Newbies challenge
10-31-2010, 07:31 AM
#1214
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
I wanted to share, especially for newbies, some notes I've taken at a couple quilt retreats this summer, from 3 Natl. Teachers.
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.
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.
10-31-2010, 07:39 AM
#1215
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
About Machines:
This tip is good if your thinking of investing in another machine. I personally have a Denim Pro & Audry for small machines I use for piecing. I have Ellegante II, embroidery machine usually humming along beside me, but it's my only machine that drops feed dogs, so I quilt on it too. All 3 are Baby Lock. Research, ask others personally don't rely on company printed statements from "customers". I did this, and found many who had Pfaff, Bernina & Baby Lock, said the BL was more user friendly. Then I did a consumer report, to find that BL I got more feet & hoops for about $5000 less than the other two brands with comparable same machines. Now I've never heard of "Juke" until this class, and this is what the Natl. Teacher said, which makes sense, I've been to classes watching other sm. machine vibrate/bounce so much it shakes the whole table for other quilters working too.
""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." from Sharon Shambers class
This tip is good if your thinking of investing in another machine. I personally have a Denim Pro & Audry for small machines I use for piecing. I have Ellegante II, embroidery machine usually humming along beside me, but it's my only machine that drops feed dogs, so I quilt on it too. All 3 are Baby Lock. Research, ask others personally don't rely on company printed statements from "customers". I did this, and found many who had Pfaff, Bernina & Baby Lock, said the BL was more user friendly. Then I did a consumer report, to find that BL I got more feet & hoops for about $5000 less than the other two brands with comparable same machines. Now I've never heard of "Juke" until this class, and this is what the Natl. Teacher said, which makes sense, I've been to classes watching other sm. machine vibrate/bounce so much it shakes the whole table for other quilters working too.
""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." from Sharon Shambers class
10-31-2010, 02:31 PM
#1216
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washburn, North Dakota
Posts: 257
This is true. I also checked this out on Snopes.
VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THIS.
Anyone using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on: This information arrived this morning, direct from both Microsoft and Norton . Please send it to everybody you know who has Access to the Internet.
You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled Here you have it or Just for you. If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying: "It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful...."
Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC, and the person who originated it will gain access to your Name, e-mail and password. This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon. AOL has already confirmed the severity, and so far no anti virus software is capable of destroying it. The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner'.
PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY!
THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SNOPES.
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/hereyouhave.asp
VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THIS.
Anyone using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on: This information arrived this morning, direct from both Microsoft and Norton . Please send it to everybody you know who has Access to the Internet.
You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled Here you have it or Just for you. If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying: "It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful...."
Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC, and the person who originated it will gain access to your Name, e-mail and password. This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon. AOL has already confirmed the severity, and so far no anti virus software is capable of destroying it. The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner'.
PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY!
THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SNOPES.
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/hereyouhave.asp
10-31-2010, 06:57 PM
#1217
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Eclectic, Alabama
Posts: 272
Hi! Bewitching Stitcher, Thank you much for the sample of the border. I printed it out so I could put in my quilt scrapbook. Its amazing what EQ can do. I bought EQ5 second-hand from someone who wasn't quilting anymore. I went through the books and learned how to do quite a few things but have since forgotten alot of it because I don't use it enough. I'm primarlily a grment sewer/machine embroiderer who likes to occasionally quilt.
I have several questions, when you were putting the border together, did you do it in strip sets or any particular order to put it together? Looking at the diagram, I wondered
if you did the inner row of blocks, then the row with the black blocks, then the outer row? And did you use the HST ruler? I've not purchased one of those yet.
Take care, Chris
I have several questions, when you were putting the border together, did you do it in strip sets or any particular order to put it together? Looking at the diagram, I wondered
if you did the inner row of blocks, then the row with the black blocks, then the outer row? And did you use the HST ruler? I've not purchased one of those yet.
Take care, Chris
11-01-2010, 11:04 AM
#1218
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.
Judges will notice the border/binding and backing even more than your piece
work. Break up one large border feathering with caviots (diamonds or swirls) to
make it interesting.
When stitching "rays" always stitch the center, then the outer two, then the
inner lines.
Decide the width of your "echo" stitching, by using the foot, either inner or
outer circle width from the needle.
When quilting, do your "free motion" stitching FIRST, then do your ditch work
frame stitching... this is opposite of what most have been taught, but keeps
quilt from puckering.
Stitch from the center out on blocks, and always one continuous line following
back to the beginning over stitches, why using an embroidery ball needle is
important, it won't cut threads like quilting sharp needles do.
If you want your quilt to really stand out in a competition... RED
Red draws attention, use if you want them to notice your quilt.
Purple means royalty
Green means Healing
Blue means speaking truth (also indigo)
Orange means creativity
Yellow means focus
Pink means Gods love, spiritual
White means pure or pain in life
Gold means focus, purity, no anger
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.
If your taking a quilt to a quilter, make sure you 'tell her' what stands out for you, and let her realize how you want it quilted.
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.
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.
Feathers should ALWAYS stitch "clockwise" direction, if making waves of feathers
or circles of feathers or feathers following around the border, have them
flowing clockwise. And ALWAYS give your feathers a border, draw a line away
from your stem line, and run your loops out to that line to create your feather.
Also, leave a little border between the feather and the 'ditch' of the pieced
block, this allows the feather to pop/stand out. When creating feathers use 3
sizes in the loops, this is called Frackle/a repeated pattern. When doing
circles, the largest circle divided by 1/3s this is the sizes of the 3 circles
you should use for fill space (which is stipple). Circles always go to the
left, never back and forth like a figure 8. And if your circle isn't perfect,
do NOT restitch it 2-3 times trying to make it a round circle, just move on.
ALWAYS stop at a beginning point, never the middle of a circle or feather loop.
And always work back to the beginning before the next loop.
When using a contrasting thread or varegated thread, you must be more accurate.
Blended threads are more forgiving.
These are tips from Sharon Shamber class on long arm quilting, was a very full long 2 day class, great ideas.
especially judges.
Balance not perfection, beauty is not perfect.
Judges will notice the border/binding and backing even more than your piece
work. Break up one large border feathering with caviots (diamonds or swirls) to
make it interesting.
When stitching "rays" always stitch the center, then the outer two, then the
inner lines.
Decide the width of your "echo" stitching, by using the foot, either inner or
outer circle width from the needle.
When quilting, do your "free motion" stitching FIRST, then do your ditch work
frame stitching... this is opposite of what most have been taught, but keeps
quilt from puckering.
Stitch from the center out on blocks, and always one continuous line following
back to the beginning over stitches, why using an embroidery ball needle is
important, it won't cut threads like quilting sharp needles do.
If you want your quilt to really stand out in a competition... RED
Red draws attention, use if you want them to notice your quilt.
Purple means royalty
Green means Healing
Blue means speaking truth (also indigo)
Orange means creativity
Yellow means focus
Pink means Gods love, spiritual
White means pure or pain in life
Gold means focus, purity, no anger
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.
If your taking a quilt to a quilter, make sure you 'tell her' what stands out for you, and let her realize how you want it quilted.
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.
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.
Feathers should ALWAYS stitch "clockwise" direction, if making waves of feathers
or circles of feathers or feathers following around the border, have them
flowing clockwise. And ALWAYS give your feathers a border, draw a line away
from your stem line, and run your loops out to that line to create your feather.
Also, leave a little border between the feather and the 'ditch' of the pieced
block, this allows the feather to pop/stand out. When creating feathers use 3
sizes in the loops, this is called Frackle/a repeated pattern. When doing
circles, the largest circle divided by 1/3s this is the sizes of the 3 circles
you should use for fill space (which is stipple). Circles always go to the
left, never back and forth like a figure 8. And if your circle isn't perfect,
do NOT restitch it 2-3 times trying to make it a round circle, just move on.
ALWAYS stop at a beginning point, never the middle of a circle or feather loop.
And always work back to the beginning before the next loop.
When using a contrasting thread or varegated thread, you must be more accurate.
Blended threads are more forgiving.
These are tips from Sharon Shamber class on long arm quilting, was a very full long 2 day class, great ideas.
11-01-2010, 02:42 PM
#1219
Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 29
I am a newbie. I have just started back quilting since taking a few classes three years ago and I am sort of lost . I have asked a question that hasn't been answered. So , here I go again. One of the instruction in the book I have says cut 47/8" by WOF. What is WOF?
11-01-2010, 03:28 PM
#1220
Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Chicago, Il
Posts: 6
I'm new to Quilting. I will take 2 beginner classes next week. The first one is making a Block & the second one is making a table runner. It looks interesting except when I have to pick the different materials. I'm not real good at figuring out what prints & colors go well together.
:wink:
:wink:
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