The Lazy Quilter

Quilting is suppose to be fun, so here are a few things I do that keep it fun for me.  This list is primarily of things that grandmothers and old quilt books may tell you to do differently, but I am a lazy quilter and things change.

Pre-washing:  I don't do it.  I have a hard enough time getting my underwear into the washing machine why am I going to waste my time pre-washing fabric?  If you are using first quality quilting goods the color is not going to bleed and the shrinkage will be minimal.  Plus if you wait until after our project is quilted to wash it that little bit of shrinkage tightens everything up and gives it that classic quilt look.  If you do pre-wash you have to press everything and tag it with some light starch or sizing to put some body back into your fabric to get crisp clean cuts and nice straight lines.  So being lazy and slightly allergic to the ironing board I opt out of pre-washing.

Polyester thread:  It won't kill you.   I have talked to some veteran quilters and they act like polyester thread is of the devil.  In a therapy session with one of these vets I delved a little deeper into their polyester trauma and learned that their mother's uncle's sister's third cousin's best friend once had the thread cut their fabric while sewing.  If any thread cuts your fabric while sewing you have a machine problem, not a thread problem.  There was also some rumor of the limited life span of polyester.  Polyester is a form of plastic, if plastic decayed faster than cotton would we have overflowing land fills?  Yes some polyesters do not do well with prolonged exposure to UV rays, but there again your quilt will be faded and useless by the time the thread becomes a problem.   Polyester fabric is a whole different story.

Machine on bindings:  It is an option.   Admittedly hand finished bindings gives the best finish. I often machine my bindings on because at least that way they get done.  I make my quilts with the idea that they will be used by myself or someone else to snuggle under or take the chill off a winter night, Are you really looking at the binding?  If a quilt does get heavy use a machined binding will hold up better over time.

Mixing batik and cottons:  When and why was this ever illegal?

Singer is King:  Not anymore.

Ugly Quilts:  I have made a few.  Everyone does, but it's like an ugly baby, you love it anyway and it will grow on you.

My list could go on, but it is 9:30 and the shop opens at 10  so I should get back to work.  Keep in mind there is no ultimate authority on quilting, the only rule is if you are not smiling you are doing it wrong.

To Die Cut or Not?

Accucut Go!   

When It comes to die cutters and quilting at first glance it seems like the best idea ever.  A machine that you put fabric in on one end and it spits out perfectly cut shapes on the other a quilters dream, no more worry about accurate cutting.   It sounds good in theory, but lets dig a little deeper.

Dies - Every shape you want to cut will require a die, depending on the brand and design I have seen them cost anywhere from $15 to $115.  And then you have to hope they make one in the right size.  One of the few times I actually had a practical use for our Go! Cutter was for a Dresden plate that every one was working on, but at the time there was only one die available for a Dresden plate, and it was not close enough in size to even consider using it.  A Die Cutter is like a cheap printer, sure it only cost you a $100, but it costs a $150 for the ink to run it.

Fabric Grain - Die Cutters got their start in the scrap book world cutting paper.  What happens if you cut paper on a bias?  Nothing.  The same can not be said about fabric. A perfect 2 inch strip that is cut on a bias will not stay perfect for very long.  Much of the efficiency you thought you were going to gain using a die cutter is lost in the time it takes to precisely align the fabric with the die.

Why get one? - Applique, if you like applique and you can find some dies that you love they work great for applique shapes.  A die cut machine, to me, is impractical for basic quilting shapes as a rotary cutter and ruler are faster and more efficient.

Brother Scan N' Cut

Scan N' Cut - This magic little device is what we wanted die cutters to be.  No dies are needed so you can always get the shape and size you want.  I think it is still impractical for basic quilt shapes, but we use ours all the time for lettering and applique.  Instead of trying to find a corresponding die for our applique patterns we simply scan the pattern in and it cuts what the pattern calls for.

I know there are happy die cut machine owners out there and I would love to hear from you.  What aside from applique do you use your machine for on a regular basis?

Putting a Pig on Lip Stick

Why?

Once upon a time I was standing at a bus stop in Baltimore and this old rusted out Oldsmobile Cutlass rattled by.  I was new to Baltimore at the time so you can imagine my surprise when I noticed the $3k chrome spinners that adorned the wheels of the rust bucket.  I later learned that this was a common practice in certain neighborhoods.  Why would you put $3,000 on a $300 car?  I know a lot of us are guilty of doing just the opposite.  Here are two common examples.


Low Quality Fabric.  Yes I know the good stuff can be upwards of $11 a yard.  I also know you can get first quality goods in our store and most other shops for as little as $5 a yard if you shop clearance.  Why would you want to put 10 hours of work into something that will fall apart in a couple years?  One of my favorite quilts that mom made for me is in a closet and unusable because it was made before she became a fabric snob.  The quilt is worn out in spots, and irreparable because there is nothing substantial to sew patches too.  For a couple bucks more per yard that quilt could have been passed down to my kids.  The Math:  Lesser quality goods  10 yards @ $8.50/yd = $85  or First quality 10 yards @ 10.50/yd = $105.  These are just rough averages, but a $20 bill is the only thing between a family heirloom and a dog bed.

Stingy with the backing. I see this one a lot as a machine quilter.   Machine quilters ask for an extra 4-6 inches for a reason, we need that to properly attach a quilt to the machine.  When a back is the same size as the top the finished results is less than perfect.  The Math:  Extra Wide Backing $16.95/yd.  So an extra quarter yard is less than $5.  This is less than a 3% increase of the total cost of the quilt using the top from our first example and 2 yards of backing.  Most of this can also be applied to batting. And in case you missed the memo bed sheets are sheets, not quilt backing.

A classic pattern

There are numerous other cost cutting techniques that I have seen that leaves me scratching my head so I'll just wrap this post up with some numbers for a queen size Yellow Brick Road.

Total cost for materials at $10.50/yd average plus batting is $250 figure another $175 for some basic quilting and you are into the quilt for a total of $425. figure your time is worth $10/hour so we add another $100 for labor  $525 minimum value of your investment.  You could cut some corners and do less than the best and save yourself maybe a $100.  That 20% you might save is the difference between a quilt done right to  stand the test of time and a disposable comforter that you could have picked up at Pier One for $150.

Quilting is a hobby, we commit our time and resources to it because it makes us happy.  Do it right and make something timeless, there are a lot worse things you could spend your time and money on.