Quilt Instructions for the Beginner

Transcription

1 Quilt Instructions for the Beginner By Terry White Part 4 Editor Robyn Rex Reed

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS The Quilting Design Pg. 3 Quilt Sandwich & Baste. Pg. 7 Machine Set Up & Quilt.. Pg. 12 Binding Your Quilt Pg. 21 2

3 The Quilting Design Choosing or designing the quilting pattern for a quilt top is as important as any other design decision. It should be integral to the design and enhance the quilt. There are several things to consider in the process. Take your experience as a quilter into consideration, and choose a quilting design that you know you can accomplish. The more you quilt, the better you get. For the blue cat, I decided to begin with an old fashioned quilt block called, Orange Peel. This is what it looks like. 3

4 The following steps show how to mark your quilt with this design, if you choose. 1. Draft the design onto heavy cardstock. 2. I started with a square the same size as the quilt block. 3. Next, cut out the design - I used tape on my cutting entry point to make the window shape template. 4. Then place the window template on the quilt and trace the shape with a water soluble marking pen. The possibilities are endless when you use your imagination to create your own designs. I used the orange peel design as a starting point for my quilt design, drawing out different ideas, but keeping in mind the need for a quilting pattern for the nine-patch blocks. This is the design I decided upon. 4

5 Testing the Quilt Design Nothing can take the place of testing your designs, materials and set up. Test and practice, test and practice everybody does it it is why we have all the quilted blankets for babies, children, dogs and men. We practice and then use the quilt for utility purposes. Test the pattern: You will see if it works in real life. The pattern may be too complex or just not the right thing for you. at this point, you can change it or it may be perfect and make you very happy! Practice the pattern: When you practice quilting a pattern, you understand how to quilt it. Then, you keep practicing until it is sort of programmed in your head. This is called muscle memory and this is how machine quilters become very good. Test a variety of threads: The color and weight of the thread will be very important to the design. I tested a blue to yellow thread first, as you can see in the photo above. I felt the colors were distracting, so I am using a variegated orange to yellow thread and this will cast a yellow color over the whole quilt. I like yellow you may like a medium or light blue color and that will cast a blue shadow over the quilt which would be lovely. As you test, you may need to change the settings on your sewing machine to achieve the kind of thread tension you want. Each project is different and the fabric choices, construction choices, backing and batting will all factor into the tension settings for your threads. 5

6 This is my first idea sketch with the circle inside the contour stitching. The quilting design for the pieced blocks consists of oranges and orange leaves. Here is the rough sketch of that. Here is a cheater s tip: I like to use a backing fabric that matches the color of my quilting thread this way I can use the same color thread on the top and the bottom. Since the matching colors camouflage imperfect stitching, this makes it easier to have good looking stitches. To help me decide on my final design, my next step was to make sample quilt test pieces. When I quilted the orange peel pattern, I didn t like the circle in the middle. It seemed quite alright in the drawing, but it didn t work well when actually quilted. So, instead, I changed it. I began with the orange peel shape and then stitched consecutive rows of quilting to get a design that is relaxed and fills up the space. This is called contour quilting. Here is the result of my design choices I like it! 6

7 Quilt Sandwich & Baste Preparing your quilt top for quilting is very important. You spent time and creativity making your lovely quilt so don t spare the time for setting up your quilt for the quilting process. I am aware that some people use special quilter s safety pins to pin baste their quilts. I am not a fan of this. Pinning like this distorts the fabric sandwich and can tear the quilt. It is also pretty hard on the hands. So, I m going to describe the very straightforward method of basting a quilt. This works for hand quilting as well as machine quilting. For this quilt, I am using a traditional cotton batting. It is cotton, not very fluffy and is very easy to machine quilt. This is a good batting for a lightweight quilt and for the new machine quilter. Take the batting out of its packaging, open it up and let it rest for a day. I will give it a press after the fibers have relaxed if there are wrinkles. Find a nice big surface on which to lay down the backing (face down), layer the batting on top of this, then lay the quilt top on top of this this is known as a quilt sandwich. 7

8 For best results, make sure that your piece of batting is larger than the quilt top and that the backing fabric is larger than the batting. This is because when you quilt, the bottom two layers will tend to draw up. I press the backing fabric with spray starch or sizing this helps prevent wrinkling on the quilt back. Be sure that your quilt top is nicely pressed. The photo below shows how to baste the quilt. Start at one end of the quilt. Use a strong smooth thread and a long sharp hand needle. For this, I use a hand quilting thread in a color that contrasts with fabric, but is in the same color family. I used a light yellow hand quilting thread. If I used a bright red thread to baste, and some of the thread was left behind, I could have red strings on the quilt or in the batting. It s better to use a thread in the same color family as your fabric. Basting step-by-step: Thread the needle with a thread that is as long as the line of basting. This works with a small quilt like this. I start the basting in the middle of the quilt edge and stitch to one end. Then, I rethread the needle and baste to the other end. 8

9 When I get to an end, instead of knotting the thread, I take a back stitch. After the backstitch, I baste down along the edge of the quilt. This bastes the edges at the same time as basting across. I rethread the needle and begin to stitch to the opposite end. Now, I am left-handed, so it is easy to start from the middle and then stitch left to right to finish at the right edge. It is difficult for me to rethread the needle and stitch with my right hand to the left edge of the quilt. So, I baste with back stitches. So, on the left side of the quilt, my basting stitches look like the photo, right. 9

10 When basting, avoid putting your needle into a patchwork seam. Each line of basting can be about 2 ½ to 3 inches apart. In the photo below, I m backstitching to the left of the quilt. You can see how long the basting stitches can be. When basting across appliqué shapes, avoid piercing the edge of the appliqué where you have stitching. 10

11 Roll up the quilt as you baste, this makes it easy to continue basting, and you can avoid trying to shift the whole quilt for each basting line. I started to baste my quilts like this about 25 years ago when I was hand quilting my quilts in a really big hoop. It kept the quilt very nicely together as I quilted. 11

12 Machine Set Up & Quilt Setting up your machine and space is very important. It is nice to have things all together before you begin to stitch so that you can concentrate on what you are doing. Use an extension table so that you have a nice flat surface on which to move your quilt around. I place a Super Slider on my machine bed which allows the quilt to have nice movement while I quilt. The larger the flat area you have the easier it is to manipulate your quilt while stitching. For more extension space, I have a couple of smooth boxes that are the same height as my sewing bed. You can buy big extension tables, have your machine set into a table or use stacks of books. 12

13 Sewing machines today have a variety of feet just for free-motion work. I like to use the open-toe free-motion or darning foot. This foot allows me to see where I m stitching, and will hover or bounce on top of the quilt which keeps the quilt from jumping up (which it does if you don t use a foot), while allowing you to move the quilt freely under the foot. Your feed teeth need to be dropped, so the teeth aren t grabbing your quilt from underneath. Some machines use a cover instead of a drop feature. It is good to use your sewing machine manual for the settings, available feet and how to drop or cover the feed teeth. The manual that comes with your machine is a great resource for information on all aspects of your machine. I keep several bobbins full of thread when I m quilting. Use the same type of thread in the bobbin as in the top. Make sure that you can pull the thread freely from the bobbin case. I have a second bobbin case for my machine which I can adjust for different thread thicknesses. My first bobbin case is never adjusted. Once you break that seal on the bobbin case, it never goes back to normal. Use a 90/14 machine embroidery needle. This needle will pierce through all layers like butter because it has a sharp point. It is big enough to protect your quilt thread from shredding and it lasts a long time. I use the Halo in conjunction with the Super Slider. The Halo is a weighted hoop with a rubbery coating. The coating grips the fabric, so it moves along with the hoop. The weight keeps the hoop in place. This is the perfect set up for quilting with a domestic sewing machine. 13

14 My 5 ¼ Ultimate Machine Embroidery Scissors are also on the tray I use those for snipping threads as I quilt. Here is my quilt, ready to go. I am using a thread stand separate from my machine to deliver thread from my oversize spool. On the tray to the right of the machine, you can see my paint brush which I use to clean out the bobbin area every time I change a new bobbin. Before I begin to quilt, I practice my quilting design on a sample piece. Here is my quilt design on a clipboard in my sight as I quilt. This is to remind me of what I m doing. 14

15 Set up your machine with a straight stitch. I set the stitch length at its longest length. This fools the machine into thinking that you are basting and it gives extra free-flow to your stitch. The upper thread tension will vary from machine to machine to machine. This is something you will have to adjust during your practice piece until you have a balanced stitch. When you have found the best balance, write down the settings so you can set up the machine at a later date. 15

16 Be careful, moving your hands in a jerky fashion can affect your stitch quality. To begin, quilt around the appliqué shapes first so the shapes don t get distorted. Put your needle down and up, draw up the bobbin thread. Hold threads together in your hand and take a few stitches. Get your needle sewing before you move your hoop. With practice, you will find a comfortable speed. You will coordinate the speed of the needle with the way you move your hands to have a nice consistent movement and stitch length. Keep the thread ends long enough to bury them into the layers of the quilt with a hand needle when the quilting is finished. 16

17 Stitch along the edge of the appliqué shapes. Havel s 5 ¼ inch Ultimate Machine Embroidery Scissors are great for snipping threads over the hoop. When you come across the basting stitches, snip them instead of stitching over them. After stitching the outside of the appliqué shapes, quilt a design inside the shapes. 17

18 The quilt design in the nine patches is made up of oranges and leaves. One little square is quilted at a time and just move along to the next square to quilt. You can see how a design in one square flows into the next. When an appliqué design is overlapping the nine patch, I just squish a smaller quilt design into the squares. 18

19 Here is the quilt design in the plain square fabric block. Here you can see how the different quilt patterns flow from one block to the next at the corners. 19

20 Here is another view of the quilt design. It seems like the leaves are emanating from the orange. I like to give the quilt a final steam press. Enjoy the process of quilting. It is a lot more fun to plan several quilting sessions than to hurry up and finish in order to get to the next thing. Now to bind your quilt! 20

21 Binding Your Quilt This is my method for binding a quilt by machine. I ve used this method for about 15 years. I figure, if the whole quilt is made with the machine, why should I spend hours hand stitching the binding to the back of the quilt? My hands can t deal with it, either! This technique is great for most quilts, clothing and quilted accessories if, however, you are putting your quilt in certain competitions, you may want to use a more traditional method. After I quilt a quilt, I trim the edges and then use a ¼ inch zigzag stitch all around the edges. This draws in the edge of the quilt so there are no puckers when the binding is attached. The quilt described in this chapter is different from the previous chapters, but the process is the same. For the quilt in this chapter, my friend Pam Mayo quilted my quilt on her big machine. She basted around the quilt, so I didn t have to zigzag. Yay! Cut binding fabric into strips 2 1/8 wide. Cut the fabric on the cross of the grain, which is across the 45 inch width of the fabric. The cross of the grain has some give which is a slight elastic quality, but not so much as the bias of the fabric. I like to use the cross grain because bias makes a very stretchy wavy binding and not necessary for a straight edged quilt. (Bias binding is good for scalloped edge quilts). Cut enough so that you can have at about 12 inches more than the length required to bind your quilt. Join the fabric strips to make the length required to finish the quilt. The strips should be joined at a 45 degree angle. This spreads out the seam allowance so there isn t a big bulge in the binding at the seams. 21

22 The first three photos illustrate the set up to join the fabric strips with a 45 degree angle. Fold and finger press the corner down on the second strip, set it on top of the first strip and stitch on the pressed line. Use the center needle position and guide it right on the pressed line. Use the same needle, thread and stitching that you would when piecing a quilt. Cut the seam allowance to ¼ inch. 22

23 This is what the angled seam looks like. The next photo shows the pressing. You can press the seam open or to one side. This quilt is a picnic quilt and I want a sturdy seam, so I pressed the seams together to one side. I use a cardboard tube to roll my binding it keeps it nice and neat. I fold the binding as I go along stitching. This gives me great control. I placed a pin about 12 inches down from a corner of the quilt. This is where I will start stitching. I will need the extra binding and 12 inches of room to join the binding strips at the end. 23

24 Use a 90/14 machine embroidery needle this strong needle is required, a smaller needle will bend or break. Fold the binding in half along the length and stitch to the back of the quilt using a straight stitch with 3 ½ stitch length and a ¼ seam allowance. My machine has lots of needle positions. I like to position the needle at the inside edge of the presser foot. This way the quilt can be moved by both feed teeth on the machine. I can also use a guide on the stitch plate to keep my seam consistent. It makes it easier to stitch. 24

25 Miter the edges of the binding. I like to use a mitered edge and many quilters do. It makes a nice flat corner and it is surprisingly easy with a little practice. The following 4 photos show the simple steps to miter the corner of a quilt. I think the photos teach much better than words how to fold the edges to make the miter and finger press to give you a good 45 degree angle Photo 4 illustrates the point to stitch to, which is ¼ inch from the end. 25

26 In this photo, it shows how to turn the quilt, flip the corner and begin stitching ¼ inch from the corner. Here is the quilt back mitered edge when folded to the front of the quilt. Here is where the extra binding makes joining the ends much easier. Most of the binding is stitched to the quilt back. Leave about ten inches unstitched. 26

27 Cut a 45 degree angle on each of the binding ends, with about four inches of fabric from the end of the stitching. Fold the ends and tuck one end into the other. Make a mark ½ inch in from the angled cut. Make another mark on the other edge of the binding strip. 27

28 You will have the edges overlapping a ½ inch. This is so that you can stitch a ¼ inch angled seam at the ends of the binding. Sew the ends of the binding with right sides together. Here is the last angled seam stretched out and the last stitching is finished. Choose a big blanket stitch with the open side of the stitches towards outside of quilt. 28

29 I like to use a thread that compliments the binding. I use the same thread in the top and the bobbin. Using thread that compliments the binding is an extra decorative touch to your quilt. Fold binding to the front. Fold it over as you stitch around the quilt. Notice that the needle is positioned right on the edge of the binding. 29

30 Here is a section of the stitched binding. Here is how to fold the mitered edge before stitching. Here is the stitched mitered edge. 30

31 At this point you should have a basic knowledge of the essentials required for any quilter. In Part 1 of the ebook you are given a rundown of the essential tools for beginning quilters and how to use them, a breakdown of fabric and thread options, and how you can best create the perfect quilting space. All of the necessities for any quilting newcomer are presented in an easy to understand format in order to help you get you started. Quilt Instructions for the Beginner Part 1 Once you get into Part 2 of the ebook the basics of quilting are shown by teaching you how to use strip piecing do patchwork quilting, how to lay out the quilt, and then how to use scraps to create a nine-patch variation. Quilt Instructions for the Beginner Part 2 The third part of this ebook series teaches some more intricate design styles such as fused, double fused, and fused shadow appliqué. It also discusses the basic and most useful techniques for machine stitching. These basic skills from these two ebooks are important for any quilter, and especially for anyone who is just getting started in the quilting world. Quilt Instructions for the Beginner Part 3 The last part of these ebooks discusses the steps needed for quilt design and basting your quilt. You were then shown how to set up your machine for quilting and then finished with easily followed instructions on how best to bind your almost finished quilt. At this point, if you have read all 4 parts of Terry s ebooks, you should now be a pro! All of these techniques and tools are essential for anyone who wants to start working with fabric art, and mainly quilting. Over time, you will learn many other tips and tricks that will eventually turn you into your own unique form of an artist. But you can t get there without the basics. These instructions will help any new quilter get off the ground and running (most likely to a fabric store!) You are now ready to start creating with confidence. Happy Quilting! 31

32 NOW YOU RE READY TO START QUILTING! FREE SHIPPING ON ANY ORDER - USE COUPON CODE HSB314 Receive Free Ground Shipping to any location in the lower 48 states when you use Coupon Code HSB314 online or over the phone. You must use this coupon code at the time of order. **Outside the lower 48, use code ALTSHIP for $7 off your order. Order Today: Offer Expires August 31, Shop Havel s Sewing Now or Call Today