The Quilting Buzz

15th Annual Quilting Bee

2011-03-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

February is heart health month, dental health month for your pet, black history month, and I'm sure lots of other causes . . . In my neighborhood, it's Quilting Bee time.

This year marks the 15th year our church has held the Bee. Congregations and quilting groups from all over the area work on quilts all year in their own organizations. In February, we come together and work for one last day to finish up.

Most of the quilts are tied, but there are some that are quilted and we are now accepting fleece blankets and crocheted or knitted afghans. The gym in the church is full of quilt lovers from all over the area working together for a great cause.

After working for a few hours in the morning we break for a luncheon and then a presentation. The quilts are totalled and handed over to NAM (Northwest Assistance Ministries). This is an organization that helps people in our area who are down on their luck. When a family goes through NAM's program to get back on their feet, each person in their family gets to choose their own quilt.

Imagine finally being able to get into a place of your own, maybe not even having a bed for everyone yet, but every family member has their own quilt, made with love.
This year there were over 300 quilts donated. That's a lot of selfless work. Aahh, it feels good to be a part of something like this.

C8's Quilt

2011-02-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Finally, it's all done. It was done before Christmas, which I think is pretty good--only 6 months after graduation. :)

We took this picture north of Dallas. Pretty fence on a muddy morning.

And, Caitlin loves it--that's the best part.

Quilt Festival Pictures

2010-11-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

So, I think I took a lot of pictures. Hhmmm....I know I took a lot of pictures. It's hard to not take them when the quilts are SO beautiful. Going to the Quilt Festival is like going to a Fine Arts Museum. Except it's more crowded at the Festival. Enjoy the pictures.

If I remember right, this pink and red one looked like the pink was painted on.

It was the sweetest softest shade.

This quilt is called Hurricane. Here, on the Gulf Coast, you get a few of those--sometimes all at once.

I like the rectangular court house steps in this and how it's used as a background.

One day I will make a colorful, black-and-white quilt.

This one looks like a sad guy wandering past doors. I wish he would just open one up, go inside and be happy to be somewhere. Cool doors, definite story.

Funky, happy shoes.

Looks like a corkboard full of favorite trips, not a quilt.

Wizard of Oz on steroids. Every detail included from the hot air balloon to flying monkeys and a munchkin hiding in the flowers. Totally amazing.

Love the colors in this one.

Very eye-catching. Awesome color combination.

20-something thousand pieces. Definitely a wow quilt. While we were admiring this quilt, a lady by us said, "All those pieces and it didn't win? How many do you need to win??"

Stunning.

Also stunning. By looking at this one for a while, I think I finally decided how to quilt my black quilt. Finally, after 5 years, it might get finished.

Amazing shadows.

Kool Krazy Kwilt.

I love this quilt, but especially the center.

Infinity. My sister and niece met the quilter who did this one.

They were impressed by her down-home personality.

Absolutely LOVE this door. I've always loved cool doors--and this one is expecially cool.

It's amazing that it's fabric!

This one wasn't that big but very eye catching.

It looks like a leaf floating in the water.

Another amazing quilt. Usually the quilts with faces don't wow me.

This year, there were a few that were amazingly fantastic! Big wow!

Love the colors.

Another amazing work of art.

Love the colors, placement of elements. Nice.

This whimsical quilt was definitely a favorite.

It had wool felt balls on it and sparkly confetti. Very fun!

In this one, I love the use of color.

The pastels in the background and the changing of color around the border and the inner medallion.

Love how bright this is!

Amazing colors, LOVE the leaf imprints.

I love a good house quilt. The batiks in this were very fun and added a whimsical touch.

I have to say that this one is my all-time favorite for the year. I love reds and pinks and I love how this has such a fun twist on the traditional log cabin. LOVE it!

Yeah, And that's not even all of my pictures. :)

IQFHouston--It's All In The Details.

2010-11-11T17:13:00.001-08:00

Skitchy edge with pink chain stitching/vines rambling through.

I love going to the International Quilt Festival! It's a tradition. In the last 11 years, I've only missed maybe 2 years. There's always something new to see, a new idea to spark my desire to get busy and sew. New tools, notions, fabric, wool! This year was especially fun since I was able to go with some favorite family to enjoy the show together! We spent two full days enjoying each other's company and enjoying all that there was to see!

In looking through my pictures, I've decided that I notice the details. I took a lot of pictures of details of quilts. An interesting border, a bazillion tiny pieces courthouse-stepped together, fun embellishments. I wonder if the artist/quilter had every detail in their original plan or added and changed as they went.

Here's some of my pictures of small parts of quilts that show off different details. Enjoy!

I'll post again soon with complete pictures of my favorite quilts.

The above quilt is a beach scene and the octagon you see is the top of a beach umbrella.

This colorful quilt had close to 23,000 pieces, all arranged in tiny courthouse steps. I wonder if this quilter ever wants to make this pattern again.

I loved the tiny, close quilting in this quilt. There was a LOT of tiny, close quilting in the quilts there. Is there a term for this? "Tiny, close quilting" is a lot to say.

I LOVE whimsical quilts and this one was very eye catching. Wool-felt pom-pom's and sparklies all over! Great colors, too! It looks like a party!

The selvage edge quilt. Very clever idea!

It's hard to see but the quilting on this pink car was incredible! Very fun quilt, too!

It was hard to stop looking at this one. The muted tones made you want to search for the details.

I loved all of the piecing that went into this quilt.

This font quilt was amazing! Besides being a unique idea, the shading/color changing of browns on the letters was incredible.

It's hard to see in this picture, but there are little scallops all around the edge of the flower petals and all of the quilting is amazing. When you use light thread on dark fabric, you can't hide anything!

I love reds and browns together so I love this quilt muchly! Look at the loops and buttons all along the edge. It was like an updated red-work quilt.

This quilt had a gazillion yo-yo's. I've sewn yo-yo's before and it's not something that just zips up fast. It's all hand-sewn and then hand-sewn together. And this was a big quilt.
Something drew my eye to this quilt--the yellows and blues, the small perfect circle berries, the little birds. It's a traditional-looking comfort quilt.

I LOVE the rich colors in this quilt. And one day I will make a quilt with vines and leaves in the border!

I really like this stripey quilt and one day I will have a quilt like this in my guest room. The entire queen-sized quilt--skinny stripes. Maybe different colors, but this stripey look is something I've always loved.

I Need a New Pin Quilt!

2010-08-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

This is a pin quilt. My OLD pin quilt. I've had it for many years and whenever we travel and have the opportunity, we pick up a souvenir pin. It's our thing.

We have pins from Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, New York, California, Disney, Japan, Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Houston Astro's, 2002 Olympics, quilt shows, museums, cub scouts, presidential libraries, and many state parks as well. This last summer, our pin quilt got full. Too full. We had picked up lots of new pins from Glenn Canyon Dam, Salt Lake City, Hole in the Rock, and Disney World. There were 22 pins in the border alone! Time for a NEW pin quilt.

I'd like to show you a great way to make lots of little squares. You can use this method for a pin quilt or any project that needs a lot of little squares.
I learned this from a friend who I think saw it on a Quilt show. So, this method has been around--nothing new. It will give you 2" finished squares.
First, I cut lots of different reds 5" square.
I want my NEW pin quilt to be 10 X 10 squares. (The old one was 8 X 12.)

This means I need 25 - 5" squares but I cut a few extra, because I like a few extra, just in case, and I will need an even number anyway.

Now that I have you all totally confused, let's get simple. Cut some 5" squares.

Pair up your squares. Since I like random, I pair them up randomly. You might want to have only two fabrics and pair them up one of each.

With right sides together, sew two opposite sides with a 1/4" seam. This will make a tube.

Put these double-squares on your cutting mat, seams on the sides. Then with your ruler, find the middle of your square (2 1/2" over) and cut through the middle.

Now you have two half-double-squares. But that sounds confusing again. Let's go back to being simple, because this really is simple and hard to mess up. Promise.

Open up your two half-double-squares and look! You have a square with two different fabrics! Halfway there!

Press those seams and put those squares (or mix them up with other half-squares) back together again, right sides together, seams together, across the middle, horizontally.

Now sew your sides again, 1/4" seam again, and create that tube again.

And now, measure it down the middle again (2 1/2" over again) and cut it in half again.

Now open that up and look at your cute little 4-patch. Perfect 2" squares.

You can mix up your fabrics, if you're using a variety. You get all of these great 4-patches that you can rearrange to find just the right spot for.

That's another reason why I like to do a few extra, so the same two don't end up next to each other.

Sew them all together. 10 squares by 10 squares or 5 blocks X 5 blocks.

Quilt it, bind it, put some pins on it and hang it up!

Then get traveling! :)

(p.s. Try different sizes: for 1" finished squares, start with 3" squares)

C8's Quilt--Adding More Borders--Might as well!

2010-07-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the finished border. C8 wanted more piecing in the border and so I used the scraps and this is what I came up with.

I wanted the wider border to add to the overall size of the quilt, but I thought it looked a little bit odd to go from 1 1/2" strips in the blocks to 4" strips in the border. So I added that middle border strip made from leftover scraps from the blocks. I think it ties the blocks to the border a little bit more.

It is a totally random pattern with regard to the blues and greens and what fabric is next to what fabric. I mostly like the way pure randomness turns out.

I added the strips exactly how I added the pink strip. I measured the width of the quilt and cut my strips that size and then added them. Then I measured the length and cut my strips that size and added them.

Here's a picture of the entire quilt top, finally finished and ready for the quilter. Finished size turned out to be 68" X 84".

I'm upset with myself that I didn't take any photos of the back of the quilt. That would have been a great post/tutorial. I'll take some pictures when I get it back from the quilter! I have a feeling I'll be tacking down the binding on the airplane on our way to Idaho when I take her to college. :)

C8's Quilt--Border Patrol

2010-07-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is it! All of the blocks are done! 48 blocks that have been tweaked, squared, and stitched together! Time to put on the border! I decided to put on a pink border first to bring out the pink squares in the middle and separate the blocks from the rest of the border.

First step is to measure the short side, right across the middle of the quilt. This tile floor is the biggest space I have in my house to lay out a quilt. And my knees are starting to feel it. Ouch!

It measures 51 1/4" wide. That's the measurement I use to cut the top and bottom pink strips.
I go with a 3" wide strip and cut 2 strips 51 1/4" long.

I find the middle of each pink strip by folding it in half and then pin the middle of the strip to the middle of the top and the other strip to the middle of the bottom of the quilt. Then, while I sew it on, I make sure the ends of the strips meet at the ends of the quilt. I use pins and bobbin tugging to make sure the fabrics (border and quilt) all match up. This will keep your quilt square!

Next step: Measure the length of the quilt, down the middle, including the new top and bottom borders. Cut 2 3" wide strips that exact length. Find the middle of the strips and pin it to the middle of the sides. This helps to sew the border strip to the quilt evenly. Make sure the quilt fits the border length when you sew it on.

Here's a pic of the first, pink border. I added 2 more borders to this quilt before I called it good! More pics of them in the next posting!

M I A

2010-07-10T12:56:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. I have great ideas and then after a while, I realize that it's not working out, other things crowd my life, just not possible. This blog was full of great intent but life happens and this got shelved for a while.

I'm not ending it, but I am slowing down. I've always been more of a jack-of-all-trades rather than a master of one. So, I got busy with other things. I still will always be making quilts, but I can't plan every project around pictures, cameras, lighting, posting, and self-imposed deadlines. So, please feel free to continue visiting and I will post when I can.

Please don't expect too much from me. My whole life is not quilting, although a lot of it is. Caitlin's quilt has made it to the quilter's who promises 2-3 months on the return. We'll see about that. Maybe I'll start the nagging phone calls ("Is it done yet?") now. I'll post the end of the piecing soon.

Please continue to ask questions, visit to review a how-to, and keep making beautiful quilts!

Time for a Re-Show...

2010-04-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Do you remember this quilt top?

Well, it just got back from the quilter---
I love it even more. It's amazing what quilting can do for your quilt! It brings it to life!

The nubby minkee on the back looks so soft and comforting.

Good job on this quilt, S! It's beautiful!

E's Show and Tell--Auction Quilt

2010-04-12T05:12:00.001-07:00

This is a quilt my cousin, E, made. I love the scrappy look it has and it is an ingenious way to use up lots of little scraps! I also love how the quilting and attaching squares is all-in-one (check out the detail picture below)! It's a fantastic way to put a quilt together! Here's her story:

I made this quilt in March for an auction to benefit a family who's baby daughter was diagnosed with Schizencephaly. This is a syndrome where the two sides of the brain don't communicate with each other and can cause a lot of problems including frequent seizures. Baby M has three older sisters, and was traveling hundreds of miles across four states to a clinic to try and help her little body control the terrible seizures she had, leaving her father and sisters at home. Her grandfather organized an auction to try and help with some of the medical bills. I got an email about little M and knew I could do something to help.

I made this quilt entirely from my scrap box. The front and back are old sheets that I've been saving for a really good project. A lot of these colorful scraps were given to me when I very first decided to sew by two amazing women, who the quilt is named for. They are full of strength and faith and love, and if little M and her family can posess any of those qualities I know they will be able to make it through all the medical issues they will be dealing with. This quilt sold at the auction for $95 and I couldn't be more pleased.

E: I'm in love with how you do so much to help others. You hear of someone in need and don't even think twice about doing something to help--you're the first to sign up! You're a great example to all of us! Thanks for sharing!

M's Show and Tell

2010-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

This quilt belongs to my husband's nephew's wife! Funny how quilting can bring distant relations together! M is an awesome quilter and has a great sense of style! I love this spring quilt and I love how she was persistent until she got it how she wanted it! Wow! What a difference good quilting makes! Here's her story:

This is a quilt I made from a kit sold in a nearby store which I fell in love with. I love the reds in a spring quilt! It's unexpected - but so cute! I also loved that it has a little bit of everything in it - it has pieced blocks, appliqued blocks, even one paper-piecing block (the basket). All of them have embroidery on them which really adds to the sparkle (and learning) - and when I saw it, I just knew I had to make it.
I spent a couple of months putting the top together and was thrilled with it - it was my best work yet and I love it so much. I knew that I didn't want to quilt it myself because I am not experienced enough at that and did NOT want to ruin my favorite quilt, so I took it to a lady who has done several quilt for me "edge to edge" and has done a beautiful job. I asked her if she could customize this one - do special stuff inside the blocks (a shadow effect on the applique blocks, and some fun stuff on the shoefly blocks) - she said she'd done it before and could do that for me but it would cost extra. I was okay with that because this quilt was special to me (for some reason) and I really wanted it done well.

Anyway, here are some pics of the work she did. I was pretty bummed when I got it back (after paying $96.00 for the quilt work!!) - and it was pretty much a horrible quilting job. I don't know much about quilting, but even I could see that this wasn't a good job. I was really depressed for a couple of days, then, I got myself together and got my unpicker out. I unpicked the whole entire thing and then, took it to a "professional quilter" to try again.

Here are more pics of the finished job. It was absolutely beautiful and exactly what I'd hoped for!! (and I only got charged $24.00 for the whole thing!) - I think she felt bad for me.
So, anyway - just finished binding it last week (and I did the curvy edge this time - for extra perfection) - and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

It was worth every unpicking moment because I wouldn't have ever been as happy looking at it on the wall if I'd left it like it was.
I guess the moral of this story is be careful who quilts your precious quilts!! Make sure they know what they're doing - pictures would be good as evidence!

Bunny from the first quilter.

Bunny after the second quilter.
First quilter

Second quilter.
Love the yo-yo's and the basket!

Here's the back of the quilt. Well done M!!! Love it!

C8's Quilt: Squaring up your Blocks

2010-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

C8's quilt is coming along--a little slower than I would like, but you know, life happens. Anyway, I was able to work on it for a while today and thought it would be a great opportunity to show how to square up your blocks.

Most quilts are made up of blocks and with most of those, the blocks measure the same size. The blocks in this quilt are 9" square. It's important to square up your blocks so you have a nice, even finished product and all of the blocks will fit together well.

It's a good idea to square up as you go. Add a strip and square it up. Add the next strip and square it up. Basically you're evening out all of the rough edges that happen through sewing and pressing. Make sure you have lined up your seams with the grid on your cutting mat and with the lines on your ruler and keep your ruler straight. Cut off as little fabric as possible when you square it up as you go.

When squaring up a finished block, it's best to start in the middle of your block. With my 9" desired size, I find my center and measure 4 1/2" on each side and cut off the extra. With this block it was easy to find the middle seam and I lined that up on a line on my cutting mat grid.

Then I measured 4 1/2" over from the center line and using my ruler and rotary cutter sliced off the extra fabric. That took care of side 1. Then I flipped it over 180 degrees and lined up the opposite side on any inch line on the grid and made a cut 9" over.

Then I do the same to the remaining two sides. I find the center, measure over 4 1/2 inches and using the lines on the grid, cut off the extra in order to make a 9" square block.

You should end up with all of your blocks squared and measuring the exact same. This will help you immensely when it's time to put it all together.

Soon I'll be sewing all of these into rows! It's getting there!

Unfinished Projects

2010-03-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Confession time.
I have a few unfinished projects.
And this is the biggest, most unfinished one.

I first purchased yards and yards of red and blue flannels probably 5 years ago. I wanted to make a nice snuggly quilt for my hubby. And, somehow, I wanted it to be a surprise.

I had no pattern in mind and was making this up as I went.
So, it took a while to actually start. I started by cutting squares. Lots of squares.

Then I decided to add some regular cotton fabric in between the squares to help square up the flimsy flannel. Enter the creamy, brown paisley. Sewing the top together didn't take too long once I started. In the meantime, I had made another flannel quilt and quilted it on my machine and didn't like how that had gone. The flannel had a mind of its own and there was lots of frustrated unpicking. So, I decided to hand quilt it.

Hand quilting's nicer, anyway, right? More time, sacrifice, and love involved, right?

I couldn't hide the surprise anymore because my hubby was going to see it on the frames. So I gave him an unfinished quilt top one year for Valentine's day. Two years ago.

It's still on the frames, leaning against the wall in the sunroom. On those rare days when I get out there to work on it, I have to dust it off. Pretty pathetic.

OK--I know I'm not the only one. Please tell me about your biggest unfinished project.

Show and Tell

2010-03-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is a REAL quilt. (As opposed to a virtual quilt?) This quilt was made by my husband's grandmother probably in the 70's. This was made before quilting became "the thing." She made a quilt for each of her grandchildren. This was made out of scraps, without a rotary cutter, without an Olfa self-healing mat, and without a pattern.

She backed it with snuggly soft flannel and rolled the flannel to the front for the binding.

She handquilted every seam.

This is the most comfortable quilt in the house and the most loved. That's why this quilt stays in its protective cabinet and the children aren't allowed to use it. :) It's a priceless treasure.

Show and Tell

2010-03-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

This quilt top stopped at my house on its way to the quilter. My sister-in-law made it and it is so beautiful I had to share! It's a combination of applique and piecing. The detail is amazing and the colors are perfect for spring! I really love it!

It's a twin size and it's going on the extra bed in her little girl's room.

Thanks for sharing!

C8's Quilt: Changing Horses

2010-03-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

As a teenager, I lived for a few years with my grandparents. My Grandpa D loved to throw out sayings and cliches that he'd grown attached to. We'd always hear one of his favorites during Yahtzee games. Example: I'd roll a 1,2,4,5,6 and decide to go for a small straight. I'd throw the 1 and 2 back in to try and get a 3. The roll would produce two 5's and so I'd change my mind and go for 5's. When something like this happened, we could always count on Grandpa to caution us, "Don't change your horses in midstream." And he would always say it in kind of a "you're going to be sorry" voice. Maybe he was trying to teach us to stick to something, but sometimes you don't know how things are going to go until after you get it started.

This week I finished about 1/4 of the blocks for Cait's quilt. And I'm realizing that I don't like one of the dark greens and two of the dark blues. They're a great color but are too dark and stand out too much. So, I'm glad there was extra fabric and I'm going to cut some more of the lighter colors to make up for it. Yes, it's more work and yes, it'll slow me down a bit, and yes, it might get messy, but in the long run, it's a good choice.

I'm changing my horses for the better. Sorry, Grandpa.

Show and Tell

2010-03-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

This beautiful quilt was made by my co-worker. It's her 4th quilt and she's a pro already! It's a lap size and the pattern she used is "Lasagna Quilt" by Terry Atkinson. It's a basic strip-quilting pattern. The strips are sewn together, off-set, and then the center block is surrounded with a border of more strips. I LOVE all of the bright colors and busy fabrics that she used. It's fun and happy! She backed it with velour which I really love! It's a great weight and makes it snuggly soft on the back. She quilted it on her sewing machine by stitching in the ditch in all of the long seams.

She made this for her grandmother who is 90 years old. A quilt is one of the most treasured gifts there is. Everytime her grandmother uses this quilt, she will be surrounded with the love of her granddaughter.

To Wash or Not To Wash, That is the Question

2010-03-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is my 20 year-old Kenmore washer. Still going strong! Fashioned with a Roswell, NM, alien magnet. Very chic in the laundry room.

So, the question is, "Should I wash my fabric before I use it?" There is no right or wrong answer to this question. I think I'll just put some information out there --things I've heard or read about-- and you can make up your own mind.

If you are using red fabric you should prewash with a cup of vinegar to set the color. Just in case. Even humidity can make it bleed.
You should always prewash your fabric but don't use detergent because it will wash out the sizing.
You should always prewash with detergent to wash out the sizing.
If you do wash it with detergent, press your fabric with spray starch to put sizing back onto it.
Always wash flannels or anything that will shrink. Actually, wash flannels twice--and buy more than the pattern asks for. It shrinks a lot.
Wash your fabric if it will be in a quilt that will need to be washed. Mostly baby quilts and quilts used by kids.
Wash your fabric if it has a looser weave. This will tighten it up (shrink it a bit).
All of the cutters in the quilt shops say that you don't have to wash your fabric anymore. The "good stuff" won't shrink and the colors are set.

So, what's the answer? You tell me.

On the Bias

2010-03-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

This posting has been a long time in the making! Whew! It's finally done! You will notice that the fabric changes from green to purple and then back to green in the pictures. There's a story behind that--I originally did that section of the instructions in a video. I thought it would be much easier to "show" how to do that part than to "tell." Anyway, the video would not upload. Not on this computer, not on my husbands. I tried 100 different things, still no go. So, I went and bought some purple fabric (one day I will make a purple quilt) to re-do the movie. Certainly, it was something I did! The movie STILL wouldn't upload. But, this time, I also took pictures, just in case. So, you get to see the still pictures and hopefully, my explanations are good enough. As always, ask questions if you need clarification!

This posting is a how-to on making bias strips for binding a quilt. Bias strips can come in handy for binding a quilt and also if you are appliqueing vines or other strippy things that can curve. It is a must to use if the border of your quilt has curves or even rounded corners. Bias is fabric cut on the diagonal from the weave of the fabric. This gives the fabric a tiny bit of stretch, which can make it easier to manage, go around curves, and lay flat better.

First of all take one yard of fabric and press out the creases. Lay it on your cutting board right side down.

Next, fold the fabric so that the bottom edge meets the side edge. This turns your fabric into a sort-of traingle. Turn your fabric so that the folded edge is at the bottom of your mat, closest to you.

Then fold the fabric over two or three times so that it's a manageable width, keeping the folded edge even and at the bottom, nearest you. When I say manageable width, it should all fit under the length of your ruler.

The first cut you make will be along the folded edge. I make my bias 2 1/2" wide so the first strip that I cut on the fold is 1 1/4" wide. When that piece is unfolded it will measure 2 1/2" wide.

Cut 2 1/2" wide strips up the entire piece of fabric until you get to pieces so small they'd only be good for your scrap pile.

Next, you're going to take all of your strips and cut the ends into a 45 degree angle. Start by taking 4 or 5 strips and stacking them on top of each other, ends together. Some of the strips will be shorter than others or angles will be different. Match up the ends as close as you can. Make sure you stack each fabric with right sides up.

Find the 45 degree line on your ruler. Line this up with the bottom of your strips. Make sure that the ends of the strips (the underneath ones, too) will all get the same cut.

Make the cut, but don't move your ruler when you're done. Just slide it over a bit. Try and keep the angle of it in the same spot. Now, take the strips out from underneath the ruler, keep them right sides up, and turn them around so the other ends are in front of you. (this is where a video would be helpful--sorry). If you take both ends of the strips and turn them like a steering wheel, does that visual help?

Now, line up those ends of the strips. Make sure they're all together. You might need to scoot down some of the shorter pieces so all the ends are together. All of the ends will need to be cut to the same 45 degree angle.

Slide the ruler back over this end of the strips. Make sure the angle of the ruler has not changed. Put the 45 degree line at the bottom of the strips and make the cut.

If the ends of all of the strips are cut with the same angle, you will be able to sew them together without worrying if the angles will match up. Because they will.

Now it's time to sew all of those strips together. Use a 5/8" seam allowance. Notice the overhang when the strips meet up.

Make sure that your needle goes in where the two strips meet and the edge is along your 5/8" marking.

After all of your strips are sewn together, press the seams open.

Along one edge, press a 1/4" hem. This will be your starting end when sewing the binding onto your quilt. Press the entire strip in half, lengthwise. For the how-to on sewing binding onto your quilt, click here.

If you want, snip off the stragglers.

Roll your binding up so it's manageable to work with. One yard of fabric makes over 14 yards (500"+) of 2 1/2" wide bias. This is enough to bind a King-size quilt. PLENTY!

You do NOT have to use fabric cut on the bias to bind your quilt if the sides and corners are straight. Yes, it does look better and is easier to manage, but it is not necessary. If the perfect fabric for your binding is already cut on the weave of the fabric and you can't or don't want to buy more, then use what you have.

C8's Quilt: Cut It Out!

2010-03-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

I think that for most people who sew, cutting out is the worst part of any project. Boring and tedious are two words that come to mind. When I was 11 or 12 I was part of a 4H sewing club. We were making a clothing item for the fair. My project was a denim jumper and I wanted to begin with sewing the jumper together. I wanted to get right to it! As our leader began to explain the cutting out process, preparing the fabric, making sure the pattern was laid out correctly, pins going the right direction, which size to cut, transferring markings, etc., I was overwhelmed with how much I had to do before I could even get to the machine. I think our leader saw the disappointment and let us all know that her favorite part of sewing was cutting the item out. "What? How can that be your favorite part??" We were astonished! She said that she loved going over the directions, the pattern, making sure everything was just right. She enjoyed laying that foundation in just the right way so the rest of the project could go as smoothly as possible. Since that little chat (which has stayed with me a long time), I have tried to look at the cutting out process as important and worthy of my time. It's important to do it right, use the right tools to make it go smoothly and double check measurements. It's a good start to making the rest of the project go smooth and turn out right.

Here are some pictures of cutting out C8's quilt.

First I needed to iron the fabric. Not all fabric gets ironed before I cut it, but most of this fabric had been sitting in my stash for a while and the creases needed to come out. (Kindly ignore the messy bathroom counter. Yes, I'd rather sew than clean.) I laid one fat quarter on the board, used a little steam, pressed it, and laid the next one right on top. It saves a little time and gives the underneath ones a little more pressing.
Here's my cutting board, ruler, and rotary cutter (also called my roller blade). I'm right handed so the ruler's to my left and my right hand manages the blade. I've also gotten a little ambidextrous when things are lined up opposite and I don't want to rearrange. Sometimes I flip the entire cutting board around or walk to the other side of the table if I need to. Whatever works!

A few things to remember--Use a sharp blade. When one gets dull or starts skipping, trade it out for a new one. Write a "P" on the side of the old blade-- It's now your blade to cut paper with.

Also, cut through a few layers at a time. I once taught a class on making Christmas Tree Skirts and there was a lady, an experienced seamstress, who was cutting each fabric individually, one by one. No one had told her that you can pile them up, fold them over and cut through them quicker!

One more tip--use the grid on your mat to square your fabric up, but use the lines on your ruler to measure. And, if possible, use the same ruler for your entire project. If some pieces get off an 1/8 of an inch here and there, it could definitely add up when all those pieces are joined together.

When I was done cutting out, I put all the pieces in ziploc bags (best invention ever!) to keep them organized! Ziploc bags kept me sane the two summers I was sewing 50 drill team uniforms!

Out of 40 fat quarters--20 green and 20 blue, I had more than half the fabric left over. I realize that the pattern needed that many different kinds of fabric to look scrappy, but I don't like leftovers. I'll try to use as many as I can in the border and binding.

Now comes the fun part--ready to sew!

C8's Quilt-- I Love Fabric

2010-02-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

When it comes to putting a quilt top together, fabric selection can be tricky and a little intimidating. I don't think you want to spend hours and hours working on a quilt that you end up not liking. And there aren't any specific rules to follow--it basically comes down to what catches your eye.

I'm glad that C8 wanted a quilt of blues and greens. She got to choose and I only had to focus on those two colors. For the pattern she chose, I needed to purchase 20 fat quarters of blues and 20 of greens. Since there were going to be so many different, random fabrics involved, I decided to go with fabrics that didn't have any white in them. This would help it to look less scrappy.

This is a fabric I chose for the back. There was only 5 3/4 yds left on the bolt so I got it all. I might use this in the border on the front but I haven't decided yet. It's an awesome strong print and the colors are perfect.

The wrench that C8 threw in last week was she wanted a bit of pink in the quilt. So, I went out and bought some pink. I'm guessing maybe pink is on its way out, I'm not sure, but there wasn't as much pink in the store as usual. The only pink I found that would work had a little bit of white in it. I thought it through and decided it would work because the pink is only going to be used in the center squares and in the inner border. It won't be sharing time or space with the blues and greens.

Sometimes I wish that there were a list of rules for choosing fabric. But, there's not. Of course.
There are a few tips that can be helpful, however.

First, trust your own style and what you like. Choose colors and patterns that please your eye.

Next, choose one fabric that you love and then find others that go with it. I've heard some quilt teachers that say not to do that because you might get hung up on that one fabric and have a hard time pairing it with something else. But, whatever you choose, there will probably be one fabric that really catches your eye and you'll want it in your quilt. Be prepared to abandon the love fabric if it's not working for you.

After you have your love fabric, pick colors out of it that you can find in other fabrics. I have a friend that makes the most beautiful quilts and totally ignores this tip. Her fabrics don't have anything in common color-wise except they're bright and busy. It's her style and it works for her. She does follow the tip about pattern size and I think that's what makes it work for her.

The tip about pattern size--This is a basic designer's tip that's used in everything from landscaping to rearranging furniture. Large, medium, and small. Have a fabric that contains a large print, have one that contains a medium print, and another with a small print. Try to find patterns/colors that are opposite in some way so they compliment each other. One thing that I always put in my quilts is a stripe or check. I don't know if that's a real tip or just me, but I always make sure that one of my fabrics has lines. Here are some of the greens from C8's quilt.

Another thing to keep in mind with color is how the other fabrics make them look. Do you see how that second fabric up looks yellow next to the other greens? I'm keeping it though because there are other yellow-greens in the quilt and I like the large print.

I think that the most important thing to remember when selecting fabric is to make sure you like it. Every quilt is different and it's OK to take a risk. Try a fabric with texture. Ask other people's opinions but remember that their opinion is just another option. Get ideas from looking through quilting books, up close at the fabric in the pictures.

I feel like I lucked out with C8's quilt. Since the quilt is for her, she chose the colors and gets to live with it. Not too much thinking required on my part.

But when I went to find the pink fabric, I found some other fabric that got me thinking about J's Eagle Scout Quilt. I definitely found a love fabric for that, too. More on that later.

C8's Quilt: Graduation Traditions

2010-02-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

They say that you have to have three of something in order to call it a collection. Three antique watering cans--it's a collection. Three Beanie Babies--it's a collection. Three mini schnauzers--it's a collection.

So, how many times do you have to do something in order for it to be a tradition? I would say only once as long as it sticks. A few years ago on Valentine's Day, we had lobster. We had "do-it-yourself" lobster. It was really good, except for the fact that one of the kids named them all and then got upset when we put them in the pot of boiling water. The 'lobster on Valentine's Day tradition' didn't stick. The next year we had fondue on Valentine's Day and it stuck. We look forward to this tradition every year now. It's fun, unique, and the kids don't get upset because we aren't eating any pets.

Two years ago, when our oldest child, BJ, graduated from High School, I made her a t-shirt quilt. She had stacks and stacks of t-shirts and it was hard for her to choose because they all had good memories and hard for me to choose because of quality of the shirt, color, and size of the design. We ended up using over 30 t-shirts and it was a HUGE quilt--almost King size. Plenty big for a dorm bed. But she loves it and that's good enough for me!

Now, C8 is getting ready to graduate. I asked her if she wanted a t-shirt quilt. She said no. (Scratch the t-shirt quilt tradition.) Instead, she wanted a regular quilt made of blues and greens and maybe some pink thrown in there. Full size. This pattern, please.

New tradition--Making a quilt for the graduating senior with their choice of pattern/size/fabric.

Looking ahead, in two more years, we'll have a collection.

14th Annual Interfaith Charity Quilting Bee

2010-02-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was our Annual Quilting Bee. Our church has hosted this event for the last 14 years. It is an incredible, huge undertaking. It includes 2 1/2 hours of quilting, a luncheon, and a presentation of quilts.

Over 20 different quilting groups and congregations of all different faiths come together to quilt and strengthen the community. Although this is a one-day event, all of the groups have been working on quilts to donate throughout the year.

The gym is set up with over 20 quilting frames. When a quilt is done, it is checked in, counted, and tagged.

Then all of the quilts are laid out over the backs of all the pews in the chapel. Over 200 quilts were donated this year. All of the quilts go to families who are working with the NAM organization to try and get back on their feet. Each member of the family gets to choose their own quilt. For some of the children in these families, it is the first thing they ever get that is their very own.

At the end of the day, all of the quilts are presented to NAM. The presentation usually includes a family who receives their quilts that day and get to be the first to choose. It's fun to see which ones they'll pick. It feels good to make a difference in a family's life.

Eye Candy

2010-02-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some favorites from Fall 2009's International Quilt Festival. Enjoy the show. They are amazing!

The detail in this first one is unbelievable! Three quilts inside of another quilt! The color of skin! Three people and three pets! Furniture! Flowers! Not to mention the story it tells! Definitely a favorite!

This puzzle blew my mind! The pieces falling out of it at the bottom actually match up to the spaces in the top of the quilt! The quilting was all done in puzzle shapes.

So many pieces! Love the border and the light/dark!

For being so monotone, this one is absolutely striking and beautiful!

LOVE this border! The amount of foliage in the border makes the blocks look fuller and compliments them beautifully. I'm glad the creator didn't skimp on the vine.

I've done a few log cabins but nothing like this! I love the wave in it and the picket fence border on two sides. (Can you tell I love the whimsical category?)

I love old cars so of course I would love this one. What character!

It hurts my head to imagine all of the pieces and planning that went into this one.

Wow. Is Andy Warhol quilting now?

This one tells a unique tale of painting on fall. But I also love the skin tones. The arms looked like photographs--very well done!

This contained about a billion hexagon pieces. Amazing!

My overall favorite. This one has a Dutch flavor to it. I lived in Holland for a year as a teenager so I might be just a little biased.

Bound with Love

2010-02-19T14:37:00.001-08:00

This is a tutorial on "how to bind a quilt." I'm sure there are many ways to do this--but this is how I do it.

This red quilt is one of my favorites. I made the top at a quilting seminar in Monterrey Mexico, put on by the Monterrey Quilter's Guild. I'm embarrassed to say that the top was finished a few years ago and the quilting and binding was finally done this past week. Yes, (confession time) I'm human and somewhat of a procrastinator.

Let's start: I laid the quilt out on top of my bed. It measures 86 X 68--an average twin size.

I trimmed the extra batting and backing from around the quilt. Don't worry--I didn't cut the quilt on the bed but even if I would have it would have been OK. The quilt that's on my bed is ugly and was made in China or India or somewhere. The dentist's kids teeth are always rotten and the quilter's bed always has an old raggedy, foreign-made quilt on it.

The bias strips are ready to go--including a pressed hem (not stitched) on the starting end. If you were to unfold this strip vertically, you would see the pressing goes all along the edge. (We'll have a tutorial on making bias strips in the near future.)

In this picture, I've laid out the strip on the edge of the quilt so you can see how the selvage edges meet up. The folded edge of the strip is closest to the center of the quilt. You will start stitching the binding about 6 inches down from the diagonal pressed edge. Just leave the top 6 inches loose for now.

In this picture it shows that I'm starting to stitch the binding to the quilt. Stitch the binding to the top of the quilt. It will be folded over and tacked down on the back. Sometimes when you're sewing on the binding you get a little slack on the top of the binding strip. Try to keep pulling the front and back evenly as you go, but if you still get some slack, it's OK to catch a little wrinkle in the top layer of the strip as you go. After all, it will be hidden in the inside of the binding when you're done.

This is the part that makes people nervous--the dreaded corner!!! Don't worry--it's not that hard, I promise! Pull out and dust off your sewing gauge. C'mon I know you have one! It's one of those notions that comes standard in every sewing kit and you always wonder what you do with it. Use it to measure 1/4 inch in from the corner. Easy so far!

Now mark it with a pencil. Pencil's OK to use on a quilt. You can use a fancy disappearing ink pen, but a pencil works just fine--no one will see it.

I like to stick a pin into the pencil spot, perpendicular to the stitching so if I run over it, it's not a big deal for my needle. The pin is only marking your stopping place. Put the binding strip back down with the head of the pin sticking out so you can see it. Stitch slow, it's not a race. When your needle gets to the spot where the pin goes in, stop and back stitch 2 or 3 stitches, pull the pin out and then remove the quilt from under the sewing machine. Clip your threads. This is not continuous sewing--this is done a side at a time.

The place where you have stopped sewing is going to be named point A. Place your sewing gauge at point A and measure horizontally to the edge of the binding. Slide the orange place-keeper (I'm sure this has an official name--don't know what it is) to the fold of the binding strip to measure the width from the stitching to the edge.

Now turn your gauge vertically with the edge of the gauge at point A. Your orange slider should still be in place from the last picture. Where your orange slider ends up is officially point B. Make sure it's 1/4 inch in from the selvage edge--right in line with your previous stitching. You all with me so far?

Now mark that spot with your pencil. Just a little dot will do.

Put a pin into point B, pushing it about halfway through so it will stay. You can skip the pencil marking of point B and just put a pin in place then--no problem.

Lift up the strip with the pin in it and put point B directly over point A. Push the pin through point A, joining the two points together. The pin only goes through the strip at point B--at point A it goes through the quilt only. I hope that clarifies and doesn't confuse (look at the picture).

Now, the easiest part yet! With the pin in place, turn the strip so it's ready to be sewn down the next side. Make sure that none of the binding strip is sneaking in underneath. Do NOT worry if your diagonal lines don't look straight and even. The most important thing is lining up point A and B so that the diagonal line will look straight after it's done.

Put your sewing machine needle into the exact same place where your pin was. Now you're ready to sew the next side. See, not hard at all. Notice that the fabric in the corner hangs over the edge a bit--that means you did it right. Don't try to line that up or you won't have enough fabric to fold it over later. You will do all four corners the same with finding point A and B, then joining them and continuing down the next side.

When you have sewn all four sides and all four corners you're going to need to know how to end it. Yes, you're almost ready to end it! You're coming up on the end of your binding strip that you kept loose. You need to tuck the strip you're working with inside the loose strip where you started. Just straighten it out with your fingers and line it up as best as you can--pin it in place if you need to. Trim the inner piece's end a bit so there's only a couple of inches inside. (Don't trim it too short--watch the short side of the diagonal!) Then just sew through all four layers to attach it to the quilt all at once. You're done with the machine part!

I always tack my binding strip to the back by hand. I could probably do it on my machine but I can hide it better if I do it by hand. And it gives me something to keep my hands busy with while I watch TV. This is what the corner looks like before it's turned to the back to be tacked down.

Fold one side of the binding strip to the back of the quilt. Stick a pin in it to hold it in place. Then fold over the adjoining side to the back of the quilt. This will make your mitered diagonal line on the back and the front of the quilt. Check it out--cool, huh?

It's ready to be hand-stitched now. I usually pin only the corners down before I start-- just to hold them in place. And I'm sure you can notice that this corner isn't lined up perfectly. I should've taken the pin out and slid it over a bit before I took the picture. It was fixed before I stitched--promise!

When I hand-stitch binding, I hide all of my knots in the seam allowance (the space between the stitches and the edge). I use doubled thread, for strength, and tie a knot in the end. I start by putting the needle through the back of the seam allowance and pull it through to the yellow (quilt back) right where the stitches are. The knot ends up on the inside, underneath the seam allowance. I put the needle through a little bit of the red--along the fold and then run it through a little bit of the yellow--just inside (quilt side) the stitching and then run it back through a bit of the red--in the fold. Also I usually run a few stitches and then pull them tight, then run a few, then pull them tight. Don't make your thread too long or it will get tangled up easier.

Ready for the reveal? This is the quilt finished. Ready for the bed! (p.s. You do not need to tack down the diagonal starting/stopping point. It's fine left as is.) Sheesh, the top corner doesn't even look perfect--I should have folded that one better--or taken a picture of a different corner.