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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Almost a disaster…..

Last week I posted about making final decisions about how to finish the quilt that I was making for Claire.

I decided to go with the quilted flowers and had fun quickly adding them to the quilt….

As I was taking these photos, I noticed a fabric bleed (top right of the right-hand block above).

I looked more closely at other blocks and found several more areas where the colors had bled…

All of them seemed to be associated with one of the hand-dyed black fabrics.

I could only think……. “HERE WE GO AGAIN”!!

Fortunately (or unfortunately), this has happened to me SO many times that I no longer panic, but head for the bathtub!!

I grabbed my bottle of “Dawn Clear“……

….squirted a bunch into a bathtub of warm water, and added the quilt….

I let it soak for about 3 hours.

When I checked on it, I was appaled by how dark the water was, so I IMMEDIATELY pulled it out and took it to the washing machine. This time I added a bit of Synthrapol and several “Color Catchers“.

Imagine my relief when the color catchers came out CLEAN!!!

WHEW……

So, the MORAL of this story…..

Don’t Panic…..maybe you just need a quiet soak in a tub of warm, soapy water!!

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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!!

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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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!!