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Get Ready for Sewing Season!

Sewing Season you say? Isn’t everyday “sewing season”? I don’t know about where you live, but for me late fall and winter will be more of a sewing season for me than other times of the year. Since I live in north Iowa, our winters (and sometimes late fall) are snow-filled and too cold to go outside. Since fall began on Saturday, I wanted to celebrate the approaching sewing season with tips on getting ready to sew up a storm. Sit back, relax and think about some of your favorite things to do to get ready for your sewing season!

Getting Ready

Part of getting ready for sewing is making sure my sewing machine is in top shape. In fact, my machine is at the quilt shop as we speak getting it’s yearly checkup. My sewing machines have never had major problems due to these checks. So, I recommend this. 

Other things to do are to clean the parts of the machine that you yourself can periodically so your machine behaves between checks.

Use the small brush that came with your machine, or improvise with a small makeup brush…. and try to avoid playing with the cat that interferes (LOL). 

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!

Once you are done cleaning, follow the instructions in your owner’s manual on oiling the necessary parts. I use this oiler that came with my machine:

I generally do these two tasks each time I have to fill an empty bobbin. I don’t wait until I see the lint protruding from the throatplate or the oil light on the machine flashing. A good rule of thumb on oiling is if you sew a lot daily, oil your machine weekly.

Finally, make sure your needle is in good shape and undamaged. Don’t wait until you break a needle to change it. Damage to a needle is not visible to the naked eye, but under a microscope you can see burrs and cracks. It can also be bent. 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.

Get the Fabric and Sewing Area Ready

First up, make sure your sewing and cutting areas are free of clutter. There are times areas of my cutting table has looked like this:

Yikes! That will definitely get in the way of laying out fabric to cut. Before cutting into that precious fabric, sort and organize this mess. Cut strips from pieces of fabric that are less than an 1/8 yard and fold and store 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and full yardage where it belongs. I use tubs for smaller cuts and fold 1 yard and larger cuts folded on shelves or on hangers to hang in a closet if you don’t have shelves.

Get Tools Ready

Now that your sewing area and cutting mat are cleared of clutter, it’s time to get the sewing tools ready.

First up, clean your cutting mat. Residue can build up on the mat’s surface that can interfere with fabric you are currently cutting. Here’s some cleaning tips:

  • You can remove bits of fabric fiber that get caught in cuts in your mat by rubbing a gum eraser (artist’s eraser) over sections you have just used to cut. You can also use a soft toothbrush. Make sure it’s soft so you don’t damage your mat.
  • You can also remove bits of fiber or lint from the surface by wrapping your hand in packing tape and lightly running it over the mat. Or use a lint roller that you use to remove pet hair from clothing. 

As far as usage of your mat goes, try not to continuously cut in the same place when you are cutting fabric. These mats are self-healing but they do wear out. To get your mat to last as long as possible rotate your mat often to avoid cutting in the same place. Some mats are even double sided so if yours is, flip it occasionally and use the other side.

Next thing to get ready is your rotary cutter. The main thing here 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. This also helps in keeping you safe as you cut. A dull blade can lead to cutting accidents.

Finally, make sure your rulers are ready to use and easy to grab while you are cutting. I hang my rulers by my cutting table:

If you don’t have a hanging space by your table, consider a ruler holder that sits on your table. Also make sure your rulers do not have chips or rounded corners. This can lend to you making cutting mistakes.

Wow! Now that you have done this, you are ready to pull out your fabric and pattern and get started. Share with me some of your tips on getting your sewing area prepared and you will be entered into a drawing for my quilt pattern, Reunion.

The drawing will be on Monday, October 2nd. Good luck! ** We have a winner! Congrats, Mary Markert!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Get Ready for a New Year of Quilting!

Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions. Admit it… you do! We try to stick with them, but most of the time they fall by the wayside by the second week in January. Well, this is my advice on resolutions for quilting in the new year. I know, I know… I’m a little early with the new year stuff, but I know a lot of people will be busy over the holidays, so I thought this was a good time to put this out.

There are things that hold us back from our quilting fun and there’s something we can do about those things. Inspiration, de-cluttering and organization all work to move us forward. I’ll talk about this “theory” of mine this week. Let’s go!

Inspiration

Get inspired in the new year by going to your favorite quilt shop and looking at all the new fabrics available. Sometimes a beautiful line of fabric will inspire you! I have built up a stash and when I am looking for some inspiration, I will look in my fabric cupboard, lay out a grouping of fabric and the ideas come to me!

A second source of inspiration, at least for me, are books of antique quilts. especially those from the 19th century. Here’s one of my favorite to page through:

There are hundreds of these books available in libraries and for purchase online. I have fun looking at a block from this era and then coming up with a way to use it in a design of mine. Sometimes that entails figuring out a way to make the block easier to construct… since I do not like “y” seams or curves. Here’s a block called the Album Cross. On the left is the 19th century version and on the right is my updated version:

If you look closely at my block, you can see I modified it into 4 units made from the “stitch & flip” method to avoid “y” seams. It’s all straight seams! On the left is one of the units that make up my block and on the right is the quilt pattern I made from this block:

If you are into interesting geometrics for piecing, new ideas for borders or appliqué, you can find inspiration in everyday things. Here’s some photos I took of parts of buildings and walkways that I later used to inspire an appliqué design.

Wherever you draw your inspiration from, dip into it over the holidays and get inspired for the coming year. 

De-clutter!

This is always a good idea, and not just for your sewing room! I think de-cluttering any space makes room for inspiration and creativity.

Fabric: One place to start in the sewing room is your fabric… yes, I said it… you don’t need some of that fabric! Go through your stash and look at all your fabric pieces and honestly decide if it’s something you will actually use. If you know you won’t, don’t hang onto it. It’s just taking up space. Here’s what you can do:

  • Donate the fabric you will not use to your church or to a group that makes quilts for people in need. Many of these groups rely solely on donations and can always use fabric to continue what they do.
  • Check with your quilting friends. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean one of your friends won’t. Invite your group over and have them bring fabric they do not want anymore and have a fabric exchange party. If there is fabric left over that no one wants, that goes in the donate pile. 

Once your fabric is pared down to what you know you like and will use, it’s time to sort it by color and size so it’s easy to find when you are ready to gather fabric for a project. I’ve done blog posts about fabric organization in the past. Here’s a look at one of my organized bins:

I have several of these for my 1/2 yards and my fat quarters and 1/4 yards. My 1/8 yards and fat eights are rolled and stored in bins like these for easy access. Larger cuts of fabric are stored in a cupboard folded and organized by color.

De-cluttering fabric also includes cleaning your sewing space. Instead of fabric stacked on your cutting table or on your sewing machine table, that space will be clear so you can use it to cut fabric and sew! Those tubs I use for my fabrics are easy to find at any store that sells containers. They also stack nicely in the cabinets.

Tools: Have you even been to a quilt shop and saw a tool you just had to have? And when you got home you stashed it in a drawer and have not used it? I can say “yes” to both of those things. Here’s what you can do with that tool:

  • Take it out and actually challenge yourself to make a project with it. It doesn’t have to be a big quilt either. If it’s designed to make a big quilt, make one of the blocks. You may find out you like the tool and will use it in the future.
  • Donate the tool to your quilt guild if they have a tool borrowing library (if they don’t… that’s a good idea to start!). There might be someone in the guild who would like to try out the tool before buying one of their own.
  • Finally, do what I suggested above for the fabric. Invite you quilting friends over and have them bring tools they do not want or use. Do a tool exchange! There’s bound to be someone in your group who would like to try it.

UFOs: De-cluttering definitely applies to UFOs as well. There are two things I consider UFOs. One is what I call “orphan blocks” and the other are abandoned quilt tops. I have a lot of both! Here’s some suggestions for these. For the abandoned quilt top:

  • Take it out and assess what needs to be done. If it was supposed to be a large quilt but you only have a few rows of blocks, consider turning it into a wall hanging or a table runner. You get the benefit of getting something finished and you make use of a pattern that you liked enough to start.
  • Another idea for that quilt top you don’t think you’ll ever finish, see if a quilting friend is interested in it. You never know, they might be thrilled to finish it!

For what I call “orphan blocks” first I need to explain why I have a bunch of blocks hanging around. I like to make blocks from scraps to audition fabric color before I cut into good yardage so I end up with a lot of blocks that are then tossed onto a basket.

Here’s a few things you can do with these blocks:

  • Frame them! You can frame it to hang in your home somewhere or you can give it as a gift to a friend or family member who is not a quilter.
  • Make a mini quilt! Take a block and dive into your stash to create some scrappy borders on it to turn it into a mini quilt. Quilt and bind it and now you have an instant candle mat or mini wall hanging for you or a friend!
  • Pincushions! Use the orphan blocks to make pincushions for you or to give as gifts to your quilting and sewing friends. The pin cushion below literally took me 45 minutes to make from an orphan block!

I used crushed walnut shells for the filling. You can find that at pet stores as I believe they are used for bird cages. Or you can use whatever you prefer for the filling.

Organization

Finally onto organization. I consider organization to include cleaning. Cleaning spaces and tools. Clean off your cutting space and your sewing table like I mentioned in the decluttering section. Organize your tools so they are easy to grab:

Organize your block pieces by creating mini design boards from 13 x 13″ pieces of cardboard covered with batting:

The photo on the far right shows these boards stacked up with block pieces (like the center photo) ready to carry to the machine for stitching.

Another way to organize is to label your pieces based on how they are labeled in the pattern. If the pattern you are using doesn’t label the pieces, create your own labeling system by writing a letter next to the list of each piece being cut. I use a piece of tape on the stacks of pieces:

Keeping quilt pieces labeled and separated helps to keep you organized throughout the project and makes it easier to store in a bin like this when you have to put it away before it’s finished.

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope some of these ideas will help you get ready for a fun and productive 2023 of quilting! Share your comments below and we can all benefit from everyone’s inspiration, de-cluttering and organizing ideas!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

The Essential Quilting Tool – Fabric!

I’ve been cutting out several projects and this is what the edge of my cutting table looks like:

Oops! Looks like it’s time for me to do some sorting and organizing again. Does this happen to you? Since I’ve been looking at this pile all week, I figured I would do a blog post about the essential quilting tool… fabric! Besides the pattern, that’s where it all starts. If you don’t have fabric, you don’t have a quilt. Well, at least not a traditional quilt! Here’s my random musings on fabric stashes, my thoughts on choosing background fabrics and some ideas on color and print contrast.

Fabric Storage

As a scrap quilter, I like to have a stash of fabrics of many different sizes, from strips up to half yards. Of course I do often buy fabrics in 1 and 2 yard cuts for backgrounds, but I have been known to scrap piece my backgrounds too. Here’s how I store my smaller cuts of fabric in one of my cabinets:

Most of them are actually in there when not stacked on my counter. I have the tubs labels with size and color. This makes it easy for me to “shop” my stash. As those of you who are familiar with my quilt patterns know, I collect a stash and chose fabrics for my projects from there instead of shopping specific lines. So, when people ask me “what fabric is that in this quilt?” Sometimes I do not know unless I still have some left and I can refer to the printing on the selvage.

So now on to how I fill these tubs:

I will often shop the pre-cuts when I am in a quilt shop to stock my tubs but, if I really like a particular color print fabric, I buy a one yard cut. Then it’s time to cut it up into my own “pre-cuts”. I cut that yard piece in half for two half yards.

In the last photo, you will see I have folded up one of the half yards to store away in my tub of red 1/2 yards.

Next, I cut the remaining half yard in half on the fold to make two fat quarters. Like with the half yards, I fold up one of the fat quarters and store it in the fat quarter red bin.

Finally, I cut the remaining fat quarter in half to make two fat eights. Because fat eights are so small when folded and are hard to store that way, I roll those as I show below (photo on right).

Now, if I don’t want two fat eights of that particular color, I will cut that last fat eight into 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips. That’s what I will be doing with that mess on my cutting table… cutting it into strips.

And how do I store strips? In these tubs below that are shallow and divided with acid free cardboard.

I like these shallow tubs because they are easy to stack and store in one of my cabinets. As you can see, they are labeled with the color and size strips inside.

The reason I keep only 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips is because those are the sizes I use the most, especially for scrappy blocks and for bindings. However, you can use these shallow tubs for any size strips you collect. These can even be set up to store charm squares and even layer cakes, if you collect those.

Choosing Fabric for Backgrounds and Playing with Contrast

Something I don’t see covered a lot when people talk about how to choose fabric, is how to choose the fabrics for your background. Whether it’s for sashing, borders or for the background in the blocks themselves, the fabric you choose can make a big difference.

Here’s some things to consider. First, dark background or a light background? Here’s an example of the same quilt pattern made up with the two different backgrounds:

With the lighter background, the whole motif is more subdued and subtle. When you choose a black or dark background, that gives you the opportunity to choose colors for the appliqué motif that are brighter and will “pop” off the background. It makes the quilt more vibrant. Amazing that you can change the look of the same quilt with just the background choice.

Another consideration is the print on the background fabric. If you want the background fabric to fade into the background, you choose a subtle, small print. If you want a bold background, you can choose one with a larger print. However, when choosing prints for your background, you need to consider the prints on the other fabrics in the block.

Here’s an example. I chose these three fabrics for a block:

Now I paired them with 3 different backgrounds of various print size:

The background on the left has a large, bold print that I feel will clash with the prints in the color print fabrics. If you want to use this background, I recommend choosing color prints with less prominent prints. Recognize that the 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 is a little better with a more subtle and blended print and, finally, the background fabric in the last photo has a smaller print that’s even more subtle so it does not clash with the large prints of the color fabrics. That’s probably the background fabric I would choose for my blocks.

Here’s an example in two blocks that shows how the print sizes on the fabrics play together.

In the photo on the left, the prints on the background fabric and the color prints are about the same size so no particular fabric stands out. To create more contrast, for the block on the right I chose color print fabrics with different size prints. I also made the middle color print darker to create more contrast so the larger print on the purple fabric doesn’t completely overwhelm the block.

How about changing the background within the quilt by having blocks with contrasting backgrounds? Here’s an example:

I alternated between a light background and a dark background for the blocks. And I also changed the star points within the blocks to the opposite of the block’s background. Lots of interesting contrast in my quilt, Marbles & Jacks!

So, that’s some of my random thoughts on fabric as the essential quilting tool. Share your thoughts below in the comments for a chance to win the Marbles & Jacks pattern above. The drawing will be on Monday, November 7th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Debbie!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fabric Stash – Yes or No?

I’ve talked to many quilters in my teaching travels and the opinions on keeping a fabric stash vary from “I only buy what I need” to “I stock more fabric in my basement that any fabric store I’ve been in”. Quite a range! I think I fall somewhere in between since I love scrap quilting but I also do not have a lot of storage space. This week, I will talk about creating a stash so you can have a wide variety of fabrics to choose from when you are ready to start a project. Does this keep me from buying more? Of course not! 

Building the Fabric Stash

Since I am a scrap quilter, I like to have different sizes of fabric available. Sometimes I need a fat quarter and sometimes I only need a strip. If I really like a certain fabric, I will build it into my stash in all of the sizes I use. Here’s how I do this:

First – If I really like a fabric, like I said above, I will buy at least 1 yard of that fabric. These are generally color prints. I will then cut it in half for two half yard pieces.

As you can see above, I folded up one of the half yards. This will be stashed away in my half yard bins.

Next – With the other half yard, I cut it along the fold as shown in the photo below to create two fat quarters (18 x 22″). I fold up one of those fat quarters and store it in a fat quarter bin.

Finally – I take that remaining fat quarter and cut that into two 9 x 22″ pieces. Then I roll them up as shown in the photo on the right for easy storage. 

If there is any bit of fabric left because the fabric was a bit longer than a yard, I will then cut strips. Either a 1 1/2 or a 2 1/2″ strip, whatever I can get. I’ve done past blog posts on quilting with strips so it is always a great idea to have a lot of strips on hand, especially for scrap quilting.

Here is a video I did on this fabric cutting process which may show it to you better:

 

Storing the Fabric

So how do I store my fabric? I used to just stack everything up on shelves or in baskets. I had no rhyme or reason to it. If I wanted to find a piece of fabric, I would soon have a mess on my hands because I didn’t even have it sorted by size or color. That’s why I came up with my storage system. I was wasting so much time looking for fabric or I was actually going to the store and buying the same piece of fabric I already had at home!

For Fat Quarters & Half Yards – My solution? Tubs! I use these for the half yards and the fat quarters. I sort the fabrics by size and then sort them by color and I end up with a tub that looks like this:

I also take photos of the insides of my tubs before I go shopping so I don’t duplicate a fabric I already have…. unless I really like it!

Fat Eights – So you have been wondering why I roll my fat eights? I started to do this because when I folded them like the fat quarters and stored them in the tubs like above, they were so thin that they would not stand up like the fat quarters and half yards and the tub just turned into a jumbled mess. So my solution was to roll them and store them like this:

Storing them this way, I am able to keep them more organized and visible so I know what I have in my stash. Plus rifling through them does not make them unravel or fray while I am looking for a particular fabric.

Strips – Strip storage was a whole other challenge. Like other fabric scraps, I used to just toss them into a large basket. Well after pawing through that basket looking for strips for project after project, I ended up with a jumbled, frayed mess. The more the strips were handled, the more tangled and frayed they got. And of course when you fray a 1 1/2″ or a 2 1/2″ strip… it quickly no longer measure that size and they are useless in your project 

My solution was to take the tubs that I use for the fabric cuts above and create a divided container. Now if you can find a ready made divided container, great! But if you can’t, take some acid free cardboard and make dividers out of those for the tub. Now you have separate compartments for each color family of strips!

So that’s how I get a color print I like in all the different sizes I use in scrap quilting. However, I do not cut down all my fabrics like this because I often need larger cuts for backgrounds and backing. But, following this cutting and storage routine with the rest of my fabrics has made my fabric stash more organized and easier to work with. 

Although …. I have still managed to find an excuse to make a run to the quilt shop and I have still come home with a duplicate piece of fabric! LOL!

Share your tips and tricks for taming your fabric stash. Or let me know why you don’t like having a stash. I’m interested in your thoughts! Win this nice little stack of fat quarters for commenting.

Good Luck! The drawing will be on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Quilt Fabric Stash Building, Care & Storage

Last week I shared some mini video tutorials for common quilting techniques. One that I shared was how to square your fabric before you start cutting out pieces for a project. This week, I am going to talk about fabric stash building for scrap quilting and how to store fabric as you accumulate it. Before I had a system, I would often come home from the quilt shop with fabric I already owned. Now we all know how expensive quilt fabric is, so I don’t like to make that mistake… unless I really like the fabric. I also have another mini video tutorial this week. So, let’s get started!

Fabric – Wash or not?

Once you get your fabric home, the first decision is …. do I wash it or not? There are some pros and cons to both schools of thought. I do not pre-wash my fabrics because I think the fabric is easier to cut because of it’s “crispness” from the sizing. Here are some pros & cons to help you decide what is best for you:

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.
• 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.

If you decide to pre-wash your fabric, you can prevent most of the fraying by cutting a corner off the fabric or cutting the non-selvedge edges with pinking shears.

This also works well for fat quarters and fat eighths. For these smaller pieces of fabric, in addition to above, I put them in lingerie bags. This keeps them from getting tangled up with each other.

Be sure to separate lights from darks and wash on a gentle cycle in cold water. I toss the fabrics in the dryer on “air fluff” only for about 10 minutes and then hang the pieces on a drying rack to finish the drying. This cuts down on the wrinkles a bit, that way you can save ironing for when you are ready to cut.

Building the Stash

Tip#1 – Cutting up Fabric:

One of the fun parts about scrap quilting is building a stash. Since scrap quilting can require fabrics from 1/2 yards down to fat eighths and strips, building the stash also requires you to find a good way to store it!

First I’ll share my stash building secret: If I like a piece of fabric, I buy a yard of that fabric and cut it into the smaller pieces so I have that fabric in every size! Here’s a mini video tutorial I filmed to demonstrate how I do this:

See how easy it is?

Tip #2 – Storing the Stash:

So now I have these stacks of fabric and rolled fat eights and maybe some strips. So how do I store these? For the half yards and fat quarters, I use plastic tubs and separate the fabrics by colors. Here are some of my tubs:

And here is how I label the tubs and store them:

Now what do I do with all of these?

Well, you can store them in the tubs I use above. Or you can store them in drawers like I do. I found some old card catalog drawers at an antique store and that’s where I store mine. If you are using something like I do, make sure to line the drawers with acid free paper or fabric so the fat eighths are not damaged.

Finally onto the strips. I like to save 1 1/2  and 2 1/2″ strips because I use them the most. I used to just throw them into a basket and try to fish out the ones I wanted from there, but I ended up with a jumbled, frayed mess. So now, here is how I store them:

These are the same tubs I use for the 1/2 yards and fat quarters, but I fashioned separators using acid free cardboard. I simply cut the cardboard into strips that fit inside the tubs and secure them with packing tape. Now I have separate slots to put colored strips. It’s so easy to make a log cabin block now!

Now you are ready to scrap quilt, right? That’s all for this week. Leave me a comment below and ask any questions you have. I will draw a winner from the comments for my scrappy quilt, Seaside Cottage, that will put your stash to good use!

The drawing will be on Monday, January 25th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Kathy Brown!**

Happy Quilting & Stash Building!
Deanne

Scrap Quilting: Building a Stash and a Scrap Quilt!

Scrap quilting is so much fun. It’s even more fun when you have a stash to work from. It’s not hard to build one, especially if you quilt a lot. Scrap quilts are my favorite because since they use so many different fabrics, I don’t have to have a lot of one particular fabric. I can even make my background fabrics scrappy! Let’s talk about building a stash and a scrap quilt so you can get started.

Building a Fabric Stash

One of the keys to successful scrap quilting is to have a stash of a lot of smaller pieces of fabric to choose from when making these quilts. I often buy fat quarters at the quilt shop for this purpose. But I also achieve this by cutting down larger pieces of fabric into assorted smaller pieces, so that color print I like so much is represented in every size in my stash. There have been fabric pieces I have had in my stash for a while and haven’t used until I cut it up into smaller yardage!

So here is my mini tutorial on cutting up a yard of fabric:

Below are the tubs I store the different cuts of fabric in. I like to keep them separated by size and color so I can just grab a tub and find the colors I want.

And this is how I store the fat eighths:

See how easy it is to move around the fat eighths without any getting lost?

Finally, strips! I like to save lots and lots of strips. I will cut and keep 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips any time I have less than an 1/8 of a yard of fabric left when cutting pieces from a larger piece of fabric. Here’s how I store those:

I cut pieces of acid free cardboard to make separators between stack of strips. This is a lot better than the way I used to store them:

LOL! It was pretty hard to find the strips I wanted in this mess. Also, they would get tangled and frayed this way.

Building a Scrap Quilt

You can actually turn any quilt pattern into a scrap quilt with a little thought. I’ll use a simple 3 color quilt as an example. To make it easy, let’s say this quilt takes a yard of each color fabric (not including the background) and has 12 blocks. Here’s the 3 colors:

These fabrics would certainly make a pretty quilt:

However, you can turn this into a scrappier quilt by substituting three 1/3 yard cuts for each yard of fabric from above. I’ve done that here:

The red, blue and yellow fabrics served as a jumping off point to add in 6 more colors. So here’s how that quilt from above looks now:

It really does make a difference! And like I said earlier, you can also make the background fabrics scrappy by using different tan prints with each color.

Another way to “scrap it up” is to use several colors in one block.

You can alternate which colors you use in the center and for the star points and end up with a really fun scrap quilt! This was just a simple example of how to make a quilt scrappy. Use your imagination, plus a little math, and you can make any pattern scrappy!

Leave a comment below on scrap quilting and be entered in the drawing for my pattern, Twinkle, Twinkle.

The drawing will be on Monday, August 3rd. **We have a winner … Congrats, Eileen!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Organization Tips for the New Year

When the new year arrives, the cleaning and organizing bug seems to hit everyone. Something about a new year starting makes people want to start things in their life with a “clean slate”. Staying organized while quilting is a good thing too! I have some habits that I have developed and I thought I’d share them with you. I think these tips have helped me enjoy quilting more. Try some out and see if they do the same for you!

Tip #1

Make it a New Year’s resolution to organize your fabric stash. That way you can “shop” your stash when you are beginning a new project before heading to the quilt shop. Although, I really, really never turn down a trip to the quilt shop! I have come home with a piece fabric thinking it was “unique” only to find it in one of my bins. Organization should keep that from happening. I use 16 quart Sterilite tubs to store most of my fabric that are fat 1/4s, quarter yards and 1/2 yards. Larger pieces (yards and up) are folded and stored on shelves in a cupboard.

I label the front with the fabric size and color and then store those in the tub. These tubs are stack-able and fit well in closets and cupboards. I also use these tubs to store strips. I like to save 1 1/2 and 2 1/2″ strips because I use them so much in scrap quilting.

Tip #2

When cutting out a project, use painter’s tape or masking tape to label a stack of fabric. Most patterns, mine included, label the pieces you are cutting out with numbers or letters. That way they can refer to the pieces by that labeling in the pattern. Instead of repeating “2 1 /2″ purple print square” every time they use that piece, they can say “piece A”.

Tip #3

Storing a project you have cut out is another organizational tip that comes in handy. We all wish we could whip up that project as soon as its cut out… but we live in the real world! For smaller projects, I use the zipper pouches that sheet sets or shower curtains come in. I have saved many of them over the years and they come in really handy!

I also use them when I have picked out fabric for a project but have not had time to cut it out yet. It’s a great way to store the fabric I’ve chosen with the pattern. That way I won’t accidentally use the fabric  for another project.

For larger projects, I use a container like below because it’s big enough to store finished blocks in it as I go.

You can find bins like these in your local craft store or stores like JoAnn Fabrics or Micheal’s craft stores.

Tip #4

To speed up piecing of a project, I use design boards that keep pieces of a block organized.

I made these design boards using 13 x 13″ pieces of cardboard covered with scrap batting. I secured it on the back with a glue stick. Make a stack of these and you use it like this:

Once you have a whole stack of these, you can carry them to your sewing machine and piece several blocks in one sitting. No stopping to layout the next block!

So there you have it. Some tips for being organized so you can have fun stitching your next project. Leave me a comment below with some of the things you do to keep yourself organized. You will be entered into a drawing for my book Blooming Patchwork!

The drawing will be on Monday, January 27th so you have two weeks to enter! We have a winner! Congrats, Toni Anne Potter!

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

Picking Fabric Like a Pro!

Have you ever picked up a quilt pattern and wondered “how am I going to get my quilt to look like the sample”? Well, it’s easier than you think!

First, I’ll share a secret with you … maybe it’s not such a secret … but when you see fabric in a quilt, whether it’s an individual pattern or in a magazine, most likely that sample was made 6 months to a year ago! Unless a fabric company has a sample made with new fabric not in stores yet and plans to have the fabric and the pattern debut at the same time, you might not find the exact fabric shown in the pattern. Often fabric companies print limited quantities of a line and when it’s gone, it’s gone! So what’s a quilter to do?

Search for fabric by color family and print size so it reads like the original fabric!

See this red fabric?

If you can’t find this exact piece of fabric, then you look for something in the same color family and shade. So here’s a piece of fabric that is close to the same shade of red and also has a print about the same scale.

What if you pick up a pattern that says to choose 15 color print fat quarters; 5 light, 5 medium and 5 dark? Stumped? Don’t be! This is where the fun starts! Light, medium and dark is all relative. Here is a blue from my stash:

This may be considered a dark blue if it is paired with a lighter blue fabric. But look what happens when I choose the next blue fabric:

That first blue is lighter so you can use it as the “light”, if you are only using 2 blues in the project. Or it can be a medium blue if you are using 3 blues in the project.

Look at this next picture. I have 3 stacks of fabrics next to each other. Lights, mediums and darks. Some of these fabrics are the same color (there are 3 blues and 3 greens for example), but with the variation of shade and print it looks like you have 15 different colors. That’s the fun of scrap quilting!

So head to the fabric store and start stacking up the bolts!

TIPS

Once you get that fabric home, make sure it’s prepared and ready for when you want to start your next project. If you are a pre-washer, get the fabrics washed, ironed and folded.

If you like scrap quilting, cut your larger pieces of fabric into fat quarters, fat eights and strips. Then you are ready to pull out smaller cuts when needed or pile up a rainbow of strips for that log cabin quilt!

Store your fabrics by size and color in labeled stack-able tubs. This makes finding the fabrics you want easier so you can get to the cutting and sewing. Here are some of my tubs that I’ve shown you before on my blog:

Organization keeps the fun happening!

So, leave me a comment on how you approach color when planning a quilting project. Do you follow the pattern choices to the letter or do you go off on your own in the quilt shop and experiment? I will pick a winner from the comments and you will receive a copy of my two newest patterns! I’ll pick the winner on Thursday, April 5th. **Congrats! We have a winner: Judy U.****

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

World Wide Quilting Day is Almost Here!

World wide quilting day is coming up on Saturday, March 17th. Like we need a reason to quilt! LOL! What will you do to honor the day? I will probably be in my sewing room working on a new project. Here’s a few suggestions to what you can do to celebrate the day.

  1. The obvious thing would be to work on a project. How about, instead of starting a new project, you work on a UFO? I know you have one or two ….. we all do!
  2. Get together with your quilting buddies to work on a project together. It’s always fun to hang out with friends and stitch.
  3. Go on a shop hop of your favorite quilt shops alone or, even better, with friends! Bring back a stack of this:

      4. Organize your fabrics. This may not sound fun, but as you are organizing you may discover some treasures. And that’s fun!

I can give you a little help with organizing your fabrics. Since I’m a scrap quilter, organizing fabrics by color and size is a big help to me when I need to pick out fabrics for my next project. I like to “shop” my stash before heading to the quilt shop. Lord knows I love to buy more fabric, but I do not want to buy something I already have. By organizing the fabrics, I can see what I have and what I do not have.

I use these tubs to store my fat 1/4s and 1/2 yards:

As you can see, I have a large label on each tub marked with the fabric size and color. I also use these tubs for my applique fabrics:

Larger cuts of fabrics, 1 yard and larger are folded and place in a cupboard. They are also organized by color. So what do I do with fat eighths? Well, I did a blog post on that: Taming Your Fat Eighth Storage.

So, share with me what you are going to do this Saturday! And above all, have fun!

Happy Quilting
Deanne