Susanhcc,

You are right... stabalizer is more like a starch, & being as all of the Sullivans cans look alike with the exception of the color coding, it is necessary to pay attention. :D (That stabalizer is great for curved or bias edge piecing.)

Barbm,

I have never done QaYG (I love the challenge (torture) of quilting a king size quilt on my home machine), but no matter the quilting process you use a walking foot is an invaluable asset for feeding the multiple layers evenly. It is a purchase that will prove to be worth its' weight in gold! :D

I love reading in this quilting forum. I'm getting so excited about almost being ready to try my hand at my first quilt. My oldest son is in the process of moving out, so I will be able to finish setting up my work area. And my coaching season ends this weekend. But I have been reading and gathering supplies. You have all inspired me so much!

Hmmm... Well, I'm always being described as non-traditional by my friends & family, Tim is self admitted "weird", Patrice is a computer designing Guru Goddess, Kathy has a pet croc, Tricia is still dealing with snow, and the list goes on and on. But, we all love it here & each other, and everyone here has their perfect place in our family. I am sure "unconventional" is perfectly acceptable, and there is always room for one more at the dinner table!! :D (Wipe your feet, wash your hands, & have a seat!! :D It's Tim's turn to cook.)

Has anyone done one of those t-shirt quilts? You know the ones with where you cut out 12-1/2" blocks from the middle of the shirt and sew them all together? I have a construction question on them. Have seen them done several ways. My stepson wants one of those for his h.s. graduation quilt and I have all the shirts together. I have plenty of time since its for next year.

I just finished doing one for a wedding gift. Barb C.

The instructions I found on-line talk about sewing the blocks together then tying them when you baste the layers. I'd rather machine quilt the layers. My question is did you put sashing around the blocks or just sew the blocks together and then how did you quilt it?

I did not put sashing between the shirts, but I did put some between the rows.. just for the look. The innerfacing makes the shirts stiff and keeps them from stretching.

I had mine quilted on a long arm machine... a very loose meandering stitch. The top thread was monofilament and the bottom was black (the back was black).

I made this for my SIL to give her dd and hubby as a wedding gift.

I will be making one or more for my son who collects t-shirts. I am not sure if I will do it the same or add sashing completely around the shirts. I will probably quilt it here and if I do it will be something simple like in the ditch. The main thing is to not clutter up front so that you cannot see the t-shirt designs.

Barb C

When I had a problem with puckering I read Harriet Hargraves book "Heirloom Machine Quilting". It really helped me get the basting part correct and once I had done that my quilting went well. If using polyester batting pinning closer is needed as it slips more, every 2-3 inches. I now use mainly wool batting as it has a little more grip and is warmer. Good luck.

Iffum I cook, everyone has to taste. Unless you are allergic to chile peppers.

I have a chicken rellinos recipe to knock yer socks off with. I will warn you though, it's not low calorie.

tim in san jose

:shock: Us afraid to eat?? C'mon... We're quilters!!! Eating comes second in our lives... Right after fabric!!! :D

Patrice, I think I need to add a cooking page to that website for Chef Tim & his "knock your socks off" recipe. Tim, cook up a batch, send me a picture of it and the recipe... and the cooked batch, of course. :D (someone will have to write up a testimonial... :lol: )