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More Fabric Facts

Last week I talked about choosing background fabrics, pre-washing fabric and other fabric facts. This week, as we move onto actually using the fabrics, I’ll talk about things like fabric bias, cutting up fabrics for scrap quilting and squaring up fabrics. So, let’s get started.

Fabric Grain & Bias

The grain and bias of a piece of fabric determines how that fabric will perform in a quilt block or quilt border. The lengthwise grain of the fabric runs parallel to the selvage and is the most stable grain of the fabric.

 

The photo on the left shows the lengthwise grain ( the line I am pointing to). As you can see by the photo on the right, the fabric does not stretch a lot when pulled in this direction. It’s a good idea to cut in this direction for long pieces needed for the project like border strips, if possible.

The crosswise grain is a little less stable than the lengthwise grain. It’s perpendicular to the selvage. As you can see in the photo below, there is a little more stretch to the fabric in this direction.

Finally, the bias of the fabric is at the 45 degree angle from the selvage. This is where the fabric is the least stable.

As you can see in the photo on the right, the stretch in the fabric in this direction is more than the lengthwise and crosswise grains. Since it has a lot of stretch, binding for scalloped edge or circular quilts are often cut on the bias. Beware, any seam sewn on the bias (like in half-square triangle squares) must be handled with care when pressing or ripping out so the fabric is not stretched out of shape. Once fabric is stretched on the bias, it usually stays distorted.

Cutting Up Fabrics

As you are aware by now, my favorite type of quilts are scrap quilts. That’s why I like to cut up fabrics and have lots of smaller cuts in my stash. I mainly work with 1/2 yards, 1/4 yards or fat quarters, and 1/8 yards and fat eighths. Also strips…. lots and lots of strips! So here is my process:

Sometimes if I have a yard of fabric I bought a while back but do not think I can use it in a big chunk, I cut it up for scrap quilting. I also purposely buy a yard or more of fabric I like to do this.

First step, I lay out the yard of fabric and cut it into two half yards (each approx. 18 x 40-44″).

One of those half yards is folded up and put aside for storage. The other half yard is cut in half on the fold (center photo below) to make two fat quarters that are each approximately 18 x 20-22″ (last photo below) :

Like the half yard, I fold up one of the fat quarters for storage. The other fat quarter is folded lengthwise so it is 11 or 12″ x 18″ (photo on the left below). I cut it in half to make two fat eights (right, below).

One of the fat eights is stored with others fabric of the same size, rolled for storage instead of folding. That’s actually an easier way to store pieces of that size.

The other fat eight is cut into strips (below).

The photo below shows all the different sizes I now have in this color print. Two 1 1/2″ and two 2 1/2″ strips, a fat eight (rolled for easy storage), a fat quarter and a 1/2 yard. 

Doing this with most of my color prints helps me to build a large stash of fabric. I use tubs labeled with color and size to store these. Here’s an example below:

The fabrics I use for backgrounds generally remain in large chunks, like 1 and 2 yard chunks, unless I plan to make the backgrounds of my quilts scrappy like the color prints used.

Squaring Fabrics

Before you start cutting fabrics for storage (like above) or for the quilt you have chosen to make, you need to square it up. Squaring up your piece of fabric is a very important step that should not be skipped. Especially if you are cutting long strips that you will sub-cut into smaller pieces. If you start with a distorted strip, all the pieces you cut from that strip can be off in the measurements. This is even more important if you are making strip sets and sub-cutting those. You need to square up fabric because it’s often not square when you buy it off the bolt. What causes this is when fabric is rolled onto the bolt by the manufacturer, the selvage ends of the fabric can shift in the rolling process.

I made a mini video tutorial on how to square up fabric. I think this will give you a good idea of what you need to do with each fabric you want to cut. I recommend squaring it up after pre-washing fabric if you like to pre-wash your fabric.

So, that’s it for this week. Leave a comment below or ask any questions you may have and you will be entered into the drawing for my quilt pattern, Bountiful!

The drawing will be on Monday, February 14th. Good luck!***We have a winner! Congrats, Shirley!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fabrics and Color Contrast in Quilting

In earlier posts, I’ve talked about picking fabrics at the quilt shop using a color wheel or laying the fabrics on the counter together to see how they play together, but I haven’t talked about how you want your quilt to look. Color contrast among your fabrics plays a large roll in this. Whether it’s the colors in the blocks themselves, the background fabric or even the different size prints for each fabric you have chosen. That’s what I will talk about this week and hopefully this will add even more to the fabric choosing knowledge you take with you shopping. So let’s get started.

Color Theory & Contrast

Before you can learn about contrast, here’s a little color theory that will help. Contrast is achieved by considering the value (tint or shade) of the each color you choose. Tint is when white is added to a color to make it lighter and shade is when black is added to a color to make it darker. For example,

pink is a tint of red where maroon is a shade of red. This photo below shows that:

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

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

Another way to achieve good contrast is by combining “warm” and “cool” colors or have blocks that alternate between warm and cool colors throughout a quilt. Like I talked about in a previous post, the color wheel can help with that.

The 20″ line on the cutting mat in the photo shows you the dividing line between warm and cool colors. Notice how the colors next to each other on the wheel have less contrast between them than colors further away. For the highest contrast, choose colors that are opposite on the wheel.

Here’s an example of auditioning fabrics for contrast. This first stack of fabrics has pieces very close in shade so there is very little contrast:

Now look what happens when I replace two of the fabrics with colors that are a lighter (tinted) version of the same color it replaced:

Now, I will remove two of the cool colors and replace them with warm colors and you can see how much contrast will be in the blocks I make from this combination!

Interesting!

Background Fabric and Fabric Prints

Another way to minimize or create contrast is in the size of prints you use and also the background fabric color. Below are two quilts I made using the same pattern but with different fabrics. Contrast plays a role in how the design appears, but so does the choice of background fabric. For the quilt on the left, the person receiving it wanted the design to be very subtle and the colors very subdued. The quilt on the right shows how the same pattern looks with high contrast between fabrics, including a very light background (I did change the piece border a little bit for that version).

Here is an example of how fabric color, a design or an appliqué pattern is intensified by simply changing the background fabric from light tan to black.

I also chose colors for the quilt with the black background that had more of a lighter tint to them.

Prints in fabric can be tricky for blocks and backgrounds, although not so much for a truly scrappy quilt. I refer to scrap quilts as “colorful chaos” so when I am making one, I’m not too concerned with print size. But, that if you are making a one block quilt? Let’s take some of the blocks from my Scrappy North Stars quilt and see how fabrics play. Here’s the quilt:

Now here are two blocks from the quilt:

For the block on the left, I used fabrics with prints about the same size in the block pieces, including the background. For the block on the right, not only did I use a lighter background fabric, I also alternated in print size depending on where the pieces fell in the block. 

Next up is my quilt, Sister’s Reunion:

Here’s some blocks from this quilt:

The fabrics in the block on the left both have a larger, busy print than the fabrics in the block on the right. See what a difference prints in fabrics can make?

So, I hope this explanation of fabric color contrast, background fabric color and fabric print and how they effect your design makes sense! Hopefully, this will help when you pick out fabrics for your next project.

Leave me any comments or questions on this topic below. I will answer what I can. It will also enter you into a drawing for the two patterns of mine I used as examples! If you are outside of the US, you will receive the patterns as PDF downloads if you are chosen. The drawing will be on Monday, September 13th. Good Luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Kay McCaffery!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

2021 Block of the Week – Block 8

It’s time for block 8 of the series! This BOW is going fast and in two short weeks, you will see the finished wall hanging I have made. I will provide the instructions to complete the wall hanging if you so desire. If you are just joining the party, all the block of the week blocks are still available here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6 and Week 7. After the block reveal, I will talk about fabric tips, including fabric bias, and bias seams. This block has a lot of those! Comment on the post and be entered into this week’s drawing and the grand prize drawing at the end. Enjoy!

Block 8 – Double Pinwheel

To get the instructions for this block, click here: 2021 BOW – Block 8.

Like I said above, there are a few bias seams in this block so that is why I would like to review that with this blog post. But first, I will cover what “bias” of fabric actually is. No matter your skill level as a quilter, it never hurts to review this. If you are a new quilter, this should help you understand how and why your fabric is behaving in certain ways. So let’s get started!

Fabric Facts

The common belief is that fabric has a usable width of 44″. But you can not always depend on that being the case because of the selvage of the fabric.

Selvage is the tightly woven, finished edges of fabric on the lengthwise grain. This prevents the woven fabric from fraying or unraveling. Because you cut off the selvages before you cut from your piece of fabric, the actual usable fabric width is between those selvages. You can also lose width from pre-washing the fabric if that’s something you do. For those reasons most patterns, mine included, assume 40″ of usable width.

Here’s a few tips to save you cutting headaches:

Tip #1: Don’t assume the pattern writer of the pattern you want to make assumes 40″ width of fabric unless it’s stated on the pattern. If I do not know the width assumed, I will purchase about 1/8 yard extra than noted on the pattern. This also allows for width lost when squaring the fabric up, pre-washing it or for cutting errors … we all make them!

Tip #2: Cut largest to smallest pieces from a piece of fabric. My patterns list all the cutting instructions up front and I list them from the largest piece to the smallest for each fabric, but some patterns may not. Make sure you know how many pieces are to be cut from a piece of fabric and plan how you will cut them efficiently, if the pattern does not instruct you, before you start cutting.

Tip #3: It’s a good idea to understand the grain of the fabric and bias so you know how a fabric will behave in a unit or block you are creating. It’s also important to know this because some patterns will tell you to cut certain pieces on the lengthwise or crosswise grain. Here’s a brief run down:

The lengthwise grain (warp) of the fabric is parallel to the selvage. This is where the fabric is most stable.

The crosswise grain (weft) is perpendicular to the selvages. It is a little less stable than the lengthwise grain.

Bias of the fabric is at a 45 degree angle from the selvages of a piece of fabric.

On the bias,  the fabric is the least stable and has the most stretch to it. That’s why binding cut on the bias is used for quilt tops with scalloped edges or for a circular quilt. Also any seam sewn on the bias (like in half-square triangle squares) must be handled with care when pressing or when ripping out that seam so the fabric is not stretched out of shape. Once fabric is stretched on the bias, it usually stays distorted.

See how stretchy it is on the bias?

Since we will be doing a lot of bias seams as well as straight seams for this block, here is the simplest explanation i have of these two types of seams.

A straight seam is right there in the description: straight. Putting two units together and sewing straight on the lengthwise or crosswise grain. An example of this is two squares stitched together:

A bias seam is when you join two pieces of fabric matching the bias cut sides, like with half-square triangles:

This is why you need to be extra careful in stitching seams on the bias. If you have to pick out the seam in the above example, you could risk stretching the fabric on that bias and it will be distorted. This will lead to your unit not measuring correctly when you are done.

So, that’s it for this week. If you are a beginner, I hope you learned something. If you are an experienced quilter, I hope you weren’t too bored! Leave a comment below or ask any questions you may have and you will be entered into a drawing for my pattern, Open Windows:

You’ll get a lot of practice with bias seams making this quilt! The drawing for this pattern will be on Monday, June 7th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Karen J.!**

Until next week,

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

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

Use it All Up!

Hi everyone! Many of you know I was at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo this past weekend. Wow, was that fun! I really enjoyed meeting every quilter that found my booth. It was fun chatting with you and I am glad you find the time to read my humble blog. For those of you that were not there, here’s a few photos of my booth:

So now onto the topic of the day. In speaking with many of my fellow quilters at the show, I found that most of us like to use all of our fabric. I’ve done posts about storing and saving strips for future blocks. Since fabric is so expensive, we quilters are usually looking for ways to use every bit. Here I will be sharing two “use it all up” tips.

Tip#1

What do you do when you are making flying geese (the traditional way) and have to trim off the seam allowance? That’s fabric waste and I don’t like it any more than you do. 

Inspiration strikes! How about making half-square triangle (HST) square units from the trimmed off seam allowance as you go? Eventually, you will have a batch of these squares and you can make something fun, like a wall hanging or a table runner!

This tip works best if your flying geese units are larger ones, for example 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″ geese. But if you are a quilter who likes working with mini pieces, you can go as small as you’re comfortable with.

Start out with the rectangle that is 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″ and two squares that are 3 1/2″ square. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the squares. Once you have the square placed face down on the rectangle, sew along the drawn line and then sew another seam 1/2″ away from the first seam. If you want to mark that line too, feel free.

Then, cut the unit between the sewn lines:

Press open the units:

Once you repeat this step on the other side and press the units open, you will have a flying geese unit and two HST squares. You can use the HST squares in the project you are making the geese for, or save them for another purpose!

A geese unit that measures 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″ will yield two HST squares that can be trimmed to measure 2 1/2″ square. A geese unit that measures 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ yields two HST squares that can be trimmed to measure 1 1/2″ square.

What can you do with these HST squares? Make a pinwheel block with four of them or sew them together in a chain for an interesting pieced border. Or, just toss them in a container just for those HSTs. Then you can pull them out and whip up a small project with them. A candle mat, a small table runner or anything you can think of!

So now that I have shared this tip, you won’t feel so guilty about making flying geese units the “old-fashioned” way. You will now be accumulating half-square triangle squares that you can put to use in another quilt!

Tip#2

If you have followed my fabric saving tips in the fast, but end up with odd pieces that you can not cut into strips, what can you do? Well, if you use applique on your quilts, by all means save these piece! I have tubs of scraps that I use to make flowers, leaves and other applique motifs. Here’s one of the tubs:

I have tubs for other colors too. I like having these scraps because I don’t have to cut into a new piece of fabric just for a small applique.

So, those are a few of my “use it all up” tips. Do you have any to share? let me know in the comments!

Happy Quilting
Deanne

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

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

Spring Cleaning for Quilters!

Well, it is still spring, even though it’s 90 degrees here. You spring clean your house, your closets, the garage and the attic. How about your sewing room and your quilts? They are also in need of freshening up.

If you’re in the north like me, you probably spent a lot of time indoors working in your sewing area while it snowed. For me … it snowed well into April.

Tip#1

Go through your fabric stash. I know, I know ….. we all love our fabric stashes. But, if you really look closely, there are probably pieces of “what was I thinking” fabric. You know you’ll never use them! Gather your sewing friends together and do an exchange. Someone in your group will love what you don’t anymore. Another option is to donate fabric to your guild or church for making community comfort quilts. This way, you will know the fabric goes to a good use.

Tip#2 Notions and threads. Organize your notions and threads so they are easier to get to and you know where everything is. Seems like a simple thing to do, but many times I have ended up with a drawer or two that was a jumble of threads, needle packs and extra scissors and rotary cutters. One thing I like to do is use everyday items for organization. Like this $1.00 mug holder found at a garage sale. Perfect for my scissors and cutters!

Once you have those organized, then it’s on to the rulers.

Tip#3 Use a pegboard to hang rulers next to your cutting table! I found this at my local home improvement store.

Now onto caring for your quilts. If you are like me, you like to display some quilts around the house. But they will get dirty. Here are some tips I have found and have used with good results. The methods you use to clean your quilts will be a personal choice based on how important the quilt it to you. These tips are NOT for antique or family heirloom quilts. It’s best to consult a textile preservation expert for those quilts that are very old with weaker seams and fibers.

The main thing is to be careful with any type of cleaning.

Tip#1 Cleaning and Airing:

For wall quilts that can collect dust or cobwebs, use the soft brush attachment for your vacuum cleaner and, on the low suction setting, brush across the surface of the quilt.

Do not use any kind of attachment that has moving parts like a pet hair attachment. Those moving parts can possibly catch on the fabric or the seams and cause damage. If the wall quilt has picked up a musty smell or another smell from the room it is in, it can be aired out by placing it outside (in a shady area) on a clean sheet.  For cleaning large quilts, lay it out on a flat surface and vacuum with the soft brush attachment. They can also be aired out using the same method as a wall quilt.

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

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

Tip#2 Washing a Quilt:

If you pre-washed your fabric before making your quilt, washing it should be a less stressful experience. Hand-washing is best, but if you wish to machine wash, pick the gentlest cycle (usually “delicate”) and use a gentle detergent such as Orvus Quilt Soap.


A quilt should be air dried so no more stress is put on the seams or stitching. I have put quilts in the dryer for about 10 minutes on “air” dry (no heat) to get some of the dampness out. Once that is done, I lay it out on a flat surface to air dry. Never hang a quilt from a clothes line. That will cause additional stress to seams and stitching. Also, do not ring it out! Be very careful moving the quilt from the washer to the dryer (or the area where it will be air dried).  If I am unsure of a quilt’s colorfastness, like if I did not pre-wash fabrics, I throw in a couple of Shout Color Catchers. I have washed several quilts with these and have had no color bleeding. This is just from my experience though … if you are worried about your quilt, you may want to do a color-fast test. A quilt that is just displayed and not used very often only should need washing once a year. It’s best not to wash quilts too often, even though they are not antiques.

Tip#3 Storing:

If you want to store quilts that you are not using or displaying, the best way to do this is to fold them with acid-free paper between the folds to help prevent creasing and wrapped in a clean white sheet.

Try to find a storage area that is not in the basement or the attic where there could be extreme dampness or temperatures. Placing wrapped quilts under a bed will work well. If you want to store a quilt flat, a bed in an unused bedroom is the best. Lay the quilt flat on the bed and cover with a sheet. You can store several quilts this way.

So, I hope these tips have helped! Let’s get started on that spring cleaning!

Happy cleaning!
Deanne

I Like Scraps …. Do You?

I love scraps because …. I always have a lot of them! I don’t think many quilters are actually without scraps. When I cut out a project, I usually end up with basket by the side of my cutting table looking like this:

Yeah, this mess … it’s one part wanting to get to sewing my project and 3 parts laziness. I really need to sort out the strips. I usually sort them into containers based on whether they are a color print or a tan print and if they are a full width of fabric (40″) strip or just a piece of a strip. Here’s one of the bags I use to contain my strips:

So what can you do with all these leftover strips? I like to design patterns with log cabin blocks. 

And 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips are great to make a very scrappy log cabin quilt. I used mine to make a Courthouse Steps Log Cabin block (above). Of course you can also use them to make traditional Log Cabin blocks as well.

Another great use for leftover strips are pieced borders. Especially if you finish a project, have lots of fabric left over and you want to make it bigger. This example below is the piano key style strip border created by using 2 1/2″ strips.

Another option is to mix pieces cut from 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips to make a unique border.

Finally another use for my strips is to make scrappy binding. What a great way to use up the fabric from a project! And you do not have to buy additional fabric for a binding.

If it does not work to cut a leftover piece of fabric into strips, I separate those pieces by color and put them into bins to use in appliqué projects. Instead of having to cut into a larger piece of fabric for a small flower, I just dig into my appliqué bin of the appropriate color!
Here’s some of those bins:

 

Another way I put scraps to use is to use them to make test blocks. I make these when I am trying out color ideas for a block. Instead of cutting into “fresh” fabric, I dig through my scraps for colors I want to audition and make the block. I can even make two or three different variations. Once I have chosen the color combo I want, I can purchase the fabric and make the quilt with no worries. This is also a great idea because it familiarizes you with the pattern instructions before you tackle the whole project.

When you are done with the test blocks, you can add a few scrappy borders to it and have an instant mini quilt! They make great gifts! Here’s one I made a few years ago:

So do you want to try a scrap quilt and are not sure how to get started? Try a “planned” scrap quilt. Take a quilt pattern for a quilt made with one block make each block separately using different colors (but still coordinating). Another way to get scrappier is to do it while buying fabric. If a pattern calls for 1 yard of blue, consider buying 4 fat quarters in different blues or other colors in that color family. Do the same for the other colors in the pattern. You’ve instantly made it scrappier!

The key to enjoying scrap quilting is to let go and have fun! Buy smaller cuts of fabric in many colors from your local quilt shop instead of larger cuts of just one color. Once you build up a stash, it’s fun to go “shopping” there and experiment.

***Share with me your ideas on scraps! I’d love to hear from you. I’ll pick a winner from the comments to receive my scrappiest pattern, Scrappy North Stars!*** Winner will be chosen next week. ***We have a winner! Yvette Borden. Congrats!***

Fat quarter friendly scrappy stars lap quilt

Happy Quilting!
Deanne