Quilting By Design

Twinkle, Twinkle

     Well, folks, I am getting back on my feet and recovering nicely, so it is time to begin writing once again! I have really missed this and hope you have, too.
     Today I have a gorgeous little project for you! The quilt pattern is called, “Twinkle Twinkle” and is provided by Quilting Passion and was designed by me a few years ago. Talk about quick and simple, then throw in a surprising result and you have the perfect project for last minute quilt.
     There are already a couple of sample quilts made from this pattern shown at the bottom of the pattern page and I also just received another photo a day or so ago that will be uploading sometime this coming weekend.
     Please take a look and see if it may be something you are interested in!

---

Quilting By Design Site Map.
Quilting By Design Site Schedule.
Original pattern first published by Terry Crawford on Quilting Passion.

quilting, quilts, Quilting By Design, Quilting Passion

     The June 2007 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar is purple, blue, and green, in honor of the month of June. There are two (2) different versions of it; one with the seasonal graphics overlaying it and one without. It is available online, compliments of Quilting Passion.

     The blocks selected for this month’s calendar are called, “Bird With Tail Feathers” and “Nosegay Wreath“, both created using EQ5. This challenge, called the “Birds and Nosegay Challenge“, is born from this desktop wallpaper calendar! Make either one or both of the spotlighted patterns for this calendar, mail in the unfinished block(s) (please send a digital photo first, if possible), and it will give you an entry in the contest (one entry is given per block sent in). The winner wins all of the blocks submitted, unless there are more than 16. If more than 16 entries are received, then the blocks will be split so that 1st place receives 2/3 of the blocks. In the event that more than 30 blocks are received, then there will be three (3) winners selected. Blocks will be voted on anonymously via the Quilting Passion Forum.
     Please have your block submissions mailed in to me by June 27th. Voting will commence on or about the 29th and the winning results published the second week of July.
     Guidelines:

Please use good quality, 100% cotton fabric.

Please make sure that the unfinished block measures precisely 8.5″ x 8.5″.

Please have your block submissions mailed in to me by June 27th.

Blocks can be embellished as you wish. Feel free to use trims, buttons, etc. in this block. Make sure that all embellishments can survive being washed, and if they can’t, make sure that they are easily removed (buttons, etc. can be attached with a small safety pin).

     
      I am looking forward to seeing your birds and nosegays!

---

Quilting By Design Site Map.
Quilting By Design Site Schedule.
Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, Quilting By Design, Quilting Passion

Do you love a good mystery? Do you love to quilt? If the answer to both questions is a resounding “YES”, then I have the perfect Web site for you!

First, let me define what a Mystery Quilt is. A Mystery Quilt is a quilting project that remains a mystery up until the quilt is finished or until the participants figure it out (much to the author’s dismay).      Participants are given instructional “clues” and have no idea what the outcome is going to be. It is usually a small, fairly easy project that is completed in stages over an extended period of time, the time determined by the author of the mystery and usually dependent upon several factors, discussed below. Most often, participants are informed as to the approximate final sizes and also the theme, if there is one.      Occasionally, mysteries may extend over a longer period of time, however a year is the maximum time to conduct and/or participant in one (in my opinion). The only instance where I would conduct a mystery of a great length, such as 12 months, would be for a full size quilt, and it would have to be a spectacular design, at that. A lot of people do not like to commit to a long-term mystery due to several reasons, most of which I suspect you can guess.      As mentioned above, there are a few factors that might influence the length of time a mystery would span. The amount of “free” time the author may have to orchestrate it. The vast majority of the time, a mystery is conducted without any type of payment from the participants. In other words, the mystery is provided freely by the author. Since this is the case, one must understand going into it that the installments (the releases of new instructions) depend upon the the author’s time. Several thoughts on this. First, the author of the mystery should make absolutely certain before beginning a mystery that he/she has plenty of time to conduct the mystery in a timely manner. Second, the participants should understand that life does happen, even to authors, and that there may be some delay in finishing the mystery. A good author will keep participants updated as to the status of future installments. The complexity of the pattern. This factor should be self-explanatory! The more complex the pattern, the longer it may take to complete the mystery. The time of year. The season (or seasons) a mystery is going to span is all-important, as well. Mysteries are typically not conducted over the holiday season, beginning Thanksgiving and going past Christmas, beyond the New Year. These seasons are simply too busy with real life. Mysteries may also experience difficulty in getting participation if it is during the summer.      In summary, mysteries are best when conducted during “dead” times during the year, such as winter. They also seem to have better participation if they are conducted over a shorter span of time (two months or less) and have options (MQ 15, 16, and 17 show versatility because they are all made from the same base pattern, but each look totally different when completed!) for the participants to choose from. I have also discovered that the more information (without revealing the outcome) that can be given prior to beginning, the better, such as: Theme, Options, Color Suggestions, Size, Time To Complete, Complexity, etc.      If a mystery is announced as a short, quick project, that does not necessarily mean that it is not going to be appealing. A good mystery author can provide a truly unique pattern that gives the participants options, such as turning it from a wallhanging into a tablerunner or expanding it into a full quilt, etc. There are many times when a pattern is simple to make, yet looks like the quilter spent a lot more time on it than actually happened.      An author of a mystery should attempt to keep the mystery suspenseful by mixing it up and postponing the “guessing” for as long as possible. The installments of a mystery should never be given in the order that is seen in the finished design. For instance, say that a wallhanging is going to have nine (9) blocks and the layout is similar to a nine-patch. Instead of giving the installments in order, from left to right and top to bottom, mix it up. Keep the participants guessing!!!!      If you are ready for a good mystery, check out the ones on Quilting Passion and the other sites listed below. Each have concluded on Quilting Passion, however the majority of them remain online. Also, keep a watchful eye out in the Quilting Passion eNews or the Quilting Passion Mystery Quilt Notifications for the announcements of new mysteries.      The Quilting Passion Gallery also contains many photographs of finished mystery quilts; this should give you an idea of the types (and wide variety) of patterns used. Since many authors of mystery quilts do not charge a fee, I can say with much enthusiasm that photographs are gratefully appreciated. Seeing finished projects from mystery quilts that I have conducted helps give me incentive to keep providing them! Mystery Quilt 19 is slated on Quilting Passion for sometime this summer.      Other Mystery Quilt Web sites include: WWQP The Quilted Snail Electric Quilt Mysteries Teena’s Patchwork & Embroidery Anne’s Mystery Quilts            Mystery Quilts are fun! If you have never played in one, then find one and join!

Quilting By Design Site Map.
Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, mystery quilts

     Gardening is another hobby of mine. Spring has sprung and I am sure that spring fever has hit quite a few of you! I know it has hit me and I can hardly wait to begin gardening. I love to plant flowers, bushes, trees, and vegetables. Each year, my yard gets larger and larger!
     Did you know that you can still “grow” a garden even if are not a gardener? How? By quilting one!
     Here are a few ideas and/or resources to get you going. If patterns are offered on any of the links below, please adhere to the copyright of the owner!

Almost A Flower Garden, by McCall’s Quilting.

Appliqué Flower, McCall’s Quilting.

Free Garden Quilt Patterns from Victoriana Quilt Designs.

Free Patterns, by CompuQuilt.

Appliquéd Flower Quilt, by Quilting Passion.

Quilting By Design Site Map.

quilting, garden quilts, quilts

     Well, another Thursday. I have always liked Thursdays; I believe it is because you are so close to the end of the week that it actually makes the day quite enjoyable as you anticipate Friday!
     I have decided that there will be Thursdays when I simply post my thoughts… sort of giving me a break from writing in-depth articles and to also give you a break from reading my articles! So, Thursday’s are going to typically be short and sweet.
     I have been thinking all week about the tragedy suffered in Virginia early this week… who hasn’t? It is shocking and sickening to know that there are people in this world that not only entertain the thoughts of committing atrocities in our world, but to actually carry out plans is simply horrific.
     This reminded me of the tragedy of 09/11/01. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first heard the news, as I imagine most of you do. I was driving down I-70 in Indianapolis, on my way to work at Eli Lilly and Company, where I was the Senior Technical Writer for the Oncology Department. I was in shock when I heard the news and immediately turned around and went back home. Once home, I was glued to the television, almost believing it was a nightmare and I would be waking up. I suppose our neighbors in Virginia are feeling the same way, only there is no nightmare to wake up from. Instead, it is a nightmare that they are living through day in and day out right now.
     I felt helpless and out-of-sorts on 09/11/01, so I decided to do something creative; to try to make something good from a really bad day. I sat down at my computer, designed an American Flag in EQ, stitched it up, took it to work the next day and hung it in my office. Today, I would like to share this pattern with you, called “Flag of Hope“. This flag is paper-pieced and comes in two (2) different versions: Horizontal and Vertical.

     I have had feelings of helplessness this week, also. Like me, you may be thinking, “Is there something that I can do?”. The answer to that is, “Yes”. I have created a project called Comforting Virginia in which I am asking for quilts (all sizes are welcome) to be voluntarily made and donated to survivors and/or the victims’ families (You can find details about this project by clicking the preceding link). This idea comes from a video that I found on the Internet late Wednesday night, from ABC, entitled, “Comfort Quilts“. This video touched me deeply and, even though I am extremely busy right now, I am committing myself to one comfort quilt. How about you?
     If you would like more information on how to donate to Project Comforting Virginia and you are not a member of the Quilting Passion Forum, please feel free to e-mail me.
     Help make a difference in a life!

Quilting By Design Site Map.
Original article and concept located on Quilting Passion, authored by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, patriotic quilts

What is paper-piecing? In a nutshell, paper-piecing is a technique used to sew blocks together using a sewing machine (set on a very small stitch) and plain paper (copy/typing paper). Blocks that have many pieces, or a lot of points, or even gentle curves, can be constructed with a degree of accuracy that is impressive to even the most highly skilled quilter. This is also an excellent way to use up smaller scraps of fabric that you never dreamed possible to use.      How does paper-piecing differ from foundation piecing? Traditionally, paper-piecing uses paper as the foundation to sew your pieces of fabric to, while foundation piecing uses a fabric foundation (usually muslin). There are advantages and disadvantages to each. The primary advantage of using paper is that it is removable and less bulky than sewing onto a muslin-type foundation. On the other hand, this advantage is also a major disadvantage in that the paper removal is time-consuming, tedious, and just plain messy (tiny bits of paper all over the place!). The primary advantage of a foundation pieced block is that it is faster because you do not have to remove anything when the block is finished. The major disadvantage is that the extra layer of fabric adds bulk to the quilt. Regardless of which you prefer, the stitching technique used is basically the same as you sew your block together.      There are many free patterns to be found on the Internet and also an abundance of books available for purchase. One of the earliest quilters to jump on board the paper-piecing train was Carol Doak, often thought of as the queen of paper-piecing. Ms. Doak perfected the technique, taking it to a new level of accurate piecing, and has created some stunning patterns and quilts. Ms. Doak is not only a talented designer; she is also a superb teacher, so if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of her workshops/seminars, do not let it pass you by! Carol also has a new DVD, Carol Doak Teaches You to Paper Piece, in which she shows you step-by-step the entire paper-piecing process.      Current popular books include: Piecing Workshop by Ruth B. McDowell, Mastering Precision Piecing by Sally Collins, The Experts Guide to Foundation Piecing by Jane Hall, Painless Paper-Piecing by Marjorie Rhine, and Piece by Piece by Nancy Wong Spindler.
Here are a few Web sites with valuable information and/or free patterns and projects to get you started: Cristine Thresh’s Paper Piecing Primer English Paper Piecing Mini Salt Lake Temple: Free Beginner’s Paper-Piecing Project Practice Paper-Piecing Quilt Seeds’ Free Paper-Piecing Tutorials Quilting Passion Paper-Piecing Patterns World Wide Quilting Page Foundation Block Piecing Tutorial      One of the most awesome aspects of paper-piecing/foundation-piecing is that it allows quilters to be extremely precise in their measurements, yielding practically perfect blocks every time! This is ideal for small blocks, but can be used for any size block you choose. Quilting By Design Site Map. Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford. quilting, paperpiecing, quilts, paper piecing, foundation piecing

Appliquéd Rose, Pattern from Quilting Passion
     The word Appliqué is the French term meaning ‘to apply’ and is a beautiful and creative expression in which fabric shapes are stitched to a background.
     I’ve always admired appliquéd quilts, especially a Baltimore Album quilt, but was hesitant to try my hand at it (no pun intended) because I’d never quilted before and I’d never thought of myself as having a steady hand, capable of doing intricate work. I also thought I’d never have the patience required to appliqué. Big surprise.
     After becoming interested in quilting, I enrolled in a local quilt shop’s (The Quilter’s Nook in Tulsa, OK, which is no longer in business, unfortunately!) beginning quilting class. The object of this class was to complete a wallhanging made up of four blocks: Two were pieced, two were appliquéd. What a project to undertake with my new-found addiction! With the help of a fabulous teacher, I hand-pieced, hand-appliquéd, and hand-quilted this wallhanging. It’s currently hanging in the downstairs, guest bedroom. It’s one of my proudest quilting accomplishments.
     I’d like to share with you a few tips that I’ve learned along the appliqué path of life. Most of these were learned the hard way; by trial and error. Mostly error. Hopefully, by giving you a few tips, you will not have as many errors!

1. I strongly suggest pre-washing 100% cotton fabrics for most appliqué projects. Especially if the colors are extremely bright or they are specialty fabrics (such as batiks or hand dyes). In the above mentioned wallhanging, I used a bright fuchsia print. I pre-washed the fabric and was shocked to find that it still bled onto my white on white background after washing it the first time once it was finished. It took several launderings for it to finally quit bleeding. Had I watched the rinse water upon my initial pre-washing of the fabric and seen the dye still bleeding into it, I’d have washed it again. You can probably get by with not pre-washing blends. But I won’t risk it again on 100% fabrics that even look like they might bleed!
2. 100% cotton fabrics are best for most appliqué projects. Blends usually don’t crease nearly as well and also need pressing at a cooler temperature than cotton. I especially like the feel of appliquéing with batik fabrics.
3. Silk, lamé, and similar fabrics may need stabilized with an iron-on product fused to the wrong side before appliquéing.
4. When making templates, I prefer heat-resistant plastic over cardboard. Plastic templates hold their shape while I’ve found that cardboard ones don’t always (they can be ‘indented’ by marking too closely to it with your marking pen/pencil). Sewing your appliqué piece onto your background fabric is much easier if you first turn the edges of the fabric up over the template and press the crease. This can be aided by lightly brushing starch around the edge of the appliqué piece. I use a cotton swab on a stick.
5. The best method for me to appliqué is using freezer paper. It’s simple and I find that it gives the piece that I’m appliquéing enough stability to make working with it a snap. Simply trace the pattern piece onto the freezer paper, cut it out, then iron it onto the back side of your fabric. When you cut around your freezer paper pattern on the fabric, be sure to leave ¼” seam allowance. Fold the ¼” seam allowance over the back onto the freezer paper. I use glue from a glue stick to hold it in place, making sure to firmly crease it with my fingertips. Then, pin the ready-to-appliqué piece into place, ready to be stitched using an appropriate stitch.
6. When using the freezer paper method, after the appliquéd piece is finished, I turn it over and carefully clip the back side and cut out the inner portion of the base foundation beneath the appliquéd piece. I then carefully remove the freezer paper.
7. There are several methods of appliqué stitches. The stitch I choose depends on what I want the finished look of the quilt to be. I prefer invisible appliqué, but the blanket stitch, sometimes called button-hole stitch is also one of my favorite. To ensure invisible stitches, match the thread to the appliqué shape. 100% cotton sewing thread is recommended.
8. A small embroidery or appliqué needle is preferred.
9. Silk pins work great when pinning your piece to the foundation. Place pins every ¾ to 1″, perpendicular to the edge of the shape. Flat head flower pins also are good to use.
10. Instead of pinning a narrow shape, such as a flower stem, to the foundation, I use a glue stick to adhere it.
11. Always bring your needle up from the back of the appliqué piece to the front in the crease in order to hide the knot of your thread.
12. Some areas on appliqué pieces are hard to turn under without clipping. Make sure you don’t clip beyond your turn-under allowance. Clip only on concave curves (those curves that are shaped like VERY relaxed u’s) or at a “V” area, such as at the top of a heart. If you clip two or three threads short of the line you’ll be turning under on, it will give you enough fabric to anchor your stitches and also will help prevent fraying.
13. Turn off the steam when pressing your appliqué pieces. You’ll be working with your fingers near the iron and steam burns hurt! Steam can also stretch your fabric. If you do choose to press your pieces (as I do), make sure you press and not iron! What’s the difference? Pressing is a technique using an up and down motion from the iron to the fabric. Ironing is a technique using a side to side motion on the fabric, without picking it up. Ironing can distort fabric. Pressing shouldn’t distort.
14. I place all of my appliqué pieces into a zippable-type plastic bag. I also place my appliqué scissors, thread, needles, and other items I use in another zippable-type bag. I then place both of these bags into a larger bag. This makes my appliqué project portable.
15. A helpful (and comforting) tip that I’ve figured out on my own is that good appliquéing skills come with practice. And just because one project looks great this time doesn’t mean another one will look equally as good a few months from now. Why? Because practice *does* make all the difference in the world. Without appliquéing on a steady basis, one can become rusty. Unfortunately. But it is also comforting to know that it doesn’t take much time to get back into the swing of appliquéing if you do get rusty!

     Appliqué is one of the most rewarding aspects of quilting that I enjoy. It is relaxing, portable, easy, has a wide variety of techniques, and looks great!

     NOTE: This original article first written by Quilting Passion and is copyrighted.

     OTHER RESOURCES: Appliqué, Embroidery, Redwork

quilts, applique, freezer paper, blanket stitch, button-hole stitch, quilting

     Quilters all over the world are always keeping a watchful eye out for two (2) things: Quilt patterns and FREE!. So, it is a very lucky day, indeed, to find a combination of both.

     Well, today is your lucky day, because there are many patterns offered for free on the Internet, with one such site being Quilting With A Passion. These patterns do, however, hold a copyright, so be sure to abide by the copyright if you use them. Free patterns are added to this site on a continual basis, with a wide variety of the type of patterns offered, including: Appliqué, pieced, paper-pieced, full quilt patterns, and more.

     Another excellent source of free patterns are offered by Marcia Hohn at The Quilter’s Cache. If using any of Marcia’s patterns, please be sure to adhere to her copyright, as well. Marcia is an acclaimed designer and has had many of her patterns featured in various quilting magazines.

     One thing that most free pattern designers have is a gallery, showcasing quilts made from their patterns. So, if you use a pattern from either of the two (2) sites (or any other!) mentioned above, please take a moment to capture the quilt via a photograph and share the photo with the designer. I know that it would be greatly appreciated, plus it also gives designers more incentive to keep providing free patterns to users.

     Truly, each quilter has his/her own style and it is reflected in how the quilt is made: All the way from the chosen color themes to the fabric selections, the block(s) chosen, the layout, the quilting, and even in finishing the quilt off with a label. So, it is always amazing to see how many different “looks” can be gained from using one pattern.

     I firmly believe that you could give 100 quilters the same pattern(s) and they would each turn out a quilt quite different to the other 99! It is remarkable how quilters bring their own talents to the table to create unique works of art.

     Free patterns rock and so those of you that take a minute to share your quilt with the designer!

quilts, free quilt patterns, quilting