What is in your work room?

If you are like most quilters, you have lots of partial projects, leftovers or orphan blocks lurking in your sewing room. Does it seem like you have started a college with all the PHDs you have stashed away? You may not know all the quilting lingo, but you likely have many of these items. First, let us define some terms: UFOs = unfinished objects, PIGs = projects in grocery sacks, WIPS = works in progress, PHDs = projects half done. You have probably noticed a connection with all these terms: projects started and then discarded. Why not start a search-and-rescue mission to find and finish those orphaned items or give them a new home?

Time to round-up the orphans and finish those projects!

First step – do an inventory of all those bags, baskets, and bins and see what treasures are hiding away. You will most likely be surprised at how many projects are almost done. Decide what needs to be completed on each; for example, make two more blocks, sew finished blocks together, quilt, sew on binding, etc. It is exciting to have projects you can now easily finish by doing a task or two.

Second step – figure out which projects you WANT to complete and how you want to finish them. You may have started a quilt in a workshop and made a few blocks, but they no longer appeal to you. Perhaps you learned a skill or technique from that class, and you can now pass the blocks on to someone who will use them to make a fabulous quilt. Or maybe you don’t want to make the full quilt, but those four blocks would be perfect for creating an awesome project bag for another quilt.

Third step – find new homes for the projects that don’t spark joy. Unfinished projects have a tendency to weigh you down and make you feel guilty. Keep the items that make you smile and find new purposes or lives for the others. Guilds often have fundraising yard sales or collect orphan blocks for charity quilts and would love your blocks or tops.

Start playing!

Remember quilting is supposed to be joyful. You can gather up those partial blocks and have fun creating a scrappy back for a top that is also waiting to be finished.

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Once you have your quilt top completed, there are many ways to finish it. You can hand quilt or machine quilt or some combination of the two. I like to outline quilt or “stitch in the ditch” by machine to stabilize and secure my quilt top. Then I hand quilt in open spaces where it will show and shine. This saves time and lessens the wear on your hands. Or you can quilt by check. Yes, the third option is paying someone else to quilt for you.

While this seems like a new concept, quilting for hire is nothing new. It goes back centuries, though at that time, commercial quilters quilted by hand, not machine. Now, most quilters-for-hire use machines, specifically longarm quilting machines. But there are still hand-quilters who will quilt for others. The most well-known groups are Amish, and there are brokers who arrange this service.
There are also individuals who offer their hand-quilting services. You may find hand-quilters at your local church or senior center. Note, younger quilters are also getting into hand-quilting.

Your quilt top is done, now what?

There are stitchers who just like to piece or applique and have stacks of tops waiting to be quilted and finished. Some feel these individuals are not true quilters and maybe we should call them toppers. Are you a quilter if you do not quilt? Yes, we even consider people who are collecting fabric and patterns to be quilters. Terminology point – quilting refers both to the general hobby, business, lifestyle, and obsession of sewing fabrics together as well as stitching two layers of fabric and batting together.

Experiment

Quilting by hand can be very Zen and can be done in many styles from tiny little stitches to “big stitch.” Big stitch is faster and more forgiving and a wonderful way to dip your toe in hand-quilting. Grab a needle and thread and give it a try.

Machine quilting can be done in myriad ways on all machines from antique treadles to fancy computerized machines that cost as much as a car. A good way to learn about machine-quilting is to attend a quilting show where you can test drive several machines. And many quilting shops offer training. After the class, you can rent the machine and quilt your quilt. You can also machine quilt on your home or domestic sewing machine.

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I was recently challenged to create a row quilt and thought I would share a bit about my process and about row quilts in general.
Let’s start with defining a row quilt. A row quilt is a quilt sewn in horizontal or sometime vertical or diagonal rows with each row composed of a different block. The blocks can be made using one technique (i.e., piecing or applique) or several different techniques. Because each row features a separate block design, row quilts are a wonderful way to experiment and try out new patterns. You only need to make a few of each block, much less intimidating than thinking of the stack of blocks you would need for a whole quilt out of a pattern you would like to try. Row quilts are also a perfect way to use leftover, orphan, or ufo blocks (quilt speak for unfinished objects). You can even use a couple of patterns in a single row. Remember, your row quilt, your rules.

Sew Many Choices

Speaking of rules, there really are not any in row quilts. That is a big part of the fun! Instead, there are a lot of choices you can make when deciding how to create your own personalized row quilt. You can make all the blocks the same size or not, you can add plain spacer strips between rows or not, you can add simple filler blocks, you can use a single-color scheme or go scrappy and sew much more. You can develop a full plan for your new quilt or just start sewing and figure out the details as you sew. One hint: If you are designing as you go, I would recommend using a design wall and doing more pinning rather than sewing. As you sew and experiment, your design may totally change. It is much easier to move blocks around the board or wall instead of picking out or reverse sewing.

Row By Row Challenge

I just made my first row quilt for a fabric company challenge. Row quilts are especially well suited to holiday themes. Since it was February, I decided to go with a Valentine’s Day theme. Of course, there had to be hearts. And since I love text or wordplay quilts, I added an ‘I’ and ‘You’ to spell out “I Love You.” My assigned fabric was a black and white collection, and I had some pinks, too, so I was ready to rock. This is my favorite modern quilt color scheme. I had a lot of fun trying out different patterns and playing with triangle pieces in several sizes. I made my blocks in mostly 6-inch squares, but my word row was 6 x 8 inches. That is one of the magic things about row quilts: each row can be its own kingdom. I added a spool block that I had made the month before and then made another so it would have a friend. I used a heart block on the top row to start the Valentine’s Day theme. A Card Trick block finished the last row. It really is a tricky block, and one was enough for me; again, that is fine for a row quilt. I framed the quilt with Flying Geese blocks on the top and bottom rows. This quilt was a design and piecing challenge but a lot of fun. I hope you will give row quilts a try, too. There are many row quilt books, tutorials, Pinterest pages, and hashtags like #rowquilt to inspire you. 

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Last month I wrote about the importance of properly pressing quilt blocks rather than ironing. I am back to share more hot topics. Quilters do take pressing issues quite seriously. #pressingmatters was even one of the daily prompts in the popular March Instagram posting event: #igquiltfest. Quilters follow a month of posting prompts or guidelines and share relevant pictures and tips. Read below and then also search under these tags to see more product information and many wonderful quilts.

Wool Pressing Mats

In addition to favorite irons and pressing sprays, the two most mentioned items for precise piecing were wool pressing mats and wooden tailor’s clappers. Wool pressing mats are available in a variety of sizes. Small ones are handy in a pressing station next to your sewing machine. This is a terrific way to make sure you press each seam before sewing the next one. But most people recommend you set them up away from your machine so you get up and move regularly.

Larger mats can be placed on a standard ironing board. So why are they so wonderful? The wool conducts heat very well resulting in crisply pressed seams. It heats both sides of your fabric at the same time. Another excellent choice is to make your own big pressing station by covering a large board with a wool blanket and then covering the unit with a heavy fabric. This makes your whole surface a wool mat.

Tailor’s Clappers

Wooden tailor’s clappers are another old tool that has become trendy. They are simply heavy pieces of wood that are placed on top of seams after pressing to further flatten and set the seams. Quilters are raving about the magic they create in terms of precisely pressed seams. They are available in assorted sizes and with simple or elaborate woodworking details. You can get clappers with other decorative designs like flowers or bees. For a totally unique tool, you can have a custom clapper made with your company name, logo, or the name of your “sewing studio.”

Other Clever Iron Alternatives

In addition to irons that come in many price points and a variety of sizes and colors, there are myriad gadgets to help you press on. From wooden rollers to pressing sticks, woodworkers are busy creating many useful tools besides the tailor’s clappers. Often, these small tools are used at the sewing machine to do an initial press after sewing a seam. The tools are an alternative to using a fingernail to press open a seam; known as “finger pressing.”

It may sound silly to newcomers, but pressing in quilting is serious business. Note that I say pressing rather than ironing, and no, they are not the same thing. Quilters’ families with piles of wrinkly clothes know that quilters like to press fabric and quilt blocks but are generally not inclined to iron. So what is the difference, and does it really matter? Pressing and ironing are two separate things, and yes, it really does matter. But first a bit of clarification of terminology since an “iron” is both a noun — the heated metal object — as well as a verb signifying the action of moving that object to “iron” a shirt. So, the iron-y is, you still need to use an iron to press.

Pressing Versus Ironing?

Pressing, as the name implies, is pressing or placing the iron on a piece of fabric or a quilt block and then lifting the iron and replacing it on another section of the fabric. Ironing is actively sliding the iron back and forth across the fabric. For precise patchwork, lift, place and press your iron rather than slide the iron. Pressing keeps fabric grain and blocks stable, while ironing can distort fabric grain and make your blocks and seams wonky. You should never attack your blocks with an iron or iron in a random manner. In fact, serious quilters plan their seams and include pressing instructions in their patterns.

Closed Versus Open Seams?

Pressing to the Dark Side?

The next big question is, should you press your block seams together to the side or open? As a general rule and for stability, it is good to press your seam allowances to one side. But first, it is a good practice to set your patchwork seams by pressing the sewn piece right sides together, then open the piece and press to the side. Which side? Generally, press toward the darker of the two fabrics. This helps prevent dark fabric from shadowing or showing through the light fabric. Some seams will need to be pressed to the light side. If so, check the seam and trim the dark if it is shadowing.

Side pressing often allows patchwork seams to nest or abut each other for more precise piecing. When multiple seams come together you may need to twist the intersecting seams open so they can lie flat (see photo). It is so fun to see a little pinwheel appear when you loosen the seam. Pressing to one side makes it easier to avoid sewing through seams when hand or machine quilting, especially stitch in the ditch. However, if there are a lot of seams and intersections in your top, you may need to press the major or long seams open so the quilt will lie flat. And if you will be machine quilting in an overall or free-motion design, open seams will make the process easier.