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Quilting History: Story Telling & Patriotism

Since this post is on my blog on July 4th, the Independence Day holiday for my US readers, I thought I’d do a dive into a little quilt history to find some interesting nuggets on quilting and patriotism. I’ll also show some of my quilts that have a patriotic theme as well. For non-US readers, I’d love to see some quilt history from your country as well. 

Telling Stories

Throughout history, women have expressed themselves through quilting as an art form. From telling a family story to expressing a political view, quilts were the canvas. They are still that way today in many ways. Many of us have made T-shirt quilts. That’s telling a story! Collecting T-shirts from a child’s activities through their school years or from an adult’s vacation trip and putting them in a quilt is a recording of their history and a snapshot of the family history.

Here’s my version of a family history quilt. For both of my kids, I made picture quilts for their graduations from high school.

There are photos in the star blocks of all 4 years of high school. Hopefully in the years to come, they will look at those photos in the quilts and will be able to tell stories to their kids about their school experiences.

Here’s one of the most famous story quilts from history. I wrote a bit about it in my book, Blooming Patchwork:

This quilt was made by former slave, Harriet Powers and can be found at the Smithsonian’s Nation Museum of American History.

Have you made some quilts that tell a story? I bet you have!

Patriotism in Quilts

From the beginning of the country woman have expressed their patriotism and their political views through quilting, mostly because that was their only outlet. On viewing quilts in quilt history books, you will find everything from appliquéd eagles and flags to fabrics actually printed with patriotic symbols. You’ll find block names like “Whig Rose” and “Yankee Puzzle” to name a few.

A lot of patriotic quilts can be found in the Civil War era. Quilts were often made and raffled to raise funds for soldiers. Quilts were even made to raise funds for gun boats. Read Barbara Brackman’s blog post from 2014 with some interesting history about these quilts.

Quilts were also part of causes like the women’s suffrage movement. This movement for the women’s rights grew out of the abolitionist movement, which was often headed by women. Did you know Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the suffrage movement, was a skilled quilter even as a young girl? She often used quilting bee quilters as her audience for speeches on the movement. Here’s a link to a suffrage quilt, although not one of Susan B. Anthony’s. If you want to look at a lot of historical quilts and find out more information about them, the Quilt Index is a fantastic website to keep bookmarked on your computer!

My Quilts

So, here is a patriotic quilt of mine that is actually my first quilt pattern I designed. It was inspired as a memorial for 9/11.

You can’t see it too well from the photo, but I have written the words to America the Beautiful in the white portion of the stripes. I liked the stars & stripes motifs so much that I made 2 other patterns:

I then designed a quilt pattern (below) for quilters to use for Quilts of Valor quilts. 

I have a new pattern coming out soon. It’s at the quilter’s now and I hope to have it out by mid- summer. I call it Liberty Square:

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little quilt history interlude. It’s fun to delve into the history of quilts and see how they played a roll in some of the big events in this country’s history. Leave me a comment below and I will enter you into a drawing for my quilt pattern for Liberty Star Shine.

If you want to share photos of some of your patriotic quilts or family quilts, feel free to post them in the comments on this post on my Snuggles Quilts Facebook page. The post will be pinned to the top of my page beginning on Monday mid-morning. The drawing for the pattern will be on Monday, July 11th. Good luck! ** We have a winner! Congrats, Shirley!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Quilting Tips & Mini Videos

Hi everyone! This is my vacation week blog post. I’m going to review some quilting tips that I have shared in the past and have made into mini video tutorials. I get asked questions about these things I’m covering here the most. That’s why I made a lot of these tutorials to begin with. Since I’m heading out for a few days, I thought this would be a good time for a refresher. Enjoy!

Pressing v. Ironing

We all know how to iron clothes. You run the iron back and forth across the item to remove wrinkles, sometimes using steam. Well, when it comes to quilt blocks and pieced quilts, we need to press not iron. The difference is not moving the iron back and forth across your seams (whether you press open or not). Ironing can distort your seam and end up distorting your unit or block(s). Here’s my mini tutorial:

A cool trick I was shown by a student who was a Home Ec. teacher is to to press a piece of wood down on the seams after pressing. It holds in the heat and creates flatter seams.

Looking at my ironing board pad in photos shows me I need a newer, cleaner one… yikes!

Stitch & Flip (or Folded Corners)

This technique is used to create angles in block designs, like the snowball block. It’s important to do this accurately because picking out a bias seam can distort the pieces you are working with since the bias of the fabric is not as stable as the crosswise and lengthwise grains.

The key to making these units successfully is careful stitching and measuring as you go. Here’s a unit I was working on recently.

Once you stitch the unit on the diagonal, flip the corner open and see if it matches up with the corner of the larger square.

Once you visually see that it matches up, measure the whole unit.

For this unit, it was a 4 1/2 x 4 1/2″ square made of strips to start. After I stitched the smaller square and flipped it open, it still measures 4 1/2″. That means my stitch and flip was a success and I can now cut off the excess fabric in the seam allowance. Here’s my mini tutorial on this:

 

Crisp Points and Matching Points

A few of the problems encountered by quilters when piecing blocks and quilt tops are getting crisp points, aligning seams and matching points. All of these can be solved by carefully pinning units together and also using an accurate 1/4″ seam when stitching.

How do you avoid cutting off points? Here’s a few handy steps:

Tip#1: If you are joining a unit with a point to another piece without a point, my first tip is to keep the unit with the point on top when you pin them together. This way you can see the point as you are stitching the units.

Tip#2: Keep your eye on the point as you are stitching. I am using a pin as a pointer in the photos below to identify where the point is as I stitch. You want the seam that you are stitching to pass right above the point.

The photos below show how the seam looks on the back and how your point looks on the front once you press the unit open:

Now that you know how to achieve crisp points, what happens when you join two units or blocks together that have points you need to match up? Here’s a few tips before you watch my mini video tutorial:

Tip#1: When pinning the units together, you want to start by lining up the points of each unit and pinning there. Once you are confident the points are matched, you can pin the rest of the unit. 

Tip#2: Like in the tip above on crisp points, keep the seam above the point as you are stitching. Since you took such care in aligning the points, the seam should be above the point on the back unit too.

Below is my video on matching points. You’ll notice that aligning your block seams also helps in matching your points when joining blocks.

Well, that’s it for this week. I’ll see you next week with more fun tips that are hopefully useful to you! If you have any questions, ask away!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Random Scrap, Fabric & Other Random Tips

Are you tired of me talking about scrap quilting yet? I hope not! I never tire of making scrap quilts so I never tire of talking about it. From teaching classes, doing daily posts and from other communications with quilters, I often get questions that I haven’t covered yet in a post, so I figured I’d do this one today sweeping a lot of that information into one place. Maybe I will answer a question you have asked or have been wanting to ask. So, sit back and enjoy the fun!

Strip Storage

I talked about storage of strips a few weeks ago, but since then guess what I did? I updated how I store my strips! I used to use these deep tubs:

However I have found that, just like with the large zip loc bags I used to store strips in, the deeper the stacks of these strips got in the tub, the more jumbled they became. Towards the bottom of the stacks, I would have crumpled strips with fraying sides. Some were frayed bad enough that they no longer measured the size I wanted.

My solution? A great shallow tub from Sterilite that I partitioned off with acid free cardboard cut to size.

These tubs are only 2 3/4″ deep as opposed to the almost 6″ depth of the deeper tubs. I think I’ll be able to maintain control of my strips better in these! 

Here’s how they look in my cabinet by my sewing machine. They are clearly labeled with color(s) and size so when I am looking for a strip for a scrap quilt, I can pull out the right tub quickly.

I still have a few deeper tubs with strips that need to be switched out, but I am making progress!  These tubs are also shallow enough to store charm squares or squares that you cut from scrap fabric, if you collect those.

Now it’s time for me to start my next scrap quilt.

On to Random Scraps

So what do I do with a scrap like this?

Yes! I keep these scraps. If you have followed me a while, you know I love to do fabric appliqué. Scraps like these go into tubs like the one below, labeled with colors. This way, when I need a small piece for an appliqué motif I don’t need to cut into a larger piece of fabric.

I just reach into the tub and find the perfect scrap of fabric that will complete my design. Now if there is a fabric in there that I feel I may not use, or perhaps its fairly old, I may then cut it into squares that can be used in a later project. 

Random Tips

Some of these random tips tie into my strip and scrap talk above. 

Tip#1: Use your scraps to audition colors for blocks. If you are not sure what fabric colors you think look good for your new project, make what I call “test blocks”. Here’s a few I made for a project:

By doing this, I can get an idea of what color combinations look good for my project before I cut into some expensive fabric. I pull out scraps from my bins that hold the appliqué scraps to make these blocks. Or I use some strips from my strip stash if the block pieces can be cut from the size strips I collect.

Now, what do you do with all these test blocks? I actually create small quilts from them to give as gifts. And to make those, I use…. you guessed it… my stash of strips! Here’s one of mine:

As you can see, I framed the star block with a series of borders made from strips. Once I quilted it, I had a cute mini table mat/candle mat to give to a friend.

Tip#2: If you don’t do appliqué like me but still save those odd scraps of fabric, consider making crazy quilt blocks or crumb blocks. I made a brief mention of those in my blog post of April 25th.

A quick google search of both of these terms will lead you to designers who make these types of quilts and who may have some really fun patterns for you to try.

Tip#3: If you go through your fabric stash and find a piece of fabric that makes you say “what was I thinking!” Consider cutting it down into smaller pieces. If it’s a 1/2 yard, you can cut it into a fat quarter and then cut the rest of it into strips. Here’s an example:

Keeping this piece big and using it as a background would be hard to do since it’s so busy. However, when I cut it into strips or squares (below), it tones down the pattern and makes it perfect for a scrap quilt. Since it’s a small strip or square, the pattern won’t overpower other fabrics.

If you really, really don’t like a piece of fabric and don’t think it would even look good in a scrap quilt, consider doing a fabric swap with quilting friends or members of your quilt guild. Someone else might really like it! Or, donate it to a group that makes quilts they give away to needy families or sick children. They’re always looking for fabric donations. Then you know your money spent on that fabric is not going to waste.

That’s it for this week’s post. Comment below or ask any questions you may have. I will enter you into a drawing for my pattern, Follow the Stars:

This pattern uses a lot of scraps and strips! The drawing will be on Monday, May 16th. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats Barbara Jansz!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

More Scrap Quilting Tips for Fun!

Last week I talked about quilting with strips and scraps and shared some links to some history, including a look at the quilts of Gee’s Bend and crazy quilting. Here’s the post if you missed it. This week, I thought I’d continue with the scrap quilting fun by showing you two ways I scrap quilt. Making what I call “planned” scrap quilts and true scrap quilts. I’ll show you examples with my quilts and explain how I either plan a scrap quilt or just “fly by the seat of my pants”! 

How to Plan a Scrap Quilt

Sounds kind of funny planning a scrap quilt, right? Well, I know some quilters do not like the complete chaos of a scrap quilt and want to still have some harmony among their fabrics. Here’s an example of how I teach people how they can turn any quilt into a scrap quilt.

I 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 from each color. Here’s the 3 colors:

Here’s what a quilt would look like with those 3 colors in separate blocks.

Pretty quilt, huh?

One way to make a scrap quilt from just these three fabrics is to mix and match the colors within the blocks. For example, make some blocks gold/blue and some blocks red/gold and some blue/red:

This makes it a little scrappier! However, you can turn this even scrappier by substituting three 1/3 yard cuts for each yard of fabric from above. I’ve done that here:

To the dark blue fabric, I added a light blue and a purple. To the red fabric, I added pink and brown (both fabrics have red accents) and to the yellow fabric I added green and orange. So, now I have 9 colors which I can distribute through 36 blocks giving me 4 blocks from each color. Or I can mix and match those colors within each block.

The quilt on the left is scrappier than the 3 color quilts from above. And the quilt on the right is even scrappier when you mix the colors within each block. So that’s the basics to a planned scrappy quilt.

Color Mapping

So how do you plan a scrap quilt using any one block pattern? First choose a block design, then how many blocks you want and then how many colors you want to use. Then I make a diagram using a drawing of the block. I call this method “color mapping”.  I number the colors I am using and then on a printout of the blocks in the quilt, I place the color number(s) in units of the blocks. Then I note how many blocks from each combination.

Here’s an example of one of my color maps showing that I am using nine different color prints that are numbered 1-9:

Once I have this done, then I can figure out how many pieces I need to cut from each color based on the diagram above. It does take a little time and math, but by doing this planning first, you end up with a beautiful scrap quilt. My Scrappy North Stars is an example of one planned this way (although I had more than 9 different fabrics in this one):

Unplanned Scrappy and Color Fun

Now for the unplanned scrap quilt or what I call “chaos”. That’s when I sit beside my tub of assorted strips and make one block after another. As I am making each block, I put them up on a design wall and try to avoid putting the same color strip into a block, at least not in the same place. The two quilts below are examples of some unplanned scrappies.

CrissCross Cabin Blooms
Hugs & Kisses

Yes, I do have colors repeated, but when that happens, it’s generally a different print from one in another block.

As you can see from some of the quilts I have shown in this post, I’m not afraid of putting interesting color prints together. That’s the fun of scrap quilts. You may think certain colors do not belong together, but in a scrap quilt you can get away with it!

Don’t be afraid to play with all different color fabrics and prints in a scrap quilt, whether it’s a planned scrap quilt or an unplanned scrap quilt. You’ll often be surprised with the results!

I hope you enjoyed this scrap quilting discussion and a look into my process. Comment or ask any questions you may have below and you will be entered into a drawing for my Scrappy North Stars quilt pattern (shown above)! **We have a winner… congrats, Ariel!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Machine Quilting a Small Project – Part 1

Welcome! I thought this would be a fun topic for the next few weeks. We have all struggled with getting our quilt tops quilted. If you have access to a lot of long-arm quilters in your area you are so lucky! But many of us are in areas where there are not a lot of long-arm quilters available. That’s my problem. Scheduling in a quilt takes some time because the quilters are so busy, especially if they are really good at it! I reserve using my long-arm quilter for my large projects. So what do I do? I quilt anything that is under 48″ x 48″ on my home machine! That’s why I decided to talk about quilting smaller projects on your home machine. Now, you may not want to set your maximum quilt top size as high as mine and just stick with quilting tops that are smaller. That’s up to you. For those of you who are up to the challenge, this is the series for you. So let’s get started!

Preparing the Quilt Sandwich

To start, you need to make what is referred as a quilt “sandwich”. Funny name… but this is what quilters call it when you layer your quilt top with batting and backing. When doing this, I like to cut my backing and batting about 1-2″ larger on all sides than my quilt top (photo below). This guarantees that my whole quilt top will have coverage to the edges. If you cut the backing and batting exactly to the size of your quilt top, you could accidentally shift things while basting and/or quilting and end up with an area along the edge of your quilt that does not have batting and backing. Believe me, you don’t want to pick out machine quilting stitches!

**Extra Tips: If you are not going to quilt your own large quilt, confer with your long arm quilter on the amount of overlap of backing they prefer. I generally cut a backing 6″ larger on all 4 sides for a quilt that will go to my long arm quilter. And if you need to seam together fabric for your backing, be sure to iron the seam open and flat to relieve bulk (photo below). This is a backing tip I received from my long-arm quilter.

To prepare your quilt top to be “sandwiched”, make sure all your seams are all pressed flat, whether you press them to to the side or open. Flat seams make for a flat, less bulky quilt top for quilting. Also, remove any stray threads from the quilt top. Especially the ones that are in the seams. When you’re piecing a quilt top, threads often get caught in the seams (see below).

Moving on, make sure your backing is pressed and as wrinkle-free as possible. Find a large table and tape the backing, right side down, to the table top to keep it smooth and tight without stretching it out of shape. Start on one side and make your way to the other side while smoothing out the backing as you go. If you are lucky enough to have a large, hard floor space to do this, that works too.

Once the backing is secured, lay the batting on top, smoothing it out. Be careful not to wrinkle the backing below.

Now, center the quilt top on top of the batting. Smooth carefully so wrinkles are not created in the batting and you do not stretch the quilt top out of shape. Use a ruler to make sure you did not stretch it out of shape. Place the ruler on the corners to make sure they are still 90 degrees and not stretched.

The final step in the sandwiching of a quilt is to baste it together to hold everything in place. You can either do that with thread or with safety pins.

Thread Basting Method: You can use white thread and a long running basting stitch in a grid pattern. Space the stitching 4 to 6″ apart. Start in the center of the quilt sandwich and work your way out.

Since the stitches are long and widely spaced, you can clip and remove the basting from each section you are quilting as you go.

Pin Basting Method: This is the method I use. I pin 3 to 4″ apart, starting in the center of the quilt top and working out to make sure the quilt top remains smooth and flat. I also like to stagger the pinned rows. I like to use curved safety pins made specifically for quilt basting.

So that’s the quilt sandwich. Now you are ready to machine quilt your project. Next week, I will share tips on the quilting process and my mini video tutorial. My main goal with this post and next week’s installment is to make machine quilting on your home machine a bit less intimidating.

Comment or ask questions below. You will be entered into a drawing for my quilt pattern, Twinkle, Twinkle!

The drawing will be on Monday, April 18th so you have 2 weeks to enter! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Sharon M!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Using Directional Prints – Part 2

Last week, I talked about what a directional print is and how to use them when making half-square triangle squares and also units for straight seams. Find the post here. These tips are useful if you are wanting your directional prints to all go in the same direction in a block or unit. This week I will talk about using these fabrics when making flying geese units, specifically those you will use to make a star block. I’ll also show you block examples where I followed these tips and where I didn’t. Let’s get started!

Directional Prints in Flying Geese Units

Below are the fabrics I picked for a star block using flying geese units. I purposely chose only one directional print fabric, the grey, to keep things simple.

The secret to using directional print fabrics for flying geese is this:  if you position the directional print square face down on the tan rectangle with the print running horizontal, the print will run vertical after stitching and pressing the piece open. The photos below show this:

Notice how I turn the square so the print is horizontal (center photo) before laying the square face down on the rectangle.

To finish the flying geese unit, I need to lay the next square face down on the other side of the rectangle with the print running horizontal so when I’m done stitching and pressing that side open, the print runs vertical like on the other side.

But now here is the tricky part …. if you are using the directional print for the center square of the star and if you make all 4 flying geese with the print going vertical… this will happen:

If you make all four flying geese units with the print running vertical, the units on the side of the square will not have vertical stripes. So, you need to make two of the geese with the print running vertical and two of the geese with the print running horizontal.

See how having geese with the directional print going in different directions now works when you place them with the center? See the photos of the block before and after piecing below:

Now the directional print is going in the same direction in the star block! 

Fuss with Directional Prints or Not?

So now that you have my tips on using directional prints and tips on how to make units where the design runs in the same direction, here are some blocks from scrap quilts I made where I followed my tips:

And now here are some blocks where I just pieced blocks without paying attention to the direction of the fabric print:

As you can see above, the prints don’t all run in the same direction in these blocks. But they still look good. Especially in a scrap quilt where so much is going on.

Like I said in last week’s post. There are no quilt police. If you want to match up your directional prints, go for it. If you don’t, then enjoy the fun!

Here’s a few handy tips:

TIP #1: If you are making a block and want to use a directional print, decide up front if you want to have the print run in the same direction through out. That way you can figure out how to cut the fabric pieces and stitch them together to achieve this. This will save you a lot of “un-sewing” headaches.

TIP #2: If you choose to use directional prints, I recommend only using one of those fabrics within a block or unit. For example, if your block has three different fabric with prints, use only one that has a directional print  (the others can be solids or non-directional prints) especially if you want to have the print run in one direction.

So, that’s all for this week. Leave a comment or ask a question in the comments and you will be entered into a drawing for my pattern, Barn Dance:

The drawing will be on Monday, April 4th. Good luck!**We have a winner. Congrats, Darlene!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Using Fabrics with Directional Prints

The last few weeks, I have covered useful piecing techniques like matching seams and points, stitch & flip and making multiple flying geese and HSTs. The fabric you use is not always a solid fabric or one with a random print. Sometimes, your fabric will have a print that goes in a single direction. You’ll hear these referred to as “directional prints”. Directional print fabrics can present a challenge and, many times, quilters will shy away from using them. But don’t be afraid of using these types of fabric. It can actually be fun to play with directional prints. Also… there is NO quilt police. If your directional prints go in different directions, who cares? I think it adds to the charm of a quilt, especially scrap quilts. I’ll talk about using these prints over the next two weeks. Let’s get started!

How Do You Identify a Directional Print?

A fabric has a directional print, sometimes referred to as a “one-way” print, when there is a clear up or down to the pattern on the fabric. Here are a couple of examples of that.

As you can see above, the pattern goes in one direction. It’s especially evident in the fabric on the left. Compare these fabrics to the ones below.

The design on the above fabrics are considered not directional because which ever way you turn the fabric, it looks the same. You can see it clearly in the fabric on the right. The “starburst” design is symmetrical and looks the same no matter which direction you turn it.

There can be one-way, two-way, three-way and even four-way directional print designs. If I use a directional fabric and want the design to all go in the same direction within the block, I try to stick with a directional fabric that isn’t too complicated.

Using Fabrics with Directional Prints

Units with Straight Seams

So, if you want to use these fabrics and have the directional prints go in the same direction within a unit or block, there is a way to do that and it’s not too difficult. It just takes a little more attention to detail than if you are working with random print fabrics.

Using these fabrics takes planning when you are cutting the pieces for your unit or block. The first example I will show you is a unit made up of a square and bordering strips. This the easiest to do because you are working with straight seams. Here’s the fabric I chose for this example:

As you can see, the solid lines with stars runs in one directions. If I were just to cut all the pieces to frame the center square (see below), from the same 1 1/2″ strip, here’s how it would look:

Notice with the strips on the sides the print runs vertically and with the strips on the top and bottom the print runs horizontally. In a scrap quilt, with a lot of different units made from different fabrics, this unit would be just fine. In fact, scrap quilts are usually what I like to call a “chaos” of fabrics and prints and this would add to the fun.

However, if I am making a two color quilt and I want more uniformity, here’s what I do.

Cut the longer side rectangles from the 1 1/2″ strip – in this case, the rectangles need to be 1 1/2 x 4 1/2″. As you can see in the first photo, the print is vertical. Now, to get the top and bottom rectangles, which each measure 1 1/2 x 2 1/2″, to have the print vertical, cut a strip from your fabric for these pieces 2 1/2″ wide and then cut 1 1/2″ segments for 1 1/2 x 2 1/2″ rectangles. (see the last two photos below)

When you lay out the pieces to make this unit, you can tell right away that the print is all going in the same direction (photos below).

Units with Bias (45°) Seams

Using directional fabrics in making units or blocks with bias seams, like half-square triangle (HST) squares is a little more difficult than with straight seams.

Below are the pieces to make 4 HSTs. Lay them out as shown and then lay the tan print face down on the color print. Stitch diagonally a scant 1/4″ on each side of the diagonal center beginning from the same direction on both square sets (see where my finger is pointing).

Once you cut the units apart and press open you will get 4 HSTs where, no matter how they are arranged, the directional tan print will not go in the same direction. 

If you want the tan fabric directional print to go in the same direction in the unit, follow the above steps, BUT stitch each set of squares starting in the opposite corner (see where my finger is pointing in last two photos).

Once you stitch the seams (first photo), cut the units apart, press and arrange them in the pinwheel, the directional print is all moving in the same direction.

Putting it all Together

Now, use the straight seam and the bias seam lessons from above and combine that knowledge to make a block that uses both types of seams. Like the churn dash block below:

So, with this lesson, will you feel more comfortable using directional prints? Give it a try. It takes only a little more effort and attention to detail while you are cutting out your pieces, but if your goal is a unified look, then it’s worth it.

Next week, I’ll be covering using directional prints in flying geese units and showing how you can get them to go in the same direction if you want. I’ll also show you examples of the look you can achieve by just letting the prints go where they may.

Like I said earlier, there are no quilt police that will tell you what you are doing is wrong. The main goal in working on a quilt project is to have fun!

Leave a comment or ask a question below and be entered into a drawing for my pattern, Barn Dance.

You get some practice using directional prints with these blocks if you choose! Drawing will be on Monday, April 4th so you have 2 weeks to enter. **We have a winner. Congrats, Darlene!**

Happy Quilting!

More Tips for Beginners (and experienced!) Quilters

Welcome back! It’s time for more tips for beginners. This week I will cover accurate piecing tips. Accurate piecing is essential in quilting and a must for all beginners to learn. It’s also great to brush up on these tips as an experienced quilter. I like to go back to these basics even though I been quilting for 30+ years. Sometimes when you do something for years, you start to cut corners. But, cutting corners can lead to blocks and quilts that don’t turn out right. So let’s get started on the tips!

Tip #1 Sew with a 1/4″ Seam

As a beginner you have heard that the 1/4″ seam is essential for accurate piecing. As sewers of clothing are familiar with the 5/8″ seam, so should quilters be with the 1/4″ seam. Patterns are written and pieces are cut for a quilt with this seam allowance built in (unless it’s otherwise noted). There are many things that can effect achieving an accurate 1/4″ seam, but some of the ones I think are most important are needle position, quilting foot and thread thickness.

Needle Position: Needle position is important so that your straight stitched seam is exactly 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric pieces you are stitching. Make sure your needle is in the correct position before stitching units and blocks, especially if you switch needle position when you are doing non-quilting stitching. Here’s how my needle positioning button looks on my machine:

Use scrap fabric, sew a seam as you move the needle incrementally to the right or left until the resulting seam measures 1/4″. This is especially helpful if you do not have a specialty 1/4″ quilting foot on your machine to use as a guide.

Quilting Foot: Some machines meant only for quilting will come with a 1/4″ foot standard. But if your machine does not, I highly recommend you get one. Here’s mine:

But even if you purchase one of these, you still need to test the seam width on scrap fabric before you use it for a project.

Thread Thickness: If you change your thread and it’s a different thickness from the previous thread you have been using, you may need to adjust your needle position to account for more or less thickness. Keep this in mind if you move between different thread brands. You may have to test seams again.

Here’s how to check on your seam allowance as you adjust needle position, allow for thread thickness and also checking that your 1/4″ foot is actually accurate.

First, stitch two scrap strips together using the your 1/4” foot as the guide and then measure the seam.

If you don’t have a 1/4″ foot, there are markings on your machine’s throat plate to use as a guide (I’m pointing the pin to that line on my machine.):

Once you sew that seam and measure it, if it does not measure 1/4″, this is where allowing for thread thickness or inaccuracy of your throat plate markings or sewing foot is managed with needle positioning. You may have to sew several scrap seams and measure to get the right seam measurement. These may seem tedious, but if you want your block units, blocks and quilts to piece together and seams to match up, the 1/4″ seam needs to be consistent throughout.

Tip #2: Pin!!!

I’m known for sometimes skipping this step if I am in a hurry and stitching shorter seams. I’m here to say… do not skip this. It’s important to pin to keep the fabric pieces from shifting while you stitch the seam. One little shift by the top or bottom piece while it is feeding through your machine can cause the unit to not measure correctly because your seam isn’t accurate.

If you are joining blocks together that have multiple seams, pinning is even more important to keep those seams lined up.

Tip #3 Leader/Ender Scrap

This is a tip I learned a few years into quilting. If you use a scrap of fabric to start and end your stitching, it helps to keep your seam straight. Any puckering or skipped stitches will happen on the scrap:

It also gives you the opportunity to make sure you are sewing straight and not veering off your 1/4″ seam.

Tip #4 Press Your Seams Flat

Whether you press your seams to one side or press them open, flat seams are important for your stitched units and blocks to measure accurately. I like to press my seams open, I find it gives me more accurate measurements. Either way you choose to press your seams, make sure no fabric is bunched up anywhere and the seam lays flat on both sides of your piece.

The seam on the left was not pressed so it lays flat on the bottom and the top. You can see the red strip is creased a bit over the seam. The photo on the right shows the seam pressed correctly. That red strip is now flat with no fabric creased.

Also, make sure you are pressing your seams and not ironing them. If you iron across seams, you can distort them causing your unit or block not to measure accurately. Here’s a mini tutorial on pressing seams:

Random Tips

  • Use a stiletto or other item to keep the units you are stitching together straight as you feed them under the presser foot. Also, as you are guiding your fabric through, make sure you are not pulling it towards you or holding it too tight because that can cause the top layer of fabric to move slower than the bottom layer is moving across the feed dogs making your seams uneven.
  • There are pressure adjustments for your presser foot. Make sure the pressure is strong enough to keep your fabric from slipping out from under the foot when it’s down, but not too strong that it causes your fabric not to move evenly with the feed dogs.
Pressure correct
Pressure too light
  • Finally, backstitch when beginning and when ending a seam to lock it. This will keep the seam of the stitched unit from opening up (photo below). If a seam of a unit opens while you are piecing it into a block, that can lead to a unit or block not measuring correctly.

Well, that’s it for this week. If you have some tips to share or you have questions, use the comments below and you will be entered into the drawing for the two current magazine issues that have my patterns in them.

The drawing will be on Monday, February 28th.***We have a winner! Congrats, Carol!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Quilting Tips & Hacks – One of my Favorite Tools!

For a lot of daily tasks, we humans like shortcuts. I think any normal person likes to find a simpler way to perform an everyday task. It’s the same way with quilting. I love to find and share tips and hacks that make your quilting day more fun for you. It’s always a good thing to learn “something new everyday”! So, I will share some of my favorite tips and hacks over the next 2 weeks and I want you to share yours in the comments. This week, I’ll talk about one of my favorite tools to use in the sewing room: tape of all kinds… especially painter’s tape! So read on to see how I use it.

Tip #1 – Keep a roll of painter’s tape in your sewing room. This can be used to mark the line on your ruler when you are cutting multiple strips of the same size. It makes it easier to see find the measurement  you are using over and over to save you time.

Painter’s tape is the perfect type to use because it does not leave any residue on your ruler and it’s fairly inexpensive for a roll. You can also use the tape to mark a quilting line on your quilt top if you don’t want to use a marking pencil on the quilt. This works well for wool appliqué projects you need to quilt also.

Tip #2 – Keeping your pieces organized when you cut them is also key to a less stressful quilting experience. If you have your pieces labeled and stacked in the order they are needed, you won’t waste time hunting for that one piece you need to finish the block.

As you can see above, I have stacks of cut pieces separated by which block they are a part of and I have them labeled with a little piece of tape. This is another place you can use painter’s tape. I now use that instead of masking tape because it leaves no residue on the fabric. Just be sure to remove the tape label from the piece on the top before sewing it into the block… ask me how I know to share that tidbit!

Tip #3 – Another labeling tip… I took some pins and made numbered labels for them with pieces of washi tape (you can also use the painter’s tape). I use these pins to label blocks and rows that I am piecing together so I do not lose track of which block or row goes where.

There have been many, many times before I used this tip when I would finish piecing a row and suddenly realize that I had shifted blocks out of order. This might not be a problem in some quilts, but when your blocks are creating a secondary design or you want to keep the same color blocks separated, it’s a good idea to use this tip to stay organized.

Tip #4 – Use painter’s tape to mark the 1/4″ line on your sewing machine. Are you sensing a theme here? This tape really comes in handy in the sewing room! Even if you have a 1/4″ quilting foot, the tape line gives you additional guidance for your 1/4″ seam. Here’s how I mark my 1/4″seam line on my machine:

I lower the needle into the “0” mark on the tape measure. That’s where I line up the left edge of the tape (you’ll see why later). Then I shift the tape measure around so the right edge is lined up with the right edge of my 1/4″ foot and any markings on the machine. Then I use a pen to trace along that edge on the painter’s tape. 

That drawn line gives me extra guidance along with my 1/4″ foot to assure that I am achieving an accurate seam. After doing this, test your seams by sewing pieces of scrap fabric together and then measuring the seam to make sure it’s 1/4″.

Here’s the bonus with this tape: you can use it to guide your diagonal seams when you need to sew point to point on a square, like you do with flying geese units! No line drawing needed.

If you line up the point of the square with the left edge of the tape, you will go directly down the middle with a diagonal seam because the tape edge is lined up with the needle.

Finally, Extend the line you drew above down the length of the piece of painter’s tape you placed on the machine. Then, line up the point of your square with the line you drew when you are joining two squares for making half-square triangles. You won’t have to draw lines down the center of all those squares anymore! Simply sew your seam on the one side (which will be 1/4″ from the center), then flip the piece, line the point up again with the line on the tape and sew the other seam. 

The last photo above shows the unit ready to be cut in half between the seams for 2 half-square triangles! If you want a scant 1/4″ just shift the point of the unit you are stitching slightly to the left of the line. Your seam lines will be closer together. Then you can trim your half-square triangle squares down to size after you press them.

That’s it for this week. Share some tips and hacks in the comments that you use to make your quilting life simpler.  Maybe some of us will learn something new today!

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