Monthly Archives: November 2016

Tips To Make Quilting Easy

6917110_controlled-chaos-scrappy-quilt-along-2_f1b29330_mAre You Interested In Saving Time And Improving Precision? You might want to pay attention to the following points and practice them regularly.

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A Simple Tip – How To Organize Your Bobbins.

If you have made plans to attend classes or a retreat, you will be sewing for several hours or many days. It serves as a great idea to store pre-wound bobbins in a bobbin case. You can find one from any thread manufacturer.

Regularly Oil Your Machine – Keep It Clean

It is almost like taking yourself to a luxury spa as a part of your maintenance regimen. Keep your machine and space clean, clear off all the stray threads, lint and keep it dust-free. Ensure that you regularly oil the bobbin case of your machine. Keep a count of the number of bobbins used (about 5 to 6 empty bobbins are enough to remind you of the oiling routine). Remember to get a regular cleaning done at least once a year to maintain the machine long-term. A well-oiled and maintained machine provides you with a hassle-free experience and lasts you very long!

How To Test If Your ¼ Seam Is Accurate?

Cut three ½” x 5” fabric strips and sew them together with the ¼” seam. Open the seams and check the width of the middle strip from the right of the fabric. The middle strip should measure 1” width. Continue the method and make adjustments till incorrect measurement persists. Also in some machines, the needle is flexible and so adjustments can be made by flexing the needle.

How To Ensure Easy Handling Of Quilts While Stitching?

It is important to organize your quilt material. Fold the entire quilt material into accordion pleats and clip the pleats. For pieces, it is best to stack the pieces in advance.

Chain Piece – How Can It Help?

Yes it does! Do take some time out to chain piece and you will be surprised to note that you not just saved time but your thread as well!

Read More:The Art Of Machine Quilting or here @ nadelfrau.com

Batting – A Start From The Very Beginning!

younisWhen it comes to batting, all you might want to do is stand in a corner and blink! Choosing batting for your quilt involves educating yourself on batting terminologies, knowing which brand to choose, loft, fibre content etc. Feeling lost already? Yes, it is also a great idea to seek references on what works best for you!

Here are a few pointers to make your life easier.

Have You Decided On The Size Of Quilt?
Is it for a king size or queen size bed or for a crib, twin or a full size bed? If custom sized, try buying off the bolt.

What Choices Of Material Are Available For Your Fibre?
Polyester, Cotton or Cotton Blend are broadly the three types for your fibre. You also can choose from polycot ( the choice of specific ratio of cotton to polyester is also available).

Any Tips On The Kind Of Loft?
You either opt for high loft (cotton) or low loft (polyester) battings. Low loft is the right choice for machine quilting and high loft for hand quilting. Another parameter that helps you decide is whether you want a puffy or a flat finish, in other words, would you want the focus to remain with the lines (high loft) or the piecing (low loft).

What Is The Right Brand For Your Quilt?.
There is no single answer to this one! Each has its pros and cons and you need to discover what works for you. If it’s a client, there’s the budget to be considered as well. Do get an opinion of your client on her preference. Keep samples readily available if possible.

If you are a beginner, this bit information is good enough to get you started. However do note that you are under the bottom of the pile (of information!).

Read more:Simple Techniques To Get Started With Your First Quilt

Quilt Making – It’s Not That Complicated!

carolynbHow complex or simple it is to learn something new simply depends on the way it is taught! Quilt making can be broken down into simple steps.

First, decide on the size of quilt you wish to make. Is it for a king size or queen size bed or one for the kids?

Once decided, pick the quilt material that you plan to use and pre-wash it. Simple hand wash or machine wash and drying will do. Iron the material.

If you have chosen a particular pattern for your quilt, cut blocks accordingly – square, round, triangle etc. Also cut and sew the border strips for them. Now even if your block moved a little the thicker borders allow for stitching.

Now lay out the blocks as per your pattern and begin sewing one to another until all the blocks are sewn.

It is time to now lay down the batting and backing! Allow it to be one inch extra than the quilt top cloth. You can choose between a low and a high loft batting, depending on whether you want slick and smart quit or a warm a fuzzy quilt! Also thickness is determined by whether it will be a hand or machine quilt. For machine quilt a thin (low) loft is preferred and for a hand quilt a thick (high) loft is used. Also keep the backing and the batting piece 1 inch bigger than the quilt top.

Once you choose your batting, layer the quilt top, batting and backing in that order. With a needle and thread make a stitch every 5 or 6 inches to keep all layers in place and not allow for any shifting. Alternately, if you do not want to stitch, you can pin the layers together. You can also use a wooden frame to lay all the layers clamp them together, so they do not shift.

Now you’re ready to either hand stitch or machine stitch and tie the layers together. Once done, take it off the frame.

Finally, iron the quilt all along the edges, choose a cloth for binding and bind it along all four edges to give it a beautiful border and to keep all the layers secure. Sew it either by hand or machine stitch as per your preference.

Read More:Free Motion Quilting (FMQ): Tips for Getting Started | Quilting Tutorial