Snuggles Quilts

Snuggles Quilts

MENU

Fabric Prints – The Challenge and The Fun!

Fabric prints can present a challenge to many quilters, but can also be fun to play with. I thought about that this week while I was going through my fabric stash picking out fabrics for my next project. At times I come across a piece of fabric with an unusual print and wonder… why did I buy that? and how will I use it? I’m going to talk about fabric prints in this post,  including how to use them to their advantage in your quilt. Let’s get started.

Fabric Prints

The prints in a fabric make a difference. I like to pick prints based on where on the quilt I’d like to draw attention. If I want to emphasize a border, I choose a larger print. If I want a part of a block or the quilt to be more of a backdrop, I use a smaller print. That’s sort of a simplistic explanation so I will show some examples coming up.

Here are three fabrics of the same color with different types of prints

Three pink fabrics, but with very different looks based on the print scale and size. The fabric on the left has a small print, printed closely all over the fabric. The center fabric as a print that is a little larger but it’s more spread out, which makes it a bit less prominent. Finally, the fabric on the right has a very large print. 

I would not use these fabrics the same in making a quilt. The fabric on the far right will definitely be the “star” where ever you put it in the quilt. It would make a great border. If you chose to use it in a block, it would need to be paired with a solid or a very small print fabric for a background fabric so as not to clash with it or distract from it. Here’s what I am talking about:

Which fabric would you pair with that pink print? Of course, the one on the left makes the most sense because it fades into the background and won’t upstage the pink fabric at all. The one on the right doesn’t look bad though. The grey looks good with pink and the print is a different scale. This would tone down the effect of the pink fabric and if that’s your goal, that would be a good choice.

Here’s an example using blocks from one of my quilts.

Where does your eye go in each block? The block on the left is very harmonious. My eye may be drawn more to the dark blue star points because it has a more subtle, spaced print and it’s not a light shade. But that might be it. Now, the block on the right as more print contrast. The big print on the purple fabric helps to draw your eye outward. See what a print difference can do?

Finally, a background fabric print can make a big difference.

The background fabric on the left is a large, bold print that I feel will probably clash with the prints in the color print fabrics. Recognize that this background fabric will be the “star” in your quilt with such a bold print so make sure that is your intention.

The middle photo has background fabric that works a bit better with the color prints because of a more subtle print even though it’s still prominent.

Finally, the background fabric in the last photo has a smaller print that’s more subtle due to the tone on tone color scheme and the smaller scale of the print.  Because of this, it does not clash with any of the prints of the color fabrics and truly acts as a background.

Directional Prints

Sometimes, a fabric will have a print that goes in a single direction. You’ll hear these fabrics referred to as “directional prints”. Directional print fabrics can present a challenge and, many times, quilters will shy away from using them. But don’t be afraid of using these types of fabric. It can actually be fun to play with directional prints.

How do you identify a directional print? A fabric has a directional print, sometimes referred to as a “one-way” print, when there is a clear up or down to the pattern on the fabric. Here are a couple of examples of directional prints:

Notice in the fabrics above, the print runs in one direction so it would look different in a quilt block based on how it was pieced into it. Compare the two above fabrics with the two below:

The design on the above fabrics are considered not directional because which ever way you turn the fabric, the print looks the same. You can see it clearly in the fabric on the left. The “starburst” design is symmetrical and looks the same no matter which direction you turn it.

There can be one-way, two-way, three-way and even four-way directional print designs. If I use a directional fabric and want the design to all go in the same direction within the block, I try to stick with a directional fabric that isn’t too complicated.

So that’s it for this week. Next week, I’ll share tips on how to use directional prints when making some simple block units. Leave a comment or ask questions below. See you next week!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Quilting Tips for a Relaxing and Fun Experience

I’ve been piecing a few quilt tops this week which led me to think about tips to make the quilting experience more relaxing and less stressful. I don’t know about you, but when I quilt I want to have fun and relax. I tend to be a type A (aka: stress ball!) person in other parts of my life because I worry and want things to run smoothly. To achieve that restful experience, I do recommend a little planning … even though that sounds a bit type A! So here’s some of my tips in case you’re interested.

Make your Sewing Space Comfortable

TIP 1:  Since I am not lucky enough to have a sewing cabinet where my sewing machine drops in, I like to position my machine at an ergonomically correct angle to ease hand and eye strain. To do this, I use door stops that are easy to find at your local hardware store.

This tilts my work towards me so I can see what I am stitching without having to strain to see. Also my hands are tilted like they are when I use an ergonomic mouse at my computer.

TIP 2: To keep from chasing your machine’s foot peddle all around under your table every time you want to use it, here are two ideas. If your room has a bare floor, get a small square of carpet, like those carpet tiles, and put it under your peddle. This will keep it from sliding all across the floor. For more security, consider attaching a small piece of hook and loop tape to the underside of the peddle so it adheres to the carpet square. If your room is carpeted, just do the hook and loop tape part of this tip.

I found these little hook and loop squares that have a self-stick backing. I was able to stick them right the bottom of my peddle.

TIP 3: Keep your tools close by. I’ve shared this before. This item I have attached to my sewing table with command strips is a shower soap dish that I found in the bath aisle at Target.

I keep my small ruler, scissors, small rotary cutter and my wood pressing stick in this container. They are there for quick access as I need them.

TIP 4: Comfy seating and set-up. First, find the right chair to sit in while sewing. An office chair with adjustable heights is always a good option. I personally like a rolling stool since I don’t require a back to my sewing chair.

The next thing I do is have a small table set up by my machine with a cutting mat so I can trim units right there without getting up to go to my large cutting mat.

I also use this table to stack and arrange block pieces that I will be stitching together. You can also place a wool pressing mat at the end of the table with a small iron to press units and blocks as you go.

Preparation and Organization

Now that your sewing area is set up, it’s time to prepare to sew. That includes sewing machine maintenance, tool prep and project organization. Here are my tips.

TIP 1: What else can make your sewing experience more stressful than a sewing machine breakdown?  To avoid this, make sure to take your machine to be cleaned and tuned up once a year if you can. The maintenance people can do a deep cleaning that you just can’t do at home. I take mine yearly since I use it a lot.

Between maintenance visits, be sure to clean the lint out of the bobbin area and under the throat plate. Also oil the areas that need it at that time (per manufacturer’s directions). My rule of thumb is to clean out my machine and oil it every time I have to change the bobbin. Drop the feed dogs, remove the throat plate and start cleaning.

If you do not have a small brush like mine (left photo), you can use a small makeup brush. Never use anything sharp or stick the brush in deeper into areas you can not see. You can do some damage that way and then your machine will be in the shop for more than just a checkup!

Bonus tip: To keep your machine out of the shop, avoid sewing over pins even if  the manufacturer says they are meant to be sewn over. It can badly throw off the timing of your machine. Trust me, I learned the hard way!

TIP 2: So now that your machine is clean, make sure your needle is ready for sewing. Your needle breaking in the middle of sewing a seam is not something that relaxes you.

A good rule of thumb is to put in a new needle after every completed project, especially if you have just completed a large one. If you have just made a table runner, you can probably get away with keeping the same needle for your next project. Another way to know when to change a needle would be after you’ve gone through three full bobbins.

Damage to a needle is not visible to the naked eye but under a microscope, you will see burrs and cracks. It can be bent which also may not be visible to you. Here are some ways you can tell you need to change your needle:

  • If you hear a “punching” sound as your needle enters the fabric. 
  • Your top thread keeps breaking.
  • You see snags in the fabric you are piecing.
  • You can see the holes where the needle entered.

Needles are relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than fabric and thread, so keep that needle new as often as possible so you’re not wasting thread or damaging your fabric.

TIP 3: Right before you start sewing a project, after picking out your thread color, wind several bobbins ahead a time. That way, when one bobbin runs out, all you have to do is pop out the empty, clean out the machine, and pop a new one in. It saves a little time!

TIP 4: Organize your pieces by labeling and stacking them up so you can find them quickly as you refer to the pattern. You can also stack up block units so you can chain piece blocks together quickly.

The stacks in the photo above on the left each made four blocks for a project I was working on.

You can also stack up the pieces of units that you are going to chain piece so they are easy to grab, pin, and feed through the machine.

So now that your sewing area is set up and your project is organized, it’s time to sit down and sew. And you can do it relaxed and stress-free. This is only some of the tips I find help me the most. Share your tips or ask questions in the comments and be entered in the drawing for my newest pattern, that’s not even on the market yet, Country Crossroads.

This is an easy to piece lap quilt and table runner pattern that mostly uses a variety of fat quarters. You can pick your favorite color prints from your stash and get sewing! The drawing will be on Monday, May 29th. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Mari-Ann Miller!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Wool Talk – Stitching Tips & 2023 BOM Block 5

Since the release of block 5 of my 2023 BOM happens to fall on my blogging day, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some wool appliqué information and tips, including a newer wool stitching video. Even if you are not participating in my 2023 BOM but love to do wool appliqué, I think you’ll get some good information from this post. So let’s get started!

Wool Fabric

First up, we need to talk about the different wool choices out there before you start a wool project. You’ve heard the terms: wool felt and felted wool. But do you know the similarities and the differences? Here’s some facts.

100% wool, also known as felted wool, is a woven textile. It is made when the wool roving is spun into thread and then the threads are woven into the piece of cloth. To turn it into felted wool, it them must be washed in hot water and dried at a high heat. The thickness and weave among these cloths can vary so you get primitive or rustic feel to a project. This wool looks the best when it is hand stitched and is the more expensive of the two.

Wool felt is also 100% wool but it is not a woven textile. It starts with wool roving just like the felted wool but instead of spinning it into thread, the roving is “bonded” by a process that includes heat and moisture and agitation. This causes the roving to matt together tightly to make wool felt. This wool is less expensive than felted wool. It tends to be more “uniform” looking but it’s still 100% wool! It’s less rustic looking when appliqued because there is usually no fraying. This wool also looks just as good whether it is machine or hand stitched. Below are the examples of each:

The wool on the left is the 100% felted wool and the wool pieces on the right are wool felt. You can see the difference. You can use both types of wool in the same project. You can use all felted wool or use felted wool for the large pieces and mix in wool felt for smaller accents or vice versa. I have been known to use a large piece of wool felt for a background, because it’s less expensive, and then my applique motif is created with felted wool. It’s all based on what you prefer. Wool felt is not as soft as felted wool, so a project with a lot of wool felt will feel a little stiffer. But if it’s used in a wall hanging, that’s not a big deal.

Felting Wool

 If you find a a piece of wool clothing or fabric at a garage sale or thrift store and you want to add that to your stash, you can felt the wool yourself in your home washing machine. It’s a process that takes time and practice, but you can do it. Here are the steps:

  • Use a hot water wash/cold rinse setting on your washer. You’ll want to keep darks and lights separate, just like normal laundry.
  • You can put the wool into an old pillowcase and tie it closed to avoid getting a washer full of wool threads.
  • Add in some old towels or jeans to increase the friction during the agitation cycle. *Some people stop here and air dry their wool. They will repeat the washing cycle as many times as needed.*
  • Next put the wool in a hot dryer to continue the felting process. Each piece of wool can felt differently. Repeat the wash and dry regimen as needed to get the consistency you like.
  • Be sure to check each piece of wool through the felting process in the washer (and dryer if you use that step) because if it felts too much and becomes too dense, it can be ruined.
  • Once the wool is dry, you can cut it into the pieces you want.

This process works best for 100% wool. If the wool piece you are felting is less than 100%, it will not felt up quite like pure wool, but even fabric that is 80 to 90% wool can work. You may have to repeat the above process until you get the result you like.

Backgrounds

When it comes to stitching your project onto a fabric background, the first step I like to recommend is to treat the background edges with Fray Check to keep them from fraying into the seam allowances as you handle it while stitching.

This is not a required step, but I think it’s important so I do it every time I’m beginning an appliqué project.

My last thought on the background. If you decide not to use wool for the background and choose instead to use a fabric background, like I do the majority of the time, choose that background carefully. Make sure it showcases the wool you are using for the motif. A light background will be more subtle than a dark one. You can use just about any color and shade of wool. But with a dark background, you will need to make sure your wool is bright enough so it doesn’t fade into the dark background. 

For example, the colors I chose for the wool flowers for the block on the left would not work so well with the black background of the block on the far right. As your background gets darker, your wool pieces need to be brighter for a good contrast. 

Stitching and Threads

Finally on to stitching. First, I like to use an array of neutral threads. My preferred is Valdani perle cotton in size 8.

I like size 8 because it is a medium thickness. I think size 5 is too thick and size 12 is too thin. However, try out different sizes to see which you like the best. If you like to use embroidery floss like DMC, 3 strands of floss will mimic the thickness of size 8 perle cotton.

When you are stitching with a blanket stitch, you determine the length and distance between stitches. As far as I am concerned, there is no hard and fast rule there. But, if you want evenly spaced stitches, here is a fun tip:

Mark two lines on your thumb to guide your stitch distance.

Finally to end stitches, you can either knot the thread on the back, since these will be hidden when you put a backing on your project, or you can feed the tail of thread through the final stitches on the back as shown below:

This is what it looks like when done:

Now here are some fun stitches that can dress up your project. This first one is a crisscross pattern on wool stems:

You can also secure a stem on your project with a running stitch up the middle:

Circles on wool applique are usually stitched using the blanket stitch, but there are a few other ways to secure these. You can do a French knot in the middle of the circle with lines stitched in a way that creates a radiating pattern out from the center (photo on left) or do a pattern of French knots like in the berries on the right:

Here’s my updated stitching video for wool appliqué. I also cover points and inside corners.

2023 BOM Block 5

Now it’s time for the new block reveal. Here it is… BOM block 5:

Find PDF instructions for this block here: 2023 BOM Block 5. I will have a limited supply of wool only kits for this block for sale in my shop later today (Monday 5/15) at 5:00pm central time.

Well, that’s it for this week. Leave a comment or ask a question below and I will enter you into a drawing for my newest wool appliqué pattern, Winter Friends.

The drawing will be on Monday, May 22nd. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Donna L.!**

Happy Stitching!
Deanne

Tips for Essential Quilting Tools

Hi! This week I want to cover tips for these essential quilting tools: rulers, cutting mats and rotary cutters. These tools are used daily in all our sewing rooms so I thought I’d share some facts about these tools, tips on caring for them, and tips on using them. Maybe you know some of these things or maybe you’ll learn something new. Either way, I hope you enjoy this week’s blog post!

Rulers

Your ruler is not only used to measure and cut fabric for your project, but also used throughout the entire process of making a quilt. You use them to measure and trim units and to square up quilt blocks, to name two.

Basic Use, Cleaning, and Storage: The acrylic quilting rulers that are everywhere today became a quilting staple in the late 70s around the time the modern rotary cutter was introduced. Here’s a photo showing my standard rulers I rely on daily:

I use the two rulers on the left, the 6 1/2 x 24 1/2″ and the 6 1/2 x 12 1/2″,  the most when I am squaring, measuring, and cutting yardage. When squaring, measuring and cutting pre-cuts like fat quarters and fat eighths, I rely on the 6 1/2 x 12 1/2″ ruler and the 6 1/2″ square. The 4 1/2″ square ruler is usually kept by my machine to measure the accuracy of units as I go. I also have several square rulers that range from 9 1/2″ to 16 1/2″ for squaring blocks.

Bonus Tip: It’s a good idea that all your rulers are they same brand. This assures that measurements will match from ruler to ruler.

Acrylic rulers are not unbreakable or resistant to damage, so caring for these rulers should be part of your quilting routine. Here are some tips on storage and care:

  • Clean your rulers periodically by dusting with a soft cloth. Do not use anything abrasive like paper towels that can scratch the ruler surface and make the markings harder to read. Also don’t use any cleaning solution with bleach or ammonia. If you need to use a cleaning solution, use those that are meant for plexiglass.
  • Store your rulers, like your cutting mat, away from direct sunlight and not in areas of your home with extreme temperature changes.
  • Finally, make sure to store your rulers securely. If you drop them or they fall from a storage area, they will chip or break. In a previous post, I showed the pegboard on my sewing room wall where I hang my rulers. If you don’t have wall space, you can also store them with a ruler rack like this:

Reading and More Usage Tips: My favorite brand of ruler are Creative Grid. I like the clear acrylic with no color tint and the clear markings. They also have gripper dots on the back to limit slipping (photo on right).

Here’s a closer look of my ruler that shows another reason I like Creative Grids. The markings go in both directions so no matter which way you have the ruler turned you can measure accurately. Notice the white numbers and the black numbers:

I also like how the 1/8″, 1/4″ and 1/2″ lines are different lengths, the 1/2″ being the longest, for quick reference. As a beginning quilter, I did not pay too much attention to something like this but I now see how it helps with quick ruler placement.

If you are cutting a lot of strips the same width, consider using a piece of painter’s tape placed at that measurement line on the ruler to guarantee all strips are cut the same. This also helps you to quickly locate the measurement line when you have to re-position the ruler.

Finally, secure your ruler properly while you are cutting, even if you have a Creative Grids ruler or other brand that has the anti-slippage dots on the back. Here’s how to place your hand as you are cutting:

Tent your hand, as shown above, instead of placing your hand flat on the ruler. If you place your hand flat on the ruler, you may inadvertently push the ruler forward. Tenting your hand makes the pressure you are exerting go down instead of forward so there’s less chance of your ruler moving. If you need to you can use some of the tools out there that help you to hold and press down the ruler, like this Little Gypsy Gripper:

Cutting Mats and Rotary Cutters

Cutting Mats: First, cutting mats need to be cared for to keep them useful. You should clean your mat periodically by putting 1/4 cup of white vinegar per gallon of cool water in a tub and soaking the mat for about 15 minutes. Use a very soft toothbrush to remove the fiber bits. You can also add in a few drops of mild dish soap. Rinse with cool water, gently towel dry or lay it flat on a towel for drying. In between a cleaning like this, you can clean bits of lint and threads off your mat by running a artist’s eraser, a piece of packing tape or a lint roller across the board:

These mats are self healing but try to avoid cutting in the same place every time you cut fabric to allow the mat to heal properly. Mats do wear out eventually, that’s why it’s a good idea to buy a double sided mat and flip it periodically so you are not always using the same side. If you have a deep cut that does not heal, then you know it’s probably time to replace the mat.

Do not store your mat where it will get distorted, like in direct sunlight or extreme heat. If your mat does warp, it has been suggested a way to fix it is to carefully heat it up and place a heavy item on it to flatten it out again. I have never tried this so I can not vouch for this approach. However if you want to try it, Google the instructions. There are a lot of quilters who have tried it and claim it works.

As a rule, I don’t rely on the lines on my cutting mat for cutting fabric strips or pieces for a project. But they can be used to measure out the yardage amount you need for a project and to assist you when  squaring your fabric. For example, if the fold of your fabric lays flat along a horizontal line on your mat, you know you’ve prepared your piece of fabric correctly for the squaring up process (photo below).

Rotary Cutters: Rotary cutters have been around since the late 70s and began being widely used for quilting in the mid to late 80s. The four sizes most often used in quilting range from cutters with a smaller 18mm blade up to one with a larger 60mm blade. The one I use the most, as do most quilters, is the 45mm size cutter:

It’s the perfect size for cutting strips of fabric and then the pieces needed for your quilt. This cutter will cut through up to four layers of fabric. Quilters will use (and should use) the 60mm cutter if they need to cut through more than four layers of fabric. 

I keep an 18mm cutter by my machine with my small ruler and mat to measure and trim up units as I stitch. This small cutter is the perfect size for that and also for curved cuts. There is also a cutter with a 20mm blade that can be used for this task.

I’ve talked about rotary cutters in previous posts so I’ll just briefly go over some safety tips here:

Tip #1: Make sure the blade is always sharp. If your cutter skips or frays fabric as you cut, it’s time to change the blade. If you feel like you have to push down hard to make a cut in one pass, it’s time to change the blade. A dull blade can lead to accidents. If you have a blade sharpener, you can try that first, then if that fails, change it.

Tip #2: Always cut away from your body when using a rotary cutter. This is another tip to help avoid accidents.

Tip#3 : Always close and lock your rotary cutter whenever you put it down. Even if it’s just to move your ruler to measure for the next cut. 

Tip #4: Make sure your rotary cutter is straight and hugging the edge of your ruler all the way through the cut you are making. You want your rotary cutter straight like in the photo on the left, not slanted like the photo on the right.

Slanting the cutter may cause you to move your ruler from the pressure being applied. 

So that’s all I have for this week. I hope you learned something new or learned something you may have forgotten! Let me know what you think in the comments.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fun with Fabrics

Since I covered how I cut up my fabrics and store them in previous blog posts, I thought I would talk more about fabrics this week. What to look for when you are shopping for fabric, what to do with it once you are home from the quilt shop and other useful (I think!) information. Hopefully this post doesn’t seem too random, but sometimes that’s how my mind works… I’ll be working on something and it’ll inspire me to share tips! So here we go…

Picking Out Fabric

When you purchase a pattern, you can choose the fabric that you see on the pattern cover. Often a pattern is featured in a shop with a new line of fabric, so it’s all there for you to buy. But, what happens if you come across that pattern once the original fabric is gone? That’s what my tips are for! 

Tip #1: Choose fabric for the quilt based on the color instead of sticking to a particular line. If the pattern uses a particular fabric, but it’s no longer there, look for one that is the same shade of that color (or close to it) and with the same scale of print. Here’s an example:

Imagine that the orange print used in the quilt block on the left is no longer available in the quilt shop. The orange fabric on the right, would make a good substitution. The scale of the print is close in size and the shade of orange is close to the original also. Compare it to these other pieces of fabric:

These orange fabrics are a darker shade of orange than the one in the block and the prints are of a larger scale, so I probably wouldn’t choose these as a substitute. I’m not saying you can’t use one of these, you can. It will just change the look of your block a little more than the first fabric I suggested.

Tip #2: All your fabric choices do not have to be from the same line of fabric.  Of course there’s nothing wrong with making a quilt using the fabrics from the same line. If you are a beginner staying within one line is actually a good way to pick out fabric. But if you want to be adventurous, you can venture out and choose color prints from several different fabric lines while staying in the same genre (1800 reproductions, 30s fabrics, Batiks, etc) and still have a harmonious quilt. To match fabrics, consider using the color guide on the selvage on your favorite fabric for your project.

If your piece of fabric doesn’t have this on the selvage, look at the colors in the print itself and use that as a guide to find a match.

Tip #3: Always buy more fabric than stated on the pattern. If I am buying yardage from the bolt, I generally buy 1/8 to 1/4 yard more than I need to allow for squaring the fabric and possible cutting errors. It’s also a good idea to have extra if you are a fabric pre-washer. 

Tip #4: Venture out from the typical background to have some fun. If your quilt calls for 2 yards of a tan print for background of blocks, consider buying 4 half yards or 8 quarter yards of coordinating tans to make up that 2 yards. Then you can use different backgrounds with the variety of color print pairings for blocks to make a scrappy background. That’s what I did in my quilt, Seaside Cottage:

It will take a little math, but it’s worth it for the effect! Here’s the whole quilt:

As you can see from the whole quilt, there’s an added dimension with the scrappy backgrounds. You can also go in an entirely new direction by doing a dark background for a pattern that has a light one originally. I tried this out on my pattern, Bloomin’ Days:

If you are going to switch from a light to a dark background, be sure your color prints have enough contrast from the darker background to stand out.

Once You’re at Home

Once you are at home with your fabric, it’s time to decide if you will pre-wash it or not. There are pros and cons for pre-washing. I personally am not a pre-washer, but you can decide for yourself what you’d like to do.

Pre-washing Pros:
• All the fabrics that are going to shrink will shrink so the finished quilt pattern is not ruined by fabrics shrinking differently if you like to wash finished quilts.
• Certain fabrics might bleed, like purples and reds, and transfer to other parts of a quilt when the finished item is washed.
• Chemicals used in the processing of the fabric are removed in pre-washing. Some people are allergic to these chemicals so this is a benefit to them.

Pre-washing Cons:
• It takes time. The extra steps of washing and ironing adds time to the prep when getting ready to make a quilt.
• It washes out the sizing. Some quilters like this sizing which tends to make the fabric easier to cut. I like the “stiffer” fabric that, for me, seems to cut easier.
• Most of the quality fabrics today do not shrink much and the fabric dyes are much more stable to prevent bleeding. There’s also laundry products, like Shout® Color Catchers, that prevent color transfer.
• Fabric edges fray which can distort the fabric. This will require you to waste more fabric when squaring up.

Pre-washing is easier with yardage from the bolt, less chance of fraying. If you are wanting to pre-wash fat quarters or fat eighths, you can prevent fraying and unraveling by cutting a snip off the corners or cutting the edges with pinking shears.

Also, I recommend putting these pre-cuts in lingerie bags to help reduce the chances of fraying.

If you pre-wash, I recommend pressing those fabrics prior to folding for storing to cut down on the amount of pressing you will need to do when it’s time to use them.

So that’s all I have for this week. I hope you are inspired to go shopping for your next quilt and feel like you can be creative in picking out fabrics. Remember, there are no quilt police… there are no hard and fast rules for fabrics used in your quilt. If a piece of fabric “speaks” to you and plays well with the other fabrics you’ve chosen, that’s all that matters. We’re artists, right?

Leave a comment or ask questions below and I will enter you into a drawing for my quilt pattern, Seaside Cottage (as seen above). The drawing will be on Monday, May 8th. Good Luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Marilyn!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Spring Cleaning Time for the Quilter Too!

Even though spring supposedly started a month ago, it’s still cold and windy here in north Iowa. I am anxiously awaiting temperatures in the 70s with sunny skies. Maybe someday. So since spring is here, that usually means time to clean and organize. In this post I’ll share some tips for spring cleaning your sewing space and quilts, including storage. Let’s get started!

Spring Cleaning Fabrics & Tools

This is a good time to organize and clean the space you sew in. But it’s also a good time to organize your fabric. This will help you to know what you have and what you need so your next trip to the quilt shop is a happy shopping experience.

TIP #1: Organize your fabric stash by size and color. This is key if you are a scrap quilter like me. Here is how I do it. If I find a piece of fabric I really like, I will buy a yard of that fabric. Then I will cut that yard in half and have two half yards. I fold up one of those half yards and store it in a tub with others of the same color:

Next, I take the remaining half yard and cut it in half along the fold to make two fat quarters. I take one of those, fold it up and store in a fat quarter/quarter yard tub.

Then I take the remaining fat quarter and cut that in half (photo below) into two fat eights. I roll the fat eighths instead of folding them for easier storage. 

If there is any yardage left, I cut that into strips. I like 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips. Or if you only want one fat eighth in that particular color, you can cut the remaining fat eighth into strips for your stash. So when I am done with a yard of fabric, this is what I can end up with:

I now have that color print in every size in my fabric stash so it’s ready to be used in my next scrap quilt! Here’s my mini video tutorial on this topic:

TIP #2 Put strips and scraps into organized containers. I like to have those organized just like I do with the fabric I cut up in tip #1. I organize my strips by size and color and store them in shallow tubs.

As you can see, these tubs are easy to stack in my storage cupboard. The labeling makes it easier for me to pick out the tub that has the size and color strips I need for my current project.

Now for the random scraps of fabric that are smaller than fat eighths and not the right shape to cut into strips, I also have those stored in tubs sorted by color. I use these scraps for my fabric appliqué and for making test blocks, like the one on the right. A test block is where I audition fabrics to see what colors I want to use for a pattern without cutting into my good fabric.

Doing these things with your fabric scraps will keep your sewing space and cutting table clean so you can work.

TIP #3 Tool Storage. It’s a good idea to store your tools in a way that makes them easy to reach or find when you are needing them. I shared a few tips over the last few weeks, but here’s a few more. This is what I do with important cutting tools and my rulers:

The cutting tool storage is actually a used coffee mug holder I found at a garage sale. The ruler storage is a metal peg board made for tool storage in a garage. It’s hung on the wall by my sewing table. If you do not have a permanent sewing space, you can hang your rulers in a closet using jump rings and a hanger made for hanging ties.

Cleaning and Storing Quilts

Next it’s time to focus on the quilts in your collection and to give them some TLC. If you like to display quilts around your house like I do, you will need to do a few things to keep them clean. Here are some tips on what I do. Please note: these tips are not recommended for antique or family heirloom type quilts. For those types of quilts, it’s best to look for advice from textile preservation professionals.

TIP#1:  Light Cleaning: For wall quilts that can collect dust or cobwebs, use the soft brush attachment (like pictured below) of your vacuum cleaner and, on the lowest suction setting, brush gently across the surface of the quilt. Keep the tool moving constantly and do not to stop to avoid having suction concentrated on an area of your quilt. Never use any type of attachment that has moving parts.

Carefully test on a corner of the quilt on the back to make sure it will not do any damage.

If the wall quilt has picked up a musty smell or another smell from the room it is in, it can be aired out by placing it outside (in a shady area) on a clean sheet. I would cover it with another clean sheet to keep it from getting any dirt, leaves, etc on it. For cleaning a large quilt, lay it out on a flat surface and vacuum with the soft brush attachment, lowest suction setting again. It can also be aired out using the same method as a wall quilt.

Do not shake quilts like you do for rugs since that can weaken seams.

For cat or dog hair, I use the lint rollers made for clothes. Gently rolling these across the surface of the quilt will pick up the stray hairs without damaging seams.

TIP #2: Washing. If you must wash a quilt, be sure to use a gentle soap.  I wash on gentle and I throw in a few Shout Color Catcher sheets in case I’m worried about a fabric that might bleed. Be cautious of this if your fabric was not pre-washed. If you do not pre-wash and you are unsure of a fabric in the quilt, I would advise against washing and just stick with tip #1 above.

If you do wash it and need to dry, it’s best to air dry it. You can put it in the dryer for 10 minutes or so on “air fluff” setting to get the dampness out. Then lay the quilt out on a clean sheet on a flat surface to finish. Never hang a quilt on a clothesline which can put stress on the seams. Also, do not wring out a quilt, which can damage and distort seams.

TIP #3 Storage. First, it’s a good idea to learn how to fold a quilt in a way that is the least damaging to the seams and fabric fibers. This is for large quilts. To begin, lay the quilt out flat and make a first fold on the bias:

The next 3 photos show the next 3 folds you need to make to end up with your quilt folded and protected:

Even though the bias option is the best, the other way I fold quilts is in thirds. The following photos will show how that is done. Here are the first 3 folds:

And the final folds:

When you have quilts folded and stored, be sure to refold them periodically. It’s recommended that refolding every 3 to 4 months is a good timeframe. This keeps the fabrics from breaking down in the folds or developing permanent creases. It’s also a good idea to refold large quilts that you have displayed on beds, ladders or draped over sofas or chairs.

For smaller quilts like wall hangings or table toppers, I hang them on skirt or pant hangers to store in a closet when I am not using them.

Here are some random do’s and don’ts for storing quilts:

Do not store them in the basement or attic of your home where the temperature and humidity is not at ideal levels.

Do not stack too many folded quilts on top of one another.

Do not store quilts in plastic containers or bags. Plastic can trap moisture which could develop mold that will stain quilts.

Do use clean white sheets to cover a stack of quilts for protection. You can also store single folded quilts in large pillow cases or make a case for the quilt out of an old white sheet.

Two other ways to store quilts is to roll them or to drape them over extra beds. Rolling large quilts may be difficult for storage since there would need to be a large space to store those rolls. But rolling them is a good way to avoid any creases from folding, so if you have the storage space, consider doing this.

If you drape them over guest beds, be sure they are not in direct sunlight that could fade a quilt. If there is direct sunlight into that room, you can cover the stack of quilts with a clean, white sheet to protect them.

So that’s it for this week. I hope these tips get you started on your spring cleaning in your sewing space and cleaning & storing your quilts. Leave a comment or ask questions below and I will enter you into a drawing for my quilt pattern for Strips & Stars.

The drawing will be on Monday, May 1st. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Pat W.!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Recycling & Upcycling for the Sewing Room

Last week’s blog covered some of my favorite quilting tools, conventional and unconventional. So this week, I thought I would continue with this unconventional theme. I’m going to talk about recycling, upcycling and things that will help save you money. And who doesn’t want to save money? These tips are ones I use all the time when I’m quilting and maybe they will be some you like and will adopt as well. Let’s get started!

Tip #1 – Batting

So you trim pieces of batting and are collecting them. What do you do with all these extra pieces? If you’ve followed my blog for awhile, you know I do not like to throw things away when I can. find a use them. Well, here’s two ways to use and reduce all these scraps of batting. 

The first way is to purchase batting seam tape and use it to make larger pieces of batting from the scraps!

It’s actually very simple to use. Heat your iron to the wool setting for all types of batting, except full polyester. For 100% polyester batting, use the silk or synthetic setting. The instructions say to use steam but I used my iron dry and it worked just as well, you can test it out both ways if you like. So here’s the steps:

Butt the two edges of the batting pieces up to each other as shown in the first photo on the left. If you need to trim edges to make them a little straighter, do that before lining them up. Then, lay the tape across the seam (photo2) and press with your iron (photo 3). Now you have a larger piece of batting (final photo)! This strip of batting can now be added to another one to make a bigger piece.

Option two can be done if you don’t have any batting seam tape. You just need your sewing machine! Here are the pieces I want to work with:

Like I said above, trim up sides to make them a little more even and you can even lightly press the pieces of batting so they lay a bit flatter, but that’s not required.

Now, set your machine to a zig zag stitch and attach your zig zag foot. Like with the seam tape, butt the edges together that you want to join and zig zag stitch them together. You may need to play with the width of your stitch to make sure it catches both sides.

As you can see from the photo on the left, my stitching is joining the pieces. On the right is my stitched together piece of batting that is now big enough for a table runner I am ready to quilt.

Tip #2 – Fabric 

Another thing I do not like to waste is fabric. We all know how expensive it is, so I like to use up as much as I can and throw away very little, if any. Here’s a one of my fabric saver tips and few ways to use up fabric scraps and reduce waste.

First – A Fabric Saver: If you only have a few flying geese units to make and are not using the “no waste” method to make them… or if you do not like to use that method, here’s a way to not feel guilty about using the traditional method. Here are the pieces needed to make my geese unit:

To start,  instead of drawing just one diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the small squares, draw an additional line 1/2 inch away from the first line:

Now place the square face down on the rectangle, just like you always do when making flying geese, and stitch along the drawn lines. Once that is done, cut 1/4″ in from the first diagonal line (between the stitched seams).

After you press open the this side and repeat the step on the other side, you not only end up with a flying geese unit but also two half-square triangle squares! You can also chain piece these geese units. It just takes an extra line of stitching so it doesn’t slow you down too much.

Now if I am not ready to use those HSTs in a project, I store them in a container in my sewing room. Eventually, I will have enough HSTs to make a pieced border for another quilt or a small table topper.

Using up scraps:

  • Now what do you do with the scraps that you really can’t work into a scrap pattern? Like the little container above, I keep one for scraps. A lot of these scraps are ends of strip sets or little pieces from the end of a strip.

Fill it up and then you can use the scraps to stuff an old pillow case to make a pet bed. If you don’t have any pets, check in with your local pet shelter to see if they need a donation of pet beds. 

  • As I have covered before, keep scraps in tubs for appliqué pieces if you do fabric appliqué.

Since I have tubs of this scrap fabric in a variety. of colors, I don’t need to cut into a larger piece of fabric for some flower appliqué, for example. I can also use this fabric for sample blocks to test out color combinations without cutting into brand new fabric.

  • Finally, save the selvages! You can make one of the fun projects from patterns, that are on the market, to use those up. You can also use them around the house to tie things together or add a bow to a gift for a quilting friend….. or for a cat toy!

Tip #3 – Recycling Items – Pick of the Week

Last week I had a few ideas on taming the bobbins you have in your sewing drawer. I like to wind several bobbins in the thread color I am using for a large project so I can quickly change one out when it’s empty. Here’s a storage idea for those bobbins that recycles an empty pill container.

Another use for a pill container is as a thread tamer! I like to take hand projects on the road or outside on a sunny day, especially binding projects that only take one spool of thread. I use the pill container this way:

Carefully poke a hole in the pill bottle top (left photo). Then place the spool of thread in the bottle, threading the thread through the hole you created in the top. Now you can pull out the amount of thread without the spool getting away from you.

I also use this idea for perle cotton for when I do wool appliqué. Have you seen these little plastic containers in the food saver aisle in the store? I use these to tame my spools of perle cotton while pulling out the amount of thread I want. As with the pill container top, poke a small hole in the top of this container for the thread to feed through.

Fun, right? This is also a good way to keep the cat away from the threads while you are stitching.

If I have a lot of perle cotton colors I need to work with and want to tame the thread I am currently using, consider picking up a school pencil box. You can fit up to eight spools in this box and feed the thread you are using out from under the cover:

The box measures 8 1/2″ x 4″ x 1.6″ with a removable cover. The cover fits just loosely enough so the thread pulls through without snagging.

Random Stuff

  • Here’s a few random tips just for fun. Use a small makeup brush to clean out your sewing machine when needed. This is a good tool if your machine didn’t come with a brush or a good replacement if you have lost the brush that came with your machine.
  • Use an orange peeler as a stiletto. The advantage to this is the end of the peeler is not super sharp (at least mine isn’t) so there’s less of a chance of it poking a hole in your fabric.
  • Use a colored Post-it Note to make your machine needle easier to thread. See the difference when you hold the piece of paper behind your needle?
  • Finally this is a safety thing. Use an empty rotary blade container to collect old rotary blades and an empty mechanical pencil lead container to collect old needles. This makes it safer to discard these things when the containers are full because they won’t be floating around in a garbage bag where they can poke through and injure someone.

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed my recycling and up-cycling tips. Share some of yours below. Maybe we’ll all learn something new!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

My Favorite Quilting Tools – Conventional and Unconventional

This week I have been working on some quilt projects and using some tools I have in my sewing room. It got me to thinking what are my favorite tools, both conventional and unconventional, that I use everyday while quilting? I say conventional and unconventional because some of these tools are those you can buy at a quilt shop and some of them are created from things you already have around the house. So, I will share my favorites with you here and I’d like you to comment below with yours. Let’s get started.

Conventional Tools

Tool #1: We all have cutting mats and rotary cutters that we use when we’re quilting, but my favorite tool that goes with these when cutting fabric is this little item. It’s call a ruler safety shield. 

I found this tool after I had a rotary cutting accident that sent me to the ER. It was not fun, trust me! This tool is made to fit on the long 6 1/2 x 24 1/2″ rulers most of us have, but I ordered a few extra and had my husband cut them to fit my smaller rulers:

These safety shields help to stop the rotary cutter from skipping over the edge of my ruler and hitting my fingers.

Tool #2: If I have to use a ruler that doesn’t have a shield, my next favorite tool is my “klutz” glove.

I recommend having a pair of these gloves on hand. They add an extra layer of safety and they make me feel a little more comfortable when cutting fabric.

Tool #3: Speaking of rulers, this is one of my absolute favorite rulers. I use this one a lot because I make many quilts with half-square triangle (HSTs) squares. This tool is the Quilt in a Day Triangle Square Up Ruler.

This tool makes squaring up HSTs  easier by allowing you to trim the squares before you press them open. This way you only have to trim two sides instead of four. That may seem unimportant but when you have a pattern with hundreds of these HST squares, it’s a time saver! Here’s a photo of me using it:

Tool #4: Wood pressing stick. This is a tool I bought really early on in my beginning quilting days. I still see some version of these being sold in quilt shops today. Some are wood like mine and some are made from heavy duty plastic. Either way, they work the same.

As you can see, this tool allows me to press individual small seams and keep piecing until it’s absolutely necessary for me to go to the ironing board. I like this because many of my projects have blocks made up of a lot of small units.

Tool #5: Bobbin Ring. I love this tool because I can place my bobbins in it while still seeing the thread color. And it also keeps the bobbins from unraveling.

Tool #6: Finally, my camera is a favorite tool. I know you don’t purchase this at the quilt shop, but it’s something I use a lot. Whether it’s a conventional camera or the camera on your cell phone, it’s a great sewing room tool! I use mine to remember block placement, photograph a stack of fabric to see if they look good together or to remember where appliqué pieces go in a motif I’m working on.

Unconventional Tools

Now onto some of the items in my sewing room that are not necessarily those you would find in a quilt shop. I really like to up-cycle household things and find new uses for them when I am quilting. 

 #1: This is related to the bobbin ring above. If you do not have a bobbin ring, or you do not want to buy one, here are a couple of fun ways to store your bobbins.

 Grab some golf tees. When my son was on the golf team in high school, I was swimming in golf tees. I found them all over the house, in the washing machine, in his car, etc. You would think I would have thought of this much sooner than I did. So here’s what you do. Match the bobbin with the thread and secure them together with a golf tee. It’s that simple!

Most standard size spools of thread have a hole in the center of the spool that will fit the golf tee.

If you don’t have a golfer in the house or you don’t want to go out and buy a bag of golf tees, try using this:

This is the toe separator that is used when you paint your toenails. I have tried it and not only do the bobbins fit, it also serves to keep them from unraveling. You can stack several of them on top of each other to fit nicely in a drawer by your machine.

#2: We all have a lot of pins in our sewing room. Well, I took some of my pins and a bit of washi tape and made myself a set of numbered pins.

I use these pins when I have a lot of rows to piece for a quilt top. By using the pins, I do not mix up the order of my blocks or the order of the rows. I spend a lot of time at my design wall positioning blocks into rows so the quilt top looks right to me before piecing it together. The last thing I want to do is mix things up when I am carrying the blocks to my machine.

#3: Whether I am hand sewing or at my machine, I want my scissors to be easy to find. I don’t know how many times I would lay my small snips down and then have them get “lost”. So, the solution I came up with was to put this old ball chain to good use.

These chains are easy to find at your local craft store, usually in the jewelry department. Now I can wear my scissors around my neck and never lose them!

#4: Finally I use these…. a lot!

What do I do with a skirt/pants hanger? I use them mostly to store my smaller quilts like wall hangings and table runners.

If you like to change out small quilts for the season, this is a good way to store the ones not in use in a closet. I also use these hangers to store extra cutting mats and rulers:

So that’s it for my favorite tools, both conventional and unconventional. Share with me in the comments some of the quilting tools that you can’t live without. You might inspire another reader, or me, to try them out!

I will draw a winner from the comments and you will win a set of these scissors. The perfect size for those mobile projects! The drawing will be on Monday, April 17th.

Happy Quilting,
Deanne

Fabric Color – Color Theory and Choosing Fabrics

The last few weeks, we talked about one block quilts and two (or more) block quilts and how the design of those blocks effects the look of the quilt. Now it’s time to talk about color. Choosing fabrics and color is often something that gives quilters nightmares when they are beginning a project. I’m here to help you get rid of those fears with some color theory and fabric choosing tips. Let’s go!

Color Theory  – Just a Bit!

Color: Before you shop for fabric, dig out this little contraption and let’s have a lesson:

You probably recognize the color wheel from grade school art class. We learned about the primary colors of red, yellow and blue. From those colors, all the other colors are created. That’s why they’re called “primary” colors.  

The first group of colors created by combining primary colors are called secondary colors. These are orange (from red and yellow), green (from blue and yellow) and violet (from blue and red).

The color wheel can help you with getting the right contrast in your quilt in addition to picking out fabric colors. Notice the closer that colors to each other are on the wheel, the less contrast between them. The most contrast is achieved with colors that are farther away from each other. This is where complimentary colors come in. A color that is opposite of another on the wheel provides the most contrast and is called complimentary. For example: red and green are across from each other so they are considered complimentary and there is high contrast between them.

Shade, Tone & Tint: Knowing the difference between shade, tone and tint and how that effects the contrast between your fabrics can go a long way in helping you choose fabrics.

  • Shade is taking the pure color, for instance blue, and adding black to it to make it darker, for a dark blue.
  • Tint is taking the pure blue and adding white to make it lighter, making a light blue.
  • Tone is adding grey to a pure color to make it less intense. Most colors around us in the world are tones of pure color.

Another way contrast can be achieved is by combining “warm” and “cool” colors or have blocks that alternate between warm and cool colors throughout a quilt.

Summing it up… if you want a quiet, muted quilt, choose colors close to each other on the wheel, with the same shades, tints or tones. If you want a high contrast quilt, choose colors far away from each other on the wheel, with different shades, tints or tones. Of course there are a lot of complete books on color theory and this is just a tiny snippet of information. If you are interested in a more in depth explanation, you can surely find some of these books at the library or online.

Using Color Theory in Choosing Fabrics

So here’s a real world example of some of what I talked about above.

One way contrast is achieved is by considering the shades and tints of the each color you choose. Tint is when white is added to a color to make it lighter and shade is when black is added to a color to make it darker. For example,

pink is a tint of red where maroon is a shade of red.

See the difference in these fabrics? They’re all the same base color, red, but when used in a quilt, they will each make it look a bit different.

Here’s another example. Pick out fabrics you would like to use in your quilt and stack them up like these fat quarters I used below:

There is not much contrast between these fabric because they are all close to the same shade within their color family. But now, in the photo below, I have switched out two of the fabrics for fabrics tinted lighter than the originals.

The above are all cool colors as well and close to each other on the color wheel. Look what happens when I add in some complimentary colors from the warm side:

Removing the brown and purple fabrics and adding the gold and red fabrics makes the stack of fabrics more vibrant.

Building a Colorful Quilt

So here’s a fun little experiment. Here’s how to build a colorful scrap quilt starting with the primary colors. Let’s say the quilt pattern you have takes a yard of each color fabric (not including the background) and has 12 blocks from each color. 

The quilt made from these 3 colors would be pretty enough. But what would it look like if you added more colors based on some of the lessons I gave you earlier. Instead of, for example, getting a yard of each fabric above and making 12 blocks from each, you can turn this into a scrappier quilt by taking each of the yards of fabric and splitting them into three 1/3 yard cuts in each color family. For instance, instead of 1 yard of red, I substitute 1/3 yard each of red, pink and a brown fabric that has a red/pink print (middle stack in the photo).

I did the same for the blue and the yellow fabrics as well. Now I can make 12 blocks from each stack, but instead of them all being one color there will be 4 of each color. See the side by side comparison of the 3 color quilt and the 9 color quilt below:

Or you can even mix the colors within each of the blocks to make it even scrappier like I did in this block below:

So here ends the color theory lesson. Hopefully this gives you more confidence when you look at a quilt pattern and wonder what colors you want to use to make it. Step out of the box and have some fun!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Two (or more) Block Quilts – More Opportunity for Design

Last week we had a discussion on one block quilts and a bit of history on how the block style quilt emerged. Now it’s on to two … or more… blocks in a quilt. With more than one unique block, there is the opportunity for even more fun with design. That’s what I want to talk about this week. I’ll also delve into a bit of quilt block history again and talk about sampler quilts. So let’s get started!

Quilt Block History

Back to quilt block history class, continued from last week. The emergence of the block style of quilting didn’t only feature one block quilts, but also quilts with many different and unique blocks. I talked about Baltimore Album quilts as a type of block style quilt that emerged in the mid 19th century last week. Those were one example of the sampler style quilt because their blocks are often all different from one another. 

I’ve done an annual block of the week project for the last few years resulting in a sampler style wall hanging as an end result:

These are just wall hangings, but you get the idea. Sampler quilts can have up to 25 to 30 different blocks in them.

Sampler quilts became popular as the block style quilt emerged in the 1840s. The sampler style, which was made up of blocks of the same size but of different design, appealed to quilters because they could work on one block at a time as opposed to a medallion style quilt, with a central large appliqué motif, where they would have to work on a full quilt all at once. This made it easier for several quilters to contribute to a quilt, making it a social event for women. Friendship and album quilts were also made this way with each block made by a different quilter.

In addition, sampler quilts served as a resource over the years for quilters when they wanted to find a certain block pattern. It’s theorized that women passed quilt design patterns around this way, by having a large sample of patterns sewn into one quilt. It’s also been suggested that this was a way that quilters of that time practiced their quilt making. They would hone their skills by piecing a new block design or inventing one of their own. Today, we have block books to page through to look for designs. Perhaps these quilts were their block books!

Fun Tip! Make an extra block for each quilt you make throughout a year or two. Then take those blocks and make a sampler quilt. Not only will it be beautiful, it will serve as a fun reminder of all the other quilt projects you made over the year.

You can also follow one of my favorite tips of making a sample block to test fabric colors. At the end of the year, you may have enough of these test blocks to make a full size quilt, or at least a wall hanging.

Two Block Quilts & More Design Fun

Now on to two (or more) block quilts and the fun you can have. Since I talked about interesting designs you could create within a one block quilt last week I thought it was only fitting to talk about quilts with two or more different block designs. The tip I have for making a fun two block quilt is to pick two blocks that play off each other. I like a block that has a static design, like a star or a churn dash paired with a block that has specific movement, like a nine or sixteen patch block or flying geese block. Here’s some examples.

The star block on the left and the chain block on the right combine to make my quilt, Prairie Sky:

The chain block creates a crisscross design across the whole quilt. 

This next type of two block quilt I like to create is one that combines pieced blocks and appliqué blocks.

These are two of the blocks from my quilt, High Prairie Blooms. 

If you stand back and look at this quilt, the appliqué blocks create an interesting movement that keeps your eye busy as you look at it. They appear to make a criss cross design even though there are two unique appliqué blocks.

Here’s another way to play with a two block quilt to add interest. Place the blocks on point so they make a different design than if they were just straight pieced. Here are these two blocks:

If you pieced these into straight pieced block rows alternating between the churn dash and the chain block, it would make a pretty quilt and the chain block would create the crisscross design like I showed in the Prairie Sky quilt above. But if the blocks are assembled on point, you get a different design created by the chain blocks:

In Country Dance (above) the crisscross design now looks like a straight grid design. And the on point setting of the churn dash blocks make them look like a block with a diamond shape.

Finally, your two block quilt can be very easy. Combine a pieced block with a plain block framed with strips. I did this for my quilt, Liberty Square. Here are the two blocks:

When you put them together, it looks like this:

A simple secondary design emerges. The plain strip framed blocks make a diagonal chain-like design. At least that’s what I see!

So that’s it for this week. Whether you make quilts with one block design, two different block designs or 25 unique blocks, you are continuing the rich history of block style quilt making. 

Sampler quilts have fallen out of favor in the late 20th to early 21st century for more one and two block quilts because some people feel there’s too much “chaos’ in a sampler because the blocks don’t match. However, I think that’s part of their charm. And if you are a scrap quilter, like me, you’re already fine with a bit of chaos. Give a sampler quilt a try!

Leave a comment or ask a question below. You will be entered in a drawing for my quilt pattern, Country Dance.

The drawing will be on Tuesday, April 4th. Good luck! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Eileen Maher!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne