May we discuss Quilting?

[spendaholic]

Following on from the daily "what's going on" last week, I was set a challenge to get started on some quilting.

I sorted through my needlework box and I found:

- 4 squares of fabric, from 4" x 5" to 5" x 6", each with a border and a farm animal or 2 in the centre
- a bag of wadding
- various packets of ordinary sewing needles
- about 100 assorted reels of cotton

What else do I need to get started? (We don't have any old sheets or calico.)
Where do I start?
Which stitch do I use?

I also checked my virgin sewing machine handbook and the machine does ordinary back stitch and zig zag of varying lengths, including smocking and various buttonhole stitches.

[apprentice tycoon]

I hope that Spendy doesn't mind me joining her thread but I would like some advice too - I have lots of vintage linens, they are all hand embroidered, with floral sprays, if I describe them as Granny's tablecloths and traycloths you'll get the idea.
These all have holes or stains so can't be sold as they are but I had the idea of making patchwork cushion covers etc out of them, using 4 or 6 inch squares depending on how big the floral motif is.
Some have a white background and some are ivory, so I have had to divide them up by colour. My query is - some have a finer weave than others, can I mix them or do I need to divide them again by weave?

[spendaholic]

Originally Posted by apprentice tycoon

I hope that Spendy doesn't mind me joining her thread but I would like some advice too

Of course I don't mind. We're all her for each other, aren't we?

Your vintage fabrics sound fab, and what a great way to preserve them.

[apprentice tycoon]

I have to be honest, they are a bit naff, they are made up mainly of lazy daisy stitch and are deeply out of fashion and even if they didn't have holes they wouldn't have sold as tablecloths! but I thought that if I condense them down I could make them 'shabby chic'

[Allexie]

For anyone wanting to do patchwork by machine...this is an easy and effective method


LOG CABIN PATCHWORK

ANIMATION OF LOG CABIN PATCHWORK

spendaholic...you could you use your 'animal squares as the centre and do the log cabin thingy around the edges (cushion cover or piece them all together to make a quilt/coverlet thingy)

[Rage in Eden]

[These all have holes or stains so can't be sold as they are but I had the idea of making patchwork cushion covers etc out of them, using 4 or 6 inch squares depending on how big the floral motif is.
Some have a white background and some are ivory, so I have had to divide them up by colour. My query is - some have a finer weave than others, can I mix them or do I need to divide them again by weave?]

Apprentice: how big are the holes? would you be able to cover them with a bit of embroidery over? you could iron on bondaweb on the back to give a base - i did this with some curtains I bought in Oxfam once and you couldn't see the join (little ern....) Are any big enough to make pillowcases out of? you could also applique over the holes...... just a thought..........

I wish I had the time for patchwork but sadly that is something I am saving for any maternity leave I have................. for now it is the cross stitch (lavender and lace celtic summer at the moment - fab......)

[apprentice tycoon]

I can't stress how awful these tablecloths are! even the most romantic BoHo home would not want them as tablecloths - some even have crinoline ladies in the corners! The only way they could be made to look half decent is by cutting out just the floral bits in squares and joining them, in a haphazard random arrangement and making them into cushion covers so there is just an explosion of bright colours. I can picture them in a cottage, tossed casually onto a plain white cotton bedcover on an antique pine bed...I read too many Country Living mags!

It would have been a great idea to repair them if they had been worth it...thank you any way!

[Rage in Eden]

ah well, i think that you will have to save the crinoline ladies from a fate worse than death then and cut them out and patchwork them altogether. how about getting some cheap pillowcases and applique-ing them onto the corners - now that would be soooooo chic..........

"now that would be really, really grate-ing!!!"

[mah_jong]

I love macking patchwork....... thinks back to the days when there was time to do it !!!!!
I did mine all by hand... mainly cushions and were sold by a local shop.
Ma

deep in thought of the old days!!!

[nicki]

I've wanted to do this for a while as well. I'm currently looking at buying a set of pinking shears before I even start cutting everything up I was thinking of making some quilt throws to go over the back of my sofa & chairs as they're second hand and scruff (read covered in glitter and little holes in places :rolleyes

[Queenie]

Oooh oooh oooh *waves excitedly from the back*

I've got to run out now ... but, I'll come back later when I have a bit more time to join in the thread properly. (Hopefully the site will have speeded up a tad by then too)

[spendaholic]

Originally Posted by Queenie

Oooh oooh oooh *waves excitedly from the back*

I was waiting for Queenie to get back online as it was she wot set the challenge.

[Rage in Eden]

y'know i think it's a good idea that we're only talking on-line. if we were all in the same room it would be like honking geese or at the very least the "we musn't panic" scene from Chicken Run!!!

[THIRZAH]

I once made a cot quilt in log cabin patchwork with embroired linen squares in the middle of each block. I got a pretty piece of floral fabric from a charity shop in roughly the same colours as the embroidery for the patchwork bit and used strips of plain fabric to join the squares together.

[Allexie]

Originally Posted by Queenie

(Hopefully the site will have speeded up a tad by then too)

ermmm....so that'll be Friday then!!! tee hee!

[Allexie]

I think the nicest patchwork I've ever done was the Cathedral Window pattern. Has anyone else ever done it? Its quite time consuming and a bit fiddly but the results are absolutely beautiful. I always said I'd make a quilt but only ever managed cushion covers.... praps one day!!!


http://www.alternative-windows.com/p...rk-cushion.htm

[Rage in Eden]

well fascinating as this is I am off home. I have a migraine and have hung on until 2 (switching my full day to tomorrow so I can leave at 2) but am crawling home to bed. I'm meant to be seeing U2 tonight - Bono can I borrow your sunglasses - so a bed, some blackcurrant and lemonade and a migraleve beckons. I will drop in tomorrow...............

[Queenie]

Originally Posted by spendaholic

Following on from the daily "what's going on" last week, I was set a challenge to get started on some quilting.

I sorted through my needlework box and I found:

- 4 squares of fabric, from 4" x 5" to 5" x 6", each with a border and a farm animal or 2 in the centre
- a bag of wadding
- various packets of ordinary sewing needles
- about 100 assorted reels of cotton

What else do I need to get started? (We don't have any old sheets or calico.)

Right this minute? Nowt!


Where do I start?

The very first thing you want to decide is .... what do you want those 4 squares to be? I believe you mentioned a wall hanging?
Ok, suppose you want to turn them into a wall hanging - you have 2 different sizes of squares so, first you need to make a choice:
a) do you have 2 the same size? (ie: 2 of 4x5 and 2 of 5x6?
b) did you want to use all four, regardless of size in one wallhanging?
c) blast to wall hangings and do something else! (ie: 4 projects using one square each/ 2 projects using 2 squares/ etc.

Which stitch do I use?

At the beginning stage, you simply want to use an ordinary straight stitch to join the pieces together. The important thing is, to make sure that your pieces are the exact size and that the seams are an exact 1/4" when you stitch them togther. At this point, FORGET THE WADDING! Before you get involved with the wadding, you need to join your squares together.
Tip: Measure twice, cut once!
Quilting is really easy, it's the accuracy which makes or breaks a project (either that or you have to be really good at "fudging" any mistakes )

I also checked my virgin sewing machine handbook and the machine does ordinary back stitch and zig zag of varying lengths, including smocking and various buttonhole stitches.

In the main, most especially for a beginner, you will only need to worry about the straight stitch
- the zigzag function is enormously useful as and when you get into the realms of "applique"

When you come to put your "quilt sandwich" together, you will be using three layers:
the joined fabric pieces/squares (the quilt "top"),
the 'batting' (wadding)
and the backing (which you have yet to get)
plus some "binding" (simply strips of fabric for neatening the edges at the end - like a frame; that could be the same fabric as the backing fabric or even a contrasting fabric, but I shouldn't worry too much about that right now). (A lesson on binding)

So far so good? :confused:

[nicki]

In all the excitement I decided to bid on a pair of "ALL METAL HOT DROP FORGED PINKING SHEARS 7.5 INCH" on ebay. I was prepared to pay upto £9 as the postage was £1 and I knew this was cheaper than me going to town to get them. I've just got in from the weekly shop and found I've won them Only £7 and £1 postage so I've already paid and I hope to receive them very soon I can see DD getting her new "blinds", bedding and rugs for her dolls house as well as me recycling all the material I've got. Best thing is I will be able to do all this with DD out in the garden when we sort out our table! If we don't I might even battle to get the dining table out there if the weather forcast is nice for a few days come the summer holidays. Can you tell I'm excited?

[Queenie]

That's a great price on pinking sheers!! (I paid a lot more for mine )

Have FUN!!