Marking on a quilt
11-06-2010, 02:05 PM
#31
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 833
Originally Posted by bigsister63
Blue painter tape works great for straight lines. Becareful with disappearing pens since they can be finicky depending on the weather. I tried once and first it disappeard too fast and they not fast enough. I use dressmaker chalk avaliable at Joann's and that come out easily but not make a fine line. Am taking a FMQ class soon so will post what teacher recommends.
11-06-2010, 02:24 PM
#32
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 2,735
I teach FMQ and I don't recommend marking. That's why it is free motion. What I tech my students is how to think your design ahead of time, practice with paper and pencil, or with fabric scraps on the machine with needle but no thread. You see the holes and can see what it will look like. I do recommend to mark straight lines. Otherwise they never come out straight. Others have given great recommendations. No matter what I suggest you test your technique before you do your quilt. Try to do it under the exact same conditions to make sure it will work for you. No technique will work for every fabric every time, so test it before you use it on your quilt.
11-06-2010, 02:51 PM
#33
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 833
Originally Posted by Maride
I teach FMQ and I don't recommend marking. That's why it is free motion. What I tech my students is how to think your design ahead of time, practice with paper and pencil, or with fabric scraps on the machine with needle but no thread. You see the holes and can see what it will look like. I do recommend to mark straight lines. Otherwise they never come out straight. Others have given great recommendations. No matter what I suggest you test your technique before you do your quilt. Try to do it under the exact same conditions to make sure it will work for you. No technique will work for every fabric every time, so test it before you use it on your quilt.
11-06-2010, 06:14 PM
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Westminster, Co
Posts: 2,675
Originally Posted by LovinMySoldier
Originally Posted by featherweight
Originally Posted by LovinMySoldier
Originally Posted by featherweight
Originally Posted by LovinMySoldier
Well I went to Joanns yesterday and they really had a poor selection of choices. I ended up buying a disappearing pen. Worked great on all the white fab and areas with white. But on the black fab it doesnt show up at all. It is purple and I thought it might but no go lol. If I get a chance this weekend I may go to my lqs and see what they have. I may try the chaco liners. Several people seem to like those. Thank you for the help ladies
Is the purple marker dissappearing ink?
11-06-2010, 06:16 PM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Westminster, Co
Posts: 2,675
Guess there was not enough room above for my comment. Yes, they are with the pens. One store had them and the next one didn't. Went to Staples and they had them 3 for 5.50. one red one blk and one blue. We paid 4.00 apiece for them at the quilt show before we found them at the store for half the price.
11-06-2010, 07:03 PM
#37
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
I took a class from Sharon Shamber, who LOVES the Pilot Frixion pens. We did this in class, amazing how a hot iron makes it totally disappear.
She also warned that the pounce pad isn't recommended if you have a newer computerized machine. She dont' like it at all, as the powder of the chalk will get into your machine.
She also gave another tip about using mineral oil on ALL thread, metalic, cotton, silk (her favorite). She places the oil into a jar, drops the whole spool into it, in a few seconds removes it and wipes it off and starts sewing including filling the bobbin don't forget. Stops breakage, smoother stitching, no static of friction. she also recommends the bobbin discs (little white disc you place in the bobbin case)prevents static and jumping. I'm going to post new and share a few tips for you from her...she's won a lot of awards, wonderful to learn from.
http://www.sharonschamber.com/Home%20Page.htm
She also warned that the pounce pad isn't recommended if you have a newer computerized machine. She dont' like it at all, as the powder of the chalk will get into your machine.
She also gave another tip about using mineral oil on ALL thread, metalic, cotton, silk (her favorite). She places the oil into a jar, drops the whole spool into it, in a few seconds removes it and wipes it off and starts sewing including filling the bobbin don't forget. Stops breakage, smoother stitching, no static of friction. she also recommends the bobbin discs (little white disc you place in the bobbin case)prevents static and jumping. I'm going to post new and share a few tips for you from her...she's won a lot of awards, wonderful to learn from.
http://www.sharonschamber.com/Home%20Page.htm
11-06-2010, 07:06 PM
#38
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
There are different quilting stitching... and we think "stiple" means the
squiggly small lines that won't touch each other.
Micro Stipple is no open space more than 1/4"
Stipple is no more than 1/2" space
Background is 1" space between stitching
Allover is 2" space
Edge to Edge (pantos) is 3-4" space
Meander is 6-8" space (should be used for Charity quilts)
Crap is loose stitching like a store bought bed comforter.
If your a long arm quilter, and someone asks you to practice on their quilt...
you don't practice, it's all work the same.
Explain these stitches, and have mini samples of these on actual variety of
blocks and plain fabric, so they can see the difference and how the stitching
would flow in a block (make a sample of asst. most common blocks, log cabin,
flying geese, 9 patch, etc).
Have a contract signed with your quilt owner, so she has picked the type of
quilting she wants, and charge accordingly...make sure she knows the charges you
placed to each type of stitch work (size).
Some charge by square inch, most common is 1-1/2 cents/sqin, and some charge by
the hour, and literally will keep track of each 15 minutes or hour they have
worked. If your hiring, ask if they keep track on a tablet the time they work
on the quilt. You do not pay/get paid, for "thinking" time of what to do, but
actual working/stitching time.
Make sure YOUR quilt when taking to a long arm quilter, is "fixed".
Clip all loose threads front AND back. Square up each block before you sew them
together, and in stages of your quilt, and sashing & borders kept even/squared
up. Pin borders on from middle to ends (NEVER end to end). And press your
seams so they do not bunch up. If you are finished, and you find the backside
has bunched seams, repress WITH STARCH to change the direction of seams. Set
seams before pressing to one direction or another, run the iron down the stitch
line, then fold the seam over and press again. STARCH IS GOOD.
Quilters will charge to pre-press, loading time avg. 1 hr putting your quilt on
the machine, the more problems it has, the longer.
Custom work (fancy stippling, feathers, details) COSTS! Either hire for edge to
edge or pantos work, or be prepared to pay dearly for detailed work. Long arm
quilters, your time is money, if you are uncomfortable, just say NO.
Ladies, a 60"x60" quilt, when you add a 10" border, you've doubled the square
inches of your quilt, expect to double the price also.
Quilters, you can do 3x(60"x60") quilts in the same time as 1(100"x100"king)
quilt.
When your quilting, your own or professionally, divide your quilt into those
folded quilt zones, and set goal/accomplish/repeat, and you'll finish in a
timely manner. Why practice on a quilt you've spend precious time and money on
quality fabric, to piece this lovely top.... practice on plain fabric folded
into quiltable zones, or on a crap basic quilt you'll donate for charity.
Hope these notes help... also a good place for "practice" and books/DVDs is "skillbuilders" and you can find it all at
https://www.ericas.com/quilting/tools/skillbuilder.htm]https://www.ericas.com/quilting/tools/skillbuilder.htm[/url]
It's best to practice and learn on something else before trying on your pretty quilt top.
squiggly small lines that won't touch each other.
Micro Stipple is no open space more than 1/4"
Stipple is no more than 1/2" space
Background is 1" space between stitching
Allover is 2" space
Edge to Edge (pantos) is 3-4" space
Meander is 6-8" space (should be used for Charity quilts)
Crap is loose stitching like a store bought bed comforter.
If your a long arm quilter, and someone asks you to practice on their quilt...
you don't practice, it's all work the same.
Explain these stitches, and have mini samples of these on actual variety of
blocks and plain fabric, so they can see the difference and how the stitching
would flow in a block (make a sample of asst. most common blocks, log cabin,
flying geese, 9 patch, etc).
Have a contract signed with your quilt owner, so she has picked the type of
quilting she wants, and charge accordingly...make sure she knows the charges you
placed to each type of stitch work (size).
Some charge by square inch, most common is 1-1/2 cents/sqin, and some charge by
the hour, and literally will keep track of each 15 minutes or hour they have
worked. If your hiring, ask if they keep track on a tablet the time they work
on the quilt. You do not pay/get paid, for "thinking" time of what to do, but
actual working/stitching time.
Make sure YOUR quilt when taking to a long arm quilter, is "fixed".
Clip all loose threads front AND back. Square up each block before you sew them
together, and in stages of your quilt, and sashing & borders kept even/squared
up. Pin borders on from middle to ends (NEVER end to end). And press your
seams so they do not bunch up. If you are finished, and you find the backside
has bunched seams, repress WITH STARCH to change the direction of seams. Set
seams before pressing to one direction or another, run the iron down the stitch
line, then fold the seam over and press again. STARCH IS GOOD.
Quilters will charge to pre-press, loading time avg. 1 hr putting your quilt on
the machine, the more problems it has, the longer.
Custom work (fancy stippling, feathers, details) COSTS! Either hire for edge to
edge or pantos work, or be prepared to pay dearly for detailed work. Long arm
quilters, your time is money, if you are uncomfortable, just say NO.
Ladies, a 60"x60" quilt, when you add a 10" border, you've doubled the square
inches of your quilt, expect to double the price also.
Quilters, you can do 3x(60"x60") quilts in the same time as 1(100"x100"king)
quilt.
When your quilting, your own or professionally, divide your quilt into those
folded quilt zones, and set goal/accomplish/repeat, and you'll finish in a
timely manner. Why practice on a quilt you've spend precious time and money on
quality fabric, to piece this lovely top.... practice on plain fabric folded
into quiltable zones, or on a crap basic quilt you'll donate for charity.
Hope these notes help... also a good place for "practice" and books/DVDs is "skillbuilders" and you can find it all at
https://www.ericas.com/quilting/tools/skillbuilder.htm]https://www.ericas.com/quilting/tools/skillbuilder.htm[/url]
It's best to practice and learn on something else before trying on your pretty quilt top.
11-06-2010, 07:07 PM
#39
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
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.
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.
11-06-2010, 07:07 PM
#40
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
If your board doing a quilt... others will be board looking at the quilt,
especially judges.
Balance not perfection, beauty is not perfect.
Remember the 2/3 rule, when you have a 9-patch, a churn dash, a log cabin,
doesn't matter what the pieced block is, you can visually divide that into 1/3s,
the pieced work is 1/3, on a 9 patch the background squares within those 9, 4
are background, so let the 5 focus squares pop. When feather stitching a log
cabin, stitch on the dark side to highlight. NEVER quilt the center square of a
log cabin block, that is your focal point.
(done)When your the quilter, ask the customer what shows up for her. It's different
with everyone, if she notices a color or block, make sure that you 'don't' touch
that area, let that area 'loft' and stand out.
Stitch down the remaining areas. We had a quilt of 3 main colors, and half the
room noticed the green the other half noticed the rust.
The 2" sashing around your quilt body before your outer border, this area should
be very lightly quilted, nothing heavy, let it loft to frame the quilt.
Rule of Thumb... any space larger than a thumb, should have some quilting in it,
even corner squares (usually in your sashing) can be stitched either diagnally,
or X stitch the square. If you put diamonds in the sashing, you can stitch in
ditch to let them loft.
especially judges.
Balance not perfection, beauty is not perfect.
Remember the 2/3 rule, when you have a 9-patch, a churn dash, a log cabin,
doesn't matter what the pieced block is, you can visually divide that into 1/3s,
the pieced work is 1/3, on a 9 patch the background squares within those 9, 4
are background, so let the 5 focus squares pop. When feather stitching a log
cabin, stitch on the dark side to highlight. NEVER quilt the center square of a
log cabin block, that is your focal point.
(done)When your the quilter, ask the customer what shows up for her. It's different
with everyone, if she notices a color or block, make sure that you 'don't' touch
that area, let that area 'loft' and stand out.
Stitch down the remaining areas. We had a quilt of 3 main colors, and half the
room noticed the green the other half noticed the rust.
The 2" sashing around your quilt body before your outer border, this area should
be very lightly quilted, nothing heavy, let it loft to frame the quilt.
Rule of Thumb... any space larger than a thumb, should have some quilting in it,
even corner squares (usually in your sashing) can be stitched either diagnally,
or X stitch the square. If you put diamonds in the sashing, you can stitch in
ditch to let them loft.
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