Terry R asked:


I am making hearts decorations for a Vintage Christmas Tree. I want to tea stain the old quilting material that I will be using. Also need to know the best way to get the tea stain on the material..

Derek

Crispy_Frog asked:


There are hundreds of web sites for quilting fabrics….but the prices seem to be set the same. What website do you recommend for fabric sales????

Joanne

Penny Halgren asked:


If you are a beginner quilter looking for near-immediate gratification or an old pro who wants to create a different look, why not try making a rag quilt?

Frayed seams are a characteristic of rag quilts. Fraying the edges give a rag quilt a soft, vintage look simply by clipping the seams and washing and drying the quilt. Rag quilt patterns can be adaptations of traditional quilt patterns or, totally new designs that will be accented by the frayed edges.

Rag quilt patterns do not need to be expensive. As a matter of fact, many rag quilt patterns are available for free on the Internet. Use your favorite search engine to find “rag quilt patterns.”

If you’ve already been exploring the Internet, chances are your favorite quilt sites also have rag quilt patterns available, or links to some. The best “how-to-quilt” websites offer rag quilt information as well as patterns.

Variations of the Nine Patch are popular rag quilt patterns. Strips are another popular rag quilt pattern. Keep in mind that while intricate designs could be converted into a rag quilt pattern, the fraying might distract from the quilt pattern.

It’s possible to complete a rag quilt in a weekend! The biggest challenge is getting accustomed to sewing “backwards.” In traditional quilting, we generally stitch the right sides together then turn them so the seams will be hidden on the underneath side.

With rag quilt patterns, the seams are sewn to the top so they can be clipped and frayed.

When assembling your rag quilt, you will make a fabric sandwich: place the first piece right side down on your table. The middle layer will be a piece of flannel or batting, and the top piece will be your fabric, right side up.

Once you have all your fabric sandwiches ready, you will sew the block together, again keeping the right sides up. So, instead of sewing with the right sides together, your rag quilt pattern will be sewn with the wrong sides together.This will keep your seams on top of the quilt.

Unlike traditional quilting, having uneven seams won’t be noticed once your rag quilt pattern is complete. So, even if you can’t sew a straight line with your sewing machine, you can make a gorgeous rag quilt!

That’s another reason rag quilt patterns are so popular. They can be sewn together rather quickly using your sewing machine. The machine stitches will lock in and add stability to the quilt.

Since the blocks are sewn with the seams on top, there is no need for additional quilting of your rag quilt pattern. That makes rag quilt pattern projects move along at a nice speed!

Completing your rag quilt will take a little patience once all the sewing is complete. To “rag” your quilt pattern, you will need to clip the seams.

Clip straight down the seam (perpendicular to the stitches). You will need to make these cuts about every quarter of an inch. Your hand will get tired! To avoid hand cramps and blisters on your cutting fingers, you might like to use a pair of spring loaded scissors as you complete your rag quilt patterns. Spring loaded scissors automatically pop open after each snip has been made. They also usually are made so they are held on the outside, rather than putting your fingers inside scissor holes. If you don’t already have a good, sharp pair, expect to pay $15 or more. If you plan to do much rag quilting in the future, it might be a good investment!

Once you seams are snipped all around your rag quilt pattern, throw it in the washer on a delicate cycle. It’s not necessary to add soap, but it’s okay if you do choose to do so. After the wash cycle, give your rag quilt a double check to make sure you’ve snipped all of the seam allowances. If you find a place you’ve missed, this is the time to add snips. Once you are satisfied with the snipping, toss the quilt into your drier. Once it’s dried, your rag quilt will be complete!



Clyde

Jennifer Walter asked:


Given a chance anybody and everybody would love the idea of having a nap in a warm quilt so why not try making one yourself. Colors are many and materials are like inviting, and by the time you have made one for yourself you shall be happier in more than one way.

First and foremost, those who are beginners and have little knowledge of the techniques involved it is highly recommend that few basic principles or instructions be taken into account so that the process of making a quilt is an experience worth remembering.

Several times, technique of quilt was seen in grandmother’s. But why is that so? It is because they wish their young dear ones grand children also to enjoy the luxury and affection of the smooth home made quilts.

Hence the lives stock are complete of factory made quilt and they are also providable as there is no substitute of the attachment that is entwine in each and every stitch grandma’s acquire.

I heartedly love keeping eyes fixed on sweet young ones in gentle, soft cloth and dashing quilt. Baby quilt are not bounded only to grandmother, mother’s, uncles & aunts and but anyone can give quilt to a baby. If you set up your mind and would like to learn baby quilt making these instructions are to be followed -

1. Keep in mind intentionally to use unmixed materials, though synthetic materials are used in pieces, do not neglect lining is to be made of soft cotton, as baby’s skin is delicate and synthetic fabric causes reactions.

2. Exclude use textile of twilled cotton and worn off clothes.

3. Use stubborn textile and fast color, it needs quick wash.

4. Take more batting than ordinary. It benefits in keeping the baby cozy.

Now the problem arises how to prepare a baby quilt. All over it is not a troublesome thing. If you have prior experience then it is just a routine project with varieties of measurements. The person who has not done the quilting I’d suggest

REQUIREMENTS:

* Material for piecing and lining

* Spray starch

* Rotary ruler

* Scissors

* Rotary cutter

* Needles

* Sewing needles

* Sewing machine

* Threads

* Cutting Board

* Iron

* Pins could be plastic make or glass beaded.

* Batting

* Pattern for baby quilt

Techniques For Baby Quilt:

1. Buy 3 yards of cotton, select coordinating colors and designs. Mix solid color properties with eachother, this combination can be done in printed as well as on even color. Nursery prints are remarkable to sew baby quilt. Purchase all the other stock you require.

2. Pre-wash the textile separately. Be convinced that the colors are fast and textile do not shorten. Then well dry the textile & Iron it later including the sprinkle starch. Be attentive that the textile be completely dry & dense with out wrinkles.

3. As the pieces joined do batting, quilting in the common way as you’d desire for other quilts.

4. Join the quilt around to make it attractive; you can also use silk ribbons around the binding.

Baby quilts are important to prepare, as there can be several kinds of quilts for this aspirations. Yoyo’s picture quits, appliqués all seems attractive including baby quilt, attempt making a block quilt with a sequence of yoyo’s all over the border as before the binding fabric.

You will admire it.



Jacqueline

Jan Myers asked:


The Great Depression was an era that created quite a challenge for women who desired to quilt. Not only was money very tight in households, but there were limited supplies nationwide. Women had to turn to creativity and resourcefulness in order to create beautiful quilts. Some popular quilts of today were actually born from The Great Depression.

The Great Depression, for those of us who weren’t around at the time, was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. Begun with the collapse of agricultural prices in the 1920’s, it’s most well-known for the 1929 collapse of Wall Street. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world.

Bankers and other previously weather individuals who lost everything jumped to their deaths from buildings. Workers who could find jobs still struggled to be able to feed their families. With the total collapse of the economy, people found creative ways to brings in small amounts of cash while businesses had to become creative to survive by vying for a portion of that hard-earned money from their customers.

So it’s easy to see why companies selling quilt fabrics, threads and tools had to find a way to create value in their products and encourage quilters to continue to spend such hard-earned cash. Luckily for them, quilts were a necessity that had to be created by hand because the severe economic times limited the ability to purchase them.

Women magazines began offering similar quilting patterns for free with each issue to increase their readership. After all, most household budgets could not afford to purchase a magazine, yet alone several quilting patterns.

So to continue selling magazines and to promote the purchase of fabrics, many vendors chose to offer free patterns that would encourage the purchases. Patterns such as the Star of Bethlehem, Wedding Ring, Grandmother’s Flower Garden and even Dresden Plate are just some of the patterns we still use today that were actually the result of The Great Depression.

Often women would share one magazine. They would trace the quilting patterns or even a picture from a quilt photographed for the magazine to make their own patterns at home. The most popular magazines would occasionally offer iron-on quilt patterns. These were extremely well received since several women could share not only the cost of the magazine but could share the iron-on patterns for their quilting.

Thus, offering free quilting patterns actually became a common marketing tradition that is still used today.

I found it particularly interesting that what was used to market to women and sell women’s magazines in The Great Depression is still used today. Many companies even offer free patterns in their magazines for quilting and other crafts.

We offer the same service at www.QuiltingResourceCenter to people who sign up for the patterns, even if they don’t belong to the members-only section of the website. Of course, those who do join the members-only site regularly receive original patterns created just for our members.

But caveat emptor

Jackie

Ang asked:


I have a good basic sewing machine(babylock) so what would be a good reasonable machine that could do embroidery and machine quilting or would I need to just have 2 seperate machines? I am still new to sewing/quilting and would like a machine that’s fairly easy to use and easy on price.Any suggestions would be great.

Ruben

Penny Halgren asked:


Keepsake quilting is one of the most popular reasons people begin to learn the craft. Maybe a daughter is getting married, or a first grandchild is on the way. Both wedding and births are popular occasions to give a keepsake quilt. But where do you start if you are new to quilting all together?

There are plenty of sources to help beginners get into keepsake quilting. Check the books in your local library. Another great source is the Internet. Look for quilting clubs that offer quilting demonstrations online for a little extra help.

Perhaps the easiest way to start your keepsake quilting project is to select the design or pattern you want to use. The “Double Wedding Ring” pattern is popular for weddings and anniversaries. Simple patchwork quilts are easy to make for babies. Other popular keepsake quilts for babies and children are “Sunbonnet Sue” and “Overall Sam” designs.

If you are making your first quilt, you might not be aware of level of difficulty of the patterns you are searching through. Don’t worry about it. You will be happier with the results if you complete the quilt of your choice than if you settled for something strictly of beginner status.

Once you have selected your keepsake quilting pattern, you will need to select fabrics. If you don’t have a color scheme in mind, ask for some help at your local fabric store. Take the pattern with you and ask a sales clerk for help. If you are shopping in a fabric department from a large retail chain, keep in mind that all clerks might not have the same knowledge of fabrics.

Don’t forget the necessary notions, too. You will need thread for piecing your keepsake quilt and thread for quilting the project. Your project will also require batting – which comes in various thicknesses.

If you don’t already have a good pair of scissors to use for cutting fabric, make sure you invest in those. You might choose to use a rotary cutter for your keepsake quilting project. Regardless, it is still important to have a good pair of scissors as part of your quilting gear.

Perhaps you have some quilting experience, but want to make a truly unique keepsake quilt. There are several ways to achieve that. Try a t-shirt quilt. Use favorite old t-shirts to make a quilt that will be a fun way to recall favorite memories for years to come.

If you are making a wedding keepsake quilt, incorporate fabrics and laces from the dress into the quilt. Pieces snipped from the flower girl’s sash, ribbon from the bouquest and color swatches that match the wedding colors would be nice pieces to work into your keepsake wedding quilt.

Photo quilts make great keepsake quilts for children on their way to college or leaving for a job out on their own for the first time. There are plenty of ways to transfer photos to fabrics, and many will last years without much fading. Read up on various techniques and decide which is best for your keepsake quilting project. Digital direct to garment printing offers one option. Since the technology is fairly new, finding a digital printer might be difficult and the process a little more costly than doing the photo as a transfer yourself. But the long-lasting results make the process worth considering.

The important thing to remember when making a keepsake quilt is not to worry or stress over minor imperfections. Focus, instead, on the memories your project will capture. The recipient of your keepsake quilt will be proud to receive your labor of love!



Annie

Kristen Q asked:


I have a beautiful new sewing machine and I would like start quilting. What materials and tools do I need to start?

Manuel

ami asked:


I was just wondering where I could find patterns that I could use to make a knitted 12″ x 12″ quilting square…. the quicker to knit, the better as I have to have several more done by the end of the month.

Thanks in advance!

Tracy

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Whether you’re an expert at quilting, or are just beginning, you will find you can advance your knowledge a great deal with the number of books on quilting that are available. There are several categories that quilting books fall into and a number of titles are available. The categories are historical, encyclopedias on how to pattern, art books and books on the joy of quilting.

The most popular are the how-to books and they are a must for beginners. They have a wide range- from books on the overall quilting craft to step-by-step instructions books. There are also books that take each aspect of quilting and methodically explain it. The instructional books first deal with basic aspects like selection of fabric and basic tools needed to get started and then they will proceed to give instructions regarding assembly of the quilt blocks and then the quilt. They also give detailed explanation about quilting through hand as well as machine. Every quilter must have atleast one book of this kind in her quilting library and then will proceed to collect a good many of these books. When in you’re on your quilting project, you will need to refer to these books many times.

Encyclopedia of patterns is another book that every quilter should have purchased in time. These books display a range of block patterns and also show the basic assembly. Because these books have to cover a wide range of topics, they will only briefly discuss all the aspects without going into too much detail. If its detail you want, you need to take a book that features instructions on specific patterns. With the number of quilting techniques and block patterns that exist today, you can imagine how extensive these books will be. For instance, books of this kind will dedicate an entire volume to go in to the details of a Log Cabin Pattern.

Because quilting can be dated way back in the American history, this craft and its nuances have been extensively studied and there are many a historical books available on it. It is truly inspiring to the modern quilter when she sees the great many designs that our ancestors did with the limited supplies available to them. There are also quilting books which deal with the pleasure one gets out of quilting, both from solitary pursuit and from the social form like quilting bees. There is also an entire segment dedicated to quilters who have revolutionized the art of quilting. These quilters often display their work in museums and galleries and also publish books that are not only on quilts but also the thought processes that went behind making them. Quilt collectors publish books too. They are just as inspiring as the historical books quilting.

Choose a time, when there is likely to be no interruption, to go through the range of quilting books that you want to make a part of your library. You can either go to a local bookstore; your library or you could even search online for the books you are looking for. Take out enough time to browse and get a feel of the number of titles available to you. Undoubtedly you will be tempted to buy more books than you initially planned but you can short list a few and save the rest for later.

One of the greatest joys of quilting is going through a book on this topic and luckily there are enough books and titles to select from.



Duane