Some of you may remember back in October 2011 that my sister, Paula, came out to visit me in California. During that visit, we put together two lap sized quilts – one for me, and one for her. These quilts were made up of blocks we had both made over the course of a year. This idea was born during the weeks I spent in New Hampshire following my sister’s surgery for colon cancer.

We were inspired to make a collaborative quilt (actually TWO quilts) using the book by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran called Collaborative Quilting: Talking it Over. We established some “rules” for our block construction: they had to be a size divisible by three (to make construction of the final quilts easier), we had to use bright colors, and the blocks needed to be liberated trees, stars, and houses (or a combination of those images).

During the year we spent making blocks, we did not share what we were doing…which made it REALLY fun when we got together and started putting everything together. As much as we were alike, we discovered we were also different. I saw houses and trees differently than how Paula saw houses and trees. Our choice of fabric varied wildly. We also found that in putting together our quilts, we had a different vision of how blocks went together. The result was two very individual quilts even though they used blocks made by each of us. This week I finally finished the quilting of my quilt (Paula is still working on hers). All photos below are clickable for a larger image.

The finished size of this lap quilt is a generous 53″ X 67″. Much of the quilt is constructed with scraps. The blocks are all different sizes…so in putting them together, Paula and I had to create “filler blocks” which included rectangles of fabric as well as some pinwheel type blocks. If you look carefully, you can see that there is a letter “P’ and a letter “W” in the quilt…which is, of course, our initials!

The back of this quilt is pieced. Both Paula and I made letter blocks to spell out sisters on our quilt backs. We also made a large star block (I made Paula’s and she made mine) for the back.

The label is hand embroidered and “framed” using some colorful ribbon.

Here are some more photos of the quilt draped:

I quilted this quilt by doing a very free-form outlining of the houses and trees, and using a meandering stipple over the rest of the quilt (except for the borders which I straight line quilted). I am still working on my free motion quilting skills, so the quilting is not perfect – but I liked how it mimicked the folk artsy feel of the quilt.

I used a variety of fabrics for the border, including a Kaffe Fassett orange stripe and a Kaffe Fassett flower print. I bound the quilt with a Kaffe Fassett purple stripe.

In the end, I have a fun, happy, very bright quilt which I treasure because my sister and I made it together. This was a fantastic experience. I promise to post photos of Paula’s quilt when she finishes it. Until then, here is a shot of it in progress last October:

We are already planning our next collaborative effort!

Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap is hosting the 2012 Finish-A-Long. I just discovered her blog, so I (unfortunately) missed the sign up for the first quarter…BUT, I’m going to play along unofficially and in April I will be sure to get on board. Rhoda has some great sponsors and giveaways in store, and {of course!} there is a Flickr group.

So, in the spirit of finishing my projects, here is what is on deck through the end of March:

1.  The Sisters Quilt

Remember this one? This is the collaborative effort of my sister, Paula, and me. I finished quilting this one the other day and it is all ready to be bound…so you should see this quilt in its completed form very, very soon!

2.  The Summer Sampler Quilt

One of these days SOON, I am going to get this one sandwiched (pinned) and get it all quilted and finished. I pieced this one during a summer quilt-a-long and it has been waiting patiently for me to finish it.

3.  The Rockin’ Robin Quilt

Another one which I pieced over the summer as part of a quilt-a-long. The top is all done, and I am working on piecing the back … so really I just need to sandwich and quilt this one.

What do you think? Can I get these all done before April 1st? Wish me luck!!

Ali and Sandy at Very Berry Homemade are hosting a fantastic giveaway and all they want to know is: What are YOUR sewing resolutions for 2012?

I thought this would give me an excellent opportunity to write down my goals for quilting for 2012…so here goes!

1.  I joined my very first block of the month club at my local quilt store. My goal is to finish the quilt – not just the top, but the back as well. And I am resolved to quilt this HUGE quilt myself too. I figure by the end of 2012, I should have enough quilts behind me to be able to tackle this larger quilt. Here is a photo of the quilt on the site of the designer, Laurie Shifrin (and a link to her site):

2.  Finish the quilts I started in 2011 – yup, I still have a number of quilts in various stages of construction. These include my companion star friendship quilt (you can see the one I made for Laura here), my Round-Robin quilt (the top is done, but I still need to finish the back and quilt this one), and my Summer Sampler Quilt (top and back are finished – I just need to quilt this one). I also recently completed a quilt top from a kit using some gorgeous Kaffe Fassett fabrics and I need to construct the back and finish it. And although I have been working on my Sisters Collaborative quilt, I still need to finish quilting it and get it bound. My goal is to finish at least one quilt a month from this backlog – starting with the sisters quilt!

3.  Learn something new. I am getting more confident in my sewing and I want to challenge my skills in 2012…so I will be keeping my eyes open for quilt-alongs and classes that will teach me a new skill.

4.  Get together with some quilting friends and have a day of sewing. I have met some new people who also love fabric…and we have been talking about getting together and sewing. Our first “sew date” is coming up soon and I hope to do more of these in 2012.

5.  Each year since I started quilting, I have increased my completed projects. In 2009 it was five projects; in 2010 it was seven projects; and in 2011 it was eight projects. My goal for 2012 is to complete at least 10 projects.

6.  Do another collaborative quilt project. My experience constructing a quilt with my sister, Paula, was wonderful…and I want to do it again. We have already been talking about making an all solids quilt together on her next trip to California (hopefully in the autumn of 2012).

So that’s it – sound do-able? I hope so! Wish me luck!!

And if I am lucky enough to win the giveaway, I would choose the fat quarter bundle (5 FQ) from Amy Butler’s Lark collection from Fabric with Love.

*All photos in this post may be clicked on to enjoy a larger view

Now that Christmas is over, I can share with you the quilt I made my mother for Christmas!

Despite its smallish size (41.5″ X 58″) this lap quilt was a bear to piece. I call it  Chocolate & Raspberries, but it is actually named Woven Ribbons by Halli Keller and Nancy Reba who designed it. My local quilt shop offered a class last February 2011 for this quilt, and I jumped in to try doing something a little different. This pattern requires very careful cutting and exact 1/4″ seam allowances. Strips of 2.5″ wide fabric are pieced together into ten “stratas.” These are then cut into 1.5″ strips. THESE strips are then pieced, in a specific order, to create the woven ribbons appearance of the quilt. In the end, what you see are 1″ X 2″ rectangles which make up the pattern. Here is a close up of the process:

And here is a close up of the tiny rectangles:

If it sounds tedious, it is! I had to take frequent breaks from this quilt just to rest my eyes and my patience a little. But, that said, I am delighted with the finished result!

I used left over strata to do a pieced center for the back.

I decided to use a deep chocolate brown to border the quilt as it allows the design to pop. And then I chose a dark raspberry fabric and some left over fabric from the front and stitched a pieced binding.

The quilt is quilted in a free motion, meandering pattern, and I quilted four hearts in each corner.

Because this was a special quilt for my mom for Christmas … I designed a hand-embroidered label.

Merry Christmas, Mom – Enjoy!!!

I have a lot to do if I am to complete my quilting projects for 2011. I love having several quilts “in progress” at any one time, but I sometimes have a tendency to have too many unfinished projects before jumping into a new one. I made myself a promise at the beginning of November to complete some of the works in progress (WIPs) before the year came to a close. Here is what is what is in the stack:

• Collaborative Sisters Quilt (pieced with my sister, Paula, in October). This has been pinned and is ready to be quilted … it is the next project up in the stacks:

• Summer Sampler (this was pieced this summer as part of a quilt-along group on Flickr). I need to get this one sandwiched, pinned and quilted:

• Rockin’ Robin Quilt (another quilt along from the summer). I need to finish piecing the back for this quilt, then sandwich, pin and quilt it:

• Star Friendship Quilt (you might remember that this is part of a companion quilt project – I finished its companion for my friend, Laura, in June). I am the farthest behind on this quilt. The blocks are all made, but they need to be pieced into rows, and then the rows need to be joined. I also want to make a pieced border. The back is also undone. Then it needs pinning and quilting. I will have to work really hard to get this one completed before the end of 2011:

I think this is enough to keep my sewing machine rumbling along for the next six weeks, don’t you?

*Click on any photo in this post to enjoy a larger view

This quilt was actually completely pieced way back in 2009 when I joined a quilt-a-long through a Flickr group. But, it has taken me this long to actually sandwich and quilt the darn thing! I was still a very new quilter when I pieced this – and there are a lot of “mistakes” and inaccuracies…but I still love this quilt for its bright, happy, unconventional holiday fabrics.

The quilt is lap size, measuring 53″ X 55″. The main fabric for this quilt is by Clothworks – but because it has been so long, and I did not write down the collection name, I cannot remember the designer. If anyone knows who designed this fabric and what the name of the collection is, please leave me a comment!!!

As with all my quilts, I did a pieced back using some of the “extra” coins in a strip and then using one of the dark and light fabrics to set off that strip.

I sashed this quilt with Kona Cotton white and used one of the lighter prints for the binding.

Lately I have been using perl cotton to embroider my labels, attaching them to the quilt with a blanket stitch.

I decided to do a combination of straight line quilting and free motion (meandering stipple) quilting on this one. I stitched straight lines in the sashing and around the edges, and then did an all over meandering stitch in the coins (you can see the details by clicking on the photo below).

This quilt has a wintery feel…and I already have it draped over the back of my couch, ready to curl up beneath with a good book!

Stay tuned for the finished quilts!

Welcome to the seventh installment of the Sew You Wanna Quilt? series

My apologies for the late posting of this edition. Please note that all photos in this post may be enlarged by clicking on them.

Today’s post is all about stitching and pressing – it is time to learn how to piece fabric to make the components of your quilt!

Orienting Yourself to the Machine, Threading the Machine and Winding Bobbins

If you have not ever sewn using a sewing machine, now is the time to pull out your sewing machine instructions and spend a little time orienting yourself to the parts. Most machines have a similar threading procedure, but there may be subtle differences in brands.  Here is an illustration on the top of my machine about threading both the machine and the bobbin:

All machines allow sewers to adjust stitch length (how long each stitch is – 2.2 is the default setting on my machine and it is perfect), and some allow you to adjust your needle position (which can help you achieve a perfect 1/4 inch seam allowance – more about that later).  On my machine, the needle position is set on 3.5 and the stitch length is set on 2.2 in the photo below:

My suggestion for new sewers is to pull out a scrap of fabric and play a little with the settings on your machine. Sew using a 2.2 stitch length, a 1.4 stitch length, etc…in order to see what the differences are as you make adjustments.

I always thread at least two bobbins before I begin to sew, putting one in the machine, and holding the second off to the side. This just saves a little time when one bobbin runs out because I don’t have to change my threading to wind a second bobbin. Some quilters have multiple bobbins ready to go. This is just a personal preference.

The Perfect 1/4 Inch Seam Allowance

Quilters sew seams which are 1/4 inch wide. Accuracy is important as you begin to put the components of your quilt together.

Sandi at Piecemeal Quilts has a terrific post about sewing accurate 1/4 inch seams – you can read her thoughts here. This is probably a good time to mention (again) that Sandi is hosting a Skillbuilder series on her blog (in conjunction with Gray Cat Quilts) which includes all the basics I have been covering AND a whole lot more. Links for the series can be found her on her site.

Before you actually begin piecing your quilt, grab a scrap of fabric and set up your machine for a 1/4 inch seam…then test it. Nowadays, quilters can purchase special sewing machine feet which have a 1/4 inch seam guide. Here is mine:

That said, if you simply line up the guide along your fabric and sew, you will probably not get an accurate seam. This is why I say: “TEST IT.” I have discovered that if I set my needle position to 4.0, that I can then use my special foot and sew a perfect seam.

Pressing Vs. Ironing:

DO NOT iron. Ironing is pushing your iron across the fabric. This technique distorts your seams and fabric. Remember that there is stretch in fabric. We want as little distortion as possible in our blocks so that the seams all match up as we piece our quilt.

Pressing is placing the iron carefully onto the fabric, pressing it down, then lifting it again at frequent intervals. Pressing causes little to no distortion if done correctly. Many quilters emphasize that you should use a dry iron vs. steam when pressing. I have to admit, I use steam…but I am beginning to think I need to try a dry iron.

Before pressing seams to the side or open, you should SET THE SEAM. This means pressing directly over the finished seam on the wrong side of the fabric. This allows for a more crisp seam once it is either pressed open or to the side.

Here is a terrific blog post about pressing – it goes into much more detail than I did here. Here is what she recommends re: pressing:

• Always press fabric before cutting. A wrinkle-free surface will give you more accurate cuts.
• Press on the wrong side of the fabric whenever possible.
• When using unfamiliar or delicate fabrics, test your iron’s heat setting on a scrap first to make sure it doesn’t scorch. You may also want to use a pressing cloth in between delicate fabrics and your iron.
• Don’t press over pins—pinheads can melt.
• After pressing, allow your fabric to cool for a few seconds before moving it. This prevents stretching and distortion.
• I personally don’t use any starch, but I know many quilters who swear by it. So that aspect might be a matter of personal preference.

All great advice with which I agree.

Pressing Seams Open or To the Side

There are many arguments for either of these two techniques. I use both depending on the seams I am stitching. Again, visit this post for a very detailed description of both techniques, including pros and cons.

I am going to show you how to do both. But, suffice it to say that I typically press to the side UNLESS the seams are getting bulky OR when I want better accuracy for a complex block. For example, I always press open when doing half square triangles because I have found that my block is much squarer using this technique. You will have to practice both and decide for yourself what is the best technique for you.

Demonstration of Stitching a Seam and Pressing

Take the two pieces of fabric you are going to stitch, place them right sides together and line up the edges carefully (you may use pins to hold the fabric together which I recommend especially if you are stitching a long seam). Set your needle position, line up your fabric along the edge of your special foot (or, if you don’t have a special 1/4 inch foot, line up your fabric along a line drawn on the machine or along tape you have set on the machine).

Drop your needle just in front of your fabric, and lower your pressure foot. Begin to stitch, keeping the edges of your fabric together and lined up. Go slowly if you are new to this (most machines have a speed function to adjust how fast you sew). DO NOT SEW OVER PINS – this is dangerous and can also cause your sewing machine needle to break.

After completing the seam, raise your needle and the pressure foot and cut the threads. Set the seams with your iron. Then do one of the following:

Press to the side by nudging the completed seam to the side with the front of your iron, then pressing. Slowing work your way down the seam.

Press open by first finger pressing the seam open, then using the front part of your iron, nudge the seam open and press

When you have finished pressing the seam to the side or open, flip the fabric to the right side and press again down the length of the seam to set it.

Some Things To Remember When Stitching Components

1.  Cut out all the components for a block before piecing them – be accurate in your cutting.

2.  Lay out the components of a block before stitching to make sure they are all oriented correctly:

3.  Stitch together the components of each row separately:

4.  Join the rows by matching up seams. When seams are pressed to the side, make sure that the seams are pressed in opposite directions for each succeeding row so that when matched up, they connect like two pieces of a puzzle. Use pins to hold the seams in place.

5.  Be careful to make sure your seams lay flat and in the correct direction as you stitch.

6.  Press after stitching each seam.

7.  Enjoy your finished block!

After you have finished piecing a block, make sure you use your ruler and rotary cutter to square it up (you can see in the above photo how the block is not completely square – but with just a little bit of trimming, this block will be perfect).

A Note About Chain Piecing

Chain piecing is a quick way to piece components without having to lift your needle. Chain piecing saves thread and allows you to speed up the piecing process.

To chain piece, first prepare all your components. Then take the first component and stitch the seam. Then WITHOUT RAISING YOUR NEEDLE, line up the second component and allow the feed dog to pull it under the needle. (Sometimes I lift my pressure foot while chain piecing to get things lined up correctly). Here it is in photos:

That’s it – easy, right?

Please feel free to leave questions or feedback in the comments section of this post.

Previous articles in this series:

• Tools of the Trade
• Creating A Quilting Space
• Fabric Obsession
• Books and Inspiration
• Choosing a Pattern (or Not) – Your First Project
• Cutting Your Fabric

Those of you looking for the next installation of the Sew You Wanna Quilt? series will have to wait for another week – my deepest apologies.  This week really got away from me and then yesterday and today I am doing a Quilt Shop hop with a friend (we’re planning to visit five shops today!). With BBAW just around the corner, I have also been pre-writing a lot of posts for that…so, long story short – the next installation of  this series will not post until Saturday, September 17th.

Thank you for your patience!!!

Welcome to the sixth installment of the Sew You Wanna Quilt? series

Last week I encouraged you to choose a first project and buy your fabric for it – and this week I am going to talk all about cutting fabric. When I first started quilting, this was the scariest part of quilting for me! Today’s post, I hope, will take some of the fear out of cutting into your beautiful fabric. What you need (must have) is:

• a rotary cutter with a new blade
• a cutting mat
• a cutting ruler
• a flat space large enough to lay your cutting mat out flat

This post will cover the following: Safety, Width of Fabric vs. Length of Fabric, Squaring up your Fabric, Accuracy, The Cutting Process, and Organization.

Safety

Rotary cutters use very sharp blades. Having a sharp, new blade in your cutter is a necessity if you want accurate, clean cuts. So, it goes without saying, that there is a little danger using this tool. I wish I could tell you I have never cut myself while cutting fabric…but, I have. Luckily, it was a small cut – but it was deep and bled a lot and had I followed a simple rule, it would not have happened.

Here is the rule: ALWAYS CLOSE YOUR BLADE WHEN NOT IN USE.

Most rotary cutters have a safety shield which can be closed to protect you from inadvertently cutting yourself. Laying the cutter down on a mat with the blade exposed puts you at high risk to bump the blade – and that is all it takes to get a deep cut. When using the blade, stay focused and aware that you are using a sharp tool. Keep your fingers all the way on top of the cutting ruler. Pay attention. If you are distracted, stop cutting.

Width of Fabric vs. Length of Fabric vs. Bias

Instructions for cutting fabric in most quilting tutorials and patterns is for width of fabric (WOF). It is very easy to determine what the width of fabric is on a cut of fabric if the selvages are in place as width of fabric is defined as: the measurement from selvage to selvage. What is the selvage? This is the self-finished edges of fabric which keep the fabric from unraveling or fraying. The selvages are a result of how the fabric is created. In woven fabrics, they are the edges that run parallel to the longitudinal threads that run the entire length of the fabric. Selvages on machine-woven fabric have little holes along their length, through the thick part. Selvages are thicker than the rest of the fabric, and may shrink or “pucker” during laundering, so quilters usually cut off the selvage and discard it (modern quilters are now using the selvages to create unique quilts – see examples on this Flickr group).

The length of fabric refers to the threads in fabric which run the length of the fabric, parallel to the selvedge. Lengthwise grain of fabric has the least amount of stretch, so often patterns will suggest that you cut fabric for quilt borders lengthwise across the fabric.

True bias is defined as the direction at a 45-degree angle to the straight grains, but in quilting we refer to any cut that doesn’t run along a straight grain as a bias cut. Cuts with their edges along the bias are the most stretchy and unstable. Triangle pieces have at least one edge which is cut along the bias, so stitching triangle pieces along their diagonal edge can be tricky sometimes.

Squaring up your Fabric

Before cutting pieces for your quilt, it is important to square up your fabric so that your cutting is accurate. Start by folding your fabric with the selvages together. If you have a small cutting mat, you may have to make a second fold. Position your fabric with selvage edge at the top and the fold at the bottom. Line one of these edges up with a horizontal line on your cutting mat:

The following cutting direction is for RIGHT-HANDED people. If you are left handed, you will need to reverse the directions. Let a small amount of the right side of your fabric overlap one of the vertical lines of your cutting mat. Position your cutting ruler on top of the fabric with the right edge lined up with the vertical line of your cutting mat:

Put your left hand on top of the ruler, palm down. Press down firmly:

With your cutting blade open and in your right hand, put the blade edge up against the cutting ruler edge and on top of the fabric at the bottom edge of the fabric:

Maintain steady, firm downward pressure on the ruler while gliding the rotary cutter up the fabric in one smooth, firm cut:

Some quilters prefer to cut in a top to bottom cut (vs a bottom to top cut). Choose whichever is most comfortable for you.

You now have one edge of your fabric which is a completely straight, square edge:

Accuracy

Cutting fabric for quilt blocks must be accurate or things will not come together correctly when you begin to stitch. Take your time with cutting, making sure that you line your ruler up accurately before making a cut. It is better to be “off” by cutting a piece a little larger than you need, then by cutting it smaller (you can always correct a cut that is too large). Maintain firm pressure on the top of the cutting ruler and once you begin your cut, continue in one smooth motion, keeping the blade up against the edge of the ruler.

The Cutting Process

For most projects, you will be cutting width of fabric strips and then cutting pieces off of those strips. Tutorials and patterns give specific cutting instructions for their project. The instructions I am giving in this post are general cutting guidelines for cutting a basic square of fabric 4″ X 4″. This technique can be used to cut any size square.

Using your squared up fabric, lay the straight, square edge along one of the vertical lines on your cutting mat. Count over four inches from that edge using the pre-measured lines on your mat and place your ruler along the vertical line at that point. Put your left hand on top of the ruler, palm down. Press down firmly:

With your cutting blade open and in your right hand, put the blade edge up against the cutting ruler edge and on top of the fabric at the bottom edge of the fabric. Maintain steady, firm downward pressure on the ruler while gliding the rotary cutter up the fabric in one smooth, firm cut:

You now have a strip of fabric 4″ wide and approximately 42″ long (width of fabric).

Take this strip and fold it in half, selvage to selvage. Lay it lengthwise across your cutting mat, lining up the top edge with a horizontal line on the mat, and allowing the selvage ends to overlap a vertical line on the mat (NOTE: you will be cutting off the selvages at this point – make sure the overlap will remove ALL the selvage…usually about an inch is adequate):

Using the cutting technique described above, cut off the selvages:

At this point, you will begin making 4″ cuts down the length of your strip, moving your ruler to the left as you go. It is fine to cut two squares at a time (often quilters stack their strips and do multiple cuts at once – but, be careful that you have a blade large enough to cut through several layers of fabric). Take your time and make accurate cuts, occasionally repositioning your fabric if needed so that all the edges are even and lined up:

Remember:

• Determine if you are going to be cutting width of fabric or length of fabric and position your fabric accordingly.
• Always square up your fabric before cutting.
• Make smooth, continuous cuts using steady, firm pressure on the cutter and the ruler.
• Measure twice, cut once.

Organization

If you are cutting all your fabric in one sitting, consider how you will organize your pieces. I like to use sticky notes on my stacks of cut fabric which indicate the size of the piece. Many tutorials and patterns identify components with numbers or letters – and so I also use those naming cues when labeling my cut fabric. I often write directly on the pattern indicating what fabric is going to be used for specific components so that I do not get mixed up when cutting.

Sew You Wanna Quilt?

• Pull out your pattern or tutorial and all your fabric.
• Take some time to determine what fabric will be used for each component of the quilt and consider writing this directly on your pattern or tutorial.
• Follow the instructions for your quilt pattern and cut your fabric as directed, organizing and labeling as you go.
• If you are nervous about cutting your first project and have never used a rotary cutter before – get some scrap fabric and practice squaring up your fabric and making some cuts.

Previous articles in this series:

• Tools of the Trade
• Creating A Quilting Space
• Fabric Obsession
• Books and Inspiration
• Choosing a Pattern (or Not) – Your First Project