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Grand Opening Sale! Blog Hop with Prizes!

Hi everyone!
Just a quick blog post to let you know that my new Snuggles Quilts shop is celebrating its grand opening with a 15% off sale on your whole order! Just use the promo code CABINFEVER15 at checkout. This promo is good through March 15, 2019 and is good for one use per customer…. so make sure you stock up before checking out!

Some of my fun patterns that can be found in the shop!

Now on to the Blog Hop starting this week …. in fact it’s starting on Monday, March 4th (today if you are reading this on Monday!) The hop is in celebration of the release of the new book, Text it! by Sherri Noel.

There are 31 designers, including me, participating with our blogs from March 4th through March 16.

Start the day Monday by visiting rebeccamaedesigns for a list of the day’s blogs to visit. There will be at least two blogs a day to visit to see some of the cutest projects designed by Sherri. Simply leave a comment on the blogs you visit to be entered in the drawing for prizes (U.S. residents only – sorry we’re limited by law)! The more blogs you comment on the more chances you have to win! Each designer will be giving away a copy of Sherri’s book, Text it!, and will also be giving away additional prizes.

My day is Monday, March 11th. Come visit me here on that day to see the project of Sherri’s I worked on. Comment on the blog to be entered in the drawing for a chance at the prizes!

Hope you can join us on this fun journey!!

Happy Quilting & Shopping!
Deanne

Strip Piecing Tips and Techniques

Hi everyone! I’m writing today on a very cold, blizzardy (is that a word? LOL!) day in north Iowa. So, I thought it would be fun to talk about strip piecing tips and techniques and how strip sets are used to make some easy quilt blocks that can make a stunning scrap quilt. The following tips are how to stitch strips together without distorting them.

Strip Set Tips:

Tip #1: Making strip sets is the first step in strip quilting. Strip sets are made from joining two or more long strips on their lengthwise sides. You can use width of fabric strips (40-44″ long) but I prefer to cut those in half to 20-22″ long. It’s easier for your strip sets to distort if you are using longer strips.

Lay your strips right sides together and pin in a few places:

Tip #2: When stitching the strips, do not pull on them or push them as you are joining them with the 1/4″ seam.

Tip #3: Now, press open the strip set. This is where my Pressing Vs Ironing video, found in this blog post, comes in handy. It is important not to distort the seam of the joined strips. If you iron along the seam instead of pressing, you run the risk of stretching the fabric or the seam or both.

Tip #4: To add to the strips set above, the next tip is to start the next strip on the end where you stopped stitching the first two together. So you are basically beginning your stitching on opposite ends for each strip you add to the strip set. If you join all the strips starting at the same end, that can lead to strip set distortion.

To be safe, after adding each additional strip to a strip set, finger press open and measure to be sure your seams are accurate and the size of the strip set measures correctly.

Blocks You Can Make!

Now, what can you make with strips set? There are so many possibilities! I will show a few of the blocks I make with strips sets. You can make an entire block or you can use strip sets to make units within a particular block design.

First, from the strip set you will cut segments the size required for your block or unit you are making. Here’s an example below of segmenting a strip set:

So now, what kind of units or blocks can you make from strips sets? Here is the simplest: the Four-Patch block:

This block is made from segments of 2 strips joined together:

Next block is the Nine-Patch:

For this block you will need two strip sets. Then you’ll have 2 segments cut from one of the sets and 1 segment cut from the other. Here are the steps in a diagram:

Here are some other blocks that can be made from strips sets:

Rail Fence
Double Nine Patch

Many, many other things can be done with strip sets! You can make borders with strip sets, like a piano key border or a checkerboard border.

Google quilt blocks and quilts you can make with strip sets. The possibilities are endless! Here’s a pattern of mine where I used strip sets: Country Dance

The setting blocks used with the Churn Dash blocks to make this quilt top are created using strip sets!

So, share with me your experiences with strip sets or any questions you may have and I will enter you into a drawing to win the Country Dance pattern! **We have a winner! Congrats, Barb Mapes!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

New Pattern Release!

Hi all! Just a quick post to tell you about my new quilt pattern, It’s a Tie! This is a scrappy, fun pattern that gives you 2 projects to work on. You can use fabric you have on hand or grab some charm square packs from your favorite quilt shop for some super scrappy runners!

Here it is:

This pattern is now available for purchase from my shop.

Tips for Choosing Fabric

I can’t count how many times I have been asked “how do you choose the fabric for your quilts?”. Most of the questions are about color and print and how to choose the right ones. So, below I will share some of my insights and hopefully those will help you in choosing fabric for your next project!

Tip #1: As a beginning quilter, your first instinct will be “I want the fabric used in the quilt in the pattern photo.” However, that is often not possible. Quilts for publications and books are usually made 6 months to a year before you see the finished product. Those fabrics are most likely are not available any more. So, my advice is to choose the fabric by the color, not the exact fabric you see in the photo.

Here’s an example. The fabric on the left is the original fabric in a quilt I wanted to reproduce. However, that fabric was not to be found anywhere, so I chose the fabric on the right.

Notice how I stuck with the similar scale in print and similar shade of red. This fabric will “read” like the original fabric!

Tip#2: Try to pick prints that don’t battle with each other but are diverse enough to keep the eye moving over your quilt. I like to pick prints with different scales, but not too drastic of a size difference. Some small, some medium and some a little bigger. But, if I have one fabric that has a very large scale print, I keep the other fabrics on the smaller scale so they compliment the larger scale fabric instead of fighting with it.

So here are the fabrics that are of a range print scale:

They are not exactly the same print size… and that helps to give your quilt a personality. Imagine if all the fabrics in your quilt had the print of the green fabric. It would be a little more “ho hum” than if you used the stack above.

Now here is the example of having one fabric with a large scale and picking fabrics that compliment that fabric:

Notice how I drew the colors out of the large scale print fabric to round out my fabric selection. But also, notice how the fabrics I chose have different scales of prints…. just not as large as the focus fabric.

Tip #3: Contrast. You may have a pattern that requires you to pick 15 fabrics: 5 light, 5 medium and 5 dark. Contrast is another way to make your quilt design stand out. Pick out a stack of fabrics and sort them into the above categories. You will notice where you place a fabric is relative to the other fabrics. That’s the fun! For example, this blue could be considered “dark”:

…. but, when I pull out the next blue fabric, look what happens:

The first fabric now is a “medium” or “light” instead of a dark fabric. As you can see, it’s all relative! This next photo shows the the stacks of light, medium and dark that I picked for a project:

You want a range of fabrics of different shades. If you make your quilt from fabrics of all the same shades, like all light, it may not highlight your design as well as if you have a variation of shades.

Tip #4: Audition fabrics for a quilt by picking them out and laying them on a table in a well lit area. Then stand back and look. If a fabric sticks out (and not in a good way), pull it out and replace it with another. Keep doing that until you are happy with your array of fabrics.

Here’s a stack that I auditioned for a quilt.

So, that’s a few of my tips. But if you still have trouble picking out fabrics, there’s always help at your local quilt shop. Take the pattern with you and they’ll be happy to help you.

Let me know if you have additional questions on picking fabric. I’ll see if I can answer them. Like anything, practice will make you better at choosing. I look at some of my older quilts and notice how “flat” they look compared to ones I make today. It shows that I’ve improved my skill of choosing fabrics.

Happy Fabric Shopping and Quilting!
Deanne

2019 BOM Block 2!

Have you finished block 1 of the 2019 BOM? Yes, you say? Well, here is block 2 for you to work on this weekend!

For a link to the pattern, go to my Block of the Month page. And when you have finished downloading the pattern (or patterns if you have not started the 2019 project yet) you can refresh your wool applique skills with my Wool Applique Tips and Techniques blog post and also my stitching tutorials on YouTube: Stitching Points and Interior Angles and Wool Applique Stitching.

Happy Stitching!
Deanne

My Top 10 Tips for Quilters

Before you start your quilt, here are some tips I think you will find helpful. These are things I think are among the most important to make your quilting experience fun and relaxing.

1. The pattern. Always read through the instructions to make sure you understand the steps and to find all the cutting instructions. Most patterns have all the cutting instructions up front before any assembly instructions, but some do not. It’s good to be familiar with the pattern!

2. The fabric. Most patterns will give you fabric amounts that allow for pre-washing and cutting errors. I know I add in some extra when I write my patterns for just that reason. But, if you are not sure that is the case, add a little extra just in case. You may end up with a little left over, but you can then start your strip collection for your next scrap quilt!

3. Cutting. Whether you have a dedicated sewing room or you sew on the dining room table, make sure your cutting area is clear of items that can get in your way while you are cutting our your pieces. Also have your rulers close at hand.

Now, I’m going to admit, my sewing area is not always this clean. I’m guilty of piling up scraps on the sides and above the cutting mat, especially if I’m cutting several projects at once. But, I think it’s a good idea to keep the area clean.

Be sure you have a sharp rotary blade to cut your pieces correctly and avoid injury. If you have cut out several projects, you will notice if your blade has become dull if you have to press down hard or you feel your blade skipping as you cut. If this is happening, it’s time to change the blade. Dispose of the blade by marking an old rotary blade container “Used Blades”. Once this is full, you can discard the blades safely.

4. Organization. If your quilt has a lot of blocks made up of many pieces, organization is important. I’ve talked about it in other blog posts. My patterns usually have letters for each piece cut. I like to label a stack of pieces with a piece of masking or painters tape marked with the letter. If the piece is cut from several different colors, I keep them separated by color as well. Here’s what one of my quilts looks like cut and ready to go:

5. Sewing Machine. Be sure your machine is ready to sew. I think it’s very important to take your machine in to the dealer or quilt shop you bought it from for an annual maintenance check.

Make sure it’s clean and oiled and has a needle that is in good working order. Some people do not change their needle until it breaks. Not a good guide. If you have finished piecing a large project or several small projects, the needle should be changed. A dull needle will make a “punching” sound as it stitches and may make larger holes in your fabric than you want. Also, your thread will also break easily if the needle is old.

6. Accurate Piecing. Be sure you are using an accurate 1/4″ seam allowance when stitching your blocks, unless you are advised otherwise in the pattern. Using a 1/4″ foot helps with this but make sure to do a test seam if this is your first time using the 1/4″ foot. Sew 2 scrap squares together, then measure the seam.

Make necessary adjustments in your sewing to achieve a 1/4″ seam. Here is a past blog post I did on this subject.

7. Stock up and keep tools close. I suggest keeping tools you use frequently close by. I have a small hook on my sewing machine where I keep my scissors I use for clipping seams and a small ruler for measuring seams.

I also keep my wood pressing tool so I can press small seams without having to go to the ironing board for every tiny seam. Finally, wind several bobbins, so you can quickly change from an empty bobbin.

8. Pressing seams. How you press your seams is up to you. I like to press mine open because I think I get more accurate measurements for my units. When pressing seams, make sure you are pressing them and not ironing them. There is a difference! Here’s a video tutorial I did on this subject.

9. Measure units as you go. Most blocks are made up of several pieced units. I like to measure units as I go before piecing them into a block. The more accurate your measurements are, the more accurate your block will measure. For example, if you have an 6 1/2″ star block that has 4 flying geese units that are supposed to measure 2 x 3 1/2″ making up the points, I make sure I measure each geese unit.

10. Quilt layout. Finally, I recommend using a design wall or a large floor space to layout finished blocks. This makes it easier to arrange your blocks the way you want them before stitching them into rows and then into a quilt top. Otherwise, you might get all your rows stitched together and realize you have two blocks next to each other that you wished were not. This will save you a lot of “unsewing” time!

Here is a past project where the use of a design wall came in handy. The blocks were all the same, just scrappy. I wanted the colors to be distributed evenly throughout the quilt top, so this was the best way to do it.

I hope you learned some new information. Let me know if there are some quilting tips you can’t live without in the comments below. You will be entered into a drawing for my newest pattern, Open Windows. Drawing will be on Monday, February 18th! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Kay!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

A little Organization and You’re Ready to Scrap Quilt!

This week’s post is about one of my favorite things…. scrap quilting! I love pulling scraps out when I am making a block and seeing how they fit together. I admit some of my attempts don’t look quite right, but most of the time they look great! I think a mix of a lot of different colors and prints working together in a block make it more interesting than if just two fabrics are used. Not that blocks made from two fabrics are not pretty…. but i guess I’ve always like the “chaos” of a scrap block. This post will be for how I organize strips since that is what I used mostly when making scrap blocks.

So, here’s how to get organized. At first, I would just toss my scraps, generally 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips, into a basket and dig through it to find what I needed.

Was that ever a mistake! Digging through the basket over and over caused many of the fabrics to fray badly, especially the strips. As you can see, the basket looks really messy too. So I decided I needed a new system, so here is what I did.

I spent a week sorting through all these strips and separating them by color and size. Here’s a look at what my table looked like in progress:

So now I needed a better way to store these strips. I wanted to keep them separated somewhat so they would not jumble together. Plastic tubs to the rescue!

So how to keep the strips separated inside…. well, necessity is the mother of invention! I cut strips of cardboard to fit into the tubs. That way I can keep the strips separated by size and color.

Here’s a top view to see the organization. Now I can pick up one set of strips, look for the one I want and then place them back in the section they came from. They won’t get jumbled up and frayed!

And why do I keep 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips? Here’s some of the scrap blocks I’m currently making….

So now it’s time for you to get organized! You can do this with any width strips you like. I simply do it with 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips because those are the ones I use the most.

Happy Strippin’ ….. LOL!
Deanne

Borders …. The Frame of the Quilt!

I consider the border of my quilt to be its “frame”. Just like a ornate picture frame accents the picture within, a beautiful plain or pieced border should accent the quilt top you spent weeks (or even months) piecing. My post today will cover measuring your quilt top for borders and then the types of pieced borders that I’ve used to give you ideas.

Measuring the Quilt Top

Wonder to keep a border from being wavy or distorted? The secret to achieving this is measuring your quilt top before cutting or piecing the border you want to add. This step is even more important when you are bordering a quilt top that has blocks set on point. So, here are the steps:

  • Step 1: Measure your quilt top vertically in 3 places. On the left, in the middle and on the right. Add those numbers together and divide by 3 for the average. (See diagram below) That will be the length of the border strips for the sides.
  • Step 2: Attach the side border strips and then measure the quilt top horizontally in 3 places. Through the center and on the right and the left. This will be the length of the border strips for the top and bottom. (see diagram)
  • Step 3: Add the top and bottom borders:

And you’re done!

Plain or Pieced Borders… or Both!

So now it’s time to decide on what kind of borders you want. The easiest of course are plain borders. So if you follow the above steps, you’re done. However, if you want a little more “pizzazz”, you can add additional borders either plain or pieced. Here’s an example of plain borders. I have a tan inner border (for the applique) then a color print border:

SQ188 Floating Stars

These next examples are a plain border, with a pieced border added in:

SQ207 Scrappy North Stars

As you can see, there is a plain black inner border framing the blocks and a piano key pieced border on the outside.

When you want to add a pieced border to a quilt top, it’s important to decide on what type of pieced border you want on the quilt based on what size your quilt top center measures. For example, if your quilt top measures 64″ square, you can divide 64 can be divided by 2 or 4 evenly so you can add a pieced border made of of units that measure 2 or 4 inches. Note, these measurements I am using in this example are finished sizes. If the pieced border units you want to use are 3 inches finished, you can add a 1″ plain border to the sides of your quilt so it now measures 66″ square, which is divisible by 3. See how that works?

So here are a few other fun pieced borders I have done on my quilts:

SQ221 Sister’s Reunion

Notice how the first border is large flying geese units, followed by a checkerboard border and finally a plain brown print border. All to frame these scrappy Sister’s Choice blocks.

SQ227 High Prairie Blooms

This quilt top is framed with staggered strips cut from the color prints used in the blocks. I created the “staggered” design by combining the color print strips with strips of background fabric.

Here’s some close-up views of some of my borders:

Basically, experiment! Have fun with the framing of your quilt. As you can see, they can go from simple to an intricate secondary design like the one on the bottom right above.

Now it’s time for you to share your border experiences in the comments below to win a free pattern! You can win my pattern for Homestead Trail:

SQ249 Homestead Trail

Be sure to comment to win! The drawing for the winner will be on Monday, February 4th. ***Congrats to Kathy! Winner of my pattern!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Wool Applique Stitching Tutorial

As promised in my blog post from Monday, here is the stitching tutorial for wool applique. This is how I teach the blanket stitch and the whip stitch, two of the stitched I use the most when working on a wool project.

Tools for stitching!

Wool Applique Stitching

Enjoy the video and start stitching!
Deanne