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.

Sew your own Seam

I meet a lot of quilters.  It is one of the hazards of owning a shop and selling long arm machines.  One of the things I become acutely aware of when I am conversing with any quilter with a modicum of skill is how truly terrible I am as quilter.  When I say terrible I refer to my points (or fault there of), the lack of attention to the seams direction when I press,  the fact that any top that I piece uses no less than six different colors of thread in the bobbin.  My list of faults goes on, and I am sure there some I can't even think of, but who cares.  The one thing that do right when I am quilting is that I enjoy myself.  So here is a my list of things to remember to keep it fun.

Looks good even in the dark.

Sew your own seam:  Some people find joy in the exactness of the cutting and the  perfection of their points,  others find the joy in the combination of colors they chose,  I even know of a lady who finds joy in a perfectly pressed quilt.  What ever it is about the quilting process you enjoy embrace it.  There is no shame in never picking out your own colors but always piecing together kits with a robot like perfection.  Just like there is no shame in having a 1/4 seam that looks like a DUI conviction but you have a truly original color combo.  Most quilters enjoy a balanced mix of things, but figure out what you like, not what you think you are supposed to like.



Pick your colors:  Just because your friends can sew straighter than you does not make them the color
police.  Just because I stand behind the counter does not mean I know what you like best.  Don't be afraid to pick your own colors and go out of bounds now and again.  Quilts are art and part of the artistic expression is the color.  I have seen some interesting quilts come across my long arm through the years, stuff I would never do nor recommend but they all had their own kind of beauty and the creator always loved them.  As long as you like it no one else really matters.

Made from scraps?

Let it go:  Some projects just don't seem to work out right, so you just have to let them go.  If you pulled the seam out a dozen times and still does not line up right and you hate the colors besides it might be time to let it go.  There is nothing wrong with ditching a project.  I think somewhere long ago in the same book of quilting laws that tells us never to mix batiks with cottons it was written: "Finish everything you start".  This rule may have been instituted by the crotchety old ladies that also walked to school two miles up hill both ways in the snow.  Quilting is art, not every canvas gets finished, in fact it has been speculated that Mona Lisa was painted on a re-used canvas.  So what shame is there in donating those "ugly blocks" to the local guild and starting something fresh?

If you are not smiling you are doing it wrong and  yes, smiling on the inside counts.

Displaying Your Work

Benedict Cumberbatch

Most quilters do not have enough beds in their home to display all of their work and some of our work does not belong on a bed so I sometimes get the question:  What is the best way to display quilts?


Tacks: I know many people that actually just tack them to the wall, like a teenage girl hanging a Benedict Cumberbatch poster.  I am not a fan of poking holes in my quilts with tacks, and some of the thicker quilts don't leave enough of the tack on the back side to securely attach it to the wall.

Rod and Sleeve

Rod and Sleeve:  This is the method we used in the shop for years.  Sew a sleeve on the back of your quilt then use a closet rod or some other rod type thing  stick it in the sleeve then mount the rod on the wall.  Drapery rods will tend not to work as the sleeve does not allow use of middle support bracket and many rods are not strong enough to support a quilts weight with out that middle bracket.  The big down side to this method is the whole sleeve thing.  It is a pain to put on.

Cafe Clips

Draper Rods and Cafe Clips:  This is the method we like the best here at the store.  It looks classy and it is really easy to change quilts out.  The one thing to keep in mind when doing this at home is that drapery hard ware was designed to use on window casings so if you are going to mount a drapery rod in the middle of you living room wall be sure to use some drywall anchors and the proper screws.

I would love to here some other ideas for displaying quilts.  If you have one that works please post in the comments below.  Stitch on, and remember if its not fun you are doing it wrong.

Keep Your Quilts Special

You ever have to make a quilt for somebody, a wedding, a graduation, Christmas, or some other gift giving occasion?  You then ask the recipient what colors and size they want because you think if you get the color and size right they will actually use it.  You then proceed to make said quilt and about half way through you start to hate it.  Worse part is, this quilt is for the first of nine sisters and you will have to relive this nightmare eight more times or risk being banished by your cousin's grand children.

Things I consider when gifting a quilt:

1. All my quilts have a little bit of me in them.  To me what makes a quilt special is that it has a little bit of the quilter in it.  Even if the quilt came from a kit.  The kit spoke to the quilter on some level so it should represent some aspect of the quilter, be it the colors, the prints, the arrangement, etc.  It is hard not to leave your finger prints on any "original" quilt that you make.

2. Size does matter.  Would you give somebody a diamond ring on the second date.  Do you know them that well?  Maybe flowers are more appropriate.  Just because some one you know is getting married does not mean they need a queen size quilt.  A properly done bed quilt requires some of the recipient to be in the quilt if you expect them to use it.  A nice throw always works and if it does not occupy a special place in the house, it is alright it was only a throw.

Adah's Christmas Quilt stitched with love.

3. I have to want to make it.  I pick the colors and the pattern and the prints.  I am the one making it.  I have made plenty of samples quilts in my day, because it was not my idea it is more like work than fun.  You want love to be stitched in, not resentment.

4. Just say no.  I am under no obligation to make quilts for anybody.  I make them because I choose to and that is what makes them special.  Just because they asked does not mean they need one.  If somebody asks me for a quilt and I like them I may let them choose from stock of quilts,  but I will not make a custom special unless I want to.

5. Make your own.  My wife used to volunteer me to make quilts for all sorts of people and all sorts of occasions, I would usually refuse.  It was not until she finally made a quilt herself that she stopped asking.  Most people appreciate the work that goes into a quilt for those that don't they can make their own.

Remember quilting is a hobby so it should be fun, but a quilt is art so it deserves its due.

Mega Man in Red

 A few weeks back the boss was out for a couple of days so that allowed me some time to mess around.  I have been wanting to try my hand at  "bit quilting".   'Mega Man in Red' was the result of said messing around.

He measures right around 50 inches tall, so the picture does not do him justice.  Some of you may recognize him as the hero of the classic video game of yesteryear Mega Man.  I purposely chose the 8-bit old school version because 8-bit generally uses fewer colors and less pixels making it an easier project.  All I did was replace each pixel with a 2 inch square.  I built him a row at a time so I could use strips instead of actually cutting out all those squares and sewing them back together.  It came out pretty cool, and given the catalog of 8-bit game characters I think bit quilting has a lot of potential especially among the aging gamers that have traded in their consoles for sewing machines.  I can see where the 16-bit sprites would be more of a challenge but would also  make some pretty awesome bed quilts.

8-bit

16-bit