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Time Saving Tips for Every Quilter!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fabric Cutting – Tools, Accuracy and Safety First!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

New Pattern and Some Half-Square Triangle Square Tips!

Hi everyone! Just a short visit this week to introduce my new pattern called Summer Serendipity.

This is a 36 x 36″ wall hanging or table topper. It a fun, scrappy pieced background embellished with some beautiful floral appliqué. And this appliqué can be done by hand or machine! You can also substitute wool for the fabric and use this background for some colorful wool appliqué. You can go here for purchasing information.

The pieced background is easy piecing that uses a lot of half-square triangle squares. Do not be intimidated by these! Half-square triangle squares, or as I call them, HSTs, are really not that hard and come out accurately every time if you follow my tips.

Tip #1: For this project, I use the method of making HSTs that uses 2 squares, one color print and one tan print. I’m going to use the squares the size I need to make HSTs that measure 2 1/2″ when I’m done. So start with your squares either 2  7/8″ x 2  7/8″ OR, if you don’t mind wasting a tiny bit of fabric and want to make sure your finished squares are the correct size, you can start with squares that measure 3″ x 3″.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the tan print square:

Then place the tan print and the color print squares right sides together with the tan print square on top so the drawn line is visible.

Tip #2: Now comes the time to stitch. I like to stitch with a scant 1/4″ on each side of the drawn line, especially if I am using squares cut 2 7/8″:

Using the scant 1/4″ distance guarantees your squares will not be too small when you press them open because you can always trim them. 

Tip #3: Now we come to the trimming. Cut the above unit apart on the drawn line. You will have two units. Do not press them open yet. We will actually trim them before pressing. The great thing about that is you are only having to make two trimming cuts instead of have to trim all four sides individually!

Here’s the unit cut apart:

Now I will introduce you to this awesome tool I like to use for the trimming. It’s called the Quilt in a Day® Triangle Square Up Ruler!

Here it is and how it works:

The numbers on the measurement lines are the size of the HST you want after it’s pressed open. Ours are going to be 2 1/2″ after trimming so we use the 2 1/2″ line on this ruler. First place the ruler on one of the units from above with the 2 1/2″ line on the stitch line:

Now you trim off the excess fabric on the two sides. Once you do this, you can press open the unit and here you are:

It’s that simple! Since each set of squares makes 2 HSTs, if you need 40 HSTs you need 20 squares of tan print and 20 squares of color print.

Now you can make HSTs with ease and make many of my patterns that use HSTs!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Do You Like to Travel Stitch?

I don’t know about you, but I like to stitch on projects outside or on the road. I usually have more than one project going on at a time for that very reason. Obviously, I can not have my sewing machine outside on the porch or in my car (…. at least not yet! LOL!), so I have a project in the works that requires the sewing machine and then I have one or more hand projects, either wool or needle-turn applique. Then I have my bases covered and my hands are not idle on a road trip. I just can not sit in a car and not be reading or stitching!

To take a project with me on the road, first I have to have a way to store all the pieces so I do not lose anything. I use small zip lock baggies, either snack, sandwich or quart size (depending upon the size of my project) to store my appliqué pieces. This also works for wool appliqué, hexies or other hand projects!

 

Then I use a larger “project bag”. You know those plastic bags with zippers that small sheet sets come in? They are perfect to pack a project into. enough room to fit your project and sewing supplies you will need such as rulers, thread and needle storage, etc.

These bags work great for plane trips too. Since it is not hard sided, the bag of supplies is easy to squeeze into a suitcase.

I store my threads, needles and scissors is small tins or plastic containers. Here is the tin for my needle-turn applique:

Here’s the inside:

Notice the magnet in the corner. I found this magnet “block” at my local hardware store. It fits right inside my tin and holds needles, a small scissors and some pins. A lot better than having them rolling around inside the tin! 

Next is the plastic container that holds my wool applique threads. I use this for travel sewing and for my summer days “porch stitching”! This is a Snapware container that has a few levels that all snap together and have a cover. I love this for travel!

Next, I needed a place to put sewing supplies within reach when I am sewing in the car. I got this idea from a student in one of my classes. Go to the bathroom section of a Target, Wal-Mart or similar store and look for these small suction cup storage items.  If you can not find one there, find it here. I think they are used in a shower to hold soap. I stick it on the car window and store my thread and scissors so they are easy to reach!

Isn’t it amazing what you can do with everyday items?

So, I’m packed and ready for my next car trip at any time. I better get going on some ideas so I have something to work on for my next car ride. Summer is coming and the kids are miles away, so I’m sure there will be road trips in my near future!

Happy Quilting & Stitching!
Deanne

So You Want to Machine Quilt?

I like to machine quilt my smaller projects (anything under 45″ I consider small!) so I wanted to share some of my machine quilting tips. For the first time, I’ve done a few short videos to demonstrate parts of what I talk about in this post. I hope they’re not too unprofessional ….LOL! I think they came out OK for a first try. So, on to the tips……

Tip #1: I like to practice on a scrap quilt sandwich, especially if it has been awhile since I have quilted anything. This gets me familiar once again with the motion of quilting and also gives me time to work out some design ideas. This is a great way for you to learn how to machine quilt as well.

Tip#2: I sometimes draw designs on a photocopy of the blocks I will be quilting. This helps to get the ideas flowing. You can try this by using the pattern you worked from to make the quilt. Photo copy a page that has a good size diagram of the block that makes up the quilt. Then draw out design ideas in pencil. Here’s a one of mine:

I’ve also sketched out “free motion” designs too. 

Tip#3: Make sure you’re machine is ready. It’s a good idea to change your needle to a machine quilting needle. Check your machine’s manual for recommendations. Another tip about the needle…. they wear out! If you are quilting a larger project, the needle should be discarded when you are done. You should be able to quilt several smaller projects with the same needle though.

Once the needle is taken care of, now pick out the thread. I like to use a medium neutral thread on my quilt tops because that blends well with my Civil War reproduction fabrics. My favorite is an Aurifil 50 weight. It works for me! Choose your favorite thread. I like these threads because they do not create a lot of lint in your machine. Thread color is a personal choice. You may want your quilting stitches to show more or be disguised more. Pulling out a tail of each thread and laying them across a block in your quilt will allow you to judge how each blends.

Make sure your machine is oiled, “fuzzies” cleaned out of the bobbin area and that you have a few bobbins wound and ready. This is a good habit to get into especially if the project you are quilting is going to be a large one. No stopping for bobbin filling! Just pull out the empty and load in a full one.

Tip#4: Baste your quilt top with pins or with a large basting stitch. Your preference. I use pins to based my quilt sandwich.

Now it’s time to quilt!

I start out by putting on my machine quilting gloves. These are a great tool to have. It helps to grip and pull the quilt sandwich tight while quilting so it doesn’t get puckers on the back the quilt.

You’ll see them in action in my little video.

I use a darning foot (most machines come with them). Either a closed toe or open toe darning foot will work.

 

The feed dogs on your machine need to be dropped. See your owner’s manual on how to do that if you have not done it before.

To start, pull your bobbin thread to the top of the quilt. To do this, put your threaded needle down in the spot where you want to begin and drop your presser foot. Tap your foot peddle so the needle comes back up, pull on the end of the top thread and this will draw the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt. This is so the bobbin thread does not get caught in the stitching on the back and create a mess!

So here’s video #1 (no laughing!):

 Now you are ready to go! Start with a few small “locking stitches”. Since you feed dogs are dropped, they are not moving the quilt sandwich …. you have to. So to make these small stitches, just move the quilt top slightly while stitching. Since you are only moving it slightly, the stitches will be very small. Once you do those beginning stitches, you can now move on to the motif you have chosen. Be sure to move the quilt top at an even pace with the speed of your machine. That is how you keep the stitches even (unless you are one of those lucky quilters who have a stitch regulator on your machine!). Once you reach the end of your design or are at a place where you need to stop, end with a few small locking stitches again. Snip the threads as close as you can to the quilt top as you can. Now you are ready to move on to the next area!

Here’s video #2:

You are now machine quilting!

Check your local quilt shop for some in person quilting classes. There are also many machine quilting books available for a more comprehensive lesson. The main thing is to have fun! Start off with easy overall designs and work your way up to more difficult ones. Practice makes perfect! Here’s a few motifs I’ve been working on:

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

World Wide Quilting Day is Almost Here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Quilting
Deanne

Folded Corners are Easy!

Do you want to tackle a new quilting technique that you have not tried before? Or do you just want to familiarize yourself with a technique you have not done in a while? Here is one that I like to use when making designing so quilt patterns.

I am actually working on a new pattern right now with folded corners or, as some refer to it, “stitch and flip” corners. Since I am not ready to reveal my new pattern yet, I will use some blocks from a pattern I made a couple of years ago.

Here is the block:

A big part of the design uses the folded-corner technique to create it’s look. I thought I would share with you my folded-corner technique steps for the perfect corners. The key to perfect folded-corners is to not alter the size of the unit that you are adding these corners to.

 

As you can see I have already used the technique for the center of this block and then added some borders. The next step is to use the folded-corner technique on all four sides of the unit before adding the next borders.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the square as shown. This will be the sewing line.

 

Next, lay the square face down on the unit you want to add folded corners to. Align the square’s edges with the edges of the unit you are stitching it to as shown. I use pins along the edges to keep the square from shifting while I’m stitching. I have found this step important to maintain the size of the original unit.

Now stitch along the line.

The next step is usually to trim away the excess fabric in the seam allowance, but I add another step here. I finger press the corner back as shown in the photo to make sure the corner created is in alignment with the original corner of the unit. To say it in simpler terms, with the corner pressed back, does the unit still look perfectly square and measures the same size as the original unit?

If any of the excess fabric shows then your unit may not measure the correct size. You will need to “unsew” the square and start over. If not, you can move onto the next step.

Trim the excess fabric from the seam allowance and press the corner open. And there you have it! A perfect folded corner. I always measure the unit as I add each corner to make sure I am not altering the size of the unit.

Once I trim, then I can press open the corners.

So now you can make perfect folded-corners! There are so many blocks that use this technique to create their design. It adds a unique look to any quilt. At least I think so.

Learning new to you techniques can be challenging. But the more you push yourself to learn new stuff, the more interesting your quilts will be!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

My Favorite Quilting Tools. How About You?

We all have our favorite tools we use when quilting ….. some we cannot live without and some that are useful, but we’d survive if we didn’t have it. Some tools are traditional ones that you buy in a quilt shop …. and some tools are things from your home that you use … even if quilting and sewing is not what it is intended for.

Of course, we all have our mats, rotary cutters and favorite scissors. I’m talking about those tools that make some quilting tasks easier (or make them seem so!). 

If you look at my patterns, you’ll see I love scrappy and lots of small pieces.

One of my favorite pieces to use in a quilt block is a half-square triangle square. I used to make them, press them open and then trim all four sides of the square to make sure it measures the size I want. 

Well, this cool tool is called the Triangle Square-up Ruler by Quilt in a Day®

This tool makes the squaring up task easier by allowing you to trim the squares before you press them open. You only have two cuts to make instead of four! It may seem small …. but when you have a pattern with hundreds of these squares, it’s a time saver!

Another favorite tool of mine is this magnetic wand called the Pin Picker Upper to pick up dropped pins and needles. It telescopes out so it’s long and you don’t have to bend over to sweep the floor for pins.

I drop a lot …. I  mean A LOT of pins on the floor when I’m working on a big project. And since I like to walk around my room in socks …. I need to find these pins before my feet do!

Next, is my pressing stick.  If I am piecing a block with many small pieces and don’t want to keep jumping up and down to press every seam, this is a handy tool!

This is how it works…..

My last most favorite thing is this O’lipfa Rotary Cutting Safety Shield ruler guide for my long quilting ruler. This is a great addition to your ruler. This keeps the rotary cutting from heading towards you hand if you slip while cutting. Since I sliced into a finger last year (ouch!) These guards have given me peace of mind.

These guards combined with my “klutz” glove has really saved me from cutting myself again. Whew!

Unusual Things I Use in my Studio

My camera …. yes! Either the one on my phone or a traditional digital one. I like to take photos of different layouts when piecing a quilt top or figuring out the placement of appliqués.

Then I can refer to the photos I have taken so I piece the blocks for a quilt top in the correct order! An inexpensive digital camera just for your quilting is a great tool! 

I also use everyday items to store tools on my cutting table.

This is great storage for my pencils, small rulers and scissors. The item that my rotary cutter and scissors are hanging off of is an old coffee mug holder!

This last thing I use helps to keep the pattern I’m working on front and center in my line of site while I am sewing. A clipboard!

I found this cool wooden clipboard at a garage sale and thought it would fit in perfectly in my studio. If your sewing table is against to or next to a wall, you can even hang it on the wall.

So, now that you’ve seen my favorite tools, share yours with me! Win a copy of my latest pattern, Scrappy Catz by sharing your favorite tools in the comments.

Scrappy Catz Lap Quilt Pattern

***We Have a Winner! Congrats Charlene!***

Happy Quilting
Deanne

Quick Review of the 1/4″ Seam Allowance – It’s Important!

So, we’re ready to sew our pieces together. Why is the 1/4” seam allowance so important? Because quilt pattern pieces include a 1/4” seam in the measurements of the pieces (at least most of them do!) unless otherwise indicated. So, if you do not piece with an accurate 1/4” seam allowance, your 1 1/2 x 2 1/2” flying geese unit, for example, might measure something quite different.

It’s best to test out whether your machine is stitching a 1/4” seam using scrap fabric. Even if your machine comes with a 1/4” foot like mine:

Thickness of thread and needle position (if your machine allows you to move it) can make your seam more or less than 1/4”. So, here’s some steps on how to test your seam allowance:

First, stitch two scrap strips together using the your 1/4” foot as the guide (or if you don’t have one, the marks on the machine throat plate) and then measure the seam.

My seam measures up! But if your’s doesn’t, here are some added steps to help to achieve a 1/4” seam. Marking a 1/4” line on your machine’s throat plate is one. Some newer machines already have a mark etched in the throat plate that guides you to a 1/4” seam if you line up the edge of your fabric with it while stitching. Once again, test this on some scrap fabric!

Notice, in the photo above, the etched line on my machine. That’s the marks on the machine throat plate I was talking about. If you want check if that line truly is at a 1/4″, Lay a tape measure across the throat plate and put the needle into the tape measure right at the “0” line. You can see that my 1/4” foot falls right at the 1/4” mark on the tape and my etched line matches up too. Good guides!

If you do not have an etching on your machine’s throat plate, you can mark the 1/4″ with a small piece of painter’s or masking tape at the 1/4 line.

Sometimes, I like to stitch with a scant 1/4” seam (just a hair under) and then trim up the resulting unit to the correct size after pressing, if necessary. This way you are guaranteed that your unit will be the correct size.

I make sure to verify that all the units of a block measure correctly for ease of piecing the block and having it come out the correct size. Remember, a small seam error made on the pieces can magnify if the block has a lot of units. You will save yourself the headache of “unsewing” if you have accurate pieces to begin with! I only takes a little extra time to measure and trim units. It definitely saves you time down the road!

So time to get that quilt pieced!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne