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Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> Needlework and Sewing

Any quilters out there?

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theta1870

Sat, Nov 08 2014, 7:36 pm

I have repurposed clothing in quilts but not in the way of the pioneers. I make a lot of t shirt quilts which is a great way to clear out drawers and preserve memories. I even once used a kippah for a project. The yarmulkes look somewhat to a petaled flower when the panels are pulled apart almost all the way to the center ie https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/.....8.jpg

Take a trip to City Quilter in Manhattan if you live in NYC. Reputable online quilting fabric sources include Hancock's of Paducah (NOT the Hancock's Store chain), Webfabrics. Hancock's Store and JoAnn's Fabrics sell okay fabric as well but I try to buy elsewhere for special quilts.

Hand-piecing tip: When marking the pieces with a pencil line, use a mechanical pencil .7mm to ensure accuracy. Wooden pencils lose their point too quickly and the line gets too thick and the .5 mm mechanicals are too fragile and snap easily.

Hand-quilting tip: Try lots of different thimbles until you find one you like and then buy several and stick one in your purse and one in your coat pocket etc. I personally don't use a thimble.

jkw

Sun, Nov 09 2014, 6:06 pm

and if you just can't keep from doing something quiltwise, I recommend the Elm Creek series by Jennifer Chiaverini -- clean and very absorbing secular read. Anyone else have any to suggest?

AND

best website for beginning hand quilters? Of which I am definitely one!

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Nov 09 2014, 6:30 pm

This frum Jewish historical novel doesn't revolve around quilts, but quilting does figure in the storyline:
Full Harvest by Etka Gitel Schwartz.

jkw

Sun, Nov 09 2014, 7:06 pm

Yes, and it's an excellent book too! Thanks for posting it!

theta1870,

how do you make a T shirt quilt?

theta1870

Sun, Nov 09 2014, 8:04 pm

There are lots of different ways but this is closest to what I do.
http://www.goosetracks.com/T-S......html

The major difference is that I use 2.5" wide unfinished (2" finished)sashing between the blocks and 5" wide unfinished (4.5" finished) border strips.

If you have a lot of shirts with a big design on the front and a smaller version on front or have t's with front pockets, 4 of the front designs can be put together to make one block.

jkw

Tue, Nov 11 2014, 8:32 am

I have old linen napkins and old shirts that are "good material so can't just throw out." Should I cut them into fat quarters (what size?) and save til I get the urge to make something? Or just keep them around in the original? Would they need backing like the T-shirts?

What kind of hand piecing pattern would you suggest?

TIA and looking forward to a happy thread!

Fox

Tue, Nov 11 2014, 11:35 am

I've been quilting for several years, and I've made approximately 6-8 twin-sized quilts and tons of baby quilts. I've hand-quilted some and machine quilted some.

Before I say anything else, though, let me emphasize that most of us do not find quilting to be a way of saving money -- there are so many fantastic gadgets and tchotchkes, and the more you get into it, the more you find that you "need" them. And that's before you get a gander at all the fabulous fabric.

Here's my number one resource for all things quilting:

Missouri Star Quilt Company

Jenny Doan, the matriarch and star of the tutorial videos, is a mother of seven and a grandmother of who-knows-how-many. Not only are her videos fantastic, the website has a "daily deal" for purchasing pre-cuts and supplies at huge discounts.

Jenny is known as the "Oprah of quilting" because she has such a down-to-earth vibe and tries to make quilting accessible to everyone. She literally draws quilters out of the woodwork: her store in Hamilton, MO, gets multiple busloads of tourists each day and a recent WSJ profile drew out hundreds of women who are executives by day and quilters by night.

Unless there's a major sale going on, I find it cheaper to purchase batting and supplies online. I just bought batting from Amazon, for example, for less than half the price of my local fabric chain store (Joann's).

Another popular source is Nancy's Notions: they tend to be a bit pricey, but the offerings are very well-curated -- the stuff they sell really works!

For those of you who are familiar with "Soft Kitty" from The Big Bang Theory:

Soft fabric, pretty fabric
Buy it by the yard

Plush fabric, lovely fabric
Here's my credit card!

jkw

Tue, Nov 11 2014, 5:10 pm

thanks so much for posting, Fox! Yes, it is VERY hard to leave a fabric store without anything in hand.

Thanks also for the links!

Keep the posts coming, ladies? What is your favourite pattern?

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Nov 11 2014, 5:58 pm

This thread just got moved to the the new Needlework and Sewing subforum in the (also) new Hobbies and Crafts forum. Neat!

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Nov 11 2014, 6:00 pm

I second Fox's recommendation of the Missouri Star Quilting Company. Great video tutorials!

jkw

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 8:21 am

so ...I still need advice on cutting up old men's shirts, linen napkins, etc. for my first "stash!" What size should I cut to? Just what IS a fat quarter, anyway?

TIA

yo'ma

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 8:26 am

jkw wrote:

so ...I still need advice on cutting up old men's shirts, linen napkins, etc. for my first "stash!" What size should I cut to? Just what IS a fat quarter, anyway?

TIA

A quarter of a yard, 9 inches by half the width of the fabric, about 21 inches.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 8:36 am

Not quite, Yo'ma. Your measurement is more like a skinny eighth!

A fat quarter is about 18" x 21".

A regular trimmed yard of fabric is about 36" x 42". A fat quarter is each of these dimensions divided by 2. Put four fat quarters together and you have a yard of fabric.

jkw

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 8:42 am

Whoa. Just looked at 18" on the measuring tape. How do I cut up a shirt to fit that? Cut off each sleeve and open it up? Make two rectangles from the front and one big one from the back?

I just HATE to throw out anything...! LOL

yo'ma

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 9:26 am

jkw wrote:

Why would you have to cut a shirt into a fat quarter? Just cut off the sleeves that you have a flat piece of fabric and cut as needed.

yo'ma

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 9:29 am

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Not quite, Yo'ma. Your measurement is more like a skinny eighth!

My mistake.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 9:33 am

Also cut away seams, places where there's already stitching, and any place that the fabric is wearing out.

What are you thinking of making? Do you have a variety of colors?

jkw

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 10:14 am

The only thing I know how to do is patchwork. Just learned how to match up corners. Anyone have any easy suggestions for a pattern that is totally by hand? Not really into wall hangings (unless I can figure out how to embroider "Mizrach" or "Shalom Bayis" or something...)!

How do you do a pillow top and attach it by hand? Maybe that would work.

TIA-- this is fun!

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Nov 19 2014, 11:10 am

You can buy a pillow form at Walmart, at Joann's, or online.

You can make the top first and then attach it later.

First you need to design your block. How about a Log Cabin? Log Cabin — Google images

As I think I've mentioned before, I do English paper piecing, which is a totally "by hand" method of piecing. If you want to try that method, I can walk you through it. A throw pillow is a good first project. You'll need some card stock, or you can buy the paper pieces already cut. If you want to cut your own card stock into the shapes you'll need, for a first project stick to patterns made from rectangle/square shapes and/or triangles made from 1/2 squares.

Gotta run some errands and teach my vector graphics class, I'll check back later.

Rubber Ducky

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 8:48 am

JKW, did you have a chance to look at any quilt block patterns?

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