Quilter's often "settle" for the lower end fabric, but have hundreds of yards in
their home stash. Don't settle for a lower end fabric for price, only to stock
pile it in your stash. Use up your stash, or donate it for charity quilts, or
sell it on ebay. Then buy quality fabric (no matter where, brand names that
"feel" firm, not flimsy, can't see hand through fabric when looking up at the
lights). Now, do a project and finish the project before starting the next
project.
Ok... we take classes, learn from our quilt guild, and attend retreats full of
classes, and end up with UFOs. Notice your calendar, the space between a class
or next event, use that time to finish these projects you've started in a class.
ALWAYS go home from a class or retreat, and work on your projects ASAP within a
few days that first week, before you forget what you've learned, and get
frustrated and it becomes a perminate UFO.
Left brain people "filing" logical, orderly.
Right brain people are "creative".
so, that means that I have to struggle and teach my brain to shut up and allow
some creativity to flow... can we teach an old dog new tricks?
***When we quilt, we should fold the quilt top in half lengthwise (vertical) and
use a wall paper roller to gently press in a fold/seam/line. Then fold each
half in again (backwards to the first fold), so it be like an acordian fold, and
roller press that line also.
Now do the same fold in half width wise (Horizontal), and again into forths.
Now you have a 'grid' and that is where you break down your quilting pattern.
NEVER not even on a long arm (free style), quilt from edge to edge. The long
arm computerized systems will do this with the all over pattern, but if your
preprograming blocks & sashings, then do it in this same way.
Within this grid, divide (mentally) the block into thirds.
2/3 of this space will be your 'pieced' work, and feather's you quilt stitch.
1/3 third of this space shohuld be background, stipple or tiny stitched
(down-matted). This way 2/3 space has loft, 1/3 is flat, creates demension.
Mix texture, such as feathers with diagnal lines, or horz/vert lines, or echo
stitching or 'rays' that point to the place you want noticed.
even in the 1/3 space, divide it up and use many forms of tiny patterns to
matt/finish that area (divided and keep each pattern in an area).
At quilt shows, don't just take a photo of the whole project, also step in close
and take several photos of their quilt-stitch work for ideas.
You can finish a quilt (squared off zone by zone from the folded top), on a
domestic machine as long as you can roll the bulk of it under the machine..often
queen & king won't fit, most of the newer machines will fit a queen.
(done)"Juke" is a work horse of a tiny machine, low cost, make sure feed dogs can
drop, or if your using your Juke only for domestic machine quilting, have the
feed dogs disengaged. Most small machines are not heavy enough, and they
bounce, and often we complain about the tables in classes or our guild location.
But a heavier machine will not bounce on any table.
(I have Baby Lock Audry & my girls have Denim Pro, and they are wonderful light
weight machines, but they will bounce some, not as much as some models).
More notes, I'm looking... anything to help someone starting.