Hi there! Thanks for stopping by.
So... Wanna make a quilt? Awesome. Let's get started!
This is going to be an extremely long and information-packed post. The next ones will be more fun - they'll have pictures!
Here's what you'll need:
The obvious stuff, like a sewing machine and an iron - if you don't have these already, you're a bit behind, and should probably come back after you've sorted that out.
Fabric, of course - that's the fun part!
Thread, needles, etc .
Batting.
More fabric for the backing.
Some straight pins and some safety pins.
A water-soluble marker, chalk marker, hera marker, or pencil to mark the top for quilting.
More fabric for binding.
Let's chat about each of these items, shall we?
***Keep in mind that opinions are like sphincters - everyone has one. Anything written below is nothing more or less than my opinion. You may find differing information on the internet - and I strongly suggest you explore lots of resources for information on quilting***
Sewing machines
You do NOT need a 'special' sewing machine to make a quilt. All you need is something that works - really. That's it. There are a few things that will help, though. Most models have a 1/4" patchwork foot available (costs may vary). It looks just like a normal presser foot, but has a small metal 'edge' exactly 1/4" away from the needle at center position. You can butt the edges of the fabric and your stitching line will be 1/4" from the edge. Guess what? The normal seam allowance for quilting is... wait for it... yep, a quarter inch. Nifty how that works, isn't it? You can totally do patchwork (or piecework) without a 1/4" foot, as long as you stay consistent and careful with your seams. Up to you!
If you're planning on quilting this yourself, you'll need a walking foot or dual-feed foot. Here's how that works: you know those feed dogs on the bottom that go up and down and 'walk' the fabric along while you sew? They're pretty cool, huh? Yeah, well, when you've got three layers of stuff (top, batting, and backing) moving through, those feed dogs create a small problem - they're only grabbing the bottom layer, so things get pulled and bunched and it's all just awful. A walking foot has another set of feed dogs on the TOP, so things move through much more evenly and everything comes out just peachy. Honestly, do yourself a favor and get one if you don't have one. You'll find other uses for it. Like altering sheer curtains or something (not like I've had to do THAT...).
Fabric
I freely admit that I'm a fabric snob. I want high quality, good feeling cottons. I like Moda, I like Robert Kaufman sometimes, I like Marcus Fabrics. I want things that will wash well and hold up over time; I'm making heirlooms here! I want fabrics that are woven evenly and don't warp when I press them and that are easy to work with. Look long and hard at your fabrics. Judge the construction and see if the threads are straight from selvedge to selvedge or if they waver back and forth.
Precuts are awesome for starting out. 5" squares (charm squares), 2.5" strips (jelly rolls), and the like reduce your time and effort since you don't have to cut down yardage. Loads of patterns use these sizes, or something easy to cut down from these sizes. Plus you get lots of different fabrics in a line, so they're all coordinated for you already. No fuss, no muss!
There are two schools of thought when it comes to pre-washing fabric for quilts. One says always, the other says never. If you do pre-wash, you'll want to pre-wash your batting as well to allow it to shrink before you quilt. If you don't pre-wash, you'll get a nice, crinkly, 'antique-y' look at the end when all the fabrics and batting shrink a little bit around your stitching. There are some concerns about dyes bleeding, but really, modern fabric dyes don't bleed nearly as much as the old stuff used to. Rule of thumb, though, if the color is REALLY deep, or you're just not sure - then wash it. Bigger rule: if you wash any of it, wash all of it. In case you're curious, I don't pre-wash any of my quilting fabrics. I find that the sizing in the cotton helps to keep it crisp, and I don't want to have to bother with pre-washing and treating batting. Plus, I actually like the effect of the shrinkage at the end. If I'm in doubt, I'll use a color catcher in the wash cycle.
Thread and needles
The 'traditional' thread for quilt piecing is 100% cotton. This goes back to the good old days before those newfangled sewing machines were invented (or easily obtained), and a whole bunch of quilters still stand by the rule that nothing but 100% cotton is appropriate for quilts. This is nonsense. Use whatever works for you and your machine. If that's all-purpose, great. If it's polyester, great. If it's 100% cotton, great. Thread is a personal thing. That being said, I'll tell you that I do use mercerized cotton, even though it creates an amazing amount of lint, because I like the way it works with my techniques and I like the way it presses. I get the best thread I can afford (usually Gutermann) and I've never been sorry.
For quilting, I recommend polyester. It works well. I really, really, really like Isacord, but it's spendy. Superior and Aurifil are popular and a bit less expensive.
When it comes to needles, that's another personal preference. Standard needles are fine for piecing. Quilting will need something a little smoother, sharper, and maybe thinner since you're going through more than just two pieces of cotton and going over seams. I just use Schmetz Microtex sharps all the time, but I'm lazy and hate changing needles more than I have to. Plus, I have so little time to spend sewing that I'm not about to waste it changing from one needle type to another. Do, please, change your needle often! Needles wear out, and they're cheap, so there's really no excuse to use the same one for six months (or years!) at a time. I use a new one for each project, or two if it's bigger than a crib quilt, and always put a new one in for quilting.
Batting
Also referred to as 'wadding' by those pesky Europeans. Comes in all sorts of materials - wool, cotton, polyester, soy, silk, bamboo, and blends of all of these. High loft, low loft, medium loft. Warm, warmer, warmest. Some are stiff and some aren't. Some drape better than others. It all depends on the use of your quilt. The two things you want to look for if you're planning to quilt your own are the shrinkage rate and the quilting distance. These both vary, but a 3-5% shrinkage rate is fairly common. Quilting distance refers to how far apart your quilting lines can be while keeping the batting from bunching up or shifting around. 8 inches is good - anything less than that on a crib-sized quilt is going to be pointless, anyway.
If you're going to send your finished top out to a local shop to be quilted, you're best off talking to them about their preferences when it comes to batting. Most shops use longarm quilting machines, and they have different requirements.
Long story short, read the labels, feel the batting and see how it drapes, and consider the use of your quilt. If it's going to a baby, you'll probably want something that drapes well and is nice and soft (and warm!) - cotton is a favorite. If it's to be a wall hanging, then something stiffer and thinner is probably a good idea. If you're making a quilt for someone who lives in, say, Minnesota, then wool could be just what you're after. ;)
Backing fabric
Do yourself a favor and get backing fabric of the same quality as the fabrics you used for the top. Doesn't have to be from the same manufacturer, same line, or same store, but should be of the same quality. Just trust me on this...
You don't have to have a solid back. You can add detail however you might wish. Elizabeth Hartman has a free Craftsy class on quilt backing that you can use for inspiration called 'Creative Quilt Backs'. Check it out.
If you wish to go solid, you will need to go one of two ways for anything with a single dimension larger than about 40": 1) piece the quilt back together with a 1/2" seam, or 2) get 108" wide quilt backing fabric. Why 40"? Well... standard cottons are 44" or 45" wide, and you need a few inches overhang on all sides. So, if you add 2" to each side of a 40" piece, you'll get to 44" pretty quick, and then you're out of fabric. Got it? Good.
Pins (straight and safety)
You'll need straight pins. No question. Even if you're not doing any seam matching, you'll still need pins to join rows and whatnot. Glass-head pins are nice since you can press over most of them, and flat-head pins are awesome since they're, well, flat. A single package of 50 will get you through a crib-sized quilt; you won't be using them all at once.
Safety pins are an option for basting your quilt (stabilizing all three layers together to prepare for quilting). I can't stand safety pins, never have, so I don't use them - I use straight pins that I bend a bit and cap with something called a Pinmoor (a little silicone cylinder).
If you choose to use safety pins, use a spoon or something else to fasten them if you don't want your fingers to bleed. Google for tips on that. Size 1 safety pins are preferred for quilt basting, and for the project we'll be walking through, you'll need about 65 for the small size and about 100 for the larger one.
You can use a basting spray as well - I never have, but they are very popular. Use in a well ventilated area, spread out newspaper, etc. Most people say it causes no trouble with their sewing machines (it's basically wash-out glue), but that it does stink a bit. And if you're worried about chemicals, well, then it's probably not for you.
Markers
If all you plan to do is 'stitch in the ditch' (along each seam line), then you can skip this. If you want to do anything more exciting than that, it's a whole lot easier if you mark your quilt top before you baste it. Your choices are endless. Wash-out marker (usually blue or purple), iron-out pens, wash-out chalk, brush-off chalk, plain old pencil, hera markers (a little plastic doohickey that leaves a crease line), painters' tape... The list goes on. If you're going to use something 'wash-out' or 'iron-out', TEST IT FIRST. Use it on some of the fabric from the top, follow the directions to remove it, and let it sit for a day or two. Get it wet again, or iron it again, or both, and make sure the lines don't come back. Wouldn't it be awful if you went to all this trouble and had ghostly lines showing up after you washed it? Yeah, it would. So test it out!
Binding fabric
The binding is what holds all the layers together at the edges and finishes off your quilt. The fabric selection is the quiltmaker's choice - again. You can use pieces of everything in your quilt and make a scrappy binding, or one particular print from all the ones used, or a contrasting color/print, or whatever. Like the backing fabric, you want it to be of the same quality as the fabrics used on the top. Quilt binding can be very small or very large - I usually use a 2.5" strip to make my binding, which creates a 1/4" finished border.
Okay, so, we've covered all the basics. Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything gigantically important, but we'll find out as we go along, won't we? :)
Here's the anticipated schedule for this quilt-along:
Meeting 1 - July 12-18, 2013
Supplies, pattern, cutting
Meeting 2 - July 19-25, 2013
Piecing your quilt top, part 1
Meeting 3 - July 26-August 1, 2013
Piecing your quilt top, part 2
Meeting 4 - August 2-8, 2013
Preparing for quilting
Meeting 5 - August 9-22, 2013 **two weeks**
Straight-line quilting
Meeting 6 - August 23-29, 2013
Binding and finishing
There you have it - in just seven weeks you can make a quilt all by yourself. And if you fall behind or miss a week, it won't matter - just catch up when you can.
I will be available for questions or help or whatever via email or text anytime between 7.00 am and 9.00 pm, EDT (as long as I'm able to step away from work or kids or whatever). I'll commit to checking on things and responding within about 24 hours. If you have a question, though, I'd appreciate you posting in the comments section here - that way other people who may have the same question can get the answer, too.
See you July 12!
em
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