Quilting Talk Outline
Tools of the Trade
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Use coupons
Get on JoAnn’s & Hancock’s mailing lists. You will not be bombarded with annoying e-mails, but
they will send valuable coupons with regularity. If you plan far enough in advance, you should
never have to buy anything full-price. My general rule is that an item has to be at least 40% off,
or I have to have a coupon. Their sales (both places) rotate with regularity, so if calicos aren’t on
sale this week, odds are they will be the next week. Wait it out.
Here’s a guide of coupon-friendliness:
Store
Competitor Coupons Coupons Per
Misc. notes
They Accept
Transaction
Limitations
JoAnn’s
Hancock’s, AC Moore, No limit to # used per You cannot use a 50%
Michael’s
transaction as long as off fabric coupon
they all have different from a competitor for
bar codes on them
a non-fabric item at
JoAnn’s
Hancock’s
JoAnn’s, AC Moore,
One coupon per
Their coupons are (at
Michael’s
transaction
best) once a month in
the mail, sometimes
in Sunday paper
AC Moore
Michael’s
One coupon per
Cannot use a fabric
transaction
coupon for a nonfabric item
Michael’s
AC Moore
Two coupons per
Same as AC Moore
transaction
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Rotary cutters and Self-healing mats
For starter supplies, go to Walmart – they’re cheaper than even if you used a coupon at JoAnn’s.
I suggest a 45mm rotary blade (Fiskars, Olfa). Martelli is the company that makes ergonomic
styles for carpal tunnel patients and/or those who may have joint pain. Those are cheapest on
Amazon (as well as the accompanying blades), but make sure you get the right size (45mm) and
the correct left or right-handed version. It matters with this brand. Fiskars and Olfa are for
either hand. I recommend investing in a 24 x 36 cutting mat. It accommodates bigger cuts of
fabric without as much hassle. If you stick with quilting for any length of time, you’ll land on this
size anyway. Starting smaller is a waste of money.
Good scissors
Get one pair of larger scissors and a pair of small sharp scissors, and NEVER use them to cut
paper. Cutting paper dulls scissors to the point that they won’t cut fabric. You’ll then end up
having to downgrade them to kitchen or kid use.
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Rulers & squares
6x24 is the size ruler you will find you can’t live without if you stick with quilting for long. The
24” part extends just above and below a typical cut of fabric so you can match up cutting lines
on your mat & saves time.
To “square up” a block is making sure that it’s a uniform size from the center of the block and
around all the outer sides. Good starter square-up rulers sizes are 12 or 12 ½” and/or a 6-6 ½”
size. 12 or 12 ½” is the most common block size. You want your blocks to square up or your
whole project is likely to be warped and wonky.
Know your machine
o Idiosyncrasies
Each machine has its own “personality”. Try some small projects on less expensive
fabric until you get the feel for your machine.
o Bobbin size
Different machines require different sized bobbins. Know which size to buy by checking
your machine’s manual. They are not all created equally, and using the wrong one is the
fast way to mess up the innards of your machine and the quality of your project.
o Thread differences
Not all thread is created equally either. Coats & Clark polyester/cotton was my go-to for
many years, but on my newer machine, I was advised to use higher quality polyester
thread. Cheap thread creates more lint and will break more often. More lint requires
more frequent machine cleaning & can impact the function of your machine.
Gutermann’s & Aurfil are better brands, but as always, use a coupon to get them
cheaper or wait out a sale at the fabric store.
Magnetic seam guides
If you are less experienced or seem to be a little lead-footed on the pedal, try using a magnetic
seam guide to keep your seams more consistent. Place the seam guide at the appropriate
distance from the center needle position (for quilting, ¼” is the standard seam allowance) and
butt your fabric up against it as you feed it through the machine.
Iron
When you are piecing blocks, it’s REALLY important to “set the seams” which means pressing
the seam as it’s been sewn before you open it up and press to one side or the other. Some
patterns will tell you which way to press seams, some don’t. Just try to establish some
consistency in the direction you’re pressing. Alternating rows of a quilt should be pressed in
opposite directions to help match seams at what would otherwise be bulky intersections.
Batting/backing/binding
o Batting – described by fiber content and weight
Batting can be polyester (lighter weight), polyester/cotton (medium weight), 100%
cotton (heavier) or bamboo (similar to cotton weight). Polyester is the cheapest, but
may be the best option if you’re doing a project that will be hanging on a wall. You
don’t want the weight of heavy batting & gravity pulling on your quilt & stressing the
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integrity of the seams. If you want a heavier feel for bedding, choose cotton or bamboo
– they’re warmer too.
Loft refers to the “puffy” factor of the batting. Polyester comes in low or high loft. High
loft is super puffy, a la the style of the 1980’s - not a fan. Plus, it can occasionally be
clumpy and hard to hand quilt through. If I’m hand quilting, I prefer the evenness of
cotton.
Backing
Until recently, to back a quilt you had to get either a wide muslin or piece together
sections of 45” width fabric to get to the desired size. Now 108” backing fabrics are
commonplace and are really convenient. JoAnn’s has a couple, but mostly these are
going to be in quilt shops or online.
Binding – finishing edge after last border
After the quilting is done, you still have one piece left to do, and that’s the binding.
Binding strips are usually 2 ¼” wide strips of a coordinating fabric from your quilt top.
You don’t have to match them to the backing if you don’t want to, and sometimes
scrappy bindings of random leftover pieces look really cool. The binding is sewn down
to the top of the quilt & then flipped over to the back where it is finished by hand.
There are lots of YouTube videos showing how to do this (and especially how to miter
the corners) for those who are visual learners.
Fabric
o Yardage
Buying fabric straight from a bolt of usually 42-45” in width. Some quilt shops will not
cut anything smaller than ½ yard increments, but JoAnn’s & Hancock will cut any
amount.
o Pre-cuts: layer cake, jelly roll, charm squares, fat quarters
Pre-cuts are die-cut fabric assembled in coordinated bundles. Fabric manufacturers will
create a “line” of fabric that has 5-6 patterns in 4-5 color families. These are nice to take
the guesswork out of which fabrics will look nice together. Layer cakes are packages of
around 40 10” squares, jelly rolls are packs of 40-42 2 ½” strips, charm squares are precut 5” squares, and fat quarters are 18x21 pieces of fabric. A normal quarter yard piece
would be 9 x45”, so the “fat” part is that you get 2x the width, but you’re sacrificing the
length. There are TONS of books/ patterns geared towards each of these types of precut options.
o Scales
Scale refers to the size of the print on the fabric. Large scale prints like the Kermit fabric
may be tricky because you want to find a pattern where you can see the whole print
without cutting off Kermit’s face or the wording “Kermit” once all seam allowances are
in place.
Try to balance out large scale prints with smaller or medium scale prints, or your project
will be very “busy” looking and distracting.
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Fussy cutting
Fussy-cutting is the term for cutting a print so that you get the exact piece you want in
the center of your block. In the Kermit fabric, I want Kermit in the center – not his leg or
arm. There are special rulers that can help with this, or you can use a squaring up ruler
of the same size you want your finished block to be. I’m cheap, so I use the squaring
ruler that I already have.
Fabric Selection
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Quality
In quilts, fabric quality matters. If you’re going to put this much time into something, you want
it to be able to withstand multiple washings. You can usually tell by feel because not every
100% cotton fabric is good quality – just like the difference in 180 thread count sheets vs. 500
thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. I’ve sometimes incorporated lesser quality if it was a color
I couldn’t find anywhere else, but I try to avoid them. JoAnn’s has a special section called
“Quilter’s cotton prints”. It’s not huge, but you can feel the difference. And of course, the price
is very different. Make your own judgment call based on what the project is & how often it will
be laundered (e.g. a wall hanging could be done with less expensive fabric than a bed quilt).
Good fabric brands found at quilting shops are Moda, Robert Kauffman, South Sea Imports,
Timeless Treasures, RJR, Windham, Benartex, P&B Textiles, etc.
To wash or not to wash
There are die-hard advocates of washing & pressing all fabric before using it. Previous
generations would roll over in their graves to know that I don’t. I like to work with fabric that
still has the stiff “sizing” finish on it. I find that easier. That and I loathe the idea of doing any
more ironing than I will already be doing by putting blocks together. I’ve never had a problem
yet – and yet is the operative word. I would consider the wash/press more carefully if I were
working with any really dark colors (black, navy, reds) or batiks, which are hand-dyed. Batiks are
expensive enough without potentially undoing your effort with a laundry fatality.
Complimentary colors/color wheel
If you are at a loss as to what colors to use, consider the room where the project will live. Color
taste is very individual, but at the end of the day, it’s your money. Get what you like.
Types of fabrics
o Tonals
Tonals are cottons that are several shades of only one color in the print, like lighter
blues on a dark blue background. They are usually small scale prints, and they help
balance out busy large scale prints without being a boring flat color. Tonals add some
texture to the overall picture of your project without being overwhelming.
o Calicos
Calicos are your basic cotton prints with florals, paisleys, checks, etc. These are the
fabrics all down the left wall of JoAnn’s. Just remember to balance small & large scales
in your projects.
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Batiks
These are hand-dyed cottons that have a mottled or watercolor look to them.
Sometimes they have prints superimposed on them, but not always. These are a good
option for gender-neutral or guy quilts because they are less likely to have floral or girly
themes. The downside is they are some of the most expensive quilting cottons you can
buy. Know ahead of time how much you will need, and – wait for it – use a coupon if
you can.
o Homespun
These are mostly plaid fabrics with a looser weave than your average calico. They look
like what is used in the “primitive” decorating style. Try not to mix these in with calico
prints because the stretch factor of the fabrics is very different. The homespun is much
stretchier. For an inexperienced seamstress, there is no good that can come from this
situation, & your seam ripper will get a workout. Keep like fabrics together homespuns with homespuns, calicos with calicos. And when you cut a homespun, you
really need to cut it manually with scissors vs. using a rotary cutter. Find one line in the
plaid and follow it. It will prevent the finished block from looking crooked.
o Flannel
In the spirit of keeping like fabrics together, this also goes for flannels. Try not to mix
these with anything other than other flannels. Flannel is a good choice for baby quilts &
holds up to laundering.
o Home décor
Home decorating fabric should NOT be used in quilting. It’s thicker and has almost no
stretch to it. Using it with calicos is a mistake, & quilting through it would be a
nightmare.
o Panels
These can be good starter projects or projects for babies/kids because they rarely
require anything beyond adding borders around the sides - unless of course you have
my luck, where they need to be fussy cut. This phenomenon is known as Chalkley’s Law
– like Murphy’s Law with a fabric twist.
Focus Fabrics/Inspirational Pieces –
I usually try to find a focus fabric/inspirational piece – that one fabric I really love – then build
the other colors around it. An example of this was the leaf print. I had at least 6 different colors
I could pull out of that main print to coordinate blocks and borders.
Try to carry a sample of the focus piece with you (I carry mine in a snack bag) to match
coordinating colors. It’s easier than lugging the whole fabric cut around. Just make sure you
take a piece that has all the colors represented in it.
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Construction
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Choose a realistic pattern – Quilt in a Day, Alex Anderson, free website patterns.
I started with the Quilt in a Day series. Granted, there is only one pattern per book, but
you get amazingly easy instructions and pictures of every step of the process. Quilt
patterns are rated as either beginner, intermediate or advanced. I like to stick to
beginner or intermediate. I’ve never tried an advanced – I like the instant gratification
factor too much to put up with tedious hand applique or pieces that are 1” wide. The
books and patterns will tell you what the rating is on the front. The website where our
free pattern came from is an excellent resource as well (www.quilterscache.com). They
rate patterns with a single stick-pin that are beginner level.
Assembly line sewing
This process simplifies quilting tremendously. It involves sewing similar sections
together for all the quilt blocks. So if a quilt has pieces A, B, C, D & E, assembly line
sewing will have you sew pieces A & B together for all your blocks at the same time.
Feed them through the machine one right after the other. Then you will sew piece C on
to all the A/B sections, and so forth. Putting one whole block together then another
whole block together, then another takes more time in the end. Embrace the efficiency
factor, & your quilt top will be together faster.
Ironing
Press in consistent but alternating directions so seams will marry up without bulk.
Hand quilting vs. machine quilting vs. tying
Hand quilting is time-consuming, but can be really beautiful. You can follow the outline
of your block design or choose a stenciled design (leaves & vines for borders, feathery
looks for wider spaces, etc.). Machine quilting is also possible depending on your
machine’s capabilities. You would need a walking foot and/or the ability to drop the
feed dogs in order to do free motion quilting. This would be good for smaller projects.
For larger quilts, you can find someone who has a long-arm machine & get custom
quilting done. Long-arms are on at least 12-14’ frames & can accommodate king size
quilts, but they are cost and space-prohibitive for the average quilter. With a long-arm,
the owner/quilter can do freestyle quilting or do what’s called a pantograph (repeating
pattern) design from edge-edge. I like the pantograph look, and have had someone
long-arm all my recent projects. I have a couple of resources of quilters who have these
machines & can give you price points if interested. Tying quilts uses either yarn or
embroidery floss to anchor the layers of the quilt together. What you’re trying to
prevent in any of these quilting methods is the shifting of the batting and clumping over
time. If you tie a quilt, it needs to be done in enough places to sustain it through the
laundering processes you will subject it to. This method is faster than hand quilting.
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Using 2 types of blocks
You can mix 2 or more types of quilt blocks together for variety as long as the block sizes
are the same when finished. A lot of people like sampler quilts, where no 2 blocks are
alike, but all have similar color themes. It also helps take the monotony out of a larger
project.
Other projects using simple blocks
If you have a block left over or enough fabric left over, you can create any number of
other projects. You can make wallets, purses, pillows, etc. The “quillow” requires only
one 18” block, and those can be done in an afternoon. See YouTube videos for simple
quillow instructions, and especially check out videos from a company called the
“Missouri Quilt Company”. They have excellent tutorials for simple projects with big
impact.
Fabric Resources (my favorites)
Local – JoAnn’s & Hancock’s, Material Girls (LaPlata, MD).
Word of warning – Hancock’s may be closer to the mall, but JoAnn’s has more helpful
employees if you have a question.
Pennsylvania
Zook’s – also has a website: www.zandsfabrics.com
The Old Country Store – also has a website: www.theoldcountrystore.com (can search by color
and/or fabric line and/or designer)
Weaver’s Dry Goods
Online only
www.connectingthreads.com
www.fabric.com
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