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Quilting Tip Mini Tutorials!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for reading my blog this past year!

I’ve done a few videos of some quilting tips that I think you will find helpful. For this last post of the year, I thought I’d share them with you on my blog so you would know where to find them in the future.

First up, I did a tutorial on pressing vs. ironing. Some people think when they are quilting they should be ironing the seams. That is actually a “no-no”. Pressing is the way to go. Open the seam with your fingers, a wood pressing tool or the tip of your iron (without touching the seam itself) them place the iron on top to literally press the seam in place. Here’s a link to that video:

I like to press my seams open. As I said in the video, this works for seams pressed to one side also. The key is to not distort your seam by running an iron back and forth across it.

Next up, I did a tutorial on tips for flip & sew corners (also known as folded corners). It’s important to follow these tips because this type of unit can end up distorted in size if you are not careful. I like to fold back my piece I just stitched on and measure the unit to make sure it still measures the correct size before trimming off the excess fabric in the seam allowance. Here’s that video:

So I hope you enjoyed these mini tutorials. I am planning on doing more of these in the coming year. Sometimes, the ideas just “pop” into my head as I am doing something and I think “that would make a good mini tutorial” so I set up the camera and start filming. That is, after I lock the cat out of the studio! Future ones I have planned will be on matching points while piecing, applique tips and perhaps fabric storage. If you can think of any techniques you’d like me to cover, give me an idea in the comments below.

Happy Holidays and Have a great New Year!
See you in 2019!
Deanne

2018 BOM – Time to Finish!

Today is the day that you receive the final instructions for my 2018 BOM. Block 12 is not necessarily a block, but is the wool applique border added to block 7. Here it is:

Once you complete this border, then you can put the entire 2018 BOM wall hanging together! Here’s is what it looks like:

For the instructions for the block border and for the wall hanging layout, go to my Block of the Month page.

I hope you enjoyed this journey with me. Make sure you collect all the block patterns if you need to catch up. Once I start posting information on the 2019 BOM, the 2018 BOM blocks will no longer be available for free. The patterns will be for sale as a .pdf download at the end of January in my Craftsy Store. I will keep you updated for when that happens.

So, for now, get your instructions and enjoy finishing up this year’s BOM! See you in 2019.

Happy Stitching!
Deanne

Time Saving Tips for Every Quilter!

I think about time saving tricks a lot when I am quilting. I have always been an impatient person, so if I can find a way to save time…. I do it! I want to share a few of those with you today in this blog posting.

Tip#1
One of the first things I recommend that will save you a lot of time is to read through the pattern you are planning to work on and create a “test” block out of scrap fabric. This is a great way to find out if you understand the instructions! It’s also a way to “audition” color choices.

Here is a test block I made for one of my projects:

So, you are thinking…. what am I to do with these “test” blocks that I make? They’re not for the actual quilt project so do I just toss them into a UFO basket and forget about them? Well, you can do that, but I recommend using these test blocks for instant gifts! All you have to do is add some borders using scraps and before you know it, you have a mini wall hanging, table topper or candle mat!

I added borders, quilted the piece and finished it with binding. This then became a fun Christmas gift for a friend who is not a quilter! She loved it!

Tip#2
When buying your fabric for your project, add a little to the amount you purchase to allow for shrinkage (if you pre-wash your fabric) or for squaring up. We all know that fabric needs to be squared up before cutting. Sometimes, when fabric is rolled onto the bolt at the factory, it can get rolled on a little askew. You don’t want to get home and not have enough fabric for your project! Here’s an earlier blog post I did on squaring up fabric if you need to familiarize yourself on doing this:

Fabric Cutting – Tools, Accuracy and Safety First!

I often buy an extra 1/8 yard –  this also allows for a possible cutting error. 

Tip#3
This sort of goes with tip #2. Cut all the pieces for your project at once. I like doing this for 2 reasons. I like to get all the cutting done at once and it allows me to make sure I have enough fabric. If I cut in stages, by the time I figure out I’m short of fabric, the quilt shop may be out of that particular fabric!

Also when you are cutting, label and organize your pieces based on when they are used in the pattern. Most patterns will have pieces numbered or lettered. If that’s the case, keep all the similar pieces together as this will make it easier for you to find them when they are needed. Here’s a project of mine all laid out and labeled:

Tip#4
Chain piecing! I love to chain piece when I can. Whether it’s piecing a unit or piecing rows for a block. I start my chain piecing with a leader/ender  piece to keep threads under control and make sure my seams start evenly. Here’s some photos of my chain piecing:

Leader/ender piece before beginning chain piecing.
Chain piecing in action!
Ending the chain piecing with the leader/ender fabric.

Like I said earlier, chain piecing can also be used when piecing blocks. It’s a good time saver technique to use when your blocks are made up of rows and you are making a lot of the same block.

Here are the pieced for 3 blocks stacked up.
Rows pieced and ready to sew together for finished blocks!

So, those are a few of my time saving tips for this week. Let me know if you have any to share. Post them in the comments below so everyone can benefit! I will have blog posts with other time saving tips in the future. In the meantime…..

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Pieced Borders Add Personality!

Pieced borders have many benefits. They add some “personality” to the quilt. They make a quilt larger and they use up leftover fabric! If you’ve made a quilt that you really like, but you want it to be bigger, instead of adding rows and columns, add some borders! They also serve to frame the quilt also. Here’s an example of a combination of borders, plain and pieced that really add some personality.

This quilt, Scrappy North Stars has a really busy, scrappy center:

So, I added a plain black border, then used the leftover fabric from the blocks to make a piano key border.

That plain black border frames the inner blocks and the scrappy pieced outer border finishes it off.

This next example has 2 different pieced borders. When doing this, it’s a good idea to used borders with different size pieces. Notice the first inner border of flying geese is made up of large flying geese units. Then the outer border is a smaller checkerboard boarder. I feel like this adds a different dimensional look to the quilt.

I finished this one with the plain dark border as the last border to frame the whole quilt.

You can also pull an element out of the block in the quilt and turn that into a border. I used the outer square in a square edge of the block as the border separated by a plain tan strip. This gives the illusion that the quilt keeps going.

Here’s that quilt:

And here’s a closeup of the border:

The plain border strips between the quilt blocks and the pieced border can also serve another purpose other than a “frame”. If the center of your quilt measures an odd number yet you need an even number for your pieced border to work, you can add the width of plain border in a size that will do that. For example, if your quilt without the border measures 57 1/2″  x 57 1/2″, you can add a border with a width of 3″ to have your quilt top measure 60 1/2″ x 60 1/2″ once it’s attached.

Here’s a few other fun borders:

As you can see from the above photos, there are many ways you can use leftover fabric for borders.

Another fun use for a border is to create a subtle secondary design to draw a viewers eyes in another direction. Here’s my quilt, Homestead Trail. It has a simple scrappy block center with 9-patch cornerstones. I wanted to add an interesting element, so I built off those cornerstones to make a checkerboard design. I wanted the design to be subtle so I chose colors for the plain border and the checkerboards that were close in shade.

So that’s some of my binding tips and ideas! Since I did not have anyone post on my blog last week to enter into the drawing for the free pattern, I am going to extend the chance to enter to this week’s blog. The winner will receive my pattern, Country Dance. This one also has a fun, scrappy border!

Share your border tips and preferences and you will be entered in a drawing to win the above quilt pattern! Make sure to share your ideas in the comments below. *** Congrats to the winner, Jenedel Wilcox!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fabric Storage for All Sizes of Fabric

It’s a short week this week with the Thanksgiving vacation thrown in, so I thought I would review some of my fabric storage tips for keeping your stash organized and ready to use. Whether you pre-wash your fabric or not, it’s a good idea to have your fabric neatly folded and pressed after returning from a trip to the fabric store. Also, once you have cut out a project, reorganize what’s left and get that stored in the appropriate places. I know I’ve fallen down on that job at times as you can see …..

This is a basket of strips that resides next to my cutting table. I really need to sort them out and get them stored for future projects!

So I will start with my largest cuts of fabric first. I often buy tans, creams, greys, blacks and browns for backgrounds of quilts. Because of that, I usually need at least a yard to 2 yards of those. I don’t buy larger than that since as a scrap quilter, I like scrappy backgrounds too! I fold my larger cuts and store them by color family in a cupboard:

For my smaller cuts of fabric, I have tubs labeled for 1/2 yards and 1/4 yards (and fat quarters).

For 1/8 yards and fat 1/8s, I roll them and store them in drawers. I like using antiques in my office and I have them stored there:

I wrote a blog post earlier on why I do this and how I do this. You can find that post here: Taming your Fat Eighth Storage!

If I have some of my background fabric left over after cutting out a project, those pieces eventually trickle down to these other storage areas.

If a piece of fabric does not fit into the size category for these storage tubs and drawers above, I will then cut strips from that leftover fabric for future projects. I use 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips the most so those are the strip sizes I cut and store. Here’s one of my tubs of strips:

I like to keep these tubs small so the pile does not get too high and the strips don’t turn into a jumbled mess.

Finally, I have pieces of fabric leftover that don’t fit into any of the above categories. These are fabrics I put into tubs by color family (and once again I combine some colors if there is enough room in the tub). These fabrics are for my future applique projects. If I need a piece of blue or purple for a flower, I don’t have to cut into a big piece of fabric. I just dig into my applique fabric tubs!

I was looking around on Pinterest for how others handle left over fabric and I found this charming video from The Gourmet Quilter on what she does with her left overs. She has some really great tips. Especially if you are a scrap quilter and like to have all your small pieces organized:

How to Organize and Utilize Your Fabric Leftovers

So, those are my fabric organization tips and some tips from The Gourmet Quilter, Susan Claire. Enjoy your quilting more by having your fabric organized by size and ready to use! Share with me your favorite fabric organizing tips and you will be in a drawing for a free pattern for Country Dance! Drawing will be on December 3rd. **Since no one commented to enter this drawing, it’s been extended to the blog post for 12/3/18 and the drawing will happen on 12/10!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Measure Twice, Cut Once …. and Other Handy Cutting Tips!

Hi all! It’s a very cold and snow covered day here in North Iowa. I am sitting at my computer thinking of what wisdom I could share on any one subject. Instead of focusing on one thing, I came up with some tips on fabric cutting, measuring and such. I’ll share these thoughts in this post that will hopefully have some information that is helpful to you and makes your quilting experience more enjoyable!

Tip#1 

That old adage of “measure twice, cut once” is true. I have cut strips before that I though were  2 1/2″ wide only to find I cut them 2 1/4″ wide because I was looking at the wrong line on my ruler! Always line up the ruler with the edge of your fabric and double check that your ruler is placed correctly. Also make sure it’s not crooked. I’ve done that too. I like rulers that have the numbers marked (instead of just having to look for a line) in the middle as well as on the ends so you can check your placement.

I found that’s why I like Creative Grid rulers. So for example if you are cutting a 2 1/2″ strip, make sure the 2 1/2″ line is evenly up against the whole length of the edge. Then you are sure to get an accurate width strip.

Tip #2

To keep the ruler from shifting while you cut, use even pressure with your hand, not to heavy and not too light.  Also make sure your hand is in the center of the ruler. Even if your ruler has gripper dots on the underside (which the Creative Grid ruler does), it can still shift if you are not holding it down correctly. “Tent” your hand as shown in the photo below with your pinkie on the edge to keep the ruler from moving. If you place your hand flat on the ruler, you may inadvertently push the ruler forward. Tenting your hand makes the pressure your are exerting go down instead of forward.

When you are cutting a long strip, you may want to stop briefly and move your hand up the ruler so you can keep the pressure even through the entire cutting of the strip. Here’s a side view so you can see the “tenting”:

If you have trouble applying pressure with your hand alone, there’s some handy little tools that help you with that. Here is one such tool called the Little Gripper by The Gypsy Quilter.

This tool works with suction and sticks to the topside of the ruler so you can use the handle to apply even pressure and keep the ruler from moving.

Tip #3

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 this:

Not angled like this:

If it’s angled in any way, the blade of the rotary cutter can wander away from the edge of the ruler and your strip will be cut inaccurately. And, of course, always cut away from your body.

Tip #4:

Make sure your blade is sharp. It’s a good rule of thumb to replace your blade after cutting out a project. Now, if I’m cutting smaller table runner or mini wall hangings, I may cut out 3 or 4 of those before changing my blade. But, if I am cutting out a large quilt, I will change my blade when I am done with that. One way you can tell if your blade is dull is if there are “skips” in the cut you are making or if you have to press down harder than normal when cutting. If that happens, change your blade!

Final Tips:

While cutting out a project, it’s a good idea to use the same brand of ruler for all the pieces. Different brands of rulers can have lines of different thickness. Even if they are off by 1/16 of an inch, it could cause a problem when you are piecing. Be sure to close and lock your blade every time you put your rotary cutter down. That is just common sense safety. Rotary cutters can be knocked off the table and if it’s not closed and locked, it can injure you badly.

Also, make sure your fabric is squared up. You may also have to repeat squaring it up if you are cutting a lot of strips from your fabric. I did a post on squaring up your fabric. You can find it here: Fabric Cutting – Tools, Accuracy and Safety First.

I hope these tips were helpful!

Happy Cutting & Quilting!
Deanne

How to Build a Scrap Quilt

I love scrap quilts. I think the more colors the merrier! Not that one, two or three color quilts are not beautiful …. but a large variety of colors can make a simple pattern look more vibrant. At least in my opinion!

So, let’s say you have a quilt that requires 1 yard each 3 fabrics and has 36 blocks with instructions to make 12 blocks from each color. For my example, I’ll use yellow, red and blue.

This would be a pretty quilt!

However, what if you want to turn it into a scrappier quilt, instead of buying 1 yard each of the 3 colors, split the yardage up into smaller amounts to add in more colors. For example, instead of 1 yard of yellow, buy 1/3 yard of yellow, green and orange. Do the same thing for the blue and red fabrics.

As you can see above, I now have nine fabrics to work with! Instead of 12 yellow blocks, I will have 4 yellow, 4 orange and 4 green. Instead of 12 red blocks, I will have 4 red, 4 pink and 4 brown. And finally for the dark blue, I’ve added in light blue and purple and will have 4 of each of those blocks. So there you go…. instant scrap quilt!

Here are some real blocks demonstrating what I was talking about above. First, here’s 4 blocks all the same color.

Now, I have taken away 3 of the blue blocks and added in a green, a purple and a red block.

Another way to make a quilt scrappy is to actually mix the fabrics in the same block. Below, you will see that I am using the same 3 colors for the 3 blocks, but the each color is in a different part of each block.

Finally …. true scrappy! This is where you sit next to your basket of scraps and pull out a new color for each section of the block.

Now that’s scrappy!

Do you like scrap quilts? If so, use some of these tips to make any pattern you have into a scrap quilt. Share some of your scrap quilting tips with me and win a Snuggles Quilts T-shirt! The drawing will be next Monday 11/19/18! **We have a winner! Congrats, Pammy!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Cutting Mat, Rotary Cutter and Sewing Machine Tips & Maintenance to Keep You Sewing!

We all want to just sit down and sew and not think about anything else. In a busy life, those precious few hours a week or month are a break from the everyday rush. So, when something goes wrong with the equipment and tools you use for this escape, that’s not good! In this blog post, I will share everyday maintenance that you can do to keep things in tip top shape so you can sit and sew with no worries!

After buying the pattern and fabric, the next thing you do is cut the quilt pieces from that fabric. The tools you use, your cutting mat, rulers and rotary cutter, can make your experience great or give you headaches.

Cutting Mat Care

First, keep your cutting mat in good shape by storing it properly. If you do not have a dedicated cutting area where the board can be kept flat, make sure it’s stored flat, like under a bed or on a large shelf. Another way I’ve stored extra mats is hanging them in a closet from clip hangers.

I put a bit of batting on the part of the board that the clips will attach to to keep it from creating a permanent dent. This is a great space saving storage solution especially if you do not have big flat area to store the mat when not in use.

Another maintenance duty we often neglect is cleaning your cutting mat. To remove stray threads from previous cutting activity, you can use a pet hair roller. Run it across the board to remove threads that may be caught in some of the cuts in your mat.

You’d be surprised how little bits of debris that you think won’t hamper your cutting will actually do just that.

Another good maintenance duty is to periodically wash your mat. Use room temperature water since hot water, like heat from direct sunlight, can damage your mat. You can add a few drops of mild dish soap to the water. Use a soft brush, like a gentle vegetable brush or tooth brush, to gently scrub the mat. This will dislodge tiny fibers that get caught in the cuts of the mat. Finally, rinse the mat with cool water and towel dry (try to choose a towel that is not prone to leaving lint). Lay flat or hang (like above) to dry.

Doing this bit of maintenance will extend the life of your cutting mat. Another tip to keep your mat “healthy”…. when cutting fabrics that leave a lot of lint and fibers like batting or fleece, do not cut in the same place on the mat for all the pieces you cut. Move around to give the cuts in your mat time to self heal.

Rotary Cutter

The day I discovered the rotary cutter when I was a quilting beginner was a happy, happy day! My first quilting class did not teach cutting the fabric with a rotary cutter. We used templates, traced and cut each piece individually. It’s a wonder I wanted to keep quilting after learning to cut in this labor intensive way!

Safety first! The rotary cutter has a very sharp blade, as we know (I know from personal experience and a trip to the ER!). The first safety tip is to make sure you have a fresh blade. The blade might look good to the naked eye, but if you feel like you have to press down hard to cut through all the layers of fabric, it’s time to change the blade. Also, if you notice “skips” in the cutting, that’s another sign that your blade is dulling. Once you change the blade, store the used one in an empty rotary blade container marked “used blades”. Once it’s full, you can safely toss it away.

To make my cutting experience even safer, I never leave the blade open. Use the lock button as well so no one can accidentally open the cutter.

I also use a klutz glove and ruler safety shields on my rulers for added safety:

The ruler safety shield keeps the rotary cutter from skipping across the ruler and hitting my hand and the klutz glove is extra protection.

Sewing Machine

Finally, make sure your sewing machine is ready for use the next time you want to sew. I do this by cleaning and oiling my machine after every project. Your machine should have a small brush that came with it along with oil. Consult your owner’s manual on how to clean the lint from the bobbin compartment, under the throat plate and any other area where lint collects.

Also, change your needle! I change my needle after every project. You may not see damage to the needle, but under a microscope, you would see the wear and tear from use. It’s best to start with a fresh needle so it won’t snag your fabric or break your thread.

So, now you’re ready to sew the next time you get a free hour or two and you won’t have to worry about wasting time on the above tasks. You can jump right in to cutting and sewing that next quilt!

Do you have tips to share? Let me know some of your routine cleaning, prepping or safety tips. We can never stop learning!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Accurate Piecing Tips and New Pattern Inspiration!

Today I want to share one of my newest patterns: Ice Cream Social!

It’s a scrappy set of table runners that are made from small blocks. I love working in a standout element like the black stars to focus in on and then use the scrappy nine patches as a colorful secondary design. Both of these runners are quick projects and will dress up any table in your home! You can do the applique on the one runner by hand or machine. You can also substitute in wool for the fabric applique if you prefer!

The blocks in these patterns are 3 1/2 x 3 1/2″. Accuracy in piecing is important in quilting…. especially when making small blocks. There’s not as much room for error the smaller the block.

First, check to be sure your machine is stitching with an accurate 1/4″ seam. Take 2 scrap pieces of fabric and stitch them together, then measure the seam.

If your seam measures 1/4″ ….. congratulations! You are good for step 1!

If you do not get a 1/4″ measurement, time to take some steps to make sure you are stitching with a 1/4″ seam. First way to get an accurate seam is to use a 1/4″ foot made for your machine. Here’s mine:

When stitching with this foot, the edge of the foot is lined up with the edge of the piece you are stitching. This should give you an accurate seam.

If you do not have a 1/4″ foot for your machine, check to see if your machine’s throat plate has a 1/4″ mark like below. Then you line up the edge of your fabric with the 1/4″ mark when stitching. After the seam is stitched, measure it like I showed above.

If you do not have a 1/4″ mark on your throat plate, you can make one by using a measuring tape and some masking or painter’s tape. Start by laying the measuring tape under your needle at the “0” line.

Lower the needle by hand to make sure the needle matches up with that line. Then, find the 1/4″ line on the measuring tape. Use this as a guide to place a piece of tape on your throat plate.

When stitching a seam, you can now line up the edge of your fabric with the edge of the tape to give you an accurate 1/4″ seam. Once again, use scrap fabric to test your seam.

Now that you are stitching with an accurate seam, the final step in having your blocks measure accurately is to measure each unit as you stitch it to make sure it’s the correct size before continuing. For example, if I am making several flying geese units for a block and they need to measure 2 x 3 1/2″ each so the block comes out the correct size, I measure the geese units (like below). That way, when I am ready to piece the block, I know all the units measure accurately. That, along with accurate 1/4″ seams guarantee my blocks will be the right size!

So, there you have it. With accurate 1/4″ seams and measuring individual units as you go, you will be able to churn out blocks, big or small, that measure correctly and make your quilt go together without a hitch!

Share your secrets on accurate piecing and win a free pattern! My pattern, Ice Cream Social! The drawing will be on Monday, October 29th.
**Congrats Sue! You are the winner of the free pattern!**

Happy Piecing and Quilting!
Deanne

My Quilt Inspiration – The Churn Dash Block

Time to preview another of my new patterns for this fall. This one is called Country Dance!

One of my favorite block is the Churn Dash. Using that blocks with a beautiful assortment of Civil War reproduction color prints helps make this quilt pattern unique and vibrant! I used an on point setting and alternated between Churn Dash blocks and a checkerboard block. For some pointers on making a quilt with an on point setting, see my blog post: On Point Settings …. Easier Than You Think and Only a Little Math!

A Bit of History

As you know if you follow this blog, I like to use traditional blocks with some history behind them in my quilts. So here’s a bit of history on the Churn Dash block.

The Churn Dash block is considered to be in the equal 9-patch family of blocks. Made up of a center square, 4 half-square triangle squares and 4 units made up of two rectangles stitched together, you can see the equal nine sections of the block. It’s a very old pattern that dates back to the early 19th century. Since the block was thought to resemble a butter churn with the middle square representing the “dash” (the stick that churns the butter), the name “Churn Dash” was readily adopted.

The Churn Dash block also has many other names. Like many traditional blocks from the 19th century, the pattern was shared among women on isolated homesteads but not always shared with a name. In that case, other names were given to the block. Women often looked to utilitarian items in their home when naming a block. Here’s a few of those names: Double Monkey Wrench, Shoo Fly, Monkey Wrench, Hole-In-The-Barn-Door and Lincoln’s Platform.

Color My Quilt!

Another thing that makes my quilt eye-catching is that the Churn Dash blocks are “scrappy”. I love using a wide variety of color prints to keep it interesting. I used 25 assorted color prints so each of my Churn Dash blocks were a different fabric. Picking those colors can sometimes present a challenge. I recommend laying the fabrics out on your cutting table and see how they blend together (that’s what I do!). Stand back and look…. you can remove and replace fabrics until you get the look you like.

Below is an example of how I audition fabrics that I am considering for a project.

By laying them out like this, you can see if the prints look good together and if there is enough variation in shade to give you a good contrast with whatever background fabric you are using. It’s better to do this now, rather than realize you made a mistake after everything is cut out and you’ve made some blocks.

So I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a peek at one of my newest patterns and this little journey through history.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne