Snuggles Quilts

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My Favorite Mini Tutorials

Hi everyone… I am on vacation this week, but I didn’t want you to miss me! LOL! So, I am sharing some of my favorite mini tutorials that I have made through out the years. These are tutorials for some quilting techniques and some quilting tips. If you have not seen my mini tutorials before, I hope you enjoy them. If you already have, perhaps it will be fun for you to share them with a new quilter in your life. Let’s go!

Tutorial #1 – Building a Fabric Stash

If you are a scrap quilter like me, you like to have a lot of variety in your stash. I like to have smaller cuts, like fat 1/4s, fat 1/8s and even strips. This video shares how I cut up larger pieces of fabrics into smaller ones so I have that color print in a lot of different sizes!

Tutorial #2 – Squaring up Fabric

If you are new to quilting, I’m sure you’ve heard quilters talking about “squaring your fabric” before you begin to cut. Why do you need to square the fabric? Because when fabric is rolled onto a bolt at the manufacturer, the fabric is folded and spun onto the bolt by machine. The two sides of the fabric can shift so the piece that is cut for you at the quilt shop in not a perfect “rectangle” when you open it up. This video below shows you how I square fabric so I can cut straight and even strips.

Tutorial #3 – Pressing vs Ironing

As a quilter, you know the iron is an essential tool. However, do you know the difference between pressing and ironing and what you should be doing with your quilt blocks? You should press, not iron. Ironing back and forth on a seam can stretch you fabric and make your block distorted. Here’s my mini tutorial showing you the difference:

Tutorial #4 – Folded Corners

Also known as “stitch & flip”, this technique is one you will use often while constructing quilt blocks. The most well known unit that employs this technique is the snowball block. It’s a way to add angles to the design of a block without having to cut angle pieces and sew them together. Here’s the video:

So, that’s it for this week. Share in the comments ideas for other techniques you’d like to see me feature in an upcoming mini-tutorial video. I will choose a name from the commenters to win a copy on one of my latest patterns, Seaside Cottage!

The drawing will be on Monday, August 2nd. ***We have a winner! Congrats, Diane Potter!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Wool Applique Mini Class – Part 2

Welcome back! This is part 2 and the final part of my wool applique mini class. If you missed the previous posts in this series, you can find them here: Wool Applique – Tips and Tools to Get You Stitching and Wool Applique Mini Class – Part 1. This week we will begin to stitch the wool appliques that we cut out and fused into place last week. I will have two mini tutorial videos that demonstrate stitching (at the end of the post) and also show you some photos of “fun” stitching. So let’s get started!

Stitching

As we covered in the first post of this series, I use perle cotton thread in neutral colors. I like Valdani Perle Cotton, size 8. However, the thread that you use and the color is your choice! Here are the most common stitched used when stitching down your applique. The first one is the blanket stitch:

This is how it looks on a real project:

The next stitch I often use on thin pieces, like stems made from strips, is call the whip stitch:

Here is a stem that I used this stitch on:

I like to use this stitch on stems because I think the blanket stitch would overwhelm such a thin strip of wool.

Now that you have chosen the type of stitch you will be using, it’s time to get your thread prepared. I pull off a piece of the thread no longer than 18″. I think if you have a longer piece, there is more of a chance that it gets tangled and frayed. To prevent as much fraying as possible, I use Thread Magic thread conditioner.

It’s not beeswax and it’s acid free so it’s safe for all your fabrics and threads. I like the design of the container too. Those indentations allow you to make use of all the product without having to dig into the container.

Simply run your thread through like shown in the photo:

Here is a technique you can use to make sure your stitches are evenly spaced. Mark two lines on your thumb and use that as a guide for stitch spacing!

When you have finished stitching a piece or you have come to an end of the thread, here is a handy way to end so there is no need to knot:

Simply feed the tail of the thread through the last few stitches on the back of the project. This should secure it.

Fun Stitches

Here are a few creative ways to stitch smaller pieces or stems if you do not want to use the blanket or whip stitch. I had some fun doing these and it also adds some interest to your project.

Here are some stem stitches:

For small pieces like berries or small squares, this is what I chose to do:

Finally, for the center of a flower, I did a French knot and some radiating stitches:

Stitching Mini Video Tutorials

So now that you have read about stitches and looked at photos, here are two mini video tutorials showing you stitching and working with points and inside corners.

Alright! Was that fun? I hope the mini video tutorials were helpful. The stitching takes a bit of practice, but I know you can master it. I find it relaxing to stitch a project. The fun part is it can be taken anywhere!

Time to stitch!
Deanne

Technique of the Week: Hourglass Block

Hi all! Just a quick blog post since I am on the road after a show in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was a really fun show. If you do not have Facebook or Instagram, here’s a few photos of my booth from the weekend:

I had fun meeting quilters from South Dakota and, actually, all over the country since Rapid City is close to Mt Rushmore and is a great vacation spot. True story: a woman came into my booth here who lives in my sister’s neighborhood in Florida! Small world!

So on to the technique that I am covering in this tutorial. If you saw my post a few weeks back on making eight half-square triangle squares at once, this technique will come in handy turning those into hourglass squares! Here’s that blog post:

Piecing Techniques: Half-Square Triangle Squares

So now, once you have your half-square triangle squares (HSTs), here are the steps for making the hourglass squares. I am using two different color HSTs to show the hourglass design the best. First, lay two HSTs right sides together with the colors you want opposite each other laying opposite:

Make sure to line up the seams. You may want to pin the units together in place so they don’t shift in the next steps. Next, draw a line perpendicular to the seam as shown.

Now stitch a 1/4″ on each side of the drawn line and cut the unit apart on the line:

Now you can press each unit open to get two hourglass squares!

To get the correct size hourglass unit, you will want to start with squares     1 1/4″ larger than your finished hourglass square. For example, if you want your hourglass square to measure 3″ (3 1/2″ including seam allowance) you need to start with squares that measure 4 1/4″ to make the  HSTs you need for the hourglass square.

If you are unsure of the math, you can always make your beginning squares larger than you think you need and cut your hourglass squares down to size when you are finished. Of course this creates some fabric waste, but that’s OK if you do not mind. Be sure to place your ruler’s 45 degree angle line on the diagonal seam of the square for accurate trimming.

Well, hope you enjoyed this mini technique tutorial!

Happy Quilting
Deanne