns.  She is that wonderful blend of artist and quilter.  Language of Flowers is a great fit for me because I like floral quilts and my it would feed my affinity for applique.  Kathy also uses an applique technique known as Apliquick, which is also one of my preferred methods.  There is a great balance of both hand and machine work with this quilt, which would allow me ample time to clear my head, pray, and be productive.  So, my work started. 

After raiding my fabric stash and purchasing some needed yardage, I began.  Kathy gave several technique options for the black ovals that serve as the background for all of the flowers and embroidery.  The one that made the most sense to me was the “Quilt it Before You Applique It.”  A layer of thin, black batting was placed behind the black ovals and it was quilted in ½-inch cross hatches before any of the applique was sewed on.  I chose this method for one primary reason:  In my mind, it was the easiest.  If I didn’t to the background quilting now, when I did finish the entire quilt top, I would have to go back and quilt in the background around all those tiny applique pieces.  While not impossible to execute, it would be time-consuming and an overall pain in the rear.  For several weeks, I marked the ovals at ½-inch increments on the background fabric and quilted them onto a rectangular piece of Hobbs black cotton batting.  The batting would need to be thin, because when the top was finished and assembled, another layer of batting would be added in order to quilt the whole thing. 

This was relatively mindless work.  My hands stayed busy while I prayed through my morning prayer list.  I pray twice daily.  In the morning, before I leave to go to work, I pray through my list.  Later in the day, one person on that list is specifically prayed for, along with both Meagan and Matthew.  This is the way I’ve prayed for years.  However, I’ve never been the type that can sit still and pray.  My mind wanders too much.  But give me something to keep my hands busy and I can focus.  Marking and quilting those black ovals were perfect for prayer. 

The next thing I had to decide was exactly how I wanted my quilt to look.  Again, I want to emphasize that if you’re a seasoned quilter, the directions aren’t so much instructions as they are suggestions.  You’re making the quilt.  It’s your quilt.  If you don’t like something or want to change methods and you have the skill set to do so, go for it.  And this was where I was at.  The pattern for The Language of Flowers called for machine embroidery and gold piping.  While I was confident I could have undertaken both, neither of those appealed to me for my quilt.  I opted to leave both of those out.

Now let’s talk applique – my very favorite topic.  Kathy uses the Apliquick method for this and I think that any method similar (I use a hybrid method that I will talk about in another blog) would work best for this, even if you’re not crazy about Apliquick.  The reason?  The black background and overlapping bright colors.  If the applique pieces aren’t interfaced by some method, the dark fabric beneath them will show through (called “shadowing), dulling the bright flowers and leaves.  The “paper” used with the Apliquick method prevents that.  If you’re dead set against using this method, then you will need to interface your applique fabric with either a thin, iron-on interfacing (the kind used in garment construction) or a piece of white fabric (more on this method in another blog) or opt to use a light background fabric.

I chose my applique fabric from my scrap bins.  This is a great quilt for that – you can raid your scraps like crazy and reduce those.  The applique material would have to be bright in order to hold its own against the black background.  So, pastels, as a whole, were out.  Batiks are a great choice (they work so well with so many flowers) as well as other brighter fabrics, such as the Grunge line, Connecting Threads Quilter’s Candy, ombre fabrics and Fossil Fern material.  And while I used Kathy’s color choices as a guideline, I did veer from that if I didn’t have the right color or didn’t particularly care for the color.  After all, it is my quilt.  

It was when I sat down with my Cuttipillar Light Box and my Apliquick paper and Kathy’s pattern sheet that I hit a wall.  I loved Kathy’s flowers, but the more I traced, the more I realized that appliqueing them could become a logistical nightmare for me.  There are lots of tiny pieces.  I tried two of her flowers – the small, pink flower and white flower on the far right of my block. 

Then I stopped.  At this point, I realized two things really quickly about me and this quilt.  First, if I continued to use Kathy’s pattern for the flowers, I would literally have to undertake one unit at a time.  Each flower and the ribbon had so many pieces.  If I tried to trace them all at once and then cut them out, a lot would get lost in my translation – even if I took the time to label and number each piece.  The second thing I realized was that the flowers on this pattern were very realistic and very detailed.  My applique tends to lean towards the more stylized end of things – it tends to be very “lean and clean.”

I also came to the conclusion that while I may be able to carry my stylization in some of the units, it wouldn’t work for everything.  I would need to use the original pattern in some instances.  I chose to stick to Kathy’s rendition of the ribbons and hand embroidery.  But the leaves (each leaf is slightly different in the pattern), flowers, and buds would have to be drawn from another source.  I did use the pattern as a reference for the size of the flowers, leaves, and buds, but I turned to another applique artist:  Deborah Kemball.

There are very few quilting artists and designers that I buy everything they’ve ever published.  But Deborah Kemball is the exception.  I have every book and pattern she has produced (at least I think I do).  She works only with floral design and her patterns are wonderfully streamlined with a touch of whimsy.  Her work looks complicated – and some level it is – but she breaks it down into steps that makes things pretty simple.  And while she does not use the Apliquick method (she uses the needle turn method), she does gives directions on how to line your applique pieces so that the background does not shadow through.  I find it wonderful that several of her pieces were appliqued on a red background.  At this point, if you’re curious about the Apliquick method or you already use it, please note that almost any applique pattern can be “converted” into Apliquick use.  It’s remarkably similar to the freezer paper method, you just use a glue stick instead of an iron. 

Once I prepped my pieces, I had to lay them out.  It’s recommended that you draw the pattern out on a piece of clear plastic to make an overlay.  This will show you where to place all the pieces.  However, in my nearly 33 years of quilting, I’ve done a difficult applique pattern or two and have developed a pretty good “eye” about layouts.  Again, directions are merely a suggestion to me and not a hard, fast rule.  I didn’t use the plastic overlay, but if you’re newer to applique than I am, you may want to use that technique to help you with the layout.  The main concept that I had to keep in mind was  I had to keep a consistent ¼-inch margin all the way around the oval because there is a frame that goes around the applique and I needed the pieces to stay within the frame.

After every piece was laid out, I glue pasted it in place and stitched it down.  For me, this is the fun part.  Lots of appliquers use silk thread.  I do not.  It has always been a constant battle between silk thread and me.  I have never been able to knot it correctly and have always had issues with it slipping out of the eye of my needle.  For hand applique, I use fine cotton thread (about a 50 or 60 weight) that matches my applique piece. 

Now it was time to consider the oval frame and the scroll work.  I wanted a fabric that would enhance the applique pieces and had a fairly firm weave.  That firm weave was necessary.  Take a look at that oval. 

Normally, with curved edges (such as with leaves), the applique piece is cut on the bias of the fabric.  This bias cut allows for ease of turning.  However, with the oval piece there were several issues I had to consider, the first being the width of the oval frame itself.  It’s narrow – finishing at ½-inch in width.  If I did cut the piece out on the bias, I would have to deal with the possibility of stretching the fabric.  Remember from my other blogs about cross grain, straight-of-grain, and bias grain, it’s the bias cut allows for the most stretch.  If this oval piece got stretched in any way, it would be nearly impossible for it to fit correctly around my applique and it would not lay flat against the background.  If I cut the oval on the straight-of-grain, it would be difficult to turn the edges under smoothly, as this cut allows for the least amount of stretch.  I had to cut the oval on the cross grain.  This would allow for enough ease to turn the fabric under without the threat of the oval getting stretched out of shape. The firm weave would keep the fabric from fraying, as the inside curve of the oval would have to be snipped frequently to permit the material to turn under smoothly. 

A firmly woven fabric is also needed for the scroll work. 

One thing I appreciate about Kathy McNeil is that she is not afraid to use mixed methods.  The scroll work is machine raw edge appliqued.  Tightly woven fabrics are always needed for raw-edge applique, as that method takes a lot of abuse from the feed dogs and the stitch (both the type of stich chosen and the shortened length and width).  A Batik would fulfill everything I needed the material to do.  I pulled this fabric from my stash.

It would match and enhance my flowers beautifully.  And while the flowers printed on the material are 1 ½-inch in diameter, the fabric is cut in narrow widths – so the flowers don’t appear so much as “flowers” as they do spots of color.  It is as close to perfect as I could wish for.  I appliqued the inner curve of the oval frame to the background by hand.  The directions call for it to be machine appliqued with transparent thread, but I was a little antsy about that.  I was a little afraid the machine work would stretch the oval – something I am avoiding at all costs.  I used raw-edge machine applique for the scroll work.

At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that this quilt is more than “just a quilt” for me.  The hand sewing and prep work allowed me to meditate and pray.  It slowed my world down enough for me to pause my racing mind.  However, this quilt is highly symbolic.  There was so much chaos in my world – it seemed as if everyone I loved was facing some type of trial – especially the women in my life.  I’ve mentioned before that I don’t have a sister.  I have a terrific brother, but no sisters.  The women that I’m close friends with tend to fill that role.  I love this circle of “chosen” family.  That’s why I began my blog with the quote from Amy Tenney.  These women are also behind the reason I chose certain flowers for the applique.  Historically, flowers have held special meanings.  Long ago, if a person received a certain bloom from someone, they knew what the sender was conveying without a word spoken.  Along the way, a lot of these meanings have been forgotten, but not in this quilt. 

The white bud to the far right is Jasmine.  Jasmine means “Gift from God.”  I put this bud here especially for my daughter, who was recovering from her cancer surgery when I started this quilt.  Her full name is Meagan Elizabeth – which literally means “Precious Gift Sent from God.” 

The pink bud beneath the Jasmine sprig is a Bush Rose.  It’s meaning is “New Beginnings, Promise, and Hope.”  Bush Roses are different from the shrub roses that grow in a lot of yards.  Bush roses are smaller and today are grown most frequently in pots.  However, they still grow wild.  There is a beautiful thicket of them across the street from my home.  I look forward to seeing them in the Spring because when they bloom it means that warm weather has returned.  Winter is over.  To me they are a perfect symbol for the women in my life.  They face hard times.  They get through those periods with compassion, strength, and dignity.  Instead of withering beneath the “winters” of their lives, they come out even stronger than before. 

The large, pink flower that’s centered in the center of the blue ribbon is a stylized Magnolia.  Growing up in the South, I’ve seen Magnolias in almost every yard.  At Christmas, they often cover mantles and are in door wreaths.  They’re fragrant, beautiful, and look oh-so-delicate.  But remember that wonderful movie Steel Magnolias”?  Southern women aren’t called that for nothing.  Magnolias are deceptively fragile looking.  In reality they’re a hardy flower that can stand up to our withering heat or our notoriously dangerous hurricanes.  Let the wind blow through, but a Magnolia tree will remain standing, most of the blooms intact.  It’s no wonder that a Magnolia means “Great, Splendid, Beautiful, and Dignified.”  I had my mom in mind when I put that flower in the center of the block.  Mom will be 80 in January 2020.  She’s owned her own businesses then sold them and began a second career working for the City of Graham.  She retired from there and has a third career teaching stained glass art at the local community college.  She’s a gracious widow that lives independently.  She’s been the symbol of hospitality and care for our family for as long as I can remember.  A sweet, southern lady with a spine of steel – that’s Mom.  A true steel magnolia.

On either side of the applique are Pansies.  Pansies always make me happy – their bright colors just make any day a little happier.  They look as delicate as the Magnolia, but again, that’s deceptive.  They’re planted in the fall and bloom throughout the colder months.  In the spring, they’re pulled up and replaced with something far less colorful – like Marigolds.  Pansies represent “Loving Feelings.”  I cherish the women in my life.  And I wish all of us women would cherish each other instead of tearing one another down.  We need to build each other up.  We may disagree, but as time goes on and our lives alter – children grow up and our families change – we need our female friends as much as we need our close relatives.  Don’t take each other for granted.

The white flowers on the far left are daisies.  That’s another flower that makes me happy.  I  live in a rural area of Guilford County and there are hundreds of these white flowers along the banks of the ditches and the sides of the road,  The meaning of daises is “Purity and Innocence.”   While this particular flower was chosen as a “filler” applique (something small to use in blank areas), it still holds special meaning for me.  My kids used to pick handfuls of daisies for me.  I would always put them in a vase and sit them on my windowsill in the kitchen.  It was the first thing I would see when I made my way to the coffeepot in the morning.  They remind me that it’s important – that no matter what life throws at you – to somehow maintain that childhood innocence, wonder, and trust we have in God. 

Okay, so why did I go through all of this explanation?  There are three reasons.  First, I said at the beginning of this year, part of my Quilt with Passion promise was  you would get to know me a little better.  I’ve spent lots of time and lots of past blogs in teaching mode. I wanted this year to be a bit more informal.  No one quilts in a void.  Our past invades our present through color choice, methods, and memories.  We all are sum totals now of what we once were.  Second, I want to encourage you to take a quilt pattern and make it yours.  Once you’ve garnered the skill set, change the pattern.  Alter it.  Make it yours.  You can always give credit to the designer and pattern that influenced you, but make your quilt your quilt.  Don’t be afraid to do so.  And third, believe it or not, this blog sets up the theme for 2020.  We’re quickly approaching the end of 2019 and I’ve already got some ideas ready for next year!

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam 

Last week I mentioned that I was writing my blog from Emerald Isle, North Carolina and that I was on our annual family beach trip.  I’m home now, but see this?

This happened. I had an emergency room visit.  For me, this time.  Usually it’s Bill that frequents the ER with vertigo and kidney stones.  The universe had obviously decided that it was now my turn. 

It all started the day after we arrived.  The garbage disposal wasn’t working correctly.  A quick phone call to the management company resulted in a tech coming out to fix it.  And while he did manage to get the garbage disposal back to normal, what I didn’t realize was that whatever he did to the pipes and lines caused the toilet to overflow in my bathroom.  A bit later when I had to go, I hurried into the bathroom and when my flip-flops hit the water, I fell hard.  My knee and ankle were hurt, and I jarred my neck.  Some of you know that I’ve been having neck issues for a while and have been diagnosed with a pinch nerve in my neck.  I had that under control until I took the spill in the bathroom. 

My daughter-in-law, Anna, immediately started icing my ankle, which really helped.  But the pinched nerve brought on the migraine from hell, which is what put me in the Carteret County Hospital Emergency Room.  A CAT scan showed that I didn’t hit my head but was told that I needed to follow up with my doctor as soon as I returned home.  Which I did.  The doctor brushed aside the concern I had about my neck and head and x-rayed my ankle, which was swollen to a pretty impressive size by this time.  Long story short, I have a re-pinched the nerve in my neck, chipped my ankle bone, and have fractured my heel bone. 

And now I’m in this…

For six weeks.  Lovely.  As long as I’m out of this thing by my quilt retreat, I can deal.

And thus, has ended my summer adventures as I settle into fall and the Christmas season.  So, let’s close the book on Summer 2019 and talk about something else. 

The rest of this blog is even a bit more personal and painful than the injuries mentioned above. Those “owies,” as my granddaughters called them, will eventually heal and become a distant memory, only re-surfacing when I get a twinge of pain here and there in my foot or neck.  I face those with as much humor as I can, because wailing and complaining really doesn’t do you or those you are with any good.  However, there are some wounds that don’t heal and those usually involve your heart and your emotions.  And while yes, in time, that type of pain lessens, it never completely goes away. 

See this quilt?  I know that is a bit of a rough transition but stay with me.  I promise it will all tie back in together.  If I’m remember correctly, this is the second block of the month club that Hancock Fabrics put out.  It is definitely post-2000.  This was the second large quilt I had worked on.  I love the colors – the yellow and blue combination is one of my favorite color ways.  It took me a year to assemble the blocks – we received one block a month.  My friend, Ellen, taught the class and she showed us how to quilt each block separately and then put the whole thing together.  Not quite the quilt-as-you-go method, but pretty close.  And you can tell I didn’t know a thing about batting, because the kind I used is that white, ultra-fluffy, polyester kind.  I quilted a little here and there, squeezing in the time as I could.  The year 2001 drifted into 2002, 2003, and 2004.  The blocks, thread, and batting accompanied me to the beach, to bleachers as I watched my son play baseball, to dance class as I waited for my daughter.  I worked on it here and there, a little along the way.  I wasn’t in any particular hurry to finish it.  By this time, I had completely fallen in love with hand applique and had another quilt in the works using that technique.

Then in 2005, the bottom dropped out of my safe, little secure world.  My father hadn’t felt well and thought he had gallstones.  He went to have himself checked out during the summer of that year.  My brother called me while I was on my way home from a Florida vacation. 

“Are you driving?”  he asked.

“No.”

“We got the report from the doctor.  Dad has pancreatic cancer.”

Boom. 

My life changed in an instant.  I couldn’t breathe.  I couldn’t stop crying, ether.

For the ensuing months, my life became a blur of dealing with students and classes and teachers during the day and trips to Burlington in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends – from July through September.  At some point, I left my bag with the blue and yellow quilt in the car, so it went with me through all of the trips to Mom’s and Dad’s house, Alamance Regional Hospital, and finally the Hospice Home in Burlington.  When Dad rested or didn’t need me, I would pull it out, quilt, and pray for the miracle that didn’t come.  Eventually, that quilt stayed with me through all the family coming in, the visitation, and the funeral.  Then it went back in the bag and back home with me to Jamestown.  The bag went into a closet.

And I haven’t been able to touch it since.  September 21, 2019 marked 14 years since I’ve worked on that quilt.  I’ve tried to.  I really have.  But the emotions that so overwhelmed me then are just as tangible today as they were on September 21, 2005.  I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to put another stitch in it.  Ellen had a similar situation with a quilt she was in the middle of making when her brother passed away.  She was able to finish it, but it was years later. I haven’t reached that place yet. 

I’m not too sure I ever will.

I think some of us quilters piece and quilt so much of our feelings into our art.  It gives us something to do as we emotionally work through trying situations and keeps our hands busy as we storm the gates of heaven with our prayers.  But then again, maybe just the sheer thought of sitting completely still and coming face-to-face with our fears may keep needle and thread weaving its way through yards and yards of fabric without a stop.  We can deal with the uncertainties that life throws us – just don’t ask us to give it our full attention or we’ll go crazy.  Allow us to cling to what makes us feel productive and creative while we’re processing the worst situations.

This is what I mean when I say quilting keeps me sane.  During life’s awful moments, it’s been a touchstone.  I can sew or quilt and pray prayers of desperation, plead for miracles, and remind myself that God has been faithful and that He always will be. 

Do you have one of these quilts somewhere in your UFOs?  Is there one you can’t finish – not because it’s too hard or you’ve just grown to dislike it – but because somewhere in the tangle of fabric and thread and batting there are just too many raw emotions involved?  Did you keep it?  Did you give it away for someone else to finish?  Or is it like this poor yellow and blue thing of mine – stuck in a bag in the back of a closet?  I’d really like to know how you handled it.

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

As I’m writing this blog, I’m at beautiful Emerald Isle, NC, on our last family summer vacation of the year.  It’s 79 degrees already at 9:30 a.m. – a fact that makes this column a little difficult to write because I want to talk Christmas.  Not Christmas quilts or Christmas fabrics but items you may want to put on your Christmas list for folks to buy for you (or you can purchase for yourself – who says you can’t buy your own Christmas presents?).  These are items that I own myself and absolutely love.  And before we get any further along, the standard disclaimer applies:  I do not work for any of these companies, nor am I reimbursed in anyway for recommending them.  I’ve tried these products and really like them.   Plus, the companies that stand behind these items have given me great customer service through the years.

1.  Wafer Light Box

If you love applique, chances are you are either using some type of light box or have devised one of your own.  For years I used a light box that I purchased from a tattoo supply – I liked it better than the standard quilting light box because it had a bigger lighted surface area and I could set it up at an angle.  However, I recently purchased a CuttaPillar wafer light box and love it better than any I’ve owned.  Overall, I think any wafer light box is better than a standard one (easier to store, easier to transport, LED lighting), but the CutterPillar goes a step further.  There are cutting mats that can be used on top of the lighted surface which is totally awesome, and it has a great storage bag that makes it super easy to transport to classes or retreats.  I don’t know how I lived without this light box. 

•  Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Scissors

Any product that Karen Kay Buckley produces is stellar.  I’ve used her Perfect Circles, Perfect Leaves, Perfect Ovals, and Perfect Stems in my applique projects for years.  Then she came out with a line of scissors that I became equally excited about.  While geared toward applique artists, these scissors are great for any quilting technique because first, they’re ergonomically made.  Your hand doesn’t hurt if you have to cut a lot of pieces.  Second (and the detail that completely sold me on these scissors) is that they’re micro-serrated.  The blades have tiny teeth on them that will work the same way as the pinking shears used in garment production – the edges of the cut material won’t fray.  They come in a variety of blade lengths, too.  A couple of warnings to keep in mind with these:  First, if you have to have them sharpened, but sure to let the person sharpening them know that the blades are serrated.  Believe me when I tell you the teeth are tiny, tiny, tiny on these scissors.  You almost can’t see them with your naked eye.  Second, be aware that the market was inundated with a cheap knock off about a year ago.  I believe legal steps were taken to remove them from the internet, but some could still be out there.  The knock-off brand is nowhere near as wonderful as the Karen Kay Buckley scissors. 

•  Electronic Quilt 8 (EQ 8) Software

If you’re beginning to take steps in designing your own quilts, or changing up quilt patterns to suit your tastes, this software needs to be on your Christmas list.  I get the fact that yes, you can make your own pattern or change a current pattern with graph paper and pencil, but this software makes it so much easier and faster.  In addition, you can add not only color to your blocks, but actual fabric renditions are in the software so you can really see how it will look.  You can save your quilt project and come back to it later, knowing it’s on your laptop’s hard drive and you don’t have to go searching for that elusive piece of graph paper.  The folks that produce EQ are constantly coming up with additions to the software to keep it up to date.  This includes fabric lines and blocks by designers.  These are available for a nominal fee through the Electronic Quilt website.  When you register your software online, EQ will send you an email to let you know about new updates that are available. 

Once you have the EQ 8 software, as the company develops EQ9 and makes that available for download, you don’t have to purchase the entire EQ9 – just an update to the current software.  And the update is less expensive than the entire software platform.

Barbara Brackman’s Block Base is available as an add-on, as well as the Dear Jane software (which can run independently from the EQ programs).   The EQ program already comes loaded with hundreds of blocks, layout designs, quilt patterns, etc.  It’s a great investment and does live up to the hype around the program. 

•  Wool Pressing Mat

This item is kind of new to the quilting arena, although they’ve been used in the commercial garment making industry for years.  They’re made of pressed wool, approximately ½-inch thick and hold heat well.  You can pin your blocks or block units to it as you block them to make sure they come out the required size.  I especially love to use it with applique pieces that I need to press or turn the edges under.  It’s the perfect combination pressing cloth and ironing surface. 

These come in a variety of sizes.  I purchased the largest one.  And truthfully, if they made them large enough to cover your entire ironing board, I’d have one of those, too.  There is a disclaimer that the wool “smells” when you use steam.  And it does the first several times you use it.  Some folks in the industry recommend using essential oil on the mat to make it less offensive, but honestly, to me the odor was not that bad.  After a few uses, it completely disappeared. 

•  Apliquick Applique System/Tools

This gift would be a wonderful addition to the quilters that love either prepped edge machine applique or hand applique.  Most of us, myself included, were taught by either the needle turn method or the freezer paper method.  The freezer paper method employs using some kind of iron to help turn the edges of the pieces under.  Any iron used that close to your fingertips can result in burns.  Hence, the beauty of the Apliquick system – no heat is used.  The edges are turned under and glued onto a special paper (kind of like interfacing, but it’s not).  Special tools are used that look kind of like chop sticks to help turn the edges under.  It’s a little awkward at first, but it is by far the best method I’ve used – and I’ve done a lot of applique.  I can prep anything from the tiniest circles to larger pieces quickly and easily with the Apliquick method. 

•  Martelli Rotary Cutters/Cutting Mats

I’ve sung the praises of Martelli cutters and mats in previous blogs, but I want to mention them again.  The mats are self-healing and run as large as 30-inches x 60-inches.  They even have a round one on a base that can be turned – kind of like a lazy Susan.  While all mats eventually will need to be replaced, the Martelli brand has the longest cutting life.  Yes, you’re going to spend more money on a Martelli mat, but yes, it’s going to last you literally years longer than any other mat.

The rotary cutters are ergonomically designed and are available for either right-handed or left-handed quilters.  Instead of having the handle running up the palm of the hand, these have the handle on the side, taking more off the stress off the hand and distributing it equally throughout the hand, wrist, and arm.  The cutters are available in 45 mm and 60 mm sizes.  You should use the Martelli blades with these cutters and I’ve found the blades carry about the same shelf life as other rotary cutter blades.

•  Undercover Mat

I’m in possession of two of these wonderful creations.  I keep one under Big Red and the other is packed in the bag I take to retreat and sewing classes.  These are a great way to keep your scissors, seam ripper, stiletto, and other sewing tools together at your machine.  These are available for purchase, but if you have the time to make a few for Christmas gifts (or for yourself), this is not a hard project to undertake.  Plus, there are several great free patterns on the internet for this little jewel.

I realize that there are a few quilting staples that are always going to be on your Christmas list:  fabric yardage, fat quarters, jelly rolls … you’re always going to want or need fabric.  But the seven items above are a few specialty items that can really enhance your quilting life a great deal.  Some of these items carry a larger price tag than others.  However, I have and use all of these tools and I do enjoy them.  I’m sure you will, too. 

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

I want to talk about something this week that has been on my mind and in my heart for awhile now.  I’ve been blessed to have lived long enough on this quilting journey to have made some really good quilting sisters and brothers.  These people are dear to me because they are the family that I’ve chosen for myself.  We’ve shared joy and sorrow, peace and pain, laughter and tears.  We’ve cheered each other on and prayed for each other with a fervency that I haven’t found in a church in years.

However, I’ve also lived long enough to have lost some of these wonderfully dear people.  The other night as I was cleaning out some of the mess in my studio, I moved a rotary cutting mat and realized it had belonged to a quilting friend who passed away almost 10 years ago.  The ruler holder on my cutting table once was owned by a good friend that was an early member of the High Point Quilt Guild.  And I paused long enough to look around and think, “God please help my kids when I go to that Quilting Bee in the sky because they will certainly have a lot to contend with.”

Now before we all get too weepy and maudlin, let me tell you that there is a list of women’s names with their phone numbers in a box beside my bed.  The children (and Bill) know that if anything happens to me, they are to start at the top of the list and begin calling these quilting sisters.  These women are to take anything out of my studio they want (that my kids don’t want) and then help price everything else to sell because these ladies will know what my supplies are truly worth as opposed to what I may have told Bill I paid for them.

All of this really got me thinking, “What and how should quilters go about bequeathing their quilts after they’ve gone to that Great Guild Meeting in the Sky?”  I’ve read a lot about how quilters, while living, should give their quilts away.  But I was really curious to see if anything had been written about bequeathing your quilts after death.  So, I spent about a half an hour Googling the topic and found …literally nothing.  Other than a small article about donating “significant” quilts to the National Quilt Museum there wasn’t a thing.  And how many of us have “significant” quilts to donate?  In my mind, one of those would be a quilt that had won multiple ribbons and been displayed at the museum.  My quilts aren’t anything nearly that grand.

Since Google wasn’t rendering it’s normal interwebby magic answers, I did the next best thing.  I emailed a guy I graduated from college with that is now a lawyer and asked him.  Fortunately, Terry was a much better source than Google.  He did state that while he had never been asked “This specific question about quilts, I have been asked a lot of questions about similar personal items.”  He told me quilts should be treated as jewelry or a “prominent item of emotional significance” and listed as a codicil.  In other words, make a list of who those quilts should go to after your death and attach it to your will.

Huh. 

Well, that seemed simple enough.  Until I started thinking again. 

While quilts are like a lot of sentimental items, in that there are a lot of emotional attachment to them, they are different in a couple of areas.  First, they’re handmade.  I’m not using the term “handmade” in its strictest sense.  What I mean is they’re someone’s artwork that began as material off of a bolt of fabric that was cut, sewed together (by hand or machine), and quilted (by hand or machine).  So, they’re a little bit different than great-grandma’s wedding cameo.  The emotional and sentimental attachment may be the same, but the cameo probably wasn’t handmade. Second, it would be easy to find out how much the cameo is worth.  An eBay or web search or a trip to a trusted jewelry store could pretty much give you an accurate ballpark figure.

Quilts are different.  Setting aside all the emotional attachment and time we pour into our quilts, it’s harder to put a dollar value on a one.  If you asked one quilter how much another quilter’s quilts are worth, you’ll get varied answers.  However, there are certified quilt appraisers than can accurately state how much a quilt is truly worth.  These folks have studied quilts, fabric, and the time value put into making quilts.  By considering all of these factors, they can give you a true monetary value of your quilt or a family heirloom/antique quilt.  Appraisers are often consulted before a quilt is sold or insured. 

I had a valid reason why I was thinking these two thoughts.  I have several (okay, more than several) quilts in my possession I want to leave to my two wonderful children.  It’s my hope that those will be a continued expression of my love to them.  And while I know that both Meagan and Matt will appreciate those quilts and take excellent care of them, I can’t help but wonder if the following generations will do the same.  To be sure, a quilt is a consumable item – at some point it time they will be “used up.”  But depending on the care given to a quilt, this period of time could literally be 50+ years.  If there is a dollar value attached to the quilt, it may prompt the inheriting generations to take good care of it.

While an appraisal would certainly take care of the monetary side of a quilt, the emotional side needs to be equally represented.  It’s easy for the quilter to look at a quilt that he or she has made and remember everything from the thoughts and prayers made during the construction to the Netflix binges watched while binding.  The quilt recipient has no reference to any of that.  There are a couple of ideas a quilter can entertain to make the emotional and historical references are known to the quilt recipient. 

The first is make sure you have a label on the quilt.  In the past I’ve preached long and loud about labeling quilts.  I’ve explained how to do it and why it’s vital.  This is one of those reasons why it’s so important to have a label on a quilt you are passing down to the next generation, before or after your death.  Certain information should be on that label:  Your name, the city and state where the quilt was made, the date the quilt was finished because we all know the date we start a quilt and end a quilt can be years apart, and the occasion the quilt was made (if there is one).  That’s the minimum.  For the past several years I’ve opted to add any pattern that was used and one esoteric fact about the time frame.*  Sometimes this fact is the average price of an item, such as a gallon of gas.  If a major event occurred during the time frame, I add that.  This will help the recipient put the quilt in some perspective of what you spent your money on, as well as where this quilt is placed in history.  Those factors  can add some emotional attachment. 

If it’s a very important quilt or one that I’ve attached particularly strong emotional attachment to (such as the two heirloom quilts I’ve made my granddaughters), I actually journal the quilt.  I know this can sound overwhelming to folks who don’t like to write.  Let me explain a little about how I do this.  First, I don’t journal every time I sit down to sew.  And I don’t handwrite it.  I journal on my laptop.  About once a week I will write something in the journal about what a particular quilt block reminds me of, or if I’m experiencing some issues making a block.  If I’m creating this quilt at a difficult time in my life, I’ll write about that.  If there’s a joyful event occurring, that is included, too.  I also make sure to add a bit here and there about my daily activities.  I know what you may be thinking at this point –  journaling is tedious and what you write may be just downright boring.  Both reasons may sound valid enough to you.  But remember when those quilts are given out, you may not be around to interpret them, depending on the time frame.  The information you leave may be invaluable not only to establish an emotional attachment to the heirloom, but also let the recipient develop a bond with you. 

When the last stitch of binding is put in and the journal is complete, I print it out and put it in a three-ring binder – the kind that has pockets on the inside cover.  Inside the pockets I put the pattern.  As I construct the quilt, I make notes on the pattern.  I also put any receipts from where I purchased material or notions and the fabric swatches.  This gives a little more history about the quilt and me.  Since I plan on giving Evan and Elli their quilts at some point in the future, I’ve wrapped the quilts in acid-free tissue paper and put the quilt and its journal in a box.  The tissue will help keep the quilts from developing deep creases in the folds.  I also will refold the quilts a several times a year to help prevent permanent creases.

I can say with great emphasis that I am truly happy that I don’t have to do this to all the quilts I will leave behind.  It’s a lot of trouble.  But that’s only two quilts out of over a dozen I still have in my possession.  The weird thing about my household is that I don’t have a quilt on my bed. The reason for this is I have two sky lights in my master bedroom.  The quilts would fade all too quickly if I kept a quilt on my bed.  I do use my quilts in the winter but fold them up in the morning and put them away. 

So, what am I going to do with the rest of the quilts that are tucked in chests and hanging in closets when I do check out?  Here’s how I approached this situation:

First, I asked my family who wanted what quilts.  Both of my kids have specifically requested certain quilts and we won’t mention the near throw-down over a particular Christmas quilt…I simply made another one.  I put their names on the quilts and have them hung in a closet.  This does not mean I don’t pull them out and use them.  Nope.  They’re still my quilts until I draw my last breath. 

Second, the quilts that my children didn’t want, I designated to close quilting friends.  No one appreciates a quilt like another quilter.  I know they will be loved and cherished.

Third, if you’re not a quilter, and at sometime in the past you told me you really liked my quilts, chances are your name is on one of them.  I’m not making promises, but I’ve got some extended family and non-quilty friends that have lovingly touched my quilts and I remember that and those folks.

There is always the option of designating your quilts to a charity. There are loads of organizations that will take your quilts.  Project Linus, local hospitals, local police stations and social workers (who will use them for children they have to remove from a dangerous situation).  You can always leave your quilts to these charities. Or if your local history museum has a textile division, they may love to have your quilts in their collection.

And lastly,

Just give them away before anything happens to you.

I struggled with this one.  Not because I’m a particularly selfish person, because I really am not.  The struggle was I didn’t think anyone would really appreciate the quilt I made and take good care of it.  I had to come to the realization that when I give away a quilt, I’ve released it and all of the emotions that go with it.  The fact that I’m giving a person a quilt means that I love them, and I want them to have some tangible to show it.  The best gift I could give someone is something I spent time and energy making – from a platter of cookies to a queen-sized quilt.  This is easier said than done, too.  I’ve run across quilts I’ve given people that are now used as dog beds or worse.  I’ve had to learn to hold my tongue and not say a word.  Needless to say, that person probably will never receive another quilt from me. 

Some appreciation is warranted.

I know I can’t keep every quilt I make, nor do I want to.  I want to hold on to a few and send the rest out into the world as tokens of my affection.  However, after talking with my children over the quilts that are in my closet, one of my kids told me, “Mom, I’ll always love your quilts.  You don’t have to worry about them when you’re gone.”

I better not.  If in the Great Hereafter I find my quilt on eBay, I’ll come back to haunt you.

Until Next Week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

*The credit for this idea goes to the great and wonderful Tula Pink.  She was interviewed a few years ago and talked about how she made her quilt labels.  I thought this was genius and have been doing the same ever since I read her interview.

As of the date I am actually writing this blog, there are fourteen more weeks left in 2019.  It’s been a good year and we’ve covered a lot of ground with this year’s theme, “Quilt with Passion.”  For this blog (and maybe for the next one, depending on the length), I want to discuss what’s been called The Holy Trifecta of Quilting – accurate cutting, pressing, and sewing. 

It’s no secret that for me the least favorite thing about quilting is cutting the fabric.  Even before my knees started giving me issues about standing for long periods of time, I really wasn’t too fond of cutting all that material.  I would much rather be at my sewing machine or hand stitching the applique.  I learned pretty quickly that if I had the right tools and had the fabric ready to rock and roll, the cutting went along smoothly and easily.   Some of these concepts I’ve written about ad nauseum, and I’m not going to go into detail again.  I will point out two fellow quilters that have wonderful videos up about cutting accurately – Leah Day and Bonnie Hunter.  If you need better visuals, I really recommend you jump over to their sites (after reading my blog, of course) and spend a few minutes looking at those.

Let’s talk about the tools first.  The first item to consider is a rotary cutter.  I would like to encourage you to do some research before purchasing one and realize that you may need more than one cutter.  That rotary cutter will essentially become an extension of your hand and arm.  Make sure it’s a comfortable fit.  Determine what kind of fabric cutter you are –do you want to cut multiple fabrics at one time or not? If you’re the type of quilter that likes to cut multiple layers of fabric with one fell swoop, a large (60 mm or bigger) cutter is exactly what you need. 

Typically, I encourage my students to own at least two cutters – a small one and a medium-sized one (45 mm).  Why two? It all has to do with accuracy.

Personally, I do not like to cut more than four layers of fabric at a time.  The more layers you stack on top of each other, the more they wiggle and shift out of place.  Even if you pin the layers together, the pressure that must be exerted in order to get the rotary blade to penetrate all that fabric will cause some shifting.  This means that the patches you cut will be off a bit.  Some may be crooked or not the correct size.  Since accurate cutting is the first step of the Holy Trifecta of Quilting, you’re already diminishing your accuracy.  I would rather spend more time cutting – even if I don’t like to – in order to keep everything the correct size.  So, if I’m only cutting four layers of material at the maximum, a medium-sized rotary cutter is just what I need.

The small rotary cutter will be needed for trimming and paper piecing.  This is smaller cutting work, and with that I find that a smaller rotary cutter allows for more control.  You can see around it and it handles better in those tiny, tight places. 

Regardless of the cutter you decide on, make sure to change the blade regularly.  Just as you change your needle after eight hours of sewing (or at least you should, unless you’re using titanium needles), be sure to change your rotary cutter’s blade regularly.  When it begins to skip as you cut, it’s time.  Don’t think bearing down harder will really help in the long run.  All that will do is make your hand and arm sore as well as make deep grooves in your mat.  And I’m not a big fan of the rotary blade sharpeners.  Maybe I’m using it wrong or maybe I’m too picky, but I just don’t think they really get the blades sharp enough.  I would rather just replace my blade and keep on cutting.

There are a few “rules” to keep in mind as you begin to cut.  First, always cut away from your body.  Hold the ruler correctly – I went over this in a previous blog.

Close the blade when you’re through cutting.  It’s easy to forget that last rule, especially if you’re the only person that goes into your quilting space.  You just kind of automatically think that no one will get hurt.  However, that’s not true.  Sometimes that someone could be you!  I can attest to this from personal experience.  One day I was cutting out borders and didn’t close my blade as I moved away from my cutting table.  It was a hot summer day and I had on shorts.  I bumped the cutter as I moved the fabric and the rotary cutter skipped down my bare leg.  I didn’t think I would ever get the bleeding stopped.  Thank goodness the blood didn’t get on my border fabric, though!

Fold your fabric and make sure the grain is aligned. 

You want a perfect 90-degree angle.  If you prewash your fabric, be sure to press and starch it before you begin cutting.  Starched fabric cuts easier.  If you don’t prewash, and the fabric is wrinkled, press it.  Smooth fabric cuts more accurately, and that’s what we’re after – accuracy.  As you’re cutting your strips, after every couple of cuts, open the strips up.  You want your strips to look like the strip at the top

Not not the strip on the bottom

If you get that funny bump in where the fabric is folded, your material has gotten off grain.  Square up the edge, refold the fabric, and continue.  This tends to happen more frequently with multiple layers of fabric – which is why I recommend not cutting any more than four layers at a time. 

The other two cutting tools needed are rulers and a cutting mat.  I have two cutting mats – a small-ish one I can take to classes and retreats and a large one that I keep on my cutting table.  A self-healing mat is the best kind to have. 

Eventually all mats will develop grooves from cutting and will need replacing, but a self-healing one does have a longer life span.  Rulers are a personal choice, but one that spans the entire width of a cutting mat is needed. 

With this length you can make sure the bottom and top of the ruler are lined up with the correct measurement and you’re cutting straight.  I also really like this ruler to have a lip on one end so you can lock it against the edge of your cutting mat.  Between this and holding the ruler correctly, you’re seriously reduced the chances of the ruler sliding out of place. 

I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that it’s important to use the same mat and ruler throughout the cutting process.  The picture below shows why:

Three different measuring tools from three different manufacturers.  See how much they’re off from each other?  I know some quilting instructors promote turning your cutting mat over and using only the ruler as your measuring tool.  I’ve always found this a little awkward myself.  I do measure my ruler against my mat and if the inch marks line up, I’m good to go. 

The next step in the Holy Trifecta of Quilting is accurate sewing.  In 2018 I wrote several blogs about the ¼-inch seam, and how it isn’t the holy grail of quilting.  What matters is that the block comes out the size needed.  Sometimes this may mean taking more than the standard ¼-inch seam and sometimes it means taking less (as in the scant ¼-inch seam).  This is why it’s important to always make a test block before you begin piecing the actual quilt.  If the test block comes out the size needed per the pattern’s directions, you’re good to go.  If it doesn’t you will need to play with your seam allowances a bit.  That said, the ¼-inch seam is the one most commonly used for quilts.  There are now ¼-inch quilters feet, scant ¼-inch feet, and seam guides that can help you keep a consistent seam allowance.  Most modern sewing machines have the ability to move the needle to the left or right to adjust for the correct seam allowance. 

To see if you need any adjustment to get a perfect ¼-inch seam allowance, run this little test:  Cut three 1-1/2” x 4” strips of fabric. Sew the strips together lengthwise with a 1/4” seam allowance. Press the seam allowances towards the center strip. The center strip should now measure exactly 1-inch.

If it does not you will need to adjust your seam guide or needle and retest again. Be patient; it will pay off in the end!  And the longer you quilt, the easier keeping that consistent ¼-inch will become.  Like most other things in life, practicing the ¼-inch seam makes it perfect.

The last step in the Trifecta is pressing.  I’ve written about this before, so I won’t go into a great deal of detail with this.  The primary thing to remember is the difference between pressing and ironing.  Ironing is the back and forth motion used to get the wrinkles out of clothing.  Pressing is an up and down motion used by quilters.  Instead of sliding the iron back and forth over the fabric, it should be lifted up and down.  This keeps you from stretching the bias of the material or the block.  If you’re like me and you pre-wash and dry your fabric before you make your first cut, you will probably want to put some starch back in your fabric (this makes the cutting more accurate).  Spray the starch on the wrong side of the fabric and press it in.  Unless I’m using specialty fabrics in my quilt that require a cooler temperature, I always use a cotton setting on my iron. 

At this point, let me add that there are a few personal quirks about pressing.  Some quilters swear by the starch alternative Best Press.  For myself, I don’t find it works as well as regular spray starch.  I do have it and I have used it, but I always find myself returning to my can of starch.  And as much as I love shopping at the Dollar Tree, I have found that starch purchased in that establishment (and other similar ones), have a higher water content than the can purchased at a grocery or drug store.  Recently my friend, Hope, told me about this product:

It’s used where there are lots of points coming together (like in a pinwheel block), It does help the fabric lay down and “behave” pretty well. 

The use of steam also varies from quilter to quilter.  Some use it, some don’t.  As long as you’re pressing and not ironing, I personally don’t think it matters a great deal.  However, if you use steam and you iron your fabric, it’s easier to stretch the bias.  I don’t use water in my iron for one reason and one reason only:  It cuts down on the life of the iron.  I’m hard enough on my irons in normal use without adding insult to injury.  I keep a spray bottle of water near my iron and if I feel a block needs some steam to remove the wrinkles, I just spritz it with that and let the hot iron produce the steam. 

Be sure to press each seam in a unit before joining it to another unit.  It’s easy to want to skip this step and just keep sewing, but this careful pressing will allow the units to be easily sewn together and the seams to line up.  To cut down on running back and forth to your ironing board, set up a small pressing station near your sewing machine.  I picked this overlarge dinner tray up at a yard sale. 

It’s big enough to hold my round Martelli cutting mat (my very favorite cutting surface), and a wool pressing mat (which if you don’t have one, they are sincerely worth every penny).  I keep it to the side of Big Red so all I have to do is turn around and press. 

If you don’t have room in your sewing area to have this, remember there are alternative pressing tools:

These work great for small seams and with paper piecing.  And if you have fake nails like I do, those also work well.  Just run your nail down the seam and it will lay down nicely. 

Paying careful attention to small details like the Holy Trifecta of Quilting is what makes a great quilt.  It’s easy for me to get all caught up in the pretty fabric and pretty pattern and want to rush ahead.  However, slowing down to make sure I’ve done the basic steps correctly will ensure that the final product will be as lovely as I want it to be. 

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam