Part 1.....Part 2.....Part 3.....Part 4
Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8
Part 9.....Part 10
Hello again, everybody. This week we will cover some of the basics of finishing your quilt.
As we discussed on Week 1, a quilt is 2 layers of fabric with a warm "filling" between, kind of a cloth sandwich, secured to keep the filling from shifting. In order to do this and have it stay flat, you need to do a few preliminary things.
First off, take your backing fabric. If you bought wide fabric, you can just iron it flat and use as-is. If you bought standard 45" wide fabric, cut the 4 1/2 yard piece into 2 pieces that are 2 1/4 yards each. Sew the two pieces together along the long (selvege) edge to make one very large piece. Iron very flat, making the seam go to either one or the other side, don't "open" the seam.
Basting
Grab your safety pins, a needle, some hideously mis-matched thread - here we go!
Find the exact center of your backing fabric. Mark it with a pin, or some other means that you can FEEL, not just see. I usually like to do the next bit on an old folding canasta table that my Mom and Dad gave me when they moved. A card table works as well.
Lay the backing fabric on the table, WRONG side up (Put the pretty side down) Make sure the center of the fabric is in the center of the table. Now unroll your batting. Find the center of the hunk of batting and clip it to the center of the backing. Smooth both the backing and batting flat.
Now find the center of your quilt top that we just finished peicing. Yes, you guessed it - attach the center of this to the batting - this time with the pretty side UP. Use a large safety pin and pin all 3 centers together and take out any other clips or pins. Smooth the 3 fabric layers so they all lay nice and flat, hanging over the edges of the table like a tablecloth.
This next bit is important, because you don't want to have puckers on the front or the back of your quilt once it is finished. Carefully pin your 3 layers together approximately every 4 inches or so in every direction. I suggest using more safety pins, because they don't fall out if you wiggle things around. When you reach the ends of the table, carefully reposition the "sandwich" so that the parts that are hanging over the sides can be pinned as well.
If you plan to "tie" your quilt, this is probably enough basting. If you plan to either machine or hand quilt (stitched quilting, as opposed to tying), however, you should probably go one step further.
Using an entirely "WRONG" color of thread (for instance, on my pink, brown and green quilt top, I'll use shocking Turquoise) - take very long stitches from one side to the other of the quilt, approximately 3/4 to a full inch long each, in rows about an inch apart. Once this is done, you can remove the pins.
Now you are ready to "quilt" - putting in the ties or the stitches that will hold your 3 layers steady through all your sleeping with it and washing it.
Quilting
There are 3 generally accepted methods for "quilting" a blanket.
The first one is tying the quilt. Tying a quilt consists of making a lot of small knots of either quilting thread or yarn to connect all 3 layers. I have never done this method myself, and rather than steer you wrong, please check out the instructions here - she provides step-by-step drawings and very clear directions.
The second method is machine quilting. Your sewing machine sews layers of fabric together - that is all quilting really is. While I have done machine quilting in my time, it's not my forte, and rather than steer you wrong, check out this site, which gives excellent directions, including videos!
The third method is hand quilting. I am tempted to say I've left the best for last, but that is only because this is MY favored method of quilting. Hand quilting can be done either on a frame or using a large "embroidery" hoop. My preference is the frame, but not every home has the room to use one. Leandra uses a "lap hoop" - a hoop attached to a pedestal that sits in her lap and allows her to quilt almost anywhere.
Decide which method you are going to use - next week I'll discuss hand-quilting in more detail, and we will also discuss binding your quilt once it has been "quilted" or tied.
One thing. This part takes a lot of time. Don't skimp. Take the time to do this part carefully, because this is what will "make" or "break" your quilt. A top with piecing flaws (decapitated triangles, mismatched seams and points) has "character". A quilt with lots of puckers and pleats on the front or back is going to be uncomfortable to use and unsightly. Take the time. A quilt the size of the one we just pieced would take me about 8 weeks to hand-quilt, assuming I allow myself time to do housework and eat and sleep and stuff.
Until next week, happy stitching!
Showing posts with label Mystery Quilt 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery Quilt 2007. Show all posts
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 10
Part 1.....Part 2.....Part 3.....Part 4
Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8
Part 9
Today is the day - we're going to take all the leftover cut bits and finsih the top of our quilt! Grab the 5 rows of squares that you assembled last week, and the six very long strips of Color A.
Take one strip of color A and sew it along the long edge of one of your rows of squares. Do this to each of the 5 strips.
The next part is to attach the 5 strips to one another, keeping an "A" strip between each of the rows of pieced blocks. You will want to make an effort here to keep the squares in line with one another. The blocks should look as if the pointy bits of each triangle-mini-block are pointing to the ones in the next row. We strive for Symmetry. The lovely part about using these intervening "Sashing" bits (the long "A" strips) is that if you are off by a small amount, it's less noticable.
Sew the final "A" strip to the edge of the pieced blocks that doesn't have one - and you should end up with a lovely pieced quilt-top that looks like this:
For those of you who have made quilts before - now is the fun bit - you know how to finish. For those of you who have not - I'll begin next week with the basics of how to assemble the quilt and turn this pieced top into an actual blanket.
Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8
Part 9
Today is the day - we're going to take all the leftover cut bits and finsih the top of our quilt! Grab the 5 rows of squares that you assembled last week, and the six very long strips of Color A.
Take one strip of color A and sew it along the long edge of one of your rows of squares. Do this to each of the 5 strips.
The next part is to attach the 5 strips to one another, keeping an "A" strip between each of the rows of pieced blocks. You will want to make an effort here to keep the squares in line with one another. The blocks should look as if the pointy bits of each triangle-mini-block are pointing to the ones in the next row. We strive for Symmetry. The lovely part about using these intervening "Sashing" bits (the long "A" strips) is that if you are off by a small amount, it's less noticable.
Sew the final "A" strip to the edge of the pieced blocks that doesn't have one - and you should end up with a lovely pieced quilt-top that looks like this:
For those of you who have made quilts before - now is the fun bit - you know how to finish. For those of you who have not - I'll begin next week with the basics of how to assemble the quilt and turn this pieced top into an actual blanket.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 9
Part 1.....Part 2.....Part 3.....Part 4
Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8
Welcome to the latest installment of our drive to making a quilt.
As you will remember, we now have 25 somewhat rectangular "squares" with a stripe down one side, that look like this:
Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8
Welcome to the latest installment of our drive to making a quilt.
As you will remember, we now have 25 somewhat rectangular "squares" with a stripe down one side, that look like this:
Take five of these and the last 5 of the "A" 12 1/2" x 2 1/2" strips, and add a strip to each on the opposite side from the one there already - thus:
Iron the new seam, then grab the rest of your pieced rectangles. Add 4 rectangles to each of the rectangles you just finished with, "nose-to-tail" in the same fashion as an "elephant parade". When you are finished, you will have 5 rows with 5 squares each, separated by "A" strips.
Ok, yes, that is utter rubbish writing - this is what each row should look like:
If you have been totally conscientious with your measuring, cutting and maintaining consistant seam-allowance, you will have lovely, perfectly straight rows. If like me, you are a bit wonky with all this, you will have rows that do a bit of an up and down dance. Do yourself a huge favor now and "straighten" your rows. Make sure that you have nice, straight edges on both long sides, and nice "square" 90 degree corners at each end.
Making this bit look really nice is going to make a large difference in your finished product - we'll finish up the top piecing next week. As always, if you have any questions, or quilt-related complaints, leave a comment and I'll get back to you within 24 hours. Don't be shy about leaving a question - could be someone else wants to know too!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 8
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Part 7
Ah, another week gone and here we go with another bit of assembly on our Mystery Quilt. This week we're going to be combining the remaining assembled strips. Grab up the 25 pieces with the "B" center squares, and the remaining 25 triangle-strips.
Remember those round-head pins? Grab them, we're going to need them now. There will be some tricky bits here, so you might want to read through before you start sewing.
Ok, we are going to sew together these 2 different types of rectangles, along one of the LONG ends - drawing below shows the resulting piece.
The thing about this bit is that you have 2 seams that need matching here. If you don't pin first, you will probably end up with a piece that has at LEAST one of the seam junctions off-kilter.
In order to minimize this problem (or even better, eliminate it!), I use pins to hold the seams together where I want them to meet, and "ease" the rest of the length of the strips to fit between them and on either side. I put one pin on each side of the seam I'm matching, as close to the seam as I can manage, thus keeping the "wiggle" while sewing across them to a minimum.
I leave the pins in until I have sewn OVER the seams. Sometimes if a seam seems to be particularly problematic, I will baste the seam allowance area first, either by hand or machine, then go back over and sew the entire seam. I'm an accountant. I get retentive about details. Sorry.
Just as with the problem of decapitated triangles, the problem of unmatched seams is something small, but annoyingly visible. You can live with a small variation, and I'll let YOU decide just how "small" of a variation you can handle.
Allrightey then. You now have 25 pieces that look like THIS:
And 25 pieces that look like THIS:
And you are getting to be an absolute wiz kid at matching those seams, so let's do ourselves one better. Turn the pieces 90 degrees and sew those 2 different rectangles to one another... like THIS:
Once you are finished, you will have 25 of these pieced squares with an "A" stripe along one side.
Aren't you feeling crafty right about now??? You should be!
Ok - that's enough for this week. Great job - see you again next week, same quilt time, same quilt channel.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 7
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Ok, this week we are going to add on some bits to some of the strips we made before.
Grab up 1/2 of the triangle strips, and 25 of the "A" color pieces that you cut as 12 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch pieces. You will have 5 "A" color pieces leftover, and 25 of the triangle strips, put these aside, as you will need them later.
We are going to sew the A color piece to one side of the triangle strips - this is where you need to watch carefully to avoid chopping the points off your triangles! See the drawing below for the placement of the new bit onto your strip:
Carefully iron the new seam toward the "A" strip. Even though the color of the A strip is going to be likely lighter than the "C" pieces that are next to it, the amount of overlapping seam-allowances at the triangle points would make lumps if you iron the other direction. Just like in oatmeal or mashed potatoes, lumps are not a good thing.
Ok - next week more real life photos - for now we are done!!
Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Ok, this week we are going to add on some bits to some of the strips we made before.
Grab up 1/2 of the triangle strips, and 25 of the "A" color pieces that you cut as 12 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch pieces. You will have 5 "A" color pieces leftover, and 25 of the triangle strips, put these aside, as you will need them later.
We are going to sew the A color piece to one side of the triangle strips - this is where you need to watch carefully to avoid chopping the points off your triangles! See the drawing below for the placement of the new bit onto your strip:
Carefully iron the new seam toward the "A" strip. Even though the color of the A strip is going to be likely lighter than the "C" pieces that are next to it, the amount of overlapping seam-allowances at the triangle points would make lumps if you iron the other direction. Just like in oatmeal or mashed potatoes, lumps are not a good thing.
Ok - next week more real life photos - for now we are done!!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 6
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Hello Again Everybody.
This week's installment is very easy-peasy. So easy-peasy that I've not taken any "Real Life" photos even!
Gather up the 25 solid "B" squares and the rest of the un-used "horizontal" A+C squares.
What we want to do is take two of the "horizontal" squares and sew the long "A" side of each of these squares to opposite sides of one of the "B" squares. Sounds tricky? Bah. A picture, however being worth 1,000 carpal tunnels, when you are done, your piece should look like this:
Remember, the White is "B", the Yellow is "A" and the Green is "C". In other words - on THIS nifty strip, the 2 colors that are used in the "triangle" squares are not touching each other at all.
When you're finished, you should have 25 of these strips. Iron the seams toward the INSIDE - toward the "B" solid square.
Put them aside with the 50 you made last week - that's it for now! (Told you this week was easy-peasy!!!)
Hello Again Everybody.
This week's installment is very easy-peasy. So easy-peasy that I've not taken any "Real Life" photos even!
Gather up the 25 solid "B" squares and the rest of the un-used "horizontal" A+C squares.
What we want to do is take two of the "horizontal" squares and sew the long "A" side of each of these squares to opposite sides of one of the "B" squares. Sounds tricky? Bah. A picture, however being worth 1,000 carpal tunnels, when you are done, your piece should look like this:
Remember, the White is "B", the Yellow is "A" and the Green is "C". In other words - on THIS nifty strip, the 2 colors that are used in the "triangle" squares are not touching each other at all.
When you're finished, you should have 25 of these strips. Iron the seams toward the INSIDE - toward the "B" solid square.
Put them aside with the 50 you made last week - that's it for now! (Told you this week was easy-peasy!!!)
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 5
Just starting out? Here's what you missed:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
This week we are going to sew together some of our squares. Grab all of your triangle-made squares and 50 of the 1/2 and 1/2 horizontal squares. Take 2 "triangle" and 1 "horizontal at a time.
What we want to do here now is attach one of the triangle-type squares to each side of the horizontal square. Make sure the pieces are the same size (if there is a tiny tiny difference, you can just "center" the offending smaller piece and adjust your seam-allowance to the larger piece) and sew the "B" side of one of the triangle pieces to each of the sides with a seam on the horizontal bar piece.
For the sake of example, my drawings will use yellow for "Color A", white for "Color B" and green for "Color C". Here is the drawing:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
This week we are going to sew together some of our squares. Grab all of your triangle-made squares and 50 of the 1/2 and 1/2 horizontal squares. Take 2 "triangle" and 1 "horizontal at a time.
What we want to do here now is attach one of the triangle-type squares to each side of the horizontal square. Make sure the pieces are the same size (if there is a tiny tiny difference, you can just "center" the offending smaller piece and adjust your seam-allowance to the larger piece) and sew the "B" side of one of the triangle pieces to each of the sides with a seam on the horizontal bar piece.
For the sake of example, my drawings will use yellow for "Color A", white for "Color B" and green for "Color C". Here is the drawing:
When you're sewing them together, try to keep the piece with the most seams along the sewing edge on top. In this case, the horizontal piece will have the most seams (one) along the edge that you are sewing with the "B" sides. The reason for this is so that you will be able to keep the seam allowances on the back side from twisting around and going the opposite direction from what they were ironed. The "Feed Dogs" - those spikey dealies coming out of the bottom part of your sewing machine - will catch on the seam as it goes through and if it is not already going their direction, will pull it the wrong way.
Watch your seam allowances here carefully - this is where the whole "matching points" bit comes into play.
Ok, yes, this photo blows. However. in the dimness there, you should be able to see where 2 of my pink triangle squares have been sewn to my brown/green horizontal square. Notice those ugly arrows again - they point to the place where the seams are. The arrow on the left shows a "GOOD" seam - notice that there is some brown touching the other brown, the "point" of the pink triangle is down 1/4 inch from the top of the piece. THIS IS GOOD. The right arrow shows the point of the triangle directly at the edge of the piece. THIS IS BAD. Here's why.
When you sew the next seam, across the top of these current pieces, you need a seam allowance. If you have the point of the triangle right at the edge of your piece, once you sew the next seam, you will have blunted your triangles, cutting off the tips, as it were. Sort of a Triangle Bris.
So now I'll go pull out the seam on that one on the right (Oh the things I do to make picture examples for y'all... *wink*) and re-sew it so that it too will have a nice "pointy" look for when we use it again. Iron your new-made seams OUTWARD - toward the "B" pieces. Both seams.
Ok! That's it for now - you should have 50 of these nifty strips - put them aside until later, that's it for this week!
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 4
Hello again! Here we go with this week's installment.
If you missed any, You can accessPart 1, Part 2 or Part 3 here.
Today we will be working with all those triangles we cut two weeks ago. Grab up all the triangle pieces - 100 in color B and 100 in color C.
This time you will be sewing the diagonal sides. These diagonal sides are on the "bias" of the fabric. Woven fabric, as you know, has threads that run two directions - horizontal and vertical. ||| or =. Seams that run along either these horizontal or vertical lines are the most stable. Since the threads are finite in length, there is very little "stretch" on the "straight grain" of the fabric.
This is not true with the bias. Bias seams stretch. They wiggle. They squirm. They can be ornery. Our pieces are only in the neighborhood of 6 inches long, so they aren't that problematic, but do be cautious here. Don't pull on the fabric while sewing or ironing it. Making your seams a tiny bit LESS than 1/4 inch won't hurt (TINY bit, mind you - not half size!!) and you can always cut the piece down a little if it turns out too large. (too small would be a Bad Thing®)
Ok, now that you're scared of your own triangles (sorry.), let's put 1 B triangle and 1 C triangle face-to-face and sew that long diagonal side, making a nice square that is 1/2 C and 1/2 B diagonally.
As before, carefully iron the square open, pressing the seam toward the darker fabric. Unlike before, you will find that you have excess seam-allowance peeking over the edge of your square like rabbit ears. Trim off these little bunny-ears carefully. The image below shows with obnoxious neon red and orange arrows where you will see these "bunny ears"
When you are done, you should have 100 of these diagonal 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch squares. Put them with the plain squares, the 1/2 and 1/2 horizontal squares and all those other pieces - we're done for now!!
If you missed any, You can accessPart 1, Part 2 or Part 3 here.
Today we will be working with all those triangles we cut two weeks ago. Grab up all the triangle pieces - 100 in color B and 100 in color C.
This time you will be sewing the diagonal sides. These diagonal sides are on the "bias" of the fabric. Woven fabric, as you know, has threads that run two directions - horizontal and vertical. ||| or =. Seams that run along either these horizontal or vertical lines are the most stable. Since the threads are finite in length, there is very little "stretch" on the "straight grain" of the fabric.
This is not true with the bias. Bias seams stretch. They wiggle. They squirm. They can be ornery. Our pieces are only in the neighborhood of 6 inches long, so they aren't that problematic, but do be cautious here. Don't pull on the fabric while sewing or ironing it. Making your seams a tiny bit LESS than 1/4 inch won't hurt (TINY bit, mind you - not half size!!) and you can always cut the piece down a little if it turns out too large. (too small would be a Bad Thing®)
Ok, now that you're scared of your own triangles (sorry.), let's put 1 B triangle and 1 C triangle face-to-face and sew that long diagonal side, making a nice square that is 1/2 C and 1/2 B diagonally.
As before, carefully iron the square open, pressing the seam toward the darker fabric. Unlike before, you will find that you have excess seam-allowance peeking over the edge of your square like rabbit ears. Trim off these little bunny-ears carefully. The image below shows with obnoxious neon red and orange arrows where you will see these "bunny ears"
When you are done, you should have 100 of these diagonal 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch squares. Put them with the plain squares, the 1/2 and 1/2 horizontal squares and all those other pieces - we're done for now!!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 3
It's Sunday - that means it's time for Mystery Quilt Part 3!
If you missed Parts 1 and 2, they are here (part 1) and here(part 2)
Ok, you have a lot of strips of cloth and a lot of triangles. Today we will combine a few. But first, lets talk about sewing.
When you put the pieces together, you're going to want to put the "good" side of the fabric pieces facing each other. This makes sure that your seams are on the inside, so your quilt doesn't look all funky and frazzley. We also need to measure carefully where 1/4" from the POINT of the sewingmachine needle is on both sides of the sewingmachine platform. You want to be certain you are only using 1/4 inch seams, because that will help you to "match points" by keeping the pieces all the same size. I have used a piece of pink paper and tape to mark my machine.
If your fabric seems to fray easily, sew once with a 1/4" seam, then sew again INSIDE the seam to give it double strength.
Keeping the 1/4 inch seam allowance consistant is also important so that we don't get that "off by just a bit" problem that multiplies on us. Keep your cutting tools handy, we will use them again today as well.
OK! Off we go. First off, you should have 12 pieces each of A and C that are about 45 inches long and exactly 2 1/2 inches wide. Starting with these, put 2 strips face-to-face (right sides together) and sew a nice straight 1/4 inch line all the way down ONE LONG side. When you get done, you should have a 4 1/2 inch by ~45 inch long skinny strip. It is possible that one or the other of the fabrics will be longer than the other color. This is ok. Just put the long strips together and cut off any extra length when you're done, before you iron it.
Do the same with all the other 2 1/2 x 45 inch pieces of A and C. You will end up with 12 long two-tone pieces.
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A note about ironing.
When you have sewn ANY two pieces together, make sure you iron them after. Iron the seam allowance toward the DARKER of the colors. Don't wiggle the iron around when you iron. This makes the seam wiggly. You want them to be straight. I usually will hold the piece open with my fingers, guiding the iron toward the seam and sliding SLOWLY and GENTLY across the fabric, then hold for a couple seconds and remove the iron.
Iron all 12 of your pieces.
Now square up the corners on one end of the long strips, and then cut them into 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch two-tone squares.
The goal is to have 100 horizontal-two-tone 4 1/2 inch squares. There will be excess - just put it to the side.
*************************************************
Ok! That's all for this week. Hope it all goes well for everyone. Please - if you have any questions at all, post a comment and I'll get back to you within 24 hours!
If you missed Parts 1 and 2, they are here (part 1) and here(part 2)
Ok, you have a lot of strips of cloth and a lot of triangles. Today we will combine a few. But first, lets talk about sewing.
When you put the pieces together, you're going to want to put the "good" side of the fabric pieces facing each other. This makes sure that your seams are on the inside, so your quilt doesn't look all funky and frazzley. We also need to measure carefully where 1/4" from the POINT of the sewingmachine needle is on both sides of the sewingmachine platform. You want to be certain you are only using 1/4 inch seams, because that will help you to "match points" by keeping the pieces all the same size. I have used a piece of pink paper and tape to mark my machine.
If your fabric seems to fray easily, sew once with a 1/4" seam, then sew again INSIDE the seam to give it double strength.
Keeping the 1/4 inch seam allowance consistant is also important so that we don't get that "off by just a bit" problem that multiplies on us. Keep your cutting tools handy, we will use them again today as well.
OK! Off we go. First off, you should have 12 pieces each of A and C that are about 45 inches long and exactly 2 1/2 inches wide. Starting with these, put 2 strips face-to-face (right sides together) and sew a nice straight 1/4 inch line all the way down ONE LONG side. When you get done, you should have a 4 1/2 inch by ~45 inch long skinny strip. It is possible that one or the other of the fabrics will be longer than the other color. This is ok. Just put the long strips together and cut off any extra length when you're done, before you iron it.
Do the same with all the other 2 1/2 x 45 inch pieces of A and C. You will end up with 12 long two-tone pieces.
A note about ironing.
When you have sewn ANY two pieces together, make sure you iron them after. Iron the seam allowance toward the DARKER of the colors. Don't wiggle the iron around when you iron. This makes the seam wiggly. You want them to be straight. I usually will hold the piece open with my fingers, guiding the iron toward the seam and sliding SLOWLY and GENTLY across the fabric, then hold for a couple seconds and remove the iron.
Iron all 12 of your pieces.
Now square up the corners on one end of the long strips, and then cut them into 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch two-tone squares.
The goal is to have 100 horizontal-two-tone 4 1/2 inch squares. There will be excess - just put it to the side.
Ok! That's all for this week. Hope it all goes well for everyone. Please - if you have any questions at all, post a comment and I'll get back to you within 24 hours!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 2
If you missed Part 1, here it is.
This part is really long. There are a LOT of instructions. I suggest you print out this post and use a hi-liter or something to mark off when you have finished each paragraph.
Ok! The day we've all been waiting for!! Time tomutilate cut some fabric! If you have a rotary cutter and mat, grab that and your pretty ruler and we're set to go. If you have scissors and ruler, grab them and a pencil (or pen, but really, you should do this bit with a pencil).
If you ARE going to use scissors and a pencil, I'm going to ask you to mark the FULL LINE for each cut you are going to make on the BACK side (wrong side) of the fabric. Nobody will see it once it is sewn on, and it will keep you from doing the ~~~~~~~~ wiggly thing between markings. Please do this for me. Mark your cuts. If you are using a rotary cutter and mat, use the see-thru ruler to keep your cuts straight and "squared off" and all.
As Bob Vila would say - "Measure Twice - Cut Once." Be very very certain of your measurements before you hack up the fabric. Its a PITA trying to find just a bit extra from the same color/pattern/bolt if you don't. Trust me on this. I once spent EIGHT YEARS trying to match a fabric that I was only about 3/4 of a yard short. When I finally did find a bolt of it - I bought 7 yards. What? ME? OBSESSIVE????? yes.
Why the obsession with accuracy? Well - it's not all that important for one little square. Heck, if you are off by 1/16th of an inch, who will notice, right? The problem comes from what bankers call "compound interest"... Even though you may be off by only 1/16th of an inch on each part - after 8 parts, you're off by 1/2 an inch. A bit more noticeable. After 24 parts, you're off by an inch and a half... At which point you cry. I don't want you to cry. Measure carefully, please.
Hopefully you have all your fabric at this point, and have clearly decided which piece is the 2 1/2 yards of "Color A", which piece is 2 yards of "Color B" and 1 1/2 yards of"Color C" and which is your backing fabric. Since you have been dilligent and have washed and ironed your fabric, now please carefully cut off any frayed bits and "square up" the fabric on at least one cut side so you have nice straight lines and square corners. We don't need no stinking parallelograms here - or rhombuseses - or trapezoids. Squares and rectangles For The Win!!!
Take the backing fabric andhide it someplace safe where you can't lose it put it to the side in an extremely visible location but away from any scissors or rotary cutters.
For the moment, lay "Color C" on top of it.
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Ok, now we have Color A and Color B left. I am now going to stop typing the word "Color" as I'm sure you've figured that bit out by now, and will carry on just using "A, B or C".
Since you have nice long lengths - 2 yards long or better - of each, we'll cut the long bits first.
From A - cut 12 pieces that are 2 1/2 inches wide by the entire length of the fabric. You will have 12 very long, skinny strips.
From B - cut 5 pieces that are 2 inches wide by the entire length of the fabric. You will have 5 pieces very long and even a bit skinnier.
Put the B pieces on top of the backing and C fabric for now.
See? That wasn't all that hard, was it? You have nice, long strips... and...
oh. Yeah. We're not done yet.
**************************************************
Back to the long, skinny A pieces you just cut. Put 6 of them with the B pieces, then cut the other 6 of them in half so they are only 1/2 as long. Now you have 12 (shorter)long skinny pieces. (2 1/2 inches by approx. 45 inches long)
Drape these 12 pieces lovingly over your sewingmachine. You'll use them first.
***************************************************
Still using the "A" fabric, cut 30 pieces (Yes!! 30!!) that are 12 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide.
Yes, I have a 2 1/2 inch hangup. Deal with it. You'll like the result.
Ok, we are done with Fabric A for now. Fold up any remaining fabric and put it UNDER the backing fabric in that highly-visible-but-out-of-the-way-of-cutting-tools place.
************************************************
Back to the rest of the uncut chunk of B.
Cut 25 pieces that are 4 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches square. From color B. Please. Make sure they are SQUARE, not trapezoids or rhombuseses or parallelograms. Use your ruler to make sure your corners are nice square 90-degree-angle corners. Measure 3 times - cut once. A slight short-cut can be achieved by cutting strips of fabric exactly precisely 4 1/2 inches wide, then hacking off 4 1/2 inch pieces from the long strips.
You're doing real good.
***********************************************************
Now in the same fashion as above, cut 50 pieces that are 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches square, also from Color B. Yes 50. Yes, I really do mean 50. You're doing great!
Next take these 50 squares, and cut them in 1/2 on the diagonal from corner to corner ONE time. See the photo below before you Even THINK about cutting, because you don't want to do this all twice.
When you are done, you will have 100 "right triangles". For those who were Geometry or generally Arithmetically challenged in school, all this really means is triangles with one of the "v" parts being 90 degrees, and the 2 sides of that piece are equal in length. Geometry wasn't my strong suit in school, so if it seems like I'm being a bit condescending and simple - it's my fault, not yours. I kind of assume everyone has this much trouble, because I did.
That is all for now for Color B. You may put the remaining fabric under the remainders of Color A under the backing.
***************************************************
Grab Color C.
Since we just cut 100 triangles from color B and did such an AWESOME damn good job of it - do it again, but with Color C. Same thing, 50 of the 4 3/4 inch squares, cut on the diagonal one time to make 100 right triangles. Same size as the B ones.
*****************************************************
Now - across the remaining fabric, cut 12 pieces approximately 45 inches long (since that's probably how wide your fabric is) by 2 1/2 inches wide. Drape these also lovingly over your sewingmachine. That's it for color C - treat the leftovers the same as the first 2 sets of leftovers. Believe it or not - you're probably done for now.
******************************************************
As a result of all this hacking-up of fabric, you should have the following:
6 strips of color A 90" x 2 1/2"
12 strips of color A 45" x 2 1/2"
30 strips of color A 12 1/2" x 2 1/2"
25 squares of Color B 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
100 right-triangles of Color B
5 strips of Color B - 72" x 2"
100 right-triangles of Color C
12 strips of Color C 45" x 2 1/2"
Whew. That was a lot. Put the triangles, squares and strips into that highly-visible spot with the leftovers. Next week we shall begin assembly!
This part is really long. There are a LOT of instructions. I suggest you print out this post and use a hi-liter or something to mark off when you have finished each paragraph.
Ok! The day we've all been waiting for!! Time to
If you ARE going to use scissors and a pencil, I'm going to ask you to mark the FULL LINE for each cut you are going to make on the BACK side (wrong side) of the fabric. Nobody will see it once it is sewn on, and it will keep you from doing the ~~~~~~~~ wiggly thing between markings. Please do this for me. Mark your cuts. If you are using a rotary cutter and mat, use the see-thru ruler to keep your cuts straight and "squared off" and all.
As Bob Vila would say - "Measure Twice - Cut Once." Be very very certain of your measurements before you hack up the fabric. Its a PITA trying to find just a bit extra from the same color/pattern/bolt if you don't. Trust me on this. I once spent EIGHT YEARS trying to match a fabric that I was only about 3/4 of a yard short. When I finally did find a bolt of it - I bought 7 yards. What? ME? OBSESSIVE????? yes.
Why the obsession with accuracy? Well - it's not all that important for one little square. Heck, if you are off by 1/16th of an inch, who will notice, right? The problem comes from what bankers call "compound interest"... Even though you may be off by only 1/16th of an inch on each part - after 8 parts, you're off by 1/2 an inch. A bit more noticeable. After 24 parts, you're off by an inch and a half... At which point you cry. I don't want you to cry. Measure carefully, please.
Hopefully you have all your fabric at this point, and have clearly decided which piece is the 2 1/2 yards of "Color A", which piece is 2 yards of "Color B" and 1 1/2 yards of"Color C" and which is your backing fabric. Since you have been dilligent and have washed and ironed your fabric, now please carefully cut off any frayed bits and "square up" the fabric on at least one cut side so you have nice straight lines and square corners. We don't need no stinking parallelograms here - or rhombuseses - or trapezoids. Squares and rectangles For The Win!!!
Take the backing fabric and
For the moment, lay "Color C" on top of it.
Ok, now we have Color A and Color B left. I am now going to stop typing the word "Color" as I'm sure you've figured that bit out by now, and will carry on just using "A, B or C".
Since you have nice long lengths - 2 yards long or better - of each, we'll cut the long bits first.
From A - cut 12 pieces that are 2 1/2 inches wide by the entire length of the fabric. You will have 12 very long, skinny strips.
From B - cut 5 pieces that are 2 inches wide by the entire length of the fabric. You will have 5 pieces very long and even a bit skinnier.
Put the B pieces on top of the backing and C fabric for now.
See? That wasn't all that hard, was it? You have nice, long strips... and...
oh. Yeah. We're not done yet.
Back to the long, skinny A pieces you just cut. Put 6 of them with the B pieces, then cut the other 6 of them in half so they are only 1/2 as long. Now you have 12 (shorter)long skinny pieces. (2 1/2 inches by approx. 45 inches long)
Drape these 12 pieces lovingly over your sewingmachine. You'll use them first.
Still using the "A" fabric, cut 30 pieces (Yes!! 30!!) that are 12 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide.
Yes, I have a 2 1/2 inch hangup. Deal with it. You'll like the result.
Ok, we are done with Fabric A for now. Fold up any remaining fabric and put it UNDER the backing fabric in that highly-visible-but-out-of-the-way-of-cutting-tools place.
Back to the rest of the uncut chunk of B.
Cut 25 pieces that are 4 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches square. From color B. Please. Make sure they are SQUARE, not trapezoids or rhombuseses or parallelograms. Use your ruler to make sure your corners are nice square 90-degree-angle corners. Measure 3 times - cut once. A slight short-cut can be achieved by cutting strips of fabric exactly precisely 4 1/2 inches wide, then hacking off 4 1/2 inch pieces from the long strips.
You're doing real good.
Now in the same fashion as above, cut 50 pieces that are 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches square, also from Color B. Yes 50. Yes, I really do mean 50. You're doing great!
Next take these 50 squares, and cut them in 1/2 on the diagonal from corner to corner ONE time. See the photo below before you Even THINK about cutting, because you don't want to do this all twice.
When you are done, you will have 100 "right triangles". For those who were Geometry or generally Arithmetically challenged in school, all this really means is triangles with one of the "v" parts being 90 degrees, and the 2 sides of that piece are equal in length. Geometry wasn't my strong suit in school, so if it seems like I'm being a bit condescending and simple - it's my fault, not yours. I kind of assume everyone has this much trouble, because I did.
That is all for now for Color B. You may put the remaining fabric under the remainders of Color A under the backing.
Grab Color C.
Since we just cut 100 triangles from color B and did such an AWESOME damn good job of it - do it again, but with Color C. Same thing, 50 of the 4 3/4 inch squares, cut on the diagonal one time to make 100 right triangles. Same size as the B ones.
Now - across the remaining fabric, cut 12 pieces approximately 45 inches long (since that's probably how wide your fabric is) by 2 1/2 inches wide. Drape these also lovingly over your sewingmachine. That's it for color C - treat the leftovers the same as the first 2 sets of leftovers. Believe it or not - you're probably done for now.
As a result of all this hacking-up of fabric, you should have the following:
6 strips of color A 90" x 2 1/2"
12 strips of color A 45" x 2 1/2"
30 strips of color A 12 1/2" x 2 1/2"
25 squares of Color B 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
100 right-triangles of Color B
5 strips of Color B - 72" x 2"
100 right-triangles of Color C
12 strips of Color C 45" x 2 1/2"
Whew. That was a lot. Put the triangles, squares and strips into that highly-visible spot with the leftovers. Next week we shall begin assembly!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part One
This quilt will be a finished size of 72" x 72" (6 ft. by 6 ft. - slightly less than 2 meters square), a nice size for a throw that can be used for watching TV or as an additional covering on a bed.
The difficulty level is "beginner".
This week, I will cover some very basic things about quilts and quilting, and I will provide a list of supplies you will need. This is the week to assemble your supplies and "ingredients". As I am utterly useless with Metric, all measurements will be in inches.
First off, for the purposes of this series, What I refer to as a quilt is a 3-layer blanket-type covering made from cloth and a center "filling", and secured by either hand or machine sewing - or by a number of small tied knots.
Next, we need to decide on fabric. The most commonly used fabric for quilts is good-quality 100% cotton fabric, which has been pre-washed and ironed before cutting. The pre-washing takes out a good deal of the "shrinkage" factor, as well as making sure all the chemicals from the manufacturing process are out of it. If this is your first time making a quilt, it is a good idea to use this for your fabric.
It is possible to use other fabrics. I've worked with polyester blends, silk and other fabrics. The main thing to consider is that all the fabrics you use MUST be the same weight and fiber content. Do not use wool and cotton and silk all in one quilt. Keep it simple, keep it the same! If you combine things, you may end up with a quilt that only lasts through 1 or 2 washings, because the fabrics will pull and fight with each other, tearing the more delicate ones.
The filling or "batting" as it is called can be either store-purchased batting, an old blanket or any similar warm padding. The thing to think of here is that you will be either sewing through or tying through this, so it should be something you can work with. I suggest using the store-purchased batting for the first try.
Tools:
You will need a pair of very sharp scissors. The ones you use for cutting paper or opening packages in the kitchen are not going to work, you need more precision - if needs be, buy a new pair. I have a specific pair of Gingher shears that I use ONLY for sewing.
You might also want to get a rotary cutter and a mat. You need the mat if you use the cutter. While this is optional, I highly recommend it.
You will need 1 very good plastic ruler. These can be purchased at any quilt shop or fabric store, or at most craft shops. Get one that has markings on both sides, as well as nice lines that show inches, 1/2 inches and 1/4 inches along the length. This is mine - it's seen a lot of use and has never needed replacement.
Of course, you will most likely need a sewing machine. Not many are demented enough to piece their quilt tops by hand. This doesn't have to be fancy - or expensive. You'll only be sewing straight lines for the time being, and a basic machine can also be used for myriad repairs and other nice things.
You will need pins - both straight pins with round-heads, and a large number of safety pins.
Supplies:
2 spools of thread the color of your main fabric color (see fabric list below)
Sewing Machine oil (and the instructions from your machine on how to oil it when needed)
Sewing Machine needles Because you WILL break one just at the worst possible moment.
2 spools of Hand Quilting thread (if you will be hand-quilting)
1 package of quilt batting - preferably medium-loft. I use Mountain Mist batting, mostly because it is easily obtainable, and if I wish, I can use either 100% polyester, or 100% cotton. Usually the batting comes in 72 x 90 inch packages, which will work well for our purposes.
Fabric:
For this project you will need:
2 1/2 yards Fabric A
2 yards Fabric B
1 1/2 yard Fabric C
Backing Fabric
Fabric A will be the "main" color of your quilt. Choose something you can "live with". I suggest something in the middle of the light/dark spectrum.
Fabric B will be the main contrast - choose a color that goes well with fabric A, as it will seem there are almost equal amounts of these two.
Fabric C should be a contrast, but something that fades to the background. This should be the darkest color of the group. (Colors such as Navy, Forest Green, Burgundy, Dark Purple, Deep Gold or Brown would all work well for this.)
Backing Fabric - either 2+1/4 yards of 72" wide muslin (Calico, if you are UK), or 4+1/2 yards of standard width fabric. Fabric should have same fiber content as fabrics used in the top.
Wash all your fabrics (DO NOT WASH THE BATTING!!), dry them and then iron them flat. Next week we will begin cutting!
The difficulty level is "beginner".
This week, I will cover some very basic things about quilts and quilting, and I will provide a list of supplies you will need. This is the week to assemble your supplies and "ingredients". As I am utterly useless with Metric, all measurements will be in inches.
First off, for the purposes of this series, What I refer to as a quilt is a 3-layer blanket-type covering made from cloth and a center "filling", and secured by either hand or machine sewing - or by a number of small tied knots.
Next, we need to decide on fabric. The most commonly used fabric for quilts is good-quality 100% cotton fabric, which has been pre-washed and ironed before cutting. The pre-washing takes out a good deal of the "shrinkage" factor, as well as making sure all the chemicals from the manufacturing process are out of it. If this is your first time making a quilt, it is a good idea to use this for your fabric.
It is possible to use other fabrics. I've worked with polyester blends, silk and other fabrics. The main thing to consider is that all the fabrics you use MUST be the same weight and fiber content. Do not use wool and cotton and silk all in one quilt. Keep it simple, keep it the same! If you combine things, you may end up with a quilt that only lasts through 1 or 2 washings, because the fabrics will pull and fight with each other, tearing the more delicate ones.
The filling or "batting" as it is called can be either store-purchased batting, an old blanket or any similar warm padding. The thing to think of here is that you will be either sewing through or tying through this, so it should be something you can work with. I suggest using the store-purchased batting for the first try.
Tools:
You will need a pair of very sharp scissors. The ones you use for cutting paper or opening packages in the kitchen are not going to work, you need more precision - if needs be, buy a new pair. I have a specific pair of Gingher shears that I use ONLY for sewing.
You might also want to get a rotary cutter and a mat. You need the mat if you use the cutter. While this is optional, I highly recommend it.
You will need 1 very good plastic ruler. These can be purchased at any quilt shop or fabric store, or at most craft shops. Get one that has markings on both sides, as well as nice lines that show inches, 1/2 inches and 1/4 inches along the length. This is mine - it's seen a lot of use and has never needed replacement.
Of course, you will most likely need a sewing machine. Not many are demented enough to piece their quilt tops by hand. This doesn't have to be fancy - or expensive. You'll only be sewing straight lines for the time being, and a basic machine can also be used for myriad repairs and other nice things.
You will need pins - both straight pins with round-heads, and a large number of safety pins.
Supplies:
2 spools of thread the color of your main fabric color (see fabric list below)
Sewing Machine oil (and the instructions from your machine on how to oil it when needed)
Sewing Machine needles Because you WILL break one just at the worst possible moment.
2 spools of Hand Quilting thread (if you will be hand-quilting)
1 package of quilt batting - preferably medium-loft. I use Mountain Mist batting, mostly because it is easily obtainable, and if I wish, I can use either 100% polyester, or 100% cotton. Usually the batting comes in 72 x 90 inch packages, which will work well for our purposes.
Fabric:
For this project you will need:
2 1/2 yards Fabric A
2 yards Fabric B
1 1/2 yard Fabric C
Backing Fabric
Fabric A will be the "main" color of your quilt. Choose something you can "live with". I suggest something in the middle of the light/dark spectrum.
Fabric B will be the main contrast - choose a color that goes well with fabric A, as it will seem there are almost equal amounts of these two.
Fabric C should be a contrast, but something that fades to the background. This should be the darkest color of the group. (Colors such as Navy, Forest Green, Burgundy, Dark Purple, Deep Gold or Brown would all work well for this.)
Backing Fabric - either 2+1/4 yards of 72" wide muslin (Calico, if you are UK), or 4+1/2 yards of standard width fabric. Fabric should have same fiber content as fabrics used in the top.
Wash all your fabrics (DO NOT WASH THE BATTING!!), dry them and then iron them flat. Next week we will begin cutting!
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