Tuesday Tip

Ensuring accuracy in a square top, I suggest these "key" important steps:


1.  Always iron before you cut your fabric!  I also recommend light steam and a starch product (I love Best Press).  This helps pre-shrink your fabric and stabilize it at the same time - making sewing/piecing easier.  I have also noticed when I do this, I rarely need to use starch again, even when I final press my blocks.
2.  Ensure your 1/4" seam EVERY time before you sew.  Now if you are one of the lucky ones who owes a 1/4" presser foot with a guide - no need - I am very sure you can purchase them for all machines now days and I highly recommend it.  I still make sure the guide isn't bent out of place and check my 1/4" seam regularly.
3.  Pin, pin, pin!  Pin as often as you can.  This ensure your block seams match up perfectly.
4.  Squaring up your blocks as you finish them.
5.  When adding your borders do the following steps:

a. Lay your quilt top flat.
b. Measure left to right on the top, middle and bottom of pieced top. bor
c. Average those 3 measurements.  Use this measurement to pre-cut your top and bottom border pieces.
d. Sew on top & bottom border pieces, using pins - pin at each end FIRST, pin in the center, then space pins between other pins about every 3-4".
e. Press your borders.
f. Repeat step a - e again for the left and right borders.

I teach these things in my Beginner Quilting classes, I don't teach perfection, I teach accuracy and how to "fix" things if need be.  I feel strongly if you follow these "key" steps, your top will end up square.

Tuesday Tip!

This week's tip is actually about blogging.  I so enjoy taking some creative direction with the look of my blog.  I don't have the time to actually make/design my backgrounds, but love surfing various "free" sites to find the perfect background for my current mood.

As you see I've updated my current background to reflect the ocean.  I'm in a piratical mood but you know it's impossible to find that kinda of background.

So, how often to change your blog around (I seem to do it monthly).  Do you have a favorite spot to find backgrounds?  Well, here's a list of sites for you to surf to update you blog: (I found most of this links from Simply Blog It Backgrounds)

• Abstract in Back
• Allie Brown's Layouts
• Blissfully Just Me
• Blog Designs by Dani
• Blogaroozer
• Blogs & Blings
• Bluebaby Pie Designs
• Butterflygirlms Blog Designs
• Chic Blogs
• Cristi's Creations
• Daisy Gray Design
• DebsCraft
• Delightful Dots
• Dotty Dot Dot Backgrounds
• Hot Bliggity Blog
• Ivy's Free Blog Backgrounds
• Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds
• Kindra's Blogging Designs
• Layla Kay Designs
• Mimi Nicole Blog Backgrounds
• Miss Mych
• My Style Backgrounds
• One Cute Blog
• PaisleyCat Scraps
• Quick and Easy Way to a Scrapbooked Background
• Sam's Scraps
• Scrap My Blog
• Scrap-e-Blog
• Scrappin' Blogs
• Shabby Blogs
• Shel's Scraps
• Simply Blog It Backgrounds
• Simply Chic Blog Backgrounds
• The Background Fairy
• The Cutest Blog on the Block
• The Hobby Barrel Blog

If you don't know how to change your layout (Blogger), here's some step by step (every site has directions, but I picked just one):  http://hotbliggityblog.com/help/instructions

Where do you normally go to update your blog?  Have you seen a piratical background that might fit my blog?

Also, if you are so inclined, I've created a button for my blog - notice it on the right side bar, use that box to copy and paste the coding into a HTML/Java Widget on your blog.
 

Tuesday Tips!

It's Tuesday again!

This week's tip is a couple of my favorite notions as I have been using them over the weekend.

1. Thangles!  I only use them if my half-square triangles are smaller than 3", anything larger I use the traditional way of adding the 7/8"(though I add an 1" and just square down).  When I do use Thangles another tip I do is actually sew off the dashed line, closer to the center cutting line.  Then I square my HST down to the accurate size.  I never assume my HST are accurate unless I square them down.

2.  Quilt In A Day Flying Geese Ruler Technique and Deb Tucker's Wing Clipper Ruler together to make Flying Geese!  Well, first let me say, I LOVE Eleanor Burns tools.  I use to dislike making Flying Geese with a passion until I used her sets of FG rulers.  I own EVERY one!  There are 5 sets, at ~$16 each. Lots of moola.  As I was  teaching a class this past winter, I finally tested out Deb's Wing Clipper (and I already love Deb's other rulers - but didn't want to spend more money on another notion, when I had so many FG rulers already).  It works wonderfully!  I do like using the Quilt in A Day Ruler Directions though.  It allows you to make a bigger goose to trim down.  So, I recommend visiting QIAD web sites free patterns and find their directions to make the goose part (it will make 4) and use Deb's ruler to cut to size. Does that make sense?  If not just ask - I'll try to explain better.  Point it is, less money and perfect geeses every time!

What is your tip for this week?

Tuesday Tips

Who's a lefty out there?  Raise your left hand please! ME! ME!

Well, I'm in the process of developing a left handed series class for just us!  It started when I was in Maryland and asked one of our regular instructors to develop it there - well, it needs to be done in Tennessee as well!

As I was researching the internet I came across this great resource - a blog, no less - called "A Left Handed Quilter".

She has great directions and advice for lefties.  Please check her out.

So, what is my tip for this week.  Just for lefties.  As you go into a class that has a definite righthand or lefthand way of doing something (say, rotary cutting or hand work) find a way to sit directly across from the instructor.  This allows you to "mirror" them and able your to visualize your technique in a more effective way for lefties.

Toni's Tuesday Tip

Triple T for short :)  Since I've been instructing again, I get a lot of questions on how to do various techniques and other short cuts.  So, I figured it was time to share it with everyone.

My goal is every Tuesday, share one of my favorite tips.  Now I'm not going to tell you it is the only or bestest way to do something, but just how I do it.  I also invited anyone to try something once and see if it "fits" with your style of sewing/quilting.  If it does - bonus, if not no worries.  But you'll never know or learn something new if you don't try it.

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This week tip/question:  "When shopping how much fabric do you purchase?"

This question came from one of my students and I have been asked this several times.

I look at fabric in 3 caterogies when I purchase.  Being most fabric is purchase on spontaneous window shopping - I keep these things in mind:

1. Blendables/Tonals/Tone on Tones -  These fabrics I'll purchase from a fat quarter up to 1 yard - depending a lot on price (sale fabric I'll easily get a yard).  These are great fillers for quilts, swap projects, applique work.  A nice rounded stash of ALL colors in blendables is a good thing to have.
2. Backgrounds  - fabric has the perfect feel for a background, creams with small prints, whites with polka dots, etc. easily purchase 3 yards.  If you look at any pattern up to a twin size, you will tend to need 3 yards just for background fabric.
3. The Most Perfect Gorgeous Print EVER -  So, you just spied your most perfect gorgeous print you have ever seen and you HAVE to have it ---now why would you get a fat quarter?  The reality of ever being able to use it into a nice project won't happen at a 18" x 22" piece.  I will get 3 - 5 yards.  Fabrics that scream to be purchase I use normally for borders.

I rarely pre-purchase enough fabric for backings.  Now if a shop has a good sale and I find that most perfect fabric for a backing, then I'll get 5 - 7 yards.

I also rarely purchase fat quarters anymore - I prefer 1/2 yard pieces.  The fact is I've been there done that and not happy with a workable stash.  While I am a fabric collector, I want to be able to have a usable stash.  Most of my fat quarters are blenderables or seasonal fabrics.

I have learned over the past 3 year to purchase good backgrounds as i see them (they never see to be around when you need/want them) and of course I am a batik collector - so I do purchase batiks by 3 yards pieces.

I do have a smaller stash then I have had in the past, but my stash is very workable within my normal color preferences.

Another thing to consider when just randomly purchasing fabrics, think of the balance of tones in your stash.  We all tend to be drawn to medium tones - be sure to pick up some dark and light tones are you build your stash.

What are your fabric purchasing preferences?
(fyi, images are from my old stash - I need to take some current images :))

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I know everyone has great tips and helpful techniques - if you would like to join along with your own Tuesday Tip (I'll work on making a button for you to use) just add your link here with Mr. Linky: