Most of the time when I purchase fabrics for my quilts I will pre-shrink them. I tend to buy only 100% cottons, and as the thread count* can vary a great deal. I believe that shrinking the fabric before it's cut up for quilting can save a lot of unnecessary problems down the line, especially if this is a quilt which will actually be used and washed. If I was making a small quilt for a wall hanging this wouldn't matter so much, but most of my quilts are intended to keep someone warm.
I do make some smaller quilts for wall hangings, but I will have pre-shrunk those fabrics anyway, because I will most likely use the fabrics in other quilts as well.
The main issue which can arise if fabrics are not shrunk prior to use is that combinations of different thread count fabrics can shrink at different rates once a quilt is finished, and the result can be uneven puckering, and a less than flat quilt top.
I realize that pre-shrinking fabric means ironing it also before use, but that is an extra step I'm willing to take to ensure success.
The only time this has become a real issue for me is when I've received some "orphan" blocks, or quilt blocks made by another, which I will make into a quilt top, usually for charity. In these cases, if I'm combining them with fabrics from my stash I just have to take a chance, and hope for the best.
Generally when I buy fabric it goes right into the laundry hamper, and I will just toss it in the next time I do a wash load. I tend to wash in warm water, and will then put everything into a hot dryer. This will also get rid of excess sizing in the fabric. If I need to just pre-shrink a small piece of fabric I will just put it in the kitchen sink with a tiny bit of detergent, agitate it a bit, then rinse it and let it dry before pressing.
I haven't come across any problems by taking the above precautions.
*Thread count is the number of vertical and horizontal threads in a woven fabric. You have probably heard the term used to refer to high thread count bed sheets. For quilting, a very high thread count is not considered desirable, as those fabrics are more difficult to sew through with a needle. For this reason, a bed sheet is not considered a good option for a quilt backing.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
My sewing machine
The machine I use for all my quilting is a Bernina Virtuosa 153, the old version with a clear plastic top on it. Mine happens to be blue, but I've seen other colors also, including red. This machine was later dubbed the Quilters Edition, and Alex Anderson's name was added to it. I formerly worked for a sewing machine dealer, and sold Berninas, so I had a very good idea about which machine I would prefer to have for myself. I had a chance to use them all, and knew I didn't want to do any machine embroidery (although that's a great feature to have for quilt labels), nor did I want the stitch regulator, which I felt blocked my vision while trying to free-motion quilt. I also felt that once I became comfortable with free-motion quilting that I didn't need the stitch regulator. The 153 was just the right fit for me, and had every feature I required, and none that I didn't. I have been thoroughly happy with it ever since I "adopted" it 3 1/2 years ago. I make sure to clean and oil it between projects, or whenever I see lint building up in the bobbin case area under the throat plate. This machine is currently not being made, but I have seen them for sale on the secondary market, so I highly recommend keeping an eye out for one. It came with a 1/4" foot, my favorite, of course, and a walking foot, which I consider essential for straight stitch quilting, attaching bindings, etc. Other features include a needle up/down option, a fantastic buttonhole foot (for garment-making), and the ability to drop the feed dogs. It also has a knee lift, with which I was already familiar when I started selling Berninas. I had worked in production sewing for many years, on a big industrial machine (1/2 horsepower motor), and those machines always feature a knee lift which is used to raise and lower the presser foot, almost like having a third hand. If you have a machine with a knee lift, be sure to learn to use it. And then use it!
Whichever machine you decide to purchase, be sure to do your homework first, and I always recommend buying from a dealer. If you buy from a store which isn't a dealership you won't have much recourse if things go wrong. A good sewing machine dealer will be able to service your machine, and should offer classes. These days there are so many features on most machines you might not be able to figure them all out on your own. Ask your quilting friends about their machines, and see if they will be generous enough to let you try theirs out.
Of course, all this being said, you can make lovely quilts without a fancy machine. Our foremothers did it, and look at some of the masterpieces they turned out. It's just that many of the newer machines make things so much easier, and are real time-savers.
One more thing. No matter what some purists might say, it is not considered cheating to make quilts on a sewing machine rather than by hand. Ladies have been making quilts on sewing machines since the mid 19th century.
Whichever machine you decide to purchase, be sure to do your homework first, and I always recommend buying from a dealer. If you buy from a store which isn't a dealership you won't have much recourse if things go wrong. A good sewing machine dealer will be able to service your machine, and should offer classes. These days there are so many features on most machines you might not be able to figure them all out on your own. Ask your quilting friends about their machines, and see if they will be generous enough to let you try theirs out.
Of course, all this being said, you can make lovely quilts without a fancy machine. Our foremothers did it, and look at some of the masterpieces they turned out. It's just that many of the newer machines make things so much easier, and are real time-savers.
One more thing. No matter what some purists might say, it is not considered cheating to make quilts on a sewing machine rather than by hand. Ladies have been making quilts on sewing machines since the mid 19th century.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
A trip to San Francisco
One of the best Christmas gifts I received this year was from my friend Shirley, who took me to San Francisco to the de Young Museum to see the current exhibit Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond Post Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee D'Orsay. (Whew! Quite a mouthful!) Vincent van Gogh is probably my very favorite artist, and he must be the favorite of many others as well, because there were long waits to get up close to see the half dozen or so of his paintings. It was well worth it, though, because one would have to travel to Paris to see those paintings in future.
As a quilter I try to take my inspirations from whatever sources I can, and this show was packed with ideas to carry with me for a long time to come. Other featured artists were Renoir, Rousseau, Signac and Seurat, as well as an amazing portrait by American artist John Singer Sargent. I had no idea there were so many artists who worked in the pointillist style, and of course as a quilter one can appreciate all those little dots of color.
I try to find inspiration for my work every day, and I think so many other quilters do too. Sometimes it can be a visual clue, or even an event which happens which just cries out, "Now there's a quilt." Of course, then you have to do the work to actually turn it into a quilt, but that's half the fun, isn't it?
As a quilter I try to take my inspirations from whatever sources I can, and this show was packed with ideas to carry with me for a long time to come. Other featured artists were Renoir, Rousseau, Signac and Seurat, as well as an amazing portrait by American artist John Singer Sargent. I had no idea there were so many artists who worked in the pointillist style, and of course as a quilter one can appreciate all those little dots of color.
I try to find inspiration for my work every day, and I think so many other quilters do too. Sometimes it can be a visual clue, or even an event which happens which just cries out, "Now there's a quilt." Of course, then you have to do the work to actually turn it into a quilt, but that's half the fun, isn't it?
Monday, December 27, 2010
This is my very first post, so please join me, won't you? I will be writing about quilting, hence the name for my blog, which is taken from a Scottish bagpipe tune, called The Kilt is my Delight, and more about that later.
I intend to write about quilting, and to include some tricks and tips I've picked up along the way, and which I intend to share with you my soon to be loyal (I hope!) readers.
A little bit about myself; I've been quilting for over forty years. I started as a young girl, when my Aunt Evie, cousin Beth and I used to attend a quilting group in the Santa Clara Valley. This was in the sixties, and quilting groups were few and far between at the time. Beth and I were allowed to go to the meetings in the summertime, and I'm sure we both felt very grown up to be hanging out with the adult ladies.I was helped to make a pattern for a Bow Tie quilt, and to make some blocks (by hand, of course!). I chose the Bow Tie, because my great-grandmother, Sarah Anne Killingsworth Woodard had made the very same pattern as a quilt for my dad when he was a baby, which would have been in the early 1920's.
I don't know whatever happened to those first blocks of mine, or if they ever got joined together into a quilt top. I expect they went the way of so many other quilt blocks, and ended up in a shoebox somewhere. I also made a very crude doll quilt, which I can still see in my mind's eye. These quilt blocks would have all been made from fabric which was left over from the garments my mother sewed for her family. The idea of purchasing fabric specifically for a quilt was quite foreign to us at the time.
I consider myself mostly a traditional quilter, although I have recently acquired a new digital camera, and intend to start printing photos onto fabric. I have long considered turning to becoming an art quilter, but after having seen a fabulous collection of Amish quilts at the De Young museum in San Francisco this past summer, I can see that tradional quilts are quite beautiful art themselves. My goal is to make something beautiful, which is an expression of myself, and also to make practical quilts to keep myself and others warm!
I've found that quilting can also be great therapy, and the very act of designing and sewing can get a person through some rough times.
My current motto is I live to serve, and I hope I can be of service to you!
I intend to write about quilting, and to include some tricks and tips I've picked up along the way, and which I intend to share with you my soon to be loyal (I hope!) readers.
A little bit about myself; I've been quilting for over forty years. I started as a young girl, when my Aunt Evie, cousin Beth and I used to attend a quilting group in the Santa Clara Valley. This was in the sixties, and quilting groups were few and far between at the time. Beth and I were allowed to go to the meetings in the summertime, and I'm sure we both felt very grown up to be hanging out with the adult ladies.I was helped to make a pattern for a Bow Tie quilt, and to make some blocks (by hand, of course!). I chose the Bow Tie, because my great-grandmother, Sarah Anne Killingsworth Woodard had made the very same pattern as a quilt for my dad when he was a baby, which would have been in the early 1920's.
I don't know whatever happened to those first blocks of mine, or if they ever got joined together into a quilt top. I expect they went the way of so many other quilt blocks, and ended up in a shoebox somewhere. I also made a very crude doll quilt, which I can still see in my mind's eye. These quilt blocks would have all been made from fabric which was left over from the garments my mother sewed for her family. The idea of purchasing fabric specifically for a quilt was quite foreign to us at the time.
I consider myself mostly a traditional quilter, although I have recently acquired a new digital camera, and intend to start printing photos onto fabric. I have long considered turning to becoming an art quilter, but after having seen a fabulous collection of Amish quilts at the De Young museum in San Francisco this past summer, I can see that tradional quilts are quite beautiful art themselves. My goal is to make something beautiful, which is an expression of myself, and also to make practical quilts to keep myself and others warm!
I've found that quilting can also be great therapy, and the very act of designing and sewing can get a person through some rough times.
My current motto is I live to serve, and I hope I can be of service to you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)