Any quilters?

[Apple]

I've been trying to think of more stuff to do on my weekend/night shifts when things are slow (I should be going to a schedule that will have twice as many nights and weekends as I do now, shifts that usually have a lot more downtime).

One thing I've wanted to do for a long time is make a quilt.  I even cut out squares from old jeans many years ago, but never got around to putting a quilt together.

Because I'll have a lot of time to work on these, I want to do it completely by hand.  I may decide later to use a machine for parts, but I think a handmade quilt would be pretty cool, and it's not like I don't have the time.  

I'd do a basic one with just large squares to start, something easy to get my stitches down.  I'd be watching tv/movies while I do it, so by hand will be nice and quiet too.  

So, any preferred thimbles, thread, needles, etc?  

These are some items I found on Amazon... thoughts?  Something better?  I'll be checking out the local JoAnn's as well.

Thread:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P2M9LU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AOEI7EJL32BEX

Thimbles/thimble pads:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YZ8PE4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J5JN7G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQ6HSXU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OVGJDU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Needles (size 10)
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063829QQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Ruler set, squares:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001DUMZY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_9?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Cutting mat:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DE2JGT2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3LS1M17EJOC4E

I'm probably going to start in June or July, since I should have a bunch of nights then.  I figure if I do the jeans one first, I'll get used to some hard/heavy material (it would be backed by some sort of heavy cotton, maybe hand dyed).  After that, the next one, although more complex in pattern, hopefully, will be easier.  If I just can't do the jeans by hand, I'll do them with a machine later.

Some day I want to complete the one my great grampa made... he used to sew quilt tops using small squares.  I have one of his quilt tops, just needs to be turned into a quilt  

Of course, in my family, quilts are sewn, comforters are tied.  So I'm going to have to do a ton of stitching, but I have 20 years of night shifts ahead of my

[Apple]

Oh, I'll also need a rotary cutter.  I'll probably start at the store for that, unless someone has a recommendation!

[Sharon]

The needles and the thread that you have marked are for quilting after you have the top pieced.  You would want different needles and thread for sewing the blocks together.  Love the omni grid rulers.  My most used ones are my 6" square and my 6"x24".  I have others but those two are the most used.  My rotary cutters are OLFA.  In those I have a 45mm and a 28mm.  I have a large self healing cutting mat and also a small one.  My small one is maybe 9"x6".  It is great for traveling or small projects.  You might also want a small portable ironing pad.  Pressing is very important to having a good finished project.

I would NOT start with denim, it is too stiff and hard to sew.

I took a sewing/quilting by hand class and the book we used was "Quiltmaking by Hand" by Jinny Beyer.  Link to book on Amazon

[simser]

Don't do the jeans by hand- no one really has the hand strength to do that. Id actually suggest doing a fun pattern-9 block or pinwheel or something easy but not just a square to start. What size are you thinking? Id do no more than a toddler size quilt to start if I was doing it be hand.

Thread is normal stuff until you quilt and then you need special quilting thread. A ruler and rotary cutter is a must have!!

I make a lot of quilts (right now I am working on applique flowers. 324 blacks for a king sized quilt... Ugh) Feel free to ask me anything.

[Apple]

Cool, thank you both!

I could probably do a toddler quilt to start, for my niece, her birthday is in October.  Hopefully, that would go well and I could do a couple larger quilts for the other niece and nephew by Christmas.  If that's too ambitious (it probably is), I'd give all the stuff next year, lol.

Maybe I could do a nine-block pattern but with large squares to start?  I kind of want to do six inch (finished) squares to start, so I can see some quick progress and don't give up.  The squares on the one my great-grampa made are super small--like an inch and a half or so.  I'm not ready for that much work!

Eventually I want to do a t-shirt quilt for DS with shirts from all the countries we've visited (14 countries, so I may have to do some shirts from some of the big cities as well).  I have one from Stonehenge that says "Stonehenge Rocks!" and a few others I got him when he was smaller.  If I have to purchase any new ones, I'd purchase a child's size to keep the cost down.  That one would have to be a queen or king size.

I'll look around for an ironing pad/iron.  If I can find a cheap one, I can store it at work in the women's locker room (there are only three of us, the other two don't usually use it, so it wouldn't bother anyone).

I wasn't sure which thread for the blocks, so that's good to know too.  My mom sews everything, but quilts, lol.  I'll be asking her for advice too, but I like to get different ideas, sometimes she's just "I don't know, you just do it!"

[gracendignity]

I agree with Simser, you don't want to sew denim by hand! It's late where I am so I didn't click on all  your links but it seems Simser did and covered them for you.  I'll probably follow them tomorrow.

The rulers are good ones to have. I prefer a Fiskar's rotary cutter because the curved handle fits my hand best and is easy on my wrists.  As someone who spends her work days typing on a keyboard that is important for me.  Either Fiskar's or Olfa is a good brand, though.

I have never learned to keep a metal thimble on my finger.  I use a leather thimble instead. The needle will pierce it, so I drop a dime down in the tip of it and it works great. This works like the leather thimble in your link, but my method is cheaper. I use the moleskin dots sometimes, too, if I'm piecing or doing applique, but I prefer the full coverage for hand quilting.  I like the brand you have linked.   

A size 10 or 12 needle is recommended, but they are small and can bend easily. Years ago I was quilting a quilt for a customer that had a zillion seam intersections and my needle kept breaking. I grabbed up a size 8 packet from WM and it went so much better. Now I usually buy that size. I like John James brand. I can easily get 10 stitches to inch with the larger needle, sometimes more if I want to go slowly and painstakingly, so you might keep that in mind if you find a No. 10 needle too small to handle.

One word of advice about cutting mats:  They are lined and marked but be very sure your lines are accurate.  I've had several mats over the years and only was off but it was WAY off.  I used the back side of it instead.  I see the one you picked is rather small.  I find a larger one to be more helpful, say 24 x 36 or so, but as a dedicated quilter I cut from yardage for many of my quilts and the extra space is nice to have.

Quilting, like so many hobbies, can be very expensive or not so expensive.  You seem to have the basics covered for getting started and can decide as you go along what else you might like to have.  If/when you start pricing quilt shop quality fabric you may have a light heart attack, but there are ways to find it cheaper. 

And if you want to do a TV-watching project, have you considered English Paper Piecing?  Fun, fast, easy and relatively mindless.  A quick youtube or google search will introduce you to it.

[gracendignity]

Spoken like a true quilter already--plotting out gifts that will fill your gift-giving list.  lol!  I make many quilts for family members but with the exception of newborn baby quilts I no longer promise them for specific times!  Ask me how I learned not to do that.  lol!

For a 9P quilt I might suggest a 4" finished block.  That would give you a 12" finished block.  It pieces up fairly quickly.  As long as you are happy with the quilt, though, that is what is important. 

When you are ready for a T-shirt quilt do some research on how to make them.  They are a bit of a different kettle of fish from quilting with cotton fabric. 

[Apple]

I hope to get a lot of my mom's fabric scraps to start, lol.  She also knows when everything is on sale, when the discount bin gets the good fabric, and all the good coupons, so I'll be relying on her to help me keep the cost low!  

As I work with larger fabric I'll probably need to go up in cutting mat size, but if it will work for fat quarters and scraps I should be ok (and that's something I'd do in the break room, so portable is handy).  I'll definitely keep an eye out for a good deal on the 24 x 36 size!

I haven't heard of English paper piecing, I'll have to look that up.

I also try out new recipes while I'm at work, so I'm open to all kinds of different hobbies!  Just has to be easy to put down in an emergency.  (I have to accept that I might ruin something I'm cooking/baking because I have to turn off the oven and run, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.)

[gracendignity]

May 10, 2016 23:18:49 GMT -5 Apple said:

I hope to get a lot of my mom's fabric scraps to start, lol.  She also knows when everything is on sale, when the discount bin gets the good fabric, and all the good coupons, so I'll be relying on her to help me keep the cost low!  

As I work with larger fabric I'll probably need to go up in cutting mat size, but if it will work for fat quarters and scraps I should be ok (and that's something I'd do in the break room, so portable is handy).  I'll definitely keep an eye out for a good deal on the 24 x 36 size!

I haven't heard of English paper piecing, I'll have to look that up.

I also try out new recipes while I'm at work, so I'm open to all kinds of different hobbies!  Just has to be easy to put down in an emergency.  (I have to accept that I might ruin something I'm cooking/baking because I have to turn off the oven and run, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.)

EPP is perfect for work.  Very easy to pick up and put down.  I have a Grandmother's Flower Garden bedrunner in the works now and am doing it with EPP.  It is what I work on while watching TV, talking on the phone, or attending quilt guild meetings, and activities.  YouTube has some good tutorials for it.  If you use Pinterest search Hexie Quilts and you'll be inundated with ideas. 

[Apple]

I just looked up a youtube video to see what it was, and that looks like a great way to do different shapes! (the one I saw was just hexagons, but so much easier than cutting each piece!)

I'll be checking out more videos, thank you

[Apple]

May 10, 2016 23:17:59 GMT -5 gracendignity said:

Spoken like a true quilter already--plotting out gifts that will fill your gift-giving list.  lol!  I make many quilts for family members but with the exception of newborn baby quilts I no longer promise them for specific times!  Ask me how I learned not to do that.  lol!

Lol!  My family has a lot of crafty people, so I grew up getting homemade gifts (many I still have).   All I wanted from my mom for Christmas was some of her knit socks (and homemade candies).

I've made the fleece "tie" blankets for gifts before, but I'm ready to step up my game.  I've been slow learning how to sew, but I'm ready now.  

[simser]

If you want an ironing surface and a cutting surface, I have one of these and it works well traveling: Omnigrid 12-Inch-by-18-Inch Fold-Away Portable Cutting & Pressing Station www.amazon.com/dp/B001CE5DPK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_cPRmxbKHDTQ0V

I think you can make your blocks whatever size you want, but just jazz it up a bit or conversely you could do an "I spy" quilt with fussy cut blocks (like you cut around a doll so you could say "I spy a doll" and the toddler would point to it)

It's addicting!!! I've also done tshirt quilts- that's an easy quilt but requires a machine again because you have to stabilize the shorts and the more layers, the harder to sew.

[Apple]

I went to the fabric store today!  My mom works there, so I have a bit of an "in"...

The quilting area was 40% off, so picked up some of the stuff (a few types of thimbles, a couple of the ones I had links for, to start testing them out and see which I like.)  I got a square set with a cutting mat (for just a few dollars more than the square set on amazon).  I'll get a larger ruler later when it goes on sale, or my mom might have an extra.  

The roller cutters are BOGO free starting Friday (JoAnn's), so I'll buy mine then.

They had some of the card stock pre-cut for some of the paper piecing too!  I might get into "fancier" shapes sooner than I thought if I try those out.  Because of this thread, I knew what they were for  You are all very helpful!

I also shopped the remnants section and there was some shamrock on black background that I loved, black fabric and some other shamrock print.  I'll lay it out to see how big of something it will make, and if it's just almost enough to make a quilt for the couch, but not quite, I'll go get some green solid fabric.  If it's much smaller, I'll either make a lap quilt, potholders, or pillow cases with it.  I'll get some "little girl" fabric for the niece when it's on sale later this month (with coupon).  They have one for 20% off your total purchase (regular and sale) that will be good at the end of the month.

[Apple]

The senior center has a "Quilters" thing every Monday from 10-3.  I get quite a few Mondays off, so I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if they'll let me join them    I'm far from being a senior, but I hope they don't care!

I have two of the black pieces and a yard of "apple green" solid (not pictured, but it matches the green in some of the shamrocks).  I can't wait!!  I'll probably make four-squares with a large solid color square to alternate, and then stitch a shamrock into the solid square (in contrasting thread) when I go to stitch the layers together.  

I wish I had more of the dark shamrock material, but it was a remnant and someone else took the other one right before I found it.  I think what I have will make a good size for a quilt to keep on the couch though.

[Blonde Granny]

If this has already been posted, I'm sorry, but here goes. My SIL has quilted for years and has taught a lot of classes on complicated patterns. Her one suggestion for me was: When buying quilting rulers, always buy the same brand. My choice was Omnigrid. SIL said each company that makes rulers could have a slight variation in the measurements. In a large quilt, that can easily throw off the final dimensions. 

Also watch carefully the batting, especially on a quilt that has very dark fabric in it.  When machine quilting, little tufts called "bearding" can come through on the back of the quilt and you'll have a real mess on your hands.  My preference for batting is made by Warm & White.  I usually buy 10 yds of the 90" wide off the bolt when it goes on sale at 50% off.

[Apple]

Good to know about the different brands of rulers... At the very least, I can make sure any one quilt is done with just one brand, but so far I have the omnigrid brand, and I'll try to just keep with it.

I have the book Sharon mentioned on order (there was a used one, $5 on amazon prime!).

Now that I know about the paper piecing, I have all kinds of ideas in my head for "picture" quilts later, lol.  

And... I found out my town has a quilting group that gets together every Monday at the Senior Center!  I only work 50% of Mondays, so that would work out great.  I called them today to see if they accepted "all ages" and was told yes, everyone is welcome, but come check it out because "they can get a little wild".  I think this could be fun

[gracendignity]

Apple, I clicked on the links in your first post and had to smile. You and I like many of the same quilting toys. YLI is my very favorite thread for hand quilting. Sometimes I hand piece with it, too. The Omnigrid cutting/pressing mat is a wonderful tool to have. I have it in 2 sizes and love them both. There is another style, June Tailor, that is a padded ironing surface on 1 side and cutting mat on the other. I've had 2 over the years and they both warped horribly. Some of my quilty friends have had similar experiences with theirs. If you were asking my opinion (and you weren't, I know) I'd recommend the Omnigrid.

Oh, joining the real-life quilting group could turn out to be great fun for you! I'm a charter member of our local guild. We meet at the local library once a month and my niece, who works there, says she always knows when Aunt Grace and the quilt ladies are there because we make so much noise laughing.   We don't care because we have a good time anyway.  As a group quilters are a pretty friendly group of people who like to share their quilting knowledge with anyone who wants to learn. 

Jinny Beyer is an excellent hand piecer/quilter.  You will likely find her book to be a wonderful resource.   She says she actually accomplishes more faster by doing handwork than by doing machine work.  Some of my friends claim she is crazy, but not me.  Back in the day when I was a busy mom raising kids, etc., I found I really did do more with hand work than machine work because it was portable, and I could do while waiting on girls to finish their activities or could do it in the living room at night, etc.  I bet you will be surprised at home much accomplish in bits of found time, too. 

Now I'm itching to get to my own sewing room to work on my quilts.  But it is strawberry time in my corner of the internet and I bought 12 quarts today.   Jam and Jelly is waiting to be made!!  It is also gorgeous weather here so I'm going to be starting painting all that furniture I bought over the last few months.  Quilting will have to wait for a while longer. 

[Timberwolf]

I'll throw in my 2-cents worth here.  I made a large queen sized quilt (comforter) from old blue jeans and what I learned is that the top alone is very, very heavy.  I wouldn't back that quilt with denim, or even heavy cotton.  Personally, I'd go with a very light fabric otherwise the quilt could end being too heavy when you're using it.  That kind of negates the warmth of the thing because it's too heavy to trap air.  Good luck with the quilting part - I don't have the patience to quilt, I tie. 

[Deleted]

Every time i see this thread i think it says quitters and feel like i should come and confess

[Blonde Granny]

Another great quilters book is called A Complete Quilters Guide written by Fons & Porter. IIRC, their store in somewhere is western Iowa. Their directions are easy to follow and the pictures are terrific. I bought mine from Amazon, but was quite awhile ago and I don't recall how much the cost was.

I still drag mine out to double check things I haven't done in awhile, so it's a terrific reference even when you're somewhat experienced.

[Apple]

I won't be a quilter quitter!!

I'll look up the other books.

It's good to know YLI is a good brand, since it's not cheap!  The threader is a little expensive with the shipping, and our local Joann's doesn't carry it, so it may have to wait. 

I had a jean quilt/comforter that I bought years ago at a thrift store, and yes, it was very heavy!  It was backed with a striped material, almost a canvas, so also a little heavy, but held up well with the jeans.  Eventually I used it to help insulate my dog's little doghouse (over some water heater insulation).  When my dog died, I buried her in it   Long story of saying I had one, but don't anymore...  I had a boyfriend in HS who had one his gramma made for him, I liked it so much I've always wanted to make one!  I kind of figure they're so heavy they don't really need batting, just a backing (or just a flannel sheet as batting).

[Apple]

The fabric store is taking all my money!  The rotary cutters (and scissors) are BOGO free right now, quilt batting is 50% off, some of the quilt fabric is 50% off, LED light stuff is 50% off (I wanted a small one I could clip to the top of an apron, kind of have a portable light), and then I had a 20% off coupon on top of all that. 

I took photos of the fabric I bought for the quilt, then I used excel to "design" a quilt. Pretend the green cloud puffs are shamrocks (excel doesn't have a shamrock shape, had to improvise). Hopefully it works! I figure if I make a twin size one I'll use it for my couch blanket smile emoticon.  The photo is square, but I just wanted the basic pattern.  I was hoping to find a green gingham or polka dot fabric, but they didn't have any when I looked.  If I can find some, I may make some of the large squares using the apple green instead of having them all be black.  I have a while before it gets stitched together, I just wanted to see if I'd like the final result before I started sewing!

Does anyone know of a website where you can have a basic quilt design and then "fill in" the blocks with your chosen fabric?  Excel was ok, but it's kind of clumsy.

[Sharon]

The fabric store is taking all my money!

Yep.  That's quilting.  I can totally relate to that statement.

[Apple]

May 15, 2016 11:04:16 GMT -5 Sharon said:

The fabric store is taking all my money!

Yep.  That's quilting.  I can totally relate to that statement.

I budget using YNAB.  There is now a line item for quilting

[Apple]

I went to the senior center on Monday, for their last hour (I had a doctor's appointment out of town, so dropped by late).  The women there were very friendly!  Two were sitting down hand quilting--one used to work (kind of) with my dad, and the other lady was 99!  She said that as she got older her stitches got bigger, but I looked, and they were still so tiny!

The "baby" of the group looked to be in her 50s.  And... they all know my mom, lol (since mom works at the fabric store).

The woman who worked with my dad is currently down sizing, so she had brought in a tub full of patterns.  They'd already been through them, so told me to take them home and keep what I wanted (but don't bring the rest back!)  I went through it at home, and there were several cool patterns, including a dragon quilt (a dragon by itself, or you could add a wizard, a cliff, a book, etc, to make it look like a story).  There were also several "scotty dog" patterns.  Those are my dad's favorite breed, so I know what kind of quilt he is getting!

They told me to bring in a front fabric, piece of batting, and bottom fabric, and they'd get me started!  I can try hoop quilting or lap quilting.

Sever other women were using machines to quilt, but they said they usually don't have a bunch of machines going, they were just getting several quilt tops ready.

Anyway, they seem like a fun group and I'm really looking forward to getting to go hang out with them in June

They also meet at each other's houses on Wednesday evenings, so once I've been around a while I could probably meet up then too.

[gracendignity]

Apple, I'm glad you got a chance to meet the ladies at the senior center! Overall quilters are a friendly group who welcome new quilters and are glad to show them the ropes. It sounds like you have stumbled upon a group that can work well for you. From your description they sound like a great group of quilters.



How nice that you have a nice stack of patterns to use. I like the traditional patterns the best, and the Scottie Dog is a great from the Depression Era. Depending on what kind of stitches your machine does, that one is a good one to do applique by machine. I enjoy handwork the very best, but the machine surely does speed up the process. I like your Four Patch you designed, too. That is the first pattern my daughters learned to sew.



Life has been interfering with quilting time lately but today I got to spend a few hours quilting with some of my fellow guild members. First time I had threaded a needle in over a week--it was sheer heaven to work on binding a wall hanging and catching up with everyone. Hopefully you will develop good friendships with the ladies you met at your group.

[Apple]

I'm looking forward to the next time I can meet up with the ladies.  I have to work Monday, so it will be another week before I can do so.

I found a bunch of different dog prints yesterday, they'll work well for the scotty dog quilt I want to make.  

A question about "Fabric Quarters" if you've used them...  They say "do not prewash", but I'll be using reds and whites in some areas, as well as oranges and browns.  I fear putting a ton of work into the quilt and then finding that the fabrics bleed together, does anyone have experience with these?  Are they really "good to go"? (I might take a small piece of the red and the white, stitch them together, and then launder them to see if they do bleed, to reassure myself, but knowing someone has used them without issue would help!)

[Blonde Granny]

I skein wash the fabric first, and I've never heard that about fat quarters.  It could be that since it's a small piece, it would have a tendency to "warp" after it's cut or something....hang on, I hear google calling....

[Blonde Granny]

As I thought, some do, some don't.  I'm in the don't wash category.  If I'm concerned with colors running & bleeding onto light colors, I toss in a Color Catcher and don't worry about it.

One reason I don't wash fabric before is that it is some much easier to cut when it still has the fabric sizing in it.

I'd say it's your choice, either way....

[Apple]

Yeah, google is giving me mixed options, lol...  Most of the cons are "fray" and enough shrinkage to not have enough fabric to use in your pattern.  I bought the fat quarters because I don't need much (most will be used for the dog collars and other small parts), and there were more options for dog/bone/paw prints.

I do see some just hand wash in the sink to see if anything is colorfast and reduce fraying.  Some never wash and everything is ok.  Some never wash anything but red, then they always wash red.  Some wash then dip in starch to stiffen the fabric again for piecing.  It's all so confusing, lol.

I may go ahead and hand wash, then starch, the red fabric, and see what happens with it.  If it doesn't run, I won't worry so much about washing the others.