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Quilting Tips
Quilters love tips to make their quilting easier. Browse through the quilting tips listed below, or do a search for a topic of interest or need.
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Video: Stay Sane with Crazy Quilts Webinar Replay
QuiltingCoach Penny
Many quilters look at crazy quilts with wonder and amazement. What makes them so special and what, actually, is the process for creating one of these treasures? Crazy quilts are similar to traditional patchwork quilts in that they are created from scraps of fabric. The big difference is that crazy quilts include several different types of fabric. . . .
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Storing Quilting Fabric
Quilting Coach Penny
If this is the year to get the entire stash of fabric organized, here are some tips for storing long lengths of fabric. . . .
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Paper Templates and Quilting
Quilting Coach Penny
If you use any quilting software or print out templates on paper, but the whole template doesn't fit on a sheet of paper, here is an option. . . .
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Video: Quilt Backings Webinar
QuiltingCoach Penny
Oh, I know the questions - Who cares what is on the back of my quilt? Why should I use high quality fabric on the back of my quilt? What if I don't have enough fabric for the back? All of those and more answered in this video replay of the Quilt Backings Webinar. . . .
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Tips for Making Rag Quilts
Quilting Coach Penny
Rag quilts are fun and easy to make. They are very forgiving in many ways, and sewing them together is somewhat easier than piecing a patchwork quilt. Here are a few tips that might make the construction of your rag quilt even easier. . . .
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Hand Sewing Quilt Patches
Quilting Coach Penny
I have since learned that quilters with "musts" and "rules" are to be allowed to speak, but not necessarily to be followed. We all get to choose how we make our quilts and which quilts we make. . . .
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Scrap Quilt with Hearts
Quilting Coach Penny
The problem was that because it was a scrap quilt, I didn't have the correct assortment of light, medium and dark fabric. I limited myself to the fabric I had on hand and it was difficult to create the effect I wanted. . . .
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Batik Cat Quilt (and lessons learned)
Quilting Coach Penny
This quilt uses all hand-dyed fabric. As much as I love this quilt, it gets used as an example of the importance of washing out all of the dye prior to assembling the quilt. Each time this quilt gets wet, more of the blue and purple bleeds into the surrounding patches and onto the backing fabric. . . .
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Joining Pieces of Batting
Quilting Coach Penny
A quilter in a discussion group asked what to do with small pieces of batting, and she expressed concern about wasting batting when her quilt was smaller than the batting, and she had pieces of batting left over. . . .
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Video: Quilting Designs Webinar
QuiltingCoach Penny
This is a replay of the Quilting Designs Webinar held in December 2010. During the webinar we covered a wide range of topics relating to choosing a quilting design that will enhance your quilt, including: . . .
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Secrets to Successful Sewing on the Bias
Quilting Coach Penny
Whether you are a beginning quilter or an intermediate or advanced quilter, sewing bias edges can be challenging. It's always a challenge for me. I can't even begin to count the number of seams I have ripped out because when I got to the end of the strip, either the bias strip was longer than the straight edge strip or the whole piece was longer than the rest of the quilt I was going to sew it on to. Akkk! . . .
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Video: Bells Quilt Block
QuiltingCoach Penny
watch how to sew the Bells Quilt Block. This is a wonderful quilt block for Christmas, or for anyone who enjoys any kind of bells, for that matter. . . .
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Ricky Tims Shares a Great Machine Quilting Tip
Quilting Coach Penny
"I will usually draw my design on freezer paper templates for large sections. Then I will copy that design as many times as I need it onto this tear-away stabilizer. Then I put that on the back of my quilt top. That's important. It's not on the quilt top." . . .
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"Quilt Green" with Bonnie Hunter - - -
QuiltingCoach Penny
- - - And I'm Not Talking About St. Patrick's Day or Making Quilts with Green Fabric. Using Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System, Your Scrap Quilts will Save the Environment and your Sanity (Because Your Fabric Will Be Organized and Easy to Use - without Spending Hours and Hours Organizing it) . . .
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Stabilizing Fabric with Freezer Paper
Quilting Coach Penny
Do those bias edges on your patches stretch as you sew, like mine do? Here's a suggestion - Cut freezer paper templates the size of your finished patch. Iron them onto the back of the patch, and then sew the patches together - with the freezer paper still attached. . . .
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How to Buy a Sewing Machine for Quilting
Quilting Coach Penny
With the variety of sewing machines available, making a decision on which sewing machine to purchase is much more complex than it was way back when. Today's quilters are presented with some interesting and fun options that can make their quilting more interesting and relaxing. . . .
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Video: FabriCalc Webinar
QuiltingCoach Penny
In this video you will see how to use the very handy FabriCalc. Inventor, Susie Blades from Calculated Industries, shows you how to figure out how much fabric you need for your blocks, sashing, borders and backing in your quilt. . . .
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Making a Quilt Sandwich
Quilting Coach Penny
You have pieced your quilt top and now it is time to assemble the quilt sandwich. It sounds scarier than it is. First, lay your back fabric out on a large flat surface such as the bed or floor - any space large enough to flatten out your quilt. The right side of the fabric should face down. . . .
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Keeping Quilts Fresh and Fluffy
Quilting Coach Penny
If you need to freshen up your favorite quilt, there is a way to do that without completing an entire wash cycle. It only takes a fabric softener and a couple of unique items to fluff your quilt. . . .
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A Simple Border Idea - Repeat the Blocks in a Different Color Scheme
Quilting Coach Penny
The quilt top center is done, and now you're looking for something interesting to do with the borders. You've made a dozen quilts and the borders have been strips of fabric - sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, occasionally with cornerstones - but mostly just plain borders. Now, it's time to start looking beyond strips. . . .
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Sewing on the Bias
Quilting Coach Penny
Because the bias edge of the fabric has the ability to stretch, sewing on the bias can be somewhat challenging. If the fabric stretches as you sew, your blocks will end up being different sizes, and your finished quilt may be all puckered. Here are some tips to help keep your patches in shape. . . .
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Seam Allowances in Quilting
Quilting Coach Penny
In her years of quilting, Georgia Bonesteel has spoken of speed quilting. Quilters, always looking for shortcuts, have taken quite an interest in this technique. Knowing decimals and the true width of your fabrics is one of the most important aspects of speed quilting. Why? . . .
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Chain Sew your Blocks to Keep them Organized
Quilting Coach Penny
If you sew your blocks together following some kind of system, you are more likely to end up with the patches in the right place. Of course, if you are anything like I am, you still might sew some upside down, but for the most part, all of the patches will be where you want them, facing the way you want them. . . .
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Sewing Triangles Quick and Simple
Quilting Coach Penny
"Thread bunnies" - this will help with all of your chain sewing. A "thread bunny" is a small scrap of fabric that you put under your presser foot to begin and end chain sewing. By sewing the thread bunny before you feeding the first patches in, you are more assured of having a smooth starting edge on your patches. (Translation - your machine is less likely to "eat" the first patch, since it has already had a shot at the thread bunny!) In addition, the thread bunny holds the thread tails. That means that you only cut the threads between the patches, and don't have a bunch of loose threads cluttering up your sewing area. . . .
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Backing for Your Quilt
QuiltingCoach Penny
After spending so much time selecting the perfect prints for your quilt top, you may not have the time or energy to select fabric for the backing. Please make time to select a nice backing for your quilt tops. . . .
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Cutting Fabric Strips for Quilts
QuiltingCoach Penny
Cutting good pieces is the basis of a good quilt top. If your fabric pieces seem a little skewed or stretched when you sew them together, it is likely because your cut was a little wobbly. . . .
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Quilting with an Embroidery Machine
Quilting Coach Penny
Sewing machines have come a long way from the old, single stitch Singer Featherweights. Many quilters love that the new machines come with the ability to sew many fancy embroidery stitches. These machines can produce fun quilt blocks, and can also be used for quilting. . . .
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Storing Your Quilts
Quilting Coach Penny
If you have an heirloom quilt you want to preserve, there are a few basic dos and don'ts you will need to understand. First of all, fabrics don't last forever. You can, however, extend the life of a fabric with proper care. . . .
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Here's what our members are saying ...
"Find this is such an informative site"
Lucy
Canada
"Hi,
Penny I love this site! All the fabulous info in it is just what I need. I'm a newbie to quilting; but have done a lot of sewing for myself and my kids over the years. Now I've decided to tackle quilting..."
Trudie
Edmonton AB Canada
"Thanks for all the great info I have had access to since I joined this site. I love it!"
Anna
"Penny, bless your heart for helping turn the light on over my head on how to become more efficient at this new love of mine!"
Patty
"When I have been having problems getting in the mood to work on my quilts that I am committed to finishing by August I just have to check in at the quilting site and I'm back in the mood. It has been wonderful."
Anna
British Columbia, Canada
"I have recently discontinued my membership, but strongly feel the need to say that you have certainly had a huge influence on my life. Your internet quilting club has given me wings as a quilter. The reason I am discontinuing my membership isn’t because I am not satisfied with what I’ve gained from it, it’s because I’ve got so much to do – it will take me more than two years to complete it all. (I’m a slow quilter ok!) I have not got so many UFO’s (trust me, there are a few hidden safely away!) as that I have WDHT’s (wanna-do-haven’t-had-time’s).
Thank you Penny – your inspiration has been much appreciated.
Regards,"
Dorothy, Durbanville, South Africa | | |
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