The “cathedral window” quilt square is different from others in that, instead of being sewn into the usual top-batting-backing quilt sandwich, it provides its own bulk by being folded into multiple layers. As one blogger puts it, it’s “fabric origami.” The nice thing about this is that once you are…
I haven’t had a lot of time to experiment with hand pies, and to be honest, my desire to mess around with different kinds of recipes is not what it used to be. That’s why I count myself fortunate to have come across this recipe, because even though I thought…
Sources: Pile o’ Fabric; Generations Quilt Patterns; Color Me Quilty Tools needed Walking foot: has its own feed dogs built in so you will have feed dogs above the fabric and below the fabric working together Spare bobbins Fresh needle Table space to hold the rest of the quilt Tidying…
Source: Pile o’ Fabric Basting is the process of layering the quilt top, batting, and backing fabric Methods include: Pin basting: use basting pins (basically bent safety pins) Spray basting: use adhesive spray to stick the layers together Hand thread basting
Prepare sewing machine and fabric Calibrate a scant 1/4″ seam allowance guide (e.g. masking tape on your sewing machine, presser foot) This allows for the fold of the fabric when seam is pressed Check stitch quality on a scrap Check needle for nicks or bends Use quality thread to avoid…
Source: Pile o’ Fabric Look on the Internet or in quilting magazines/books for easy patterns to begin with Try simple patchwork to get used to the basics of quilting: Fabric selection Fabric prep Cutting patches Piecing patches Assembling blocks Basting Quilting Binding Tagging Move on to a pattern that introduces…
Source: Pile o’ Fabric Supplies Cutting mat Rotary cutter Quilting ruler Iron and starch Best practices and preparation Ensure rotary cutter blade is sharp, clean, and installed correctly per manufacturer’s instructions Use correct size blade 45mm = all purpose 60mm = heavy fabric or lots of layers 28mm or smaller…
Source: Generations Quilt Patterns; Fine Craft Guild Selecting material 100% quilting cotton gives you a lot of colour/pattern options and standardized weight Avoid mixing fibre types to ensure what you make washes and wears consistently Keep fabric weight in a single project consistent to avoid problems with uneven sewing and…
[Source: Diary of a Quilter] Rotary cutter Larger cuts more layers, smaller cuts more intricate lines Self-healing cutting mat Try starting with 18″ x 24″ Scissors for fabric only Seam ripper Pins Straight pins (ideally with nice big visible heads) for piecing Safety pins for quilting Rulers One big one…
I never grew up with chili, but I understand that there are some Very Strong Opinions out there about what makes a “true” or “authentic” chili. Fortunately, what I primarily care about is whether I get a delicious meal out of my efforts. Authenticity comes a distant second, if it…
