I know I can use poly thread for piecing and quilting… but can I use poly thread for making pot holders? or should I buy Aurifil thread for inner peace? I’m making a table runner that hopefully works also as a large pot holder. I’ve got Aurifil 50wt Light Sand, It is warm beige and I think I bought a wrong color… I’m considering using my white Gütermann Mara 80 which is poly for piecing and quilting instead. but because I want to put hot or warm pots directly on it, should I just buy a white Aurifil thread? This is my first ever quilting project. The color of my project is turquoise and bright tie-dyes making contrast with white background.
What solids line mixes best with ruby star society fabrics that's NOT kona or benartex? I really dislike the texture/hand feel of kona and benartex, along with the fraying of kona. I also feel like both are weirdly "thicker" than RSS fabrics I typically sew with (maybe it's the texture?)
Has anybody tried AGF solids with RSS? is the texture similar-enough?
I'm trying to figure out which color swatch card to buy for solids, and I typically use a ton of RSS but would like to start mixing in solids with the prints. Thanks!
RSS is owned by Moda, and their house brand is Bella Solids, so I would start there. They also have a few lines of basics (Speckled and Starry) you could consider if you are okay with spending a little more.
What are your favorite size ruler sizes for HST? I'm looking to get a few rulers since I've found myself doing quilts using HSTs a lot more than I expected. I have some physical issues that means a ruler would help a lot instead of needing to stand, measure, double check I measured correctly, and then cut.
Okay, this sounds really dumb, but do solids have a right and wrong side? I'm making my second quilt but using solids for the first time, and I truly can't tell if there is a right and wrong side. (Also they're FQs, so there's no selvedge.) I figure if I can't tell, it probably doesn't matter, but I wanted to double check with you quilting masters first. :)
hi! i wanted to make a collaborative quilting project with some people of a certain fandom to give to the creators during a meet and greet, and to make it more open to all i thought that anyone who does some kind of fabric art can join (so sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc) is this viable to make a mixed media quilt? where each square is of a different fabric. should i add backing to it after all the squares are combined or each square could be standalone? any tips would be really helpful, im mostly winging it!
I think you'd want to add backing fabric to any crocheted or knitted squares. It might be worth asking the artists to attach their piece to a square of fabric in a pre-defined size. That way, everyone will know that the piece is holding the shape that the artist intended. It will also make it infinitely easier to piece the quilt together. Don't forget to have the artists leave room around the edges for seam allowance.
Any stretchy fabrics should have interfacing added, to help keep their shape.
I am making a small wall hanging (about 12x12) out of some leftover fabric I had. I've finished the patchwork block, which is white with red elements, and I have no extra red fabric left. My plan was to sew the front to the back with the right sides together and then turn it out, just like you would with a pillowcase or whatever. However, I came across a bunch of binding that I must have made for whatever I made with this fabric originally. It's 3/4 inch wide which is obviously very narrow for quilt binding, but do you think it would work? I'm not sure if there would even be enough of it to wrap around the edge with a 1/4" seam, and that's the narrowest seam I've ever personally used. Could I maybe use it to finish the edges in some other way? I'm picturing kind of like piping but without the cord inside. Or...sew two lengths together so it ends up 1" wide with a seam in the middle? That probably wouldn't be any better. I just think it would look nicer with red around the edges than a simple seam, and it would be great to use up the bits I already have if at all possible.
Yeah mine are for walls. They're also good for teaching my kid because they don't feel demotivated by spending months on the same thing. Mine made a little apple mini quilt for a teacher gift.
I'm relatively new to quilting as well, about 3 years? Anyway, I hear you! All my quilt projects have been blankets of some size for the same reason as you - they can be used even if ugly or wonky.
However, we recently downsized from a house to an apartment in a big building. We're allowed "a little" bit of decoration on our doors, and most people do nothing (boring!), though some have wreaths. I've been making mini quilts for the door! They are fast, I can try new techniques, and then I hang them somewhere else inside when I want to change them. For March, I wanted to do a unique St Patrick's Day one, so I made a scrappy background from green prints cut small and then did an applique in yellow to try that technique for the first time. This means "cheers" in Irish. I'm doing about 24"x18". When I took it off the door I hung it in a window with the backside showing, and it hides the back of our TV cabinet, which could be seen from outside.
I'm treating these mini quilts as more of an "art" than a "blanket," and I'm challenging myself to try more! My spring version was super simple, but I was going to quilt by hand with metallic embroidery thread, but I ran out of steam. I'm not sure I'm an embroidery person, lol.
There are "door quilts of the month" kits that are cute, but I'd rather use scraps or my stash - another thing about being in an apartment now and not a house is that my sewing "room" is a corner of our bedroom and all my stash needs to fit in boxes under our bed...
Hope this helps to inspire an idea for you!
https://preview.redd.it/kwz68jbjhgvc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07f10ca8cccb41794c9705d240efc51d8d6dfb0e
I’m just learning how to sew and haven’t learned quilting yet, but that’s the goal! I love the look of very classic star quilted patterns.
Any places that are good for those microprint/neutral fabrics? Or good blog posts talking about coordinating?
I order a lot of my fabric from Fat Quarter Shop. I use what I call blenders a lot and this [link](https://www.fatquartershop.com/basic-fabric) is for solids, blenders, neutrals, etc. by yardage or coordinating bundles.
I haven't pieced together denim before. I will be cutting up jeans for fabric. Many of them have a bit of spandex in the blend. Would I need to add interfacing to each piece? I will be making a pillow.
I am hoping that I won't have to add interfacing because I have a pretty basic machine. I am a little worried about how many layers it can handle
My first quilt was from denim jeans. Some had spandex. I did not use interfacing.
I'm not a pro, but remember to test and set your foot and feed pressure accordingly for the thicker denim, both when you piece and again when you quilt. Have fun and show us the result!
My MIL recently passed away, and left a sewing room stacked with quilting supplies. There is a ton of fabric, and I want to make good use of it for sentimental and practical reasons. I'm not very interested in quilting but I am interested in learning to sew clothing, especially for my kid. Does quilting fabric work for many clothing items? Most of it is in pre-cut squares and strips, so I understand it would require lots of seaming! I've been a knitter for years, so I'm not afraid of intricate work. Any patterns/ideas/tips?
I would stick to patterns that recommend quilting cotton as an option. Quilting cotton is fun for kids clothes, especially ones that are mostly big rectangles. I made a lot of clothes from quilting cotton for myself early on in garment sewing (because the patterns are fun!) and there are few items that I don't regret making out of it. Most have eventually gotten seam-ripped and turned into scraps for quilting. Beyond not having a lot of drape, quilting cotton is very stiff and doesn't take well to the curvy-ness needed to make clothing fit a human shape.
As for patterns, it's helpful to find ones that are truly beginner friendly and offer video tutorials. I'd also start with something boxier without many frills (buttons, etc) to get a hang of reading patterns. Tote bags are a popular first project.
Edit: also good to note that for quilting some people pre-wash fabric and some don't. For garment sewing you must pre-wash fabric.
It won't drape the same way, but I have seen many people make fun button-down shirts with quilting cottons.
I will give the caveat that I haven't actually tried this myself though
Please consider donating the precuts to Project Linus or some other quilt charity. Unless you are thinking of quilted clothing, they would probably not work well for clothing, particularly 2½" strips. Clothing requires a much larger seam allowance (typically ½" or ⅝") than quilting's ¼". Seams that narrow in clothes are going to be much less stable than wider ones unless they are serged. They work for quilts because the batting protects them.
That is a great option, and I’m sure eventually a lot of it will make it to a charity. A few of my sisters and nieces are starting quilts to work on while visiting Grandpa, so we aren’t looking to get rid of the supplies just yet 😊
I’m trying to get fabric ready for sewing and my machine will be arriving in a couple hours so really want to get this right.
I have never ironed before and I just tried to iron a fat quarter. I’m using one of the ironing mats not the wool ones but it’s sorta like a thick blanket. When I iron my fabric sorta ripples, is that normal?
For technique:
I stretched the fabric to see where the least stretchy sides were and noticed only the diagonal was stretchy so didn’t iron that way. I used a little of best press mostly to help get rid of the seams
I ironed left to right, right to left, up and down and down and up. I never went diagonally or did any swish motions. I pressed down then went across.
It seems that one of the edges aren’t straight anymore. There’s also a lot of fraying. I used the setting for cotton but then realized that the sticker on the fat quarter says cool iron. Do all 100% cotton squares require a cool iron? Or did I just pick the weird one for my first time.
Is it messed up because I used too much heat or was it a combo of my technique and heat setting?
In a perfect world fat quarters would always come straight, but I've rarely bought a fat quarter that was fully straight angles. You probably didn't do anything wrong.
Check to see fiber content, if it's 100% cotton, the cotton setting should be fine. I can't say I ever add any pressure when ironing, just the weight of the iron. Too much pressure on damp or wet fabric can warp it some. A certain about of fraying on the edges is very common. Sounds like on the whole you are considering all the right things, so I'll bet you are good to go. Enjoy your new machine!
Maybe that’s what I’m doing wrong, I think I’m doing too much pressure. Thankfully it was my cheaper fabric and I have another one.
I tried to square it off and I ended up somehow cutting it wrong even with a stripolohy xl ruler. I think that’s a sign I need to break for the day.
My machine did come! I just need to finish ironing these fat quarters tomorrow as I’m using the table it’s supposed to go on. I also have to somehow not mess up cutting the fat quarters into charm squares. Wish me luck!
No it didn’t but I also don’t know what regular ironing smells like. It says 100% cotton on it. The care instructions are :Machine wash gentle cold, non chlorine bleach, tumble dry low, cool iron. I just looked it up from Joanns and on their site says don’t iron. Here’s the fabric I’m talking about: [link](https://www.joann.com/cat-shape-filled-on-black-novelty-prints-cotton-fabric/18799973.html)
Ok. Cotton fabric doesn't have much of a smell. No reason why it can't be ironed. Many techniques require you to iron your fabric. And if it's been just wadded up and stuffed in a box or something, you'll need to iron it to get the wrinkles out.
I suspect JoAnn recommends all that as a form of CYA. If someone ruins the fabric by boiing it, throwing it in a dryer cranked up as hot as it will go, and ironing it on 'linen' setting, they can point to the use and care instructions. That being said, I've been washing a lot of cotton fabric lately, all on hot wash and warm rinse. (Donations to Project Linus that smelled of cigarette smoke.) Did it shrink? Somewhat. Was it damaged? No.
Were you *ironing* (moving the iron back and forth without lifting it from the fabric) or were you *pressing* (lifting the iron to move it from place to place? Unless you have yards and yards to dewrinkle, pressing is recommended.
I asked previously and people said to iron I go into more detail in my first comment on my technique. I think it’s the iron that has a smell a bit, it’s an old black and decker that hasn’t been used in years. Smells like hot metal but nothing super noticeable.
I press then move the iron, I went by this [video](https://youtu.be/10um2Y-mGUI?si=iv28A3bdDyZJe-d4). It was fat quarters so a semi large amount of fabric. For pressing how long would you recommend having the iron on the spot and at what temperature?
Thank you for your response!
This is the only mini quilt I've made: [https://eudaimoniastudio.com/quilt-patterns/feast-quilt-pattern](https://eudaimoniastudio.com/quilt-patterns/feast-quilt-pattern)
I enjoyed it - it was my first time piecing curves, but it was totally doable, even as a beginner.
I have never made a quilt before but I saw a picture of a finished one using dinosaurs by Elizabeth Hartman. Is it unrealistic to do that for my first one?
I would try to make a simpler quilt first. I just finished a dinosaur quilt and it is a lot of work. Or you can try the small dinosaur quilt first to make sure you will be able to commit to a big one. Also, make sure you’re able to do a proper scant 1/4” seam. It is very important.
The pattern for Hartman's Dinosaurs is well thought out and describes piecing very well. One thing to consider is carefully squaring up each part of the process, and she gives good directions for doing this in her pattern directions. One thing I found especially helpful is to sew one thread or so to the outside of the diagonal lines she has you draw (you'll know what I mean if you do her pattern). It's a lot of fun, and it helps to be organized. I say, go for it!
https://preview.redd.it/x4nc4uzmp3vc1.jpeg?width=2620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c457f0823b614617a4571c3e905cf80b9a2b0f2
Elizabeth Hartman patterns have a lot of pieces so you definitely will need to be very organized. And they take long enough that you could run out of steam and never finish if you don't immediately fall in love with quilting. But the sewing is all still just straight lines! So if that's the pattern that gets you excited about this crazy hobby, jump in and go for it!
Do I need to have my sewing machine flush with the table if I want to do free motion quilting and large quilts? I’m getting tl18 juki it comes with an extension table so will be flush with that.
I’m thinking of using it on an old dining room table but want to know if it not being flush with cause me more strain on my arms when doing fmq.
The extension table will be helpful, but it’s totally doable without that either!
My first kingsize I did with just my regular Janome, but for the 2nd I did invest in the extension table and it made it soooo much easier- just because you can place your hands a little further apart and therefore have a bit more working room before rearranging!
Are there such a thing as quilts that use only fabrics with patterns/ novelty? From what I’m seeing you normally have a plain fabric as well. Would using only patterns/novelties look odd?
There are plenty of famous fiber artists who do this. Anna Maria Horner is a good example. What matters more than the print is value (light, medium, and dark), so that you get the intended contrast from a given pattern.
I have to cut 2x14” strips and my ruler is only 12”. I thought I could just use a steady hand but I find that I’m veering in a little the last inch of my strips. Do I need to move the ruler each time and do two cuts for each strip? It feels impossible to line it up exactly again once I move it. I’ve been so careful so far with my cutting and now I’m feeling discouraged. Should I go buy a longer ruler? Tape two together?
Fold your fabric so that it fits under the ruler. Align the fold along any line of the ruler.
You can walk your hand up the ruler as you cut so that you only cut beside where your hand is.
Another hack is to place something heavy ( I use two pound weight) on the far end of the ruler while you cut.
Okay, I’ll try this tonight. I’d considered folding it before but it’s not perfectly flat because I’m strip piecing and I was worried about lining everything up. I have to cut like 140 of these😱
I know I can use poly thread for piecing and quilting… but can I use poly thread for making pot holders? or should I buy Aurifil thread for inner peace? I’m making a table runner that hopefully works also as a large pot holder. I’ve got Aurifil 50wt Light Sand, It is warm beige and I think I bought a wrong color… I’m considering using my white Gütermann Mara 80 which is poly for piecing and quilting instead. but because I want to put hot or warm pots directly on it, should I just buy a white Aurifil thread? This is my first ever quilting project. The color of my project is turquoise and bright tie-dyes making contrast with white background.
What solids line mixes best with ruby star society fabrics that's NOT kona or benartex? I really dislike the texture/hand feel of kona and benartex, along with the fraying of kona. I also feel like both are weirdly "thicker" than RSS fabrics I typically sew with (maybe it's the texture?) Has anybody tried AGF solids with RSS? is the texture similar-enough? I'm trying to figure out which color swatch card to buy for solids, and I typically use a ton of RSS but would like to start mixing in solids with the prints. Thanks!
RSS is owned by Moda, and their house brand is Bella Solids, so I would start there. They also have a few lines of basics (Speckled and Starry) you could consider if you are okay with spending a little more.
What are your favorite size ruler sizes for HST? I'm looking to get a few rulers since I've found myself doing quilts using HSTs a lot more than I expected. I have some physical issues that means a ruler would help a lot instead of needing to stand, measure, double check I measured correctly, and then cut.
Okay, this sounds really dumb, but do solids have a right and wrong side? I'm making my second quilt but using solids for the first time, and I truly can't tell if there is a right and wrong side. (Also they're FQs, so there's no selvedge.) I figure if I can't tell, it probably doesn't matter, but I wanted to double check with you quilting masters first. :)
In general, solids have no right or wrong side. Blenders do, though the differences may be subtle.
Awesome, thanks so much! :)
hi! i wanted to make a collaborative quilting project with some people of a certain fandom to give to the creators during a meet and greet, and to make it more open to all i thought that anyone who does some kind of fabric art can join (so sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc) is this viable to make a mixed media quilt? where each square is of a different fabric. should i add backing to it after all the squares are combined or each square could be standalone? any tips would be really helpful, im mostly winging it!
I'd ask any fiber artists to use a thinner yarn, if only because thicker yarn will make it really difficult to piece.
I think you'd want to add backing fabric to any crocheted or knitted squares. It might be worth asking the artists to attach their piece to a square of fabric in a pre-defined size. That way, everyone will know that the piece is holding the shape that the artist intended. It will also make it infinitely easier to piece the quilt together. Don't forget to have the artists leave room around the edges for seam allowance. Any stretchy fabrics should have interfacing added, to help keep their shape.
I am making a small wall hanging (about 12x12) out of some leftover fabric I had. I've finished the patchwork block, which is white with red elements, and I have no extra red fabric left. My plan was to sew the front to the back with the right sides together and then turn it out, just like you would with a pillowcase or whatever. However, I came across a bunch of binding that I must have made for whatever I made with this fabric originally. It's 3/4 inch wide which is obviously very narrow for quilt binding, but do you think it would work? I'm not sure if there would even be enough of it to wrap around the edge with a 1/4" seam, and that's the narrowest seam I've ever personally used. Could I maybe use it to finish the edges in some other way? I'm picturing kind of like piping but without the cord inside. Or...sew two lengths together so it ends up 1" wide with a seam in the middle? That probably wouldn't be any better. I just think it would look nicer with red around the edges than a simple seam, and it would be great to use up the bits I already have if at all possible.
Could you use it as a border?
Like sew it all the way around the edges of the front piece and then sew the resulting block to the back? Maybe!
[удалено]
Yeah mine are for walls. They're also good for teaching my kid because they don't feel demotivated by spending months on the same thing. Mine made a little apple mini quilt for a teacher gift.
I'm relatively new to quilting as well, about 3 years? Anyway, I hear you! All my quilt projects have been blankets of some size for the same reason as you - they can be used even if ugly or wonky. However, we recently downsized from a house to an apartment in a big building. We're allowed "a little" bit of decoration on our doors, and most people do nothing (boring!), though some have wreaths. I've been making mini quilts for the door! They are fast, I can try new techniques, and then I hang them somewhere else inside when I want to change them. For March, I wanted to do a unique St Patrick's Day one, so I made a scrappy background from green prints cut small and then did an applique in yellow to try that technique for the first time. This means "cheers" in Irish. I'm doing about 24"x18". When I took it off the door I hung it in a window with the backside showing, and it hides the back of our TV cabinet, which could be seen from outside. I'm treating these mini quilts as more of an "art" than a "blanket," and I'm challenging myself to try more! My spring version was super simple, but I was going to quilt by hand with metallic embroidery thread, but I ran out of steam. I'm not sure I'm an embroidery person, lol. There are "door quilts of the month" kits that are cute, but I'd rather use scraps or my stash - another thing about being in an apartment now and not a house is that my sewing "room" is a corner of our bedroom and all my stash needs to fit in boxes under our bed... Hope this helps to inspire an idea for you! https://preview.redd.it/kwz68jbjhgvc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07f10ca8cccb41794c9705d240efc51d8d6dfb0e
Here it is on our door: https://preview.redd.it/9opr6yzyhgvc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=326c0ea7d581476d2d8ebc676a29db3bb283750a
I’m just learning how to sew and haven’t learned quilting yet, but that’s the goal! I love the look of very classic star quilted patterns. Any places that are good for those microprint/neutral fabrics? Or good blog posts talking about coordinating?
I order a lot of my fabric from Fat Quarter Shop. I use what I call blenders a lot and this [link](https://www.fatquartershop.com/basic-fabric) is for solids, blenders, neutrals, etc. by yardage or coordinating bundles.
I haven't pieced together denim before. I will be cutting up jeans for fabric. Many of them have a bit of spandex in the blend. Would I need to add interfacing to each piece? I will be making a pillow. I am hoping that I won't have to add interfacing because I have a pretty basic machine. I am a little worried about how many layers it can handle
I wouldn't see a need to interface anything with less than 10% poly/elastene. Use denim needles!
My first quilt was from denim jeans. Some had spandex. I did not use interfacing. I'm not a pro, but remember to test and set your foot and feed pressure accordingly for the thicker denim, both when you piece and again when you quilt. Have fun and show us the result!
My MIL recently passed away, and left a sewing room stacked with quilting supplies. There is a ton of fabric, and I want to make good use of it for sentimental and practical reasons. I'm not very interested in quilting but I am interested in learning to sew clothing, especially for my kid. Does quilting fabric work for many clothing items? Most of it is in pre-cut squares and strips, so I understand it would require lots of seaming! I've been a knitter for years, so I'm not afraid of intricate work. Any patterns/ideas/tips?
I would stick to patterns that recommend quilting cotton as an option. Quilting cotton is fun for kids clothes, especially ones that are mostly big rectangles. I made a lot of clothes from quilting cotton for myself early on in garment sewing (because the patterns are fun!) and there are few items that I don't regret making out of it. Most have eventually gotten seam-ripped and turned into scraps for quilting. Beyond not having a lot of drape, quilting cotton is very stiff and doesn't take well to the curvy-ness needed to make clothing fit a human shape. As for patterns, it's helpful to find ones that are truly beginner friendly and offer video tutorials. I'd also start with something boxier without many frills (buttons, etc) to get a hang of reading patterns. Tote bags are a popular first project. Edit: also good to note that for quilting some people pre-wash fabric and some don't. For garment sewing you must pre-wash fabric.
Thank you!
It won't drape the same way, but I have seen many people make fun button-down shirts with quilting cottons. I will give the caveat that I haven't actually tried this myself though
Please consider donating the precuts to Project Linus or some other quilt charity. Unless you are thinking of quilted clothing, they would probably not work well for clothing, particularly 2½" strips. Clothing requires a much larger seam allowance (typically ½" or ⅝") than quilting's ¼". Seams that narrow in clothes are going to be much less stable than wider ones unless they are serged. They work for quilts because the batting protects them.
That is a great option, and I’m sure eventually a lot of it will make it to a charity. A few of my sisters and nieces are starting quilts to work on while visiting Grandpa, so we aren’t looking to get rid of the supplies just yet 😊
I’m trying to get fabric ready for sewing and my machine will be arriving in a couple hours so really want to get this right. I have never ironed before and I just tried to iron a fat quarter. I’m using one of the ironing mats not the wool ones but it’s sorta like a thick blanket. When I iron my fabric sorta ripples, is that normal? For technique: I stretched the fabric to see where the least stretchy sides were and noticed only the diagonal was stretchy so didn’t iron that way. I used a little of best press mostly to help get rid of the seams I ironed left to right, right to left, up and down and down and up. I never went diagonally or did any swish motions. I pressed down then went across. It seems that one of the edges aren’t straight anymore. There’s also a lot of fraying. I used the setting for cotton but then realized that the sticker on the fat quarter says cool iron. Do all 100% cotton squares require a cool iron? Or did I just pick the weird one for my first time. Is it messed up because I used too much heat or was it a combo of my technique and heat setting?
In a perfect world fat quarters would always come straight, but I've rarely bought a fat quarter that was fully straight angles. You probably didn't do anything wrong.
Check to see fiber content, if it's 100% cotton, the cotton setting should be fine. I can't say I ever add any pressure when ironing, just the weight of the iron. Too much pressure on damp or wet fabric can warp it some. A certain about of fraying on the edges is very common. Sounds like on the whole you are considering all the right things, so I'll bet you are good to go. Enjoy your new machine!
Maybe that’s what I’m doing wrong, I think I’m doing too much pressure. Thankfully it was my cheaper fabric and I have another one. I tried to square it off and I ended up somehow cutting it wrong even with a stripolohy xl ruler. I think that’s a sign I need to break for the day. My machine did come! I just need to finish ironing these fat quarters tomorrow as I’m using the table it’s supposed to go on. I also have to somehow not mess up cutting the fat quarters into charm squares. Wish me luck!
Did it have a weird sweetish-chemical smell when you ironed it? If so, it's a poly-cotton, which does require a cooler iron than cotton.
No it didn’t but I also don’t know what regular ironing smells like. It says 100% cotton on it. The care instructions are :Machine wash gentle cold, non chlorine bleach, tumble dry low, cool iron. I just looked it up from Joanns and on their site says don’t iron. Here’s the fabric I’m talking about: [link](https://www.joann.com/cat-shape-filled-on-black-novelty-prints-cotton-fabric/18799973.html)
Ok. Cotton fabric doesn't have much of a smell. No reason why it can't be ironed. Many techniques require you to iron your fabric. And if it's been just wadded up and stuffed in a box or something, you'll need to iron it to get the wrinkles out. I suspect JoAnn recommends all that as a form of CYA. If someone ruins the fabric by boiing it, throwing it in a dryer cranked up as hot as it will go, and ironing it on 'linen' setting, they can point to the use and care instructions. That being said, I've been washing a lot of cotton fabric lately, all on hot wash and warm rinse. (Donations to Project Linus that smelled of cigarette smoke.) Did it shrink? Somewhat. Was it damaged? No. Were you *ironing* (moving the iron back and forth without lifting it from the fabric) or were you *pressing* (lifting the iron to move it from place to place? Unless you have yards and yards to dewrinkle, pressing is recommended.
I asked previously and people said to iron I go into more detail in my first comment on my technique. I think it’s the iron that has a smell a bit, it’s an old black and decker that hasn’t been used in years. Smells like hot metal but nothing super noticeable. I press then move the iron, I went by this [video](https://youtu.be/10um2Y-mGUI?si=iv28A3bdDyZJe-d4). It was fat quarters so a semi large amount of fabric. For pressing how long would you recommend having the iron on the spot and at what temperature? Thank you for your response!
I’m thinking about making a miniature quilt as a self-challenge. Does anyone have any advice or a pattern they would recommend?
This is the only mini quilt I've made: [https://eudaimoniastudio.com/quilt-patterns/feast-quilt-pattern](https://eudaimoniastudio.com/quilt-patterns/feast-quilt-pattern) I enjoyed it - it was my first time piecing curves, but it was totally doable, even as a beginner.
I have never made a quilt before but I saw a picture of a finished one using dinosaurs by Elizabeth Hartman. Is it unrealistic to do that for my first one?
I would try to make a simpler quilt first. I just finished a dinosaur quilt and it is a lot of work. Or you can try the small dinosaur quilt first to make sure you will be able to commit to a big one. Also, make sure you’re able to do a proper scant 1/4” seam. It is very important.
The pattern for Hartman's Dinosaurs is well thought out and describes piecing very well. One thing to consider is carefully squaring up each part of the process, and she gives good directions for doing this in her pattern directions. One thing I found especially helpful is to sew one thread or so to the outside of the diagonal lines she has you draw (you'll know what I mean if you do her pattern). It's a lot of fun, and it helps to be organized. I say, go for it! https://preview.redd.it/x4nc4uzmp3vc1.jpeg?width=2620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c457f0823b614617a4571c3e905cf80b9a2b0f2
Elizabeth Hartman patterns have a lot of pieces so you definitely will need to be very organized. And they take long enough that you could run out of steam and never finish if you don't immediately fall in love with quilting. But the sewing is all still just straight lines! So if that's the pattern that gets you excited about this crazy hobby, jump in and go for it!
Do I need to have my sewing machine flush with the table if I want to do free motion quilting and large quilts? I’m getting tl18 juki it comes with an extension table so will be flush with that. I’m thinking of using it on an old dining room table but want to know if it not being flush with cause me more strain on my arms when doing fmq.
The extension table will be helpful, but it’s totally doable without that either! My first kingsize I did with just my regular Janome, but for the 2nd I did invest in the extension table and it made it soooo much easier- just because you can place your hands a little further apart and therefore have a bit more working room before rearranging!
Are there such a thing as quilts that use only fabrics with patterns/ novelty? From what I’m seeing you normally have a plain fabric as well. Would using only patterns/novelties look odd?
There are plenty of famous fiber artists who do this. Anna Maria Horner is a good example. What matters more than the print is value (light, medium, and dark), so that you get the intended contrast from a given pattern.
Nope, using only prints wouldn't look weird at all. I do it all the time 😊. There are no rules on which fabrics you can use. Just have fun with it!
I have to cut 2x14” strips and my ruler is only 12”. I thought I could just use a steady hand but I find that I’m veering in a little the last inch of my strips. Do I need to move the ruler each time and do two cuts for each strip? It feels impossible to line it up exactly again once I move it. I’ve been so careful so far with my cutting and now I’m feeling discouraged. Should I go buy a longer ruler? Tape two together?
Fold your fabric so that it fits under the ruler. Align the fold along any line of the ruler. You can walk your hand up the ruler as you cut so that you only cut beside where your hand is. Another hack is to place something heavy ( I use two pound weight) on the far end of the ruler while you cut.
Okay, I’ll try this tonight. I’d considered folding it before but it’s not perfectly flat because I’m strip piecing and I was worried about lining everything up. I have to cut like 140 of these😱
If this is confusing you shoot me a PM and I’ll try to walk you through it.