My Quilt Guild Reminded Me of Something Important

As I quilted the flowers on the graduation quilt for Claire, I LOVED how they looked…

….giving JUST the right amount of color in the center of each white block.

THEN I HUNG IT ON MY DESIGN WALL AND STEPPED BACK FROM IT…..

From a distance, the flowers disappeared, and the yellow centers looked like blobs of color. It looked BLAH!

I went from YEA to UH-OH!!

That night was my quilt guild meeting, so I took the quilt to show-and-tell and asked their advice.

One suggested quilting another line or two on the outside of each flower to give it a bit more definition, and I honestly thought that was what I would do.

But then, two or three others said this….. “She is going to be using it up close, and THAT is what matters. Not what it looks like from afar!!”

Their words were the perfect reminder to me that this quilt was made to be used….not to hang as a decoration.

This interaction also reinforced how important our creative friends are to our craft.

I leave you with this thought….

Sometimes the quilt doesn’t need fixing. Sometimes the quilter just needs encouragement!

So, go forth….and be encouraged!!

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Use What you Have…. A Lesson From Harriet Powers

This week, we are looking into the life of quilter Harriet Powers.

One of the things I admire most about Harriet Powers was her ability to create extraordinary quilts from ordinary materials.

She didn’t have coordinated fabric collections, specialty rulers, or a sewing room filled with supplies. She used what was available to her — scraps of fabric, simple tools, and a powerful sense of creativity and storytelling.

I think modern quilters sometimes forget that beautiful quilts do not begin with perfect fabric. They begin with imagination and a willingness to start.

I love this quilt that my Grandmother made…..

Many of the blocks use the same grey fabric, and most have one greyish fabric and one colored…

BUT THEN THERE IS THIS ONE…..

I don’t know why she made this one, or why she included it in her quilt, but my guess is that she wasn’t willing to throw ANYTHING away.

She knew that EVERY FABRIC would work!!

So today’s quilting reminder is simple:

Creativity grows when we stop waiting for “perfect” and start sewing.

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Fast, Cheap & Durable Templates

This shortcut has become a favorite for me….

When I need a pattern or template to draw around, I use Freezer Paper!

But often one layer isn’t stiff enough to allow a good tracing.

My solution……

I iron THREE pieces of paper together (or take one piece, fold in thirds and iron it together)…

….then fold the other side over and iron again….

The result is a cardboard weight pattern that works PERFECTLY….

If you want to be able to iron the template to the fabric, iron them all right side up so that the back side is the shiny (ironable)side. BUT ….be careful not to iron the shiny side onto your ironing board or else it may leave a shiny film that WILL NOT come off (ask me how I know)!!

Like I said, it is CHEAP, EASY, and something you likely have sitting on a shelf (in your studio OR your kitchen)!!

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On Tuesdays, I provide a tip, technique, or product review. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure that you don’t miss ANY of them!!

Have you tried Titanium?

Last year, my guild held a meeting where we all brought ideas, techniques, and products we loved. One of those was about a cheaper way to use your rotary cutter.

Sheila buys blades from “Auto-Tool-Home”, a subdivision of Amazon.

You can buy a 10-pack of Titanium Coated, 45mm Rotary Blades for $11.29!!

That’s $1.13 EACH!! I checked the price on Olfa blades, and they are $23.99 for a 2-pack. That is quite a difference!!

She said that they don’t last as long, but at that price, you can afford to change them more often!!

I put them in my rotary cutters in September….

…and started cutting.

Mind you, I haven’t done TONS of sewing during the last 6 months, but they have held up well.

So, you might want to check them out….

HERE IS THE AMAZON LINK, and yes, I do make a small commission if you buy them there.

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On Tuesdays, I provide a tip, technique, or product review. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure that you don’t miss ANY of them!!

Pardon me while I burp!

Last week I showed you the mug rug that I made using a leftover block, and I talked about “burping” the quilt so let me show you how I did it…..

Once the top was finished, I cut a backing fabric that was a bit larger than the front, and cut it into two pieces….

I sewed the two pieces back together again, leaving a small hole in the middle of the seam….

Now comes the magic part….. place the top and bottom pieces together, with right sides together…..

….and stitch all the way around the piece, keeping the stitching line 1/4-inch from the edge.

Now, layer this up with the batting, ensuring that the batting is on the “front” side of the piece….

If you layer it the other way, the batting will be in your way when you start to burp the quilt! (ask me how I know!!)

Now, use the first stitching line as your guide and stitch between it and the edge of the piece….

Doing this takes the batting out of the seam, making it easier to turn.

Trim off any excess batting and now it is time to BBBBUUUUURRRRRPPPPPPPP!!! (Excuse me!!)

When I had it turned, and the corners popped out, I took a few stitches to close the hole, then used my “Left Compensating Foot” to stitch a line around the outside to give it a finished look…

If you want to burp a bigger quilt, you do it the exact same way.

I have learned to put a border on the top, burp the quilt, and then stitch 1/4-1/2 inch away from the edge. This gives the look of a bound quilt, without making binding!!

I don’t often use this method, but I love having it in my “tool box” for just this type of project!!

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On Tuesdays, I provide a tip, technique, or product review. Please subscribe to the blog to ensure that you don’t miss ANY of them!!