well, this “31 Day” series. Today was just hectic with Halloween. I was busy all day finishing up a Skyfire (old school Transfomer) making dinner, and doing laundry among other things. I’ll post part 2 of the binding tutorial tomorrow. I did get all the pictures edited though. I even re-took a few that weren’t very clear.
Happy Halloween, see you tomorrow.
~ Norma
Our “31 days” series is coming to an end. Many of you have expressed sadness (I know it’s not really sadness, but I understand what you mean) at the impeding end. Those awesome little comments have really made my day! That means that I was able to share something that many of you found useful. I’m kind of sad to see the series end as well. I won’t get through all of the designs that were scribbled out in my notebook so you can look forward to a walking foot quilting post here and there. I’ll make sure to link them on the original “31 days” post so that you can find them easily. It has been fun, hard, frustrating at times (computer woes) and rewarding all rolled into one. However I’m also looking forward to having a little break and not having a deadline to meet every day. Plus this baby has been calling my name every time I sit at the computer with my back to it:
(Day 29 of a 31 Day Series)
STOP!! Don’t run in the other direction. You’ll want to read this post, trust me.
I’ve given you lots of ideas for quilting designs that can be quilted with your walking foot during this “31 days” series. As I mentioned before, using a walking foot does not eliminate the hassle of wrestling your quilt top into that itty bitty space to the right of your machine’s needle. Some of you may have heard of a “quilt as you go” (QAYG) method and for some it will be a novel idea. Basically the method involves quilting up your quilt blocks one at a time (or smallish sections of your quilt) and then joining the quilted sections together to form the quilt. Most quilt blocks are in the 12”-16” range so this is very manageable in even the tiniest sewing machines.
Until a few weeks ago I was really only aware of two ways to do this. Both involve leaving a narrow un-quilted area around your blocks, then joining the blocks together, and a generous amount of hand sewing on the back of the quilt. I always found the method confusing and, since I really dislike hand sewing, cumbersome. Check out this really great tutorial that explains both method’s very well at The Quilter’s Cache. (Make sure you read all 3 pages.)
To be honest I have NEVER done QAYG. The hand sewing always deterred me. My world changed dramatically when Maureen posted a fantabulous tutorial of her version of QAYG. Seriously you HAVE to go check it out. It is revolutionary – well ok it really is simple and my jaw dropped and I couldn’t help but think “duh!” Did I mention there is NO HAND SEWING!! *insert hallelujah chorus*
Ok enough already – get over to Maureen’s lovely blog, bookmark her, follow her, but don’t stalk her! Tell her you love her, she’s a genius, and tell her we are so lucky she joined the quilting world (she’s only been quilting a short while) – oh and tell her I sent ya!
Will you look at that gorgeous straight line quilting!
I really want to know if you have done QAYG, what you liked and didn’t like about it. What do you think about Maureen’s method?
~ Norma
(Day 25 of a 31 Day Series)
In FMQ when you do a stipple or meander you are basically wandering in a random squiggly fashion. You can also do a random wandering with your walking foot like this:
(Day 22 of a 31 Day Series)
This design takes its cue from a topographical map. There is no marking required because the lines don’t have to be equally spaced. In fact the design looks better when the lines are a bit more random.
To make this design you start with one free form stitching line (the inner most pink line.) Then you would echo the design inward and outward. You don’t need to echo the stitching line perfectly or equally spaced. In fact it looks great if every once in a while you throw in a slightly different element (see the outer pink line.)
Only 1.5 weeks left in the series
Norma
(Day 19 of a 31 Day Series)
Ok, here’s one more argyle or diamond variation. You get a whole different look if you just double the lines.
I think I like this one better than the single argyle or diamonds design. How about you?
Norma
I finished up this customer quilt 2 days ago and finally made it to the post office. Well actually I caught the mailman at my door today. I love that I can print up shipping labels at home and that I can hand my package to the mailman! There are more pictures and details here.
The quilts are available in my shop.
~ Norma
(Day 18 of a 31 Day Series)
Don’t be afraid to play around with any of the designs I have shared with you. Here I have taken yesterday’s design, Argyle, and changed the look simply by playing around with it.
Basically I offset the next row to create illusion of an echoed zig zag between the rows.
~ Norma
(Day 14 of a 31 Day Series)
1. Perfect example of quilting waves. Such an organic feel to this quilt.
2. Some curved crosshatching tucked into setting triangles.
3. Here is an example of water. To do this on a walking foot do it on a much bigger scale.
4. A great example of the orange peel or pumpkin seed design. The difference between this design and the “continuous curve” design is that the pumpkin seed is on the diagonal.
5. Here is a quilt done with continuous curve.
6. Circles on circles. What a great design! Notice how the circles are not equally spaced.
7. Ok this quilt is a prefect example of “targets” that cross each other.
8. Another example of circles. This one has the circles spaced evenly.
9. Another example of curved crosshatch. This time it’s tucked into the center of a block.
Have you tried any of these designs? Which ones are you dying to try?
~ Norma
Working on a custom order for a personalized baby boy quilt. I love these baby quilts. So cute and modern!
These are available in the shop.
Fabric used:
Dots are Riley Blake “Peak Hour”
Backing is from IKEA “Barnslig”
~ Norma
(Day 9 of a 31 Day Series)
If the thought of quilting straight lines seems daunting, you can try quilting long soft curves. This brings lots of movement to a quilt and they are super easy to do. It looks great as an allover quilt design.
A) You can echo your first wave for evenly space the waves. Just like straight lines, this design will bring lots of texture to the quilt.
B) Or you can just have fun and make each wave random. This gives you a more organic feel. It also resembles a landscape with hills and valleys. Don’t limit yourself to thinking of this design as water.
Do you prefer the echoed waves or the random waves?
~ Norma
(Day 5 of a 31 Day Series)
Today’s post might not be very interesting for those of you that have been quilting for a while. Feel free to skip out and come back tomorrow. I won’t be offended, I promise. I thought about skipping this post entirely but somewhere out there a newbie might stumble upon this post and I would love to get them started on the right path. I was a beginner once and I wish I had known then that there are always different ways to accomplish the same thing and that no one way is the right way to do things.
Starting and stopping
It really doesn’t matter what kind of quilting you are doing, whether it’s free motion with a hopping foot or straight lines with a walking foot, you need to ensure that all your hard work doesn’t unravel over time. There are several ways to achieve this.
1) Back Stitch: To back stitch you stitch forward for a few stitches then using your reverse button you stitch backwards a few stitches. You will end up going forward again over your original stitches. I don’t really know if there is a set amount of stitches you are supposed to do, I usually stitch forward for 3 and back for 3, and then continue my stitching. I’ve never had anything come undone. Some people like to use it this method and some don’t. I tend to use this option only if I’m going to stitch a long line. If I’m stitching short segments where there will be a lot of cutting of threads I don’t like to use it because you will have that thicker section right at the beginning and end of your segment.
2) Knotting and Burying the Threads: Basically you do your quilting with out tacking and leave your threads long. When you are done quilting a section you hand tie a know and then use a needle to bury the knots into the quilt like you do in hand quilting. Some people do all of their quilting before burying threads.This is my least favorite method because I don’t like to have hanging/loose threads on my quilt while I am quilting. There is more chance for knots to form or threads to get caught inside the machine, plus I think it takes forever!
3) Shortening stitch length: One of the tactics form free motion quilting is to take a few small, tiny stiches almost in place at the beginning and at the end of your stitching line. The same thing can be accomplished with the walking foot by manually manipulating the stitch length. I do this if I’m doing short segments of stitching and I don’t want the build up of thread to be so obvious from back stitching. I like this method better when I’m using a mechanical sewing machine, it’s faster to turn a dial than it is to push and hold a button on my computerized sewing machine.
OK let’s get to stitching! For this example I picked the “L’s” design from yesterday’s post. If your machine has a “needle down” position I recommend using it. (“Needle down” is a button that you push and it always makes your needle stop in the down position when you take the foot of the pedal, nifty huh?)
Here is my quilt sandwich, the red line represents the edge of the block or the “ditch.” (I used spray basting)
Make sure you tack your threads at the beginning. I used a backstitch. For this first pass I’m just following the red line right along the tiny opening in my walking foot.
When I get to the end of the line, where it turns the corner I stop with the needle down. Sometimes you have to manually adjust your sandwich so that the needle goes down in just the perfect spot without going past the corner. To do this I use the hand wheel and adjust my needle to an almost down position, before it pierces the fabric (and right before that last stich takes past the corner.) Then I raise the presser foot and very carefully nudge the sandwich over to where the needle will be in just the right spot. Then I lower the needle completely right on the corner with the hand wheel.
Now we are going to turn the corner. With the needle still down, raise your presser foot and carefully rotate the quilt sandwich 90 degrees and line it up in the new direction. Lower your presser foot and continue sewing until you either finish or have to turn another corner. If you are finished don’t forget to tack your stitches at the end.
Here is a picture of a few quilted L’s. For this example I used the edge of the walking foot as my guide and ended up with pretty narrow 1/4” rows.
Just like in free motion quilting one of the best things you can possibly learn is how to minimize your starts and stops. They take time, and unless you’re burying your threads they tend to look messy especially if you have a lot of them. Learning how to travel in the ditch will help you with that. If you follow the path of the thread above (start at the lower right) you will see that the whole thing was quilted in one continuous line. At the very end I quilted the outer edges of the square which would have been in the ditch if this was a block in a quilt.
Tomorrow I’ll show you a new design.
See you then.
~ Norma
-(Day 3 of a 31 Day Series)
Did you hear that? I think I heard a collective *sigh* from quilters around the world! Basting is one of those necessary evils of quilting. I don’t think I personally know a quilter who loves this step of the quilting process. I have a theory that the vast majority of UFO’s are created once this step becomes necessary. Are you one of those quilter’s that collects quilt tops? It’s time to get over the fear of basting so that you can finish up those quilt tops.
What is basting?
Some of the beginners out there immediately conjure up an image of bulbous syringe and a turkey. Relax, we’re not cooking Thanksgiving dinner over here, at least not for another month. Sometimes basting is approached with as much trepidation as a holiday meal. Basically basting means that you temporarily adhere/attach your three quilt layers together(top, batting, backing) so that you can take it to your machine where thread and a quilting design will hold your layers together permanently.
There are three basic methods that I know of for basting a quilt: needle and thread, pinning, and spray basting. Each method has it’s own set of challenges and requirements. I’ll try to briefly out line each method.
Needle and Thread:
Originally quilts were basted with a needle and thread. With this method you are basically taking long stitches all over the quilt sandwich to keep things together. I have personally NEVER tried this method. The thought of anything remotely like hand sewing is enough to keep me away. I did find this amazing tutorial that uses Sharon Schamber’s method that makes it all seem very manageable and easy enough for me to try it out sometime (maybe.)
Pros: No pins are in the way while quilting, you don’t have to crawl on the floor, you don’t need a large surface to baste
Cons: If you don’t use thick enough thread your basting stiches could snap while you are wrestling the quilt sandwich, you have to go back and trim and pull out all your basting stitches after you are done quilting (might be a pain if you do a lot of micro stippling)
Did you know that most long arm quilters (myself included) will gladly thread baste a quilt for you for a nominal fee?
Pin Basting:
You can use the same method as outlined above for pin basting as well. For this method you should used curved safety pins specifically for quilting. They make it easier for the sharp end to come back up into your quilt sandwich while it’s taped down. You may also want to use a stylus, chopstick or other tool to slip under the pin and help you close it. I use an acrylic cuticle stick from the drug store. It really helps save your fingers on a large quilt.
Here is the Sharon Schamber you tube video that shows you how it’s done.
and part 2:
Of course you can always do it the hard way and spread out on the floor on your hands and knees.
Pros: pins are sturdier than thread, pins are relatively cheap, you remove the pins as you sew so you don’t have anything to remove once you are done.
Cons: You’ll get poked - it’s inevitable. It’s really annoying to pin on top of carpet, you’ll ended up pinning the carpet in a couple of spots. You’ll want to plan ahead so that you don’t put pins in the way of your quilting line (i.e. if you are stitching in the ditch you won’t want to put pins along the edges of the block.) It can be a pain to have to reposition pins because they are in your way. You have to stop and undo the pins as you stitch.
That being said there is a cool product out on the market called Pinmoor. They are colorful “caps” that slide over regular quilting pins to cover the sharp ends. They are easier to reposition since you don’t have to fight with the clasp of a safety pin. They are rather pricey at $15 for 50 pieces. That’s barely enough for a baby quilt.
You know I’m all about being thrifty and saving money for more important things, like fabric and chocolate. A super cheap alternative is to take a thick piece of craft foam and cut it into little squares to use for your own pin caps. You’ll need relatively thick piece of foam. Look around the craft store in the kids department for foam door knob hangers or look in your garage or thrift store for one of these foam can cozies. ($0.99 at Hobby Lobby)
Spray Basting:
I’m always surprised to find that people have not heard of this wonderful tool. Basting spray is a low tack adhesive/glue that comes in a can. It usually sells for $10-$15 depending on where you find it and the brand. One can should be able to do 2-3 queen size quilts or several small quilts. Make sure you buy one for fabric (preferably quilting) rather than one for crafting. The ones made for quilting are especially formulated to be repositionable and won’t gum up your needle. I’ve used June Tailor’s basting spray with no problems. I have even had quilts basted together for over a year before I get to them! If your spray baste is coming out in clumps or in strands like silly string you need to get a new bottle! This stuff should come out like hair spray.
Speaking of hair spray, my friend Gene has had success using Aqua Net hair spray as a basting spray! At around $3 a can it sure is a cheap alternative so you can get even more chocolate.
I wrote a post a couple of years ago about how I spray basted my quilts (here.) I really think that the board method used by Sharon Schamber could also be adapted to spray basting. I’m going to try it out the next time I have to baste a quilt.
Pros: super quick and easy, no pins to mess with, repositionable, saves lots of time
Cons: can be smelly, cover work surfaces or they will get sticky, expensive
Why?
So now that we covered the different methods of basting let’s talk about why we need to baste. I thought the point of the walking foot was to move all the layers through together? The walking foot does NOT replace the need to baste the quilt sandwich. The walking foot minimizes the shifting of the layers but it doesn’t keep the layers together on it’s own. Basting every few inches stabilizes the quilt and insures that your layers will stay together until your quilting holds the sandwich together. Don’t skip the basting step or you will end up with huge puckers and you will be disappointed with the results.
Let me know if you have any questions about basting.
Now go make yourself a quilt sandwich, grab your walking foot and meet me tomorrow as we start with the designs!
~ Norma
(Day 2 of a 31 Day Series)
Today I was planning on talking about basting your quilt sandwich but I decided not to. Instead I’m going to talk a little bit more about the quilt guide (or “L” shaped bar) that I mentioned in the previous post. I also mentioned that if you were able to buy a walking foot with a guide you should do so. If you already have a walking foot and it doesn’t have a guide you may be able to purchase an aftermarket guide for your foot. The really annoying thing about most walking feet is that they come packaged with a bar that fits on the right side of the foot. Just like the one in the picture I showed yesterday:
The problem with this set up is that you are trying to fight the bulk of your quilt on the already small throat space of your machine. There are very few walking feet that have a left side guide bar. Bernina is one of those that offers a guide bar on either side. If you can find a walking foot that will fit your machine and has a guide bar on the left side, that is the one I recommend. Better yet, if it has a guide for either side that would be ideal. Specialty feet are expensive so don’t run out and buy a new one. I did a little research for you and I found 2 options you might be interested in. Mind you I have NOT tried either one of these items so I don’t know how well they will work.
The first one I found was at Thread Stand Hero and is priced at $19.99 (+$4.95 shipping) and is also carried at Keepsake Quilting but is currently out of stock.
This one works by attaching to the back of your walking foot with a spring clip and gives you an adjustable guide on each side.
The second one I found was at Clotilde and is priced at $6.98 (+$4.95 shipping)
This one says you can attach it either on the left or the right. Your walking foot also needs to have a flat back of at least 1/2”.
The shipping price for something so small is what kept me from ordering either one. Instead I looked around and thought about finding something else work, something that I already had laying around that some of you might also have. You will need: a giant paper clip, some masking/painters tape and your walking foot
1) take the paper clip and bend the smaller inside “hook” straight up until you make an “L” with your paper clip
2) If your walking foot has a notch for a guide it just might fit in there perfectly like this:
If not, use some painter’s tape to attach it to the back of your walking foot like this:
That’s it! You’ll have to reposition the tape if you want to move the guide over but for less than a dollar I’m not complaining.
Here are some pictures of it on my machine. The curved end of the paper clip guarantees that you won’t snag your quilt sandwich as you go. The paper clip is actually pretty sturdy so unless you’re really wrestling your sandwich around I don’t think you’ll accidentally bend it out of shape.
See you tomorrow!
~ Norma
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