No topic this week, just a bunch of crafting tidbits I picked up this week.

Tiffany not only shared her paper pieced quilt with us but a site to get gourmet coffee. Check out Quilter’s Coffee.

On the podcast, I said that Tiffany did not say the pattern but I was wrong.  It was from Nancy Mahony’s book “Quilt Block Bonanza”.

Didn’t she do an awesome job.  I love the colors and the perfect points.  This is a great pattern for paper piecing.  I think it is so perfect, it almost looks like an illistration.

Jaye told us about a book (wrong again, she didn’t write it, she has it – sorry, maybe I should write the post before record.  lol).  The book is “Point Well Taken: The Guide to Success with needles and Threads”.

Point Well Taken: The Guide to Success with Needles & Threads

New Podcast!  Welcome aboard Toni.  Check it out  SillyChickDesigns

Here is the $10 balloon from Disney.

This is Mary’s alternative to a thread stand; it works great and will do until I invest in a thread stand.  Mary’s idea is to put the thread in a cup and hand a hanger above and behind the machine.  Thread throught the hanger before the machine and it works great.  I didn’t have a place to hang a hanger, so I stuck it in a vase and threaded it throught the hook on the hanger.

Here are the three different widths of the threads.  My Coats n’ Clark, the sewing machine guys Robinson-Anton and Mettler’s. Make sure your thread fits in your machine and pulls out smoothly; if not use a thread stand or change to a smaller spool of thread.

Fabric and thread I purchased for my United States block.

“Toys” I bought at the Quilt Shop.  I am going to play with the Shiva sticks this week.  Maybe I will podcast next week about it.

New iPod Application Fabric Journal.

Quilting Natural Florida II exhibit will be opening at the Florida Museum of Natural History from Feb. 6th to April 25.

Donate to the site.  If everyone donated $2 a year that would give me over $1,200 to spend on giveaways!  There are two quilt shows coming up and I would love to buy things to give away.

Today we talked about doing mitered corners on borders – like this!

Thank you to everyone who commented or emailed this week.  Special thanks to Mindy and Debby for sharing their paper piecing pictures.

Lisa posted a video tutorial on her site on how to do a mitered binding.  Check it out here.

Lori shared her original Speed Racer Quilt with us.  Love the concept, workmanship, EVERYTHING!  Leave a comment and let Lori know what you think.

I finished another block on Frolic.  Only one more to go!!

How to make a Mitered Corner

Cut your border piece longer then the quilt/piece.  A good gauge is double the border width plus 1/2″ for each corner.  This may be a bit longer than you need, but better safe then sorry.  Pin the border to the quilt top leaving an overhang of double the border plus seam allowance; for a 2″ border, that would be 4 1/2″.

When sewing on this piece you start 1/4″ in from the edge and stop 1/4″ from the edge.  So measure and mark this.  You can leave a gap bigger than 1/4″, but never smaller.

Fold the piece you just sewed back and pin the next side on.  Mark 1/4″ from the edge for the starting and stopping points.

When you stitch the second piece, the stitches shoule be close, but not touching.  I found that this was about 1 stitch too close.

Fold the side up and line the top edges.  Be sure the stitch lines are matching too.

Line up the top edge with the 45 degree mark on your ruler.  The side of the ruler lines up with the fold line.

Mark the line.

I found that it was easier with the seam allowance pressed down instead of up.

Stitch on your marked line from the quilt to the edge.

Trim, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance.  I use a “add a quarter” ruler for a guide.

Fold it out, press and you are done.

This is what happens when you don’t leave a 1/4″ from the edge when stitching on your borders or when you don’t match up your stitching lines when folding it in half and lining up the top edges.

Try it out and let me know how it goes.  If you have any tips, leave it in the comments section to share with everyone.

Today we talked about how to spread the word of Quilting and how to involve the younger generation.

I also talked about the fellow quilting podcast community.

My latest Frolic block

I am moved in to my new house – here are more pictures

Today we discussed a little bit about my machine embroidery and embellishments for your quilts

Check out Cherry’s latest quilt. Isn’t it spectacular! She did this during Annie Smith’s online quilting class. Can you believe that you can learn these skills from an online class?!?! Check out Annie’s classes at www.simplearts.com. Please leave a comment and tell Cherry what you think about her work.

These are the new scissors my mom bought me.  What would I do without her?

My latest block from my Frolic quilt

The shirt I machine embroidered.  Please listen to the podcast to learn more.

Check out the new addition to the website – the Discussion Board!  It is still new and I am working out the bugs, but it will be a great place for use to posts questions and get answers right away.  You must register to use the discussion board, so click on the link at the top of the page “Register” or “Login”.

In the coming weeks I will also add a Craft Swap – listen to the podcast to hear the details.

This week’s topic was embellishments.   Check out QuiltingPassion for more tips.  This is what we touched on in the podcast.

• Charms
• Sequins
• Beads
• Ribbon
• Deocrative Stitches
• Applique
• Paints
• Hot fix crystals
• Yo-yos
• Lace Netting
• Buttons
• Fiber

Today we talked about marking tools

Thank you to everyone who left comments on iTunes, on the website, or through email this week.

• Cindy, ruthann, Debby, Lisa
• Melanie – thanks for the knitting tips

Emily sent us PICTIRES!!!  She just finished this baby quilt – it came out better than she thought it would while making it.  Don’t you love the wonky squares and how the binding ties into the colors!  Leave a comment and let Emily know what you think.

My husband’s new Tattoo

First Day of School Picture

Shopping at JoAnn’s

Cleaning up my sewing space.  How I used everyday items.

Old spice rack as a thread holder

Picture easel for my rulers and a vase for my stablizers

Plastic cups from around the house for marking tools

Picked up these cubbys from Wal-Mart for $3.50 to organize my scraps by color.

Topic of the week – Marking tools

Listen to the podcast, we reviewed these tools.  Which one is your favorite.

• Chalk pencil
• Wax pencil
• Washable blue marker
• Washable pencils
• Disapearing ink markers
• loose chalk
• regular pencils
• painters tape

Today we talked about the different styles of fabric…eventually.  We did finally get to it after we went over me busy week.

Comments this week

• Thank you to Allison Rosen from Within a Quarter Inch for the shout out on her podcast.
• Denise shared what it was like to sit in on a Quilt Out Loud taping.
• Another listeners is starting a podcast – more to come….
• Jennifer gave us a tip to save your scraps and cut them into standard sizes for scrap quilts.
• Tiffany sent Pictures!!!!!

Tiffany is a garment sewer, but about once a year she makes a quilt.  This design cambe from Quilterscache.com and is called “Independance Quilt”.  It was machine pieced and machine quilted using the stitch-in-the-ditch method.  This picture is a real Pick Me Up!

Tip for Scraps - save them for fabric postcards!  As you are saving them, sort them by color using a kids bucket storage system.

I bought a 48″ x 96″ piece of template material for $22 at Grainger.com.

Puppy in his baby onesie!  Got to keep those stitched covered.  I put Reecee in one too so Nacho didn’t feel like an outcast.

Machine Quilting – here is a pic of the meandering I have finished.  Maybe by next week I will be able to bind it.

I broke my ruler!!! 

Finished another Frolic block (only 100 left to go,  lol)

My Knitter’s Tote Bag

This is an original design by me.  I am typing it up and will have the pattern available for sale on Etsy for $4; pdf download.  The bag features two compartments; one on the bottom to hold the yarn; you can fit about 3 small skeins in it.  Access to the yarn area is through a hole in the side, so as you knit the yarn comes out easily.  The top compartment is big enough to hold a small project and 12″ needles; there are even eyelets in the bottoms for empty needles to go into so they won’t fall out.  The handles are long for knitting with it hanging on your shoulder.

Quilting/Knitting Apps for iPod/iPhone

• Stitchminder
• Quilt Ref
• Quilt Envi

Different Styles of Fabric

• Tone on Tone – same color but different values. Dark red fabric with a light print
• Batiks – dyed with a wax resist
• Marbled – different colors swirled together. Don’t know how it is done commercially – think of marbled cake
• Cheater Fabric – all over print, little to no repeats
• Novelty Fabric – pictorials; baseball themed, princess themed. Holiday, Disney…Good for fussy cutting or themed quilts.
• Calico – small printed fabric, all over pattern; originally, Calico meant Cotton Fabric.
• Contemporary – Modern design; considered more stylish
• Directional prints – designs with a clear right way and wrong way.
• Muslin – undyed cotton. Bleached or not, available in different quality
• PFD – means prepared for dying – not sizing, surface finish or treatment
• Pima Cotton – developed in the SW. Combination of Egyption and upland cotton. Longer fiber length, more shiny
• Repro – Fabric printed today using designs from before about 1950’s.
• Vintage – not printed today, the original fabric printed before the 1960’s
• Retro – old style designs, like from the 70’s and 80’s.

I had a very busy, crafty week.  I didn’t have time to organize a planned topic, so, instead of skipping a week I thought I would share everything that went on.

Thank you to Nicole for sharing her pictures.  Nicole took one of her husband’s old shirts and made this dress for her daughter.  LOVE IT!!!  She got the idea from Crafster.org.  Leave a comment and let Nicole know what you think.  I love the idea and I may be running to the thrift store to pick up an old shirt to try it!

Tiffany shared with us how she trys to break the stereotype of only older people craft.  She always brings her crafts with her – knits in public as much as she can.  Join her – help spread the word and change this stereo type.

Picture from the baseball game – here is my WONDERFUL husband; he’s a cutie, isn’t he?

Picture of the card catalog I swiped from the junk mail pile at work.  Great place to get fabric postcard ideas.

This is my sewing table ready and waiting for my new machine.  One more day!!!  This picture does not give this table justice.  I love this table so much.  It is the perfect size not to be too overwhelming in a room.  The “L” shape is perfect and very comfortable to work at.  It doesn’t have much storage, but everything can’t be perfect.  the fact that It doesn’t have storage allows me to sit where my cutting mat is, if needed.

Everything I bought at JoAnn’s. 

My first knitting attempt.  I knitted a little, I purled a little, then I stockinette stiched a little.  See Friday’s post for a picture of the supplies I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

As usual, I forgot to add the links to my show notes yesterday.  I have fixed it, but here you go.

Here are some great links to find more information on Fabric Postcards.

For Movie Monday, I thought I would share the video that the sewing machine store showed me about the Circular Attachment from Janome and one on free motion quilting.  Enjoy.

Fast Tube by Casper

Fast Tube by Casper

Today we talked about how to make a fabric postcard – Can you REALLY send them through the mail?!

Thank you to everyone who left comments this week.  Shout out to Shelbe, Cherry, and Darla!  Loved hearing from you.

Debby shared her latest project with us.  A CRAZY quilt block.  Don’t you love the texture?!  I like how she used decorative stitches and the ribbon embroidered boquet.  Please leave a comment and let Debby know what you think.

I saw a demo of the Janome Memory Craft 11000 Special Edition.  This machine does everything you could imagine.  I want one.  My first choice would be a Bernina, but the Janome is thousands cheaper and more than meets my needs.  Check out the sample they made for Morgan – the machine did everything, I just put it in the hoop, made my choices and hit “start”.

I practiced my free motion quilting this weekend.  Here is my practice cloth.  By the end I was getting it, but my tension was off – I need the Janome with the automatice tension.  lol

I picked up this book at the Flea Market for $3 (original price was $20).  It is in new condition with all the pieces.  Morgan and I will be working on these projects over the next few weeks.

Question of the Week Results

• What type of binding do you use?
• 28 votes
• 68% said double fold non-bias

Topic of the Week – Fabric Postcards

Items needed:

• Fabric for front and back
• I like the idea of white muslin for the back
• Fusable webbing
• Stablizer – Timtex, peltex, Fast2Fuse
• Thread
• PIGMA Pen

Design

• Can be pieces
• Can be fused pieces on top of background
• Can be embelished
• Can be a combination of all and any

Basics

1. Create your design on the fabric front
2. Fuse to the stablizier
3. Quilt as desired
4. Embellish as desired.
5. Fuse to the backing muslin
6. Finish the edges – I like a nice satin stich in a varigated thread.

Use a PIGMA Pen to write your message, address and return address

Adhere a self-adhesive stamp and mail!

Links to more info

• SewFunPatterns
• DollMakersJourney
• DebRichardson
• QuilterbyDesign

Today we talked about how to start a quilt guild.

Thank you to everyone who left comments this week. I really appreciate it. I had an email mishap this week with my new phone and accidently deleted a bunch of emails. Sorry, if I didn’t reply to yours.

I picked up two magazines this week – I would recommend them. They are not solely about quilting, but sewing in general. I am really enjoying them.

We got a new puppy! Meet “Reesee”. She looks just like a peanut butter cup. She is a 10 week only Chihuahua. She is miniature and probably won’t grow much bigger than 5lbs.

Question of the Week results:

• What do you consider yourself?
• 56% – Quilter
• 19% – Crafter

I finished another block in my Frolic quilt – only 11 more to go!!!

Here are some great links on how to start a quilt guild.

• CanadianQuilter.com
• QuiltGuilds.com

This week I just caught you up on what I have been doing and how my projects are going.  No topic, but plenty of craftiness.

My traveling with my stitching went very well.  Here are some pictures of how I organized everything.

I wound my thread onto bobbins and they all fit into a pin case. I left the ends hanging out so that I could get thread without opening up the case.

I used a small piece of material to organize some pins and needles.

I kept my scissors on lanyards.

Everything fit into a gallon size zip-lock bag.

Here is my lastest block finished or the Frolic Quilt.  I did this while on the road to DC.

Here are the blocks I received from the Facebook Quilt Block Swap.

Check out my daughter’s “Flower Party”!

Don’t forget to answer our question of the week.

Email me pictures of your projects and your ideas of what you would like to see in an iPhone App.

Today we talked about how to take your projects with you when you go on vacation, work, in the car, doctor’s office. . . whereever!!

First – Thank you to everyone who left comments this week.

Special thanks to Emily for sharing her wonderful project with us.  Leave a comment and let Emily know what you think.  I love the colors and the diamond design.  Emily got the pattern from a ‘07 edition of American Patchwork.

I would like to learn how to dye fabrics – please pass on any good books you know about the subject.

I finished the blocks for the Facebook quilt block swap.  I did pick up the wrong kind of sweaters for the flowers, but I made them work.  I think they came out pretty good.

I will be on vacation, in the DC area, for the next week – returning on the 7th.  The next podcast will not be posted until then. 

In the meantime – keep sending your comments and emails.  Work is giving me a new phone where I will be able to access email, internet, etc…. everything at all times! 

Please send me your ideas for the Question fo the week – This week’s question comes from Patricia.

Stay inspired!  We will talk again soon!

First, thank you to everyone who has been leaving comments and sending pictures!!!  This week, I shared Corrine’s recent project.  Check it out – don’t you love the fabric?!?!  Until I posted this picture, I did not realize she embroidered a “K” in the center.  Leave a comment for Corrine – let her know what you think.

Question of the Week – Bernina won out! – I still want one.  I am trying to come up with creative ways to save up the money for one.

On to the Applique! – Please listen to the podcast while browsing these pictures.  Hopefully, I posted them all in the same order I talked about them.

Freezer Paper - find it in your grocery store near the foil

Trace your pattern onto the freezer paper - separate the pieces and account for the overlap of the design

Trace the design onto the background fabric using a water soluble marker

Close up picture of the design on the background

Cut out the freezer paper pieces and place them on the corresponding fabrics

Make sure all the pieces are numbered

Iron them onto the fabric, leaving a 1/2" space in between each. Don't cut them out until you are ready to sew

Cut out the piece with a scant 1/4 seam allowance, pin into place on background. I use small applique pins.

When pinning in place, line the freezer paper up with the outline on the background.

Fold under the edge of the fabric so it is even with the freezer paper. Slide your needle, with a knot on the end, under the fold and begin stitching.

Only grab a few threads of background fabric and a few threads of applique fabric for each stitch.

About 1/2" before the corner, fold the top of the corner under bluntly.

Use your needle the fold the fabric under, even with the freezer paper. For curves, sweep the needle in both directions until the curve is smooth.

Stitch to the point of the corner, adding an extra stitch on the point.Use your needle to fold the fabric under on the left side of the corner. Push tightly to the stitches on the point.Fold down the rest of the side past the corner and continue to stitch.Leave the freezer paper on until all the stitching is done.

The finished piece - front view

The back after stitching around the applique piece.

Pinch the backing fabric away from the applique fabric.Use small scissors to snip away the backing fabric, leaving a scant 1/4" seam allowance.Backing fabric cut away from applique piece.

Back after several pieces are sewn on and backing is cut away.

Today we talked about how to draw out a pattern.

Check out how many pieces are in the next applique block I am starting – it is going to take forever!!  There must be 500 points!  This is it drawn out on freezer paper.  I still have to cut it out and iron to fabric.

Here is the lastes block I finished on my Frolic quilt.

Goodies picked up at the last Quilt shop visit – Do you think an apron will make me a better cook?

Blocks finsihed for my basket block swap.  I just have to add the felted flowers.  The handle was the most difficult to come up with.  I kept cutting the strips too skinny to fold into a handle.

Today we talked about whether or not you should pre-wash your fabric.

I haven’t posted for the last three weeks because I had a terrible cold that had me in bed for five days.  Ever since then, I just hadn’t felt well.  Plus, I was overloaded with work that was keeping me very busy.

I did manage to finish two blocks of my frolic applique quilt and one more hardanger coaster.  I have two coasters left to go!

The weekly poll results

• Do you crochet
• 39 responses
• 67% say Yes

Listen to this week’s podcast to decide if pre-washing your fabric is right for you.

Send me pictures of what you are working on or have finished and I will highlight it in the next podcast!

This week we talked about Whitework Quilting.  This topic was a suggestion from one of my listeners.

Sorry I missed posting a podcast last week.  I forgot my headset microphone at work.  I plan on pre recording a few episodes so that if it happens again, I am more prepareded.

Thank your for all the comments and suggestions.

• Allison Rosen, Lisa, Debby, Tammy, Betsy, Grammie2Maddie
• Jan, Rhonda and Village tunes for leaving comments on iTunes

Special thanks to Emily for sharing her work and suggestion for an online quilt class.  Check out the website www.AllPeopleQuilt.com.  They have online video classes; some for under $10 a month. 

This is the project that Emily shared.  The pattern was from the Quilt Sampler Magazine.  It is machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted.  I think this is absolutely beautiful.  Please leave comments and share your thoughts on Emily’s work.

Facebook - if you send a friend request, please send me a message telling me you know me through my website.

New Quilting App for the iPod touch and iPhone – seach for it “QuiltFab”.  It tells you how much fabric you need for binding, backing,a nd borders.

If you want to make money freelancing administrative work – send me an email and I will pass on what I know. 

I found Fons & Porter’s and Quilting Arts TV shows on my local cable.  Plus some great sewing shows.  Search your PBS and set up your recorder.

I need to crochet some baby booties for an upcoming shower.  If you have any easy patterns, send me an email and point me in the right direction.

Quilt shop visit – look what I got!!!!!

Question of the week results:

• 30 votes
• over 75% do not belong to a guil
• Will do a show on how to start a guild – we need to promote our craft!

Topic this week was whitework quilting, we reviewed what I covered in the articles posted this week as well as I preferred techniques

Check out Terri’s Whitework Tutorial

Here are some links to whitework patterns:

• Colonial Quilts
• Forest Quilting
• Jo’s Place
• Red Leaf Sales
• Victoriana Quilt Designs

Create your own Motif:

[
drafting motifs from Adam Chenevert on Vimeo.]

Book about Whitework Quilting and the authors video:

Fast Tube by Casper

The first time you ever see a whitework quilt, you may be amazed at the intricacy and detail.  Although they may look like a project only an experienced, expert level quilter should attempt, they are really not that difficult.

Let’s break it down into the basic steps.

1. A white work quilt is essentially a whole cloth quilt.  So the first step is to pick out your fabric.  Choose a good quality quilting fabric in a wide width; a few inches wider than you want your finished project to be.  The top fabric can be the same as the backing.
2. Choose your patten or patterns.  Most whitework quilts have large motif designs in the center; like a medallian quilt.  You may also choose to put several motifs in place.  Also choose a pattern for the areas between the motifs.  Whitework quilts are quilting heavily, usually a maximum of 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.  A grid or feather pattern inbetween the motifs is very common.
3. Transfer you pattern onto the quilt top.  Do this the same as you would for any quilt using your most preferred method.
4. Baste your quilt, just like you alway would; with safety pins or large basting stitches.
5. Quilt, hand stitch, hand quilt, or embroider following the pattern you transferred on earlier.
6. Bind and you are done.

As you see, a Whitework quilt is not much different than any other quilt.  This type of quilting can be a nice change from piecing or applique.

I encourage everyone to give it a try.  Start off with a small piece to see if you like it.

Sorry, Guys.  I could not post a podcast this week.  Don’t worry, I am not a podfader.  I can list a ton of excuses, but I will explain fully during next week’s podcast.

In the meantime……

I finished another applique block for my Frolic quilt.  They are supposed to be snowshoes, but I think they look like maracas.  lol.  It is not my fault, it is the pattern.  When you look at them out of context, they just don’t look like snowshoes, but next to the other snow people, snow flakes, and holly branches they look more in place.

Things I learned during this block:

• Layering is great and it does save time – I didn’t stitch the parts that would have other pieces placed on top of it.
• Pinning helps keep everything in place when you insist on not using fusable or glue.
• Especially pin the larger pieces
• Cotton thread is great, but shreads after a while – only use 12-18 inch pieces and watch out for the shreading of the thread.  Tie off before the thread breaks.

I think my daughter’s favorite medium is Paper – she loves paper crafts and is always raiding my scapbooking supply.  Look what she made for Easter.  We don’t decorate eggs at my house, but she wanted to and figured out a way how.  During Easter Linner (lunch/dinner) she gave everyone an Easter egg.

Sorry, folks.  I recorded my podcast this morning and all was going well.  I finished and click stop on the recorded and BOOM!!  The computer shut the program down and nothing was saved.  I searched for a recovery for 30 minutes; by that time it was too late to re-record because the baby girl would be awake soon.

I am working from home tomorrow – so I will try again.  Luckily I use notes and can remember most of what I talked about.  If all goes well, I will have a new show for you tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, I finished another block of my hand appliques project “Frolic” and I started on the forth block.

How did the piano player get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice!

Practice is something that we cannot get away from.  Yes, it would be wonderful if we could sit down at our machines and automatically create the most beautiful, perfect pieces of work we have ever seen.  Wouldn’t it be great for the creative ideas to just spill out freely?  As much as we would like to be the creative expert, the only way to get there is by practicing. 

Learning to sew, to quilt, or to craft is a process.  We begin with learning the basics and build on that foundation.  Skipping steps is like putting the roof on before constructing the walls.  In today’s face paced, want it today~ want it now society, it is easy for the beginner to drop out before they the get to the good stuff.  Many of the most beautiful patterns are considered an expert level.  It could years of practice to gain the experience in order to do the project that drew you into the craft.

So, what is the quickest way to practice and gain the level of expertise you are looking for?  Truthfully, there is no real answer to this question; each person learns at a different rate and their personality effects how well they learn a skill.  That being said, the following projects are a great way to get started:

• Pot-holder
• Place mats
• Table runners
• Dresser Doilies
• Christmas Ornaments
• Christmas Tree Skirts
• Flag

These projects can be completed using just a few quilt blocks.  Many of them may only take one to four blocks and most of these projects can be completed quickly, giving you the satisfaction of finishing a project.  If you want to master a technique, make a few placemats; you will be able to learn a basic quilt block, quilting and binding.  Not to mention, applique; this is a wonderful way to try it out.  Instead of spending weeks working on the same blocks, as you would a full quilt, doing smaller projects will give you more variety and you may find it more enjoyable; plus the smaller scale is easier to work with when you are just starting out.

Remember to respect the creative process.  Everyone has to pay their dues to become great.  Start with the basics and add  new techniques as you go along.  Find what works for you and don’t give up.

If you are like me – you work, have kids, and have very little time to get to a class or guild – an online quilt class may be just what you are looking for.  I have been web surfing tonight and found several sites that offer online classes and online guilds.  Check them out!

Qult Campus - Classes, library, guild workshops, live chats

Quilt University - classes – first class is free!  Each class consists of written lessons, discussion forums, and photo galleries

The Quilting School – classes, free videos, forum, newsletter

Arbee Designs Ltd – Classes, patterns, books, articles

Victoriana Quilters – free classes to members; membership is only $19.50

The Academy of Quilting – affordable online classes with forums and photo galleries

Today we are talking about the types of pins and needles that we use all the time.  What type is best for what job/fabic and how to care for them.

Review the posted for the last week for details of the topic.

This is a great place for pictures of different kinds of needles.  Click Here

Take the weekly poll.

• No spam
• No email required

Call out to listeners to start their own podcast.  See me my show notes for Episode 1 to see how I got started.  I would really like more of them to listen to.

I ranted a lot – thanks for listening.

Leave a comment and let me know what you would like me to talk about.

Today we discussed how to fit your crafting into your schedule and did a book review of “Fabricate“.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you do to fit your crafting into your schedule.

This is my Log Cabin Dreams quilt all laid out and ready to assemble – my Chihuahua, Nacho, refused to stay off of it and had fun mixing up the pieces every few minutes.

Key words to remember:

Fabricate by Susan Wasinger is an excellent book.  I reccommend everyone to get it.  It is not a quilting book, but she has some innovative ideas that could be used in quilts.

Is there really a difference in the fabric found in the local quilt shop?  That is an excellent question.  One thing is for certain, the fabric in a quilt shop is generally more expensive.  Before we can get into the details, let’s review how fabric is actually made.

Cotton fabric is weaved from cotton yard at a textile weaving mill.  This is the actual manufacturer of fabric; how it is weaved and the quality of the yarn used determines the quality of the fabric.  Fabric from the weaving mill is called Greige (“Gray”) goods; this means that nothing has been done to the fabric yet, no dying or patterns, just straight off the loom.

Fabric Converters purchase these greige goods.  A converter is a company that designs the patterns for the fabric.  They also make the decisions on what to sell and how much to the store.  Some converters do their own printing, other send the greige goods off to a textile printing factory.  In the end the converter sells the finished product to the quilt shops or chain stores.

Many things can make the difference in the fabrics offered from store to store. 

 The local quilt shops usually only sell the higher quality items and they have the experience to spot a problem fabric.  This is not to say that discount fabric stores and big chain stores don’t have a place in our craft.  It is not in everyone’s budget to spend $10-$20 a yard for fabric.  But like the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for”.  Consider the project you are working on; how many times will it be washed, is it going to hang on the wall or is a toddler going to drag it around, is it a practice or heirloom piece?

A good rule to keep in mind when deciding where to buy your fabric is that a discount fabric may only last a few years with regular use and a quality fabric may out live you.

With so many different fabrics available and the variety of shops to purchase from, how is a consumer to know what exactly to buy. Every shop owner or business manager will boast about the quality of the fabric they are selling, but how can the layman know if what they are hearing is the same as they are seeing.

According to an article at Fabrics.net, the number of yarns per inch of fabric is one way to tell the quality of the piece. Yarns per inch, or thread count, is determined by the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric. The linen industry has taken this measurement and marketed it. When shopping for new sheets the labels and advertisements all brag about their thread count; the higher the thread count the more expensive the product. Unfortunately, that doesn’t tell the whole story of quality. When you compare linens purchased at the local discount store to ones from a high end shop; most of the time you can feel and see the difference, even if the thread count is the same.

Another point to consider is the thread itself. Some manufactures take 2 or more stands of thread and twist them together before they weave the fabric. This practice makes the threads stronger and increases the quality of the material. If two strands are twisted together, this is referred to as “2-ply”. Each stand is added to the thread count; therefore if you are looking at a 300 thread count piece that is 2-ply, you will only see 150 threads.
So what is the best thread count to use? Ideally, the higher the count the better. According to an article at Quiltbug.com most quality fabric is 68×68 thread count and Batik fabrics can be up to 200 thread count.

Most people cannot look at a fabric and count the threads and, unfortunately, the thread count is usually not advertised on the bolt. So what is the meticulous quilter to do? How are we supposed to pick out the best fabric to put our hard work into? Well there are a few tricks that even the occasionally sewer can use.

• Check the weave – use your nail and see if you can move the threads. If the weave is loose, you probably have a low thread count and the fabric will likely deteriorate with use.
• Can you see through it – if you put your hand behind it, can you see the outline of your hand? If so, this is a good example of lower quality threads; they are probably thinner. This fabric may be good for some uses, but not for a project you want to last a lifetime.
• Find a bolt of expensive, obvious high quality fabric and use that a baseline to compare other fabric too – carry it around the store with you and hold it up to the fabric you are considering buying.
• Magnifying glass – count the threads.

Roxanne International out of Lathrop, Ca. has created a perfect tool for hunting down thread counts. The R.O.S.E Thread Counter will tell you the thread count of your fabric and help you match grain lines in piecing, choose a fabric that won’t fray during appliqué, or manipulate the drape in wearable arts. The product sells on their website for $12.99.
Quality fabric is the foundation of any good piece of fabric art. It is well worth the time and effort to examine your choice before you make the purchase or sew the first stitch.

Not the best way to start a week off.  It is almost like a sign as to how my week will go.

I was working on my Log Cabin Dreams quilt.  There are 15 rectangular blocks with either flower or butterflys on them.  The flowers are butterflys are fused on and I am sewing on my handmade chenille along the edges.  My daughter was spending the night at my mother and my husband was occupying my son; I had several hours to just sew.  I couldn’t have been happier.

Well the sewing Gods had it in for me.  My guess would be that I wasn’t feeling guilty enough for sending my little girl away.  Or maybe it was because I screwed up dinner…..either way, I realized that I fused the flowers and butterflys to the WRONG SIDE of the fabric!!!!

Luckily it was only three pieces that I made this completely idiotic mistake on.  But each piece took me 30-40 minutes to sew in the first place.  So I spent the evening with my seam ripper.  Thank God, I invested the couple dollars in a new one just a few weeks ago.  By the time “House” was over, I had my pieces ready to go.

Keep this in mind everyone.  Use plenty of light and make sure you can see the right and wrong side of the fabric.  I am using a white fabric with white polka dots; even on the wrong side you can see the polka dots through so it was hard to tell.  Many times I am working in low light so I don’t disturb the family.

Well I am off to work on something else.  I think I need to stay away from my Log Cabin Dreams for a day or two.

Tip of the Day: 

Always use the seam ripper on the back, bobbin side of the thread; rip every 3-4 four stitches.  When you have done this for the length of the seam, turn it over and pull from the front.  It will pull out easily and only leave a few threads in the back that you can scrap together with you nail.