Can I quilt with these two feet? part 2

Can I quilt with these two feet? Part 1 was about what a walking foot is and what it is used for.

As I said in part one, machine quilting is a time saver over hand quilting. Now for those of you who still enjoy hand quilting I am not stopping you from your slow tedious process. In fact I still enjoy it a little. (Even if it takes years to complete my quilt)

When referring to "quilting" of course I am talking about the top stitching that is done to hold the 3 layers of the quilt together.

Most quilt designs fall into 2 categories. One being straight lines and the other being curved or continuous lines. When dealing with straight lines like stitch in the ditch, outline quilting or grids you are best to use the walking foot.

But for all the curvy lines like loops, hearts, flowers and all the continuous line designs you will need to use your "darning foot" or "free motion" foot. When using this foot it is important to know that you will need to lower or cover up your feed dogs on your machine. This allows the fabric to move more freely.


Here is a picture of the ones for my machine. You can see that I have one that is a closed circle and the other is open. I prefer the open one, which makes it easier for me to grab my threads and move them out of the way. I actually had a friend who cut a closed one and filed it for me. Sort of a custom foot! It's good to have friends.



You will need to refer to your machine manual to see what foot is recommended. Just like the walking foot, there are generic ones available. Check with a sewing machine repair shop, or a shop that sells your particular model to be sure you have the right one.

Once you discover how much fun free motion is, you may never want to hand quilt again! I am not going to lie to you, free motion quilting does take lots of practice to get right.

For new quilters it is best to have someone show you how through a class or private lesson. But if you are like me, and want to try on your own get a book and make a few small quilt sandwiches (16-20 inches will do) and just practice.

A teacher once told me that before you take a design to your quilt. Draw it on paper, and trace it 8 to 10 times. This helps train your brain and hands. Now try the design on the practice mini quilt. If you are comfortable with it, and it flows nicely you are ready to try it on your quilt.

Good luck and have fun with this. There are many great books out there to help you with designs as well at the "how to's" of free motion quilting.

Can I quilt with these two feet?

Can I machine quilt with these two feet? No, I am not referring to your own two feet, but the feet on your sewing machine. This article will be a brief lesson on what feet are needed and how to use them for the type of quilting you want to do. It will be broken into 2 parts. The first one being about the walking foot.

Machine quilting is a time saver from the days of the past. Quilters of the past had only one option and that was needle and thread and the only machine they had was their own two hands. So speed was controlled by them. There are many quilters today who continue to hand quilt. Many do it because they enjoy the process, and others do it to preserve this time honored tradition and want to pass it on. Ladies I salute you!

My first quilt was quilted by hand, and I am still working and my second hand quilted project. Which I have been working on for over a year now. Of course I am not working on it daily, so who knows when it will actually be completed!

When it comes to quilting I like speed! I want to get the quilt done, and move to the next project. Which meant I had to teach myself to machine quilt. There are just to many quilts I need to or want to make and I don't have that many years left in my lifetime to do them by hand. If you are like me and want to get the quilting done quicker then you need to learn the basics of machine quilting.

First of all you need to be sure you have the right foot for the job.

Below is an example of what a walking foot looks like. Most machines today either come with this or you can purchase one from the manufacture. Check with the shop where your purchased your machine to be sure you have the right one. If you have an older machine you may still be able to purchase a generic one. I found one for my Kenmore which is about 40 years old. So not impossible, just need to do a little hunting.


Here are some resources to help in your hunt.

Try Nancys Notions or All brands.com and another one might be Overstock.com

Before purchasing a generic walking foot online you need to know your shank style.

All feet come in one of three styles:

low shank

high shank

slanted shank

When in doubt go to a sewing machine repair shop with your machine and they can tell you. (who knows they may even have a walking foot for you to purchase there!)

This should help you at least know what a walking foot looks like, now you need to know what to use it for. Here is a great definition found at about.com which should get you started.

Using your walking foot is pretty simple and is used primarily for straight line quilting. Simply attach the foot and start stitching. It is best to start with small stitches to lock the threads at the beginning and at the end. (back stitching is not recommended with a walking foot).

Part 2 will be on the free motion foot. Also known as the darning foot.

3 colors+2 block styles=Great Sampler Quilt

Take 3 fabrics and 2 block types and turn them into unlimited possibilities! Say what?


Creating a quilt starts with the color. Check out my article on how to use your color wheel for a better understanding of matching colors.

When I refer to block types I am referring to the construction. Most blocks are drawn on a grid pattern of some time. (of course there exceptions to this) For now lets look at some of the common grids used.

1. one patch

This is just as it says 1-patch or one square. The simplest or purist form of a quilting block. You take squares of equal size and join them together to create rows, and then join rows to make a quilt top. One patch blocks can be enhanced by adding appliqué or embroidery to each square.


2. four patch

This block uses a grid of 2 x 2 squares. The four patch is a popular block for quilters of all levels. There are many possibilities for design by simply cutting each of the four sections into smaller sections. Take for example a half square triangle. Where you cut the square in half diagonally into two triangles. Change colors, or mix and match squares and triangles and see how many designs you get! Another option would be to cut each square into a smaller 4-patch and combine this with triangles or larger squares. Ok you get the idea there are many blocks to create here.


3. nine patch

The block uses a grid of 3 x 3 squares. The nine patch is another quilters favorite for it's design options. You see this block in many quilts today. Like with the four patch you can cut each of the nine sections into smaller components and come up with many many blocks. Just changing the colors of each section can result in a new appearance.

Of course there are many other grids to work with, this is just a sampling to help you understand how blocks relate to one another.

In this sampler quilt I used three primary colors, red yellow and blue. I used only two grids for the blocks. I used the four patch and the nine patch. See if you can identify which blocks are which.


Here they are on my design wall before joining them into the quilt.



The next photo shows the finished quilt top.



By the way this quilt was made for a class I teach at Quilting Weekly. During this class you will not only learn how to create a sampler quilt like this, but you will learn how to draft your own blocks as well. In addition to that you will get a better understanding of color, contrast and scale so you will get the most out of your fabrics.

Learn crazy quilting from the best.

Crazy quilts have been around for years. Traditionally they are made from luxurious fabrics and decorated with elaborate hands embroidery stitches. Today however we have wonderful embroidery machines to do the work for us. And with our busy lives, that is a good thing.

Crazy quilts are also very popular, because anyone can make one. Sewing random pieces of fabric together does not take a lot of precise cutting or measuring. That is one of the reasons for their popularity. The other may be because we have all these stitches in our machines, why not show them off!

If you are interested in making a crazy quilt why not learn from an expert on the subject. Well I found such an expert for you. Take a look at Carole Samples book on crazy quilting which is described here in this blog post.

After reading that blog post, it just may make you go off and purchase this book. That is if you want to learn how to make a crazy quilt the right way!

A great quilting site, with loads of links!!

As quilters, we are always looking for help. (well most of us anyway) And the web is such a resource of information that is right at our finger tips. Knowing where to look is the hardest part.

This website, that I stumbled upon, while looking for another one is just an example of what great resources there are. If you need a few good places to look for help with your quilting, then this site should get you off to a good start. It is a easy site to navigate around and is full of great links to other helpful quilting sites and resources. Just look here and see for yourself!

Here is another one that is sure to be helpful to new and seasoned quilters alike! Check out this site too!

When you are finished there come back and tell me what was your favorite link! Share your thoughts on this by commenting on my blog. (go ahead it won't hurt a bit I promise) In fact if you like the help I am giving you here you can even subscribe to my blog by using the easy feed buttons located on the right side bar. I love to meet new people!

Are you a Quilter who struggles with color?

Do you Struggle with Color?

Are you a quilter who seems to struggle with matching colors? Why is it so difficult for some and yet others seem to match their fabrics without a care in the world. If you are one of the people who struggle, then you need to read on and find out how to unlock the secrets of the color wheel. The color wheel is something that is used by many artists, painters, fabric designers and yes quilters! Once you know how to use one, your trouble will be over! No more “ugly mismatched” quilts again!

Color is everywhere.

It goes beyond the fabric in our cloths, and quilts. It touches us in every thing we do, and is in every part of our world inside and out. So if we are so exposed to colors, then why do we have such a hard time matching colors in our quilts? You would think this would be easy and a no brainer. (No offense here, I am not trying to insult anyone.) I was one of the strugglers too in the beginning.

The color wheel is as easy as 1....2.....3.....4


One - the primary colors

All colors start with the primary color, (which are red, yellow, and blue) from there we can mix to create other secondary colors like: yellow and blue make green, red and yellow make orange, and red and blue make purple. From there we can add our black to darken a color, or white to lighten the color which is where the various shades come in red mixed with white makes pink.

Two - pick a primary color and find it's complimentary color.

Using a color wheel is quite simple and it takes the guess work out of what goes with what. In a two color quilt pick your first color, let’s say red, now look directly below that color, what do you see? Green is the complimentary color for red. If you only made two color quilts you could easily find the matching color. But I know that would be pretty boring. So let’s take this a step further.

Three find the "Triad"

If you want to make a quilt with say three colors, then look at the “triad” which is marked on your color wheel. For those of you who do not have your own wheel (might I suggest you get one, they are not expensive and it would help you in the long run).

The “triad”, is 3 colors that are evenly spaced from each other on the color wheel. For example: red, yellow and blue. Go ahead take your wheel for a spin pick a color and see where the triad lands. What did you get?

And four - find the "tetrad".

The "tetrad" is four colors that are evenly spaced from its complimentary color on the color wheel. Let’s see if you can find four colors for a quilt, starting with red. Did you get red, green,yellow and purple? Or did you get red, green, yellow orange and blue violet? No worries here as they are both right! You see in the first example take the complimentary color green then the next color was 2 spaces to the right and 2 spaces to the left. While the second example takes the green, and then moves 3 spaces left and right. So you see they are both right because they are evenly spaced from the complimentary color!

I do hope this sheds some light on color and the use of a color wheel. May you never struggle with color again!

Help like this and loads more can be found at my online quilting classroom. Where we never cancel a class and there is always room for one more!

If you found this helpful please let me know by commenting on this post. Or if you really like my blog consider subscribing to it so you will not miss another important tip again!

Do you love denim, & rag quilts?

What could be more comfortable then your favorite pair of jeans? And if you could combine that feeling with a comfortable rag quilt, would you be interested in learning how to do that? If you said yes..... then read on.

I have finally released my latest class title. For the love of denim If you are at all curious about it then take a look here .

By the way, before you go take a look around my blog, you may find some interesting links and helpful articles. If you do, why not tell me what you liked by commenting on my page. Or better yet subscribe to my blog so you can keep in touch with what is new in my quilting world. Thanks for stopping by today.

Check out this hot new quilting community!

This is one of the hottest quilting communities on the web. Full of helpful, supportive people from around the world sharing knowledge and friendships. If you love quilting, or just want to make some new friends then this is the place to be!

Here is a link to their forum. You should be able to read the posts, but will not be able to participate or reply unless you join.

If you are interested in joining in the fun go to the registration page. There are free memberships and paid memberships. If not sure what you want pop in the "instant chat" and ask questions! (That's free)

Would you like a clear understanding of Rotary Cutting Tools?

With Quilting you can not sew before you cut!

Trying to sew before cutting in quilting, would be like running before you learn to walk. When cutting fabric accuracy and speed is something we all want to strive for. With today’s rotary cutters rulers and mats speed and accuracy can be achieved easily.

If you are new to quilting you may not know what a rotary cutter is. You may not have used these tools before, or if you have you are not yet comfortable with them. Once you master these tools you will wonder how you ever got by without them!


Let me explain things for you so that you can go out and purchase your rotary cutting tools with confidence.

First of all there are many cutters and rulers on the market today; I can not possibly tell you that one is better than the other. This is something that you will have to decide on your own. I will however tell you that they all work a little bit different. For that reason you will need to make your own choice as to what is important to you

Here are few of the most popular brands to look at. I am not recommending any one of these; I just want to give you an idea of what to look for. In each case I am showing you the 45mm size. This is a good size to start with. There are smaller and larger ones, but this will get you through the majority of you cutting needs.

Let's start with the Fiskars Brand

Here is a complete set which includes a 45mm rotary cutter, 18" x 24" cutting mat, and 6" x 24" acrylic ruler. This is a good place to start, if you are not sure what to purchase. This style cutter has the blade in closed position, and requires you to press the top button to release the blade. The blade remains out until you press the small button on the side. Good for long cutting periods, but can cause some safety issues if you forget to press the small button to close the blade when finished cutting. If you lay this down in the open position you can find yourself (or anyone else who may wander into your sewing room) with a serious cut! So please use caution with this and all cutters. Read the directions and all safety warnings on the package before using this tool.




And now for the other popular cutter: The Olfa Brand

This brand is number one for many quilters because of its safety features. The way this one works is you squeeze the handle to release the blade and when you let go of the handle the blade retracts automatically. Although it is good for safety, you need to continually keep pressure on the handle which if you are cutting for long periods of time can cause some hand fatigue. There is a lock button on the side (red button) which when pressed keeps the blade either locked closed or open depending on when you press it. If you leave it in the “locked open” position, you are leaving yourself open for possible injury. Please read all instructions and safety warning on the package before using this tool.


Another brand to consider is Dritz

One unique feature about this cutter is the blade engages automatically when pressure is applied for cutting. It too has a safety lock to protect the blade (and you) when not in use. Please read all instructions and safety warning on the package before using this tool.






Rulers on the other hand come in all shapes and sizes

There are long ones, short ones square ones and even triangular ones. All of the companies above sell rulers along with many other companies so where does one start! (With a kit, like I suggested above!) But seriously, you will find that a 6” x 24” and the largest square ruler you can afford will get you started. For years that is all I worked with. Now of course like with any hobby you will discover uses (or excuses) to buy one in every color and size! However I would not recommend you do that right away! Try a couple of rulers and see which ones you prefer to use and then stick to that brand. Mix and match if you like, but be careful with doing that in the same project. As there can be slight variances in each brand of ruler. So if you start to mix and match rulers in a single project you may find your cutting is off slightly.

Here are a few links to websites that sell rotary cutting supplies JoAnn Fabrics Simply type in the brand or description in the search box and you will find lot's of items with descriptions, prices and reviews on the products. I know that with JoAnn Fabrics you can sign up for their mailing list and they will send you 40% and sometimes even 50% off coupons on a regular basis. These coupons can be used in stores or online purchases. (Something to think about for you major purchases) In fact if you go to their website and type in "coupons" in the search box it will take you to a page where you can print out the current coupons! Go ahead try it!Nancy's Notions Again simply type in the search box of her site, and you will find rulers, cutters and mats to compare. Save on Crafts claim to have 2o% to 50% off prices everyday. This is one to check out and compare with the prices you found on the other sites or in stores.

One last bit of advice for you before you go. If you found this information helpful please let me know by leaving me a comment. Better yet subscribe to my blog feed so you can keep up with all the helpful tips and links that I will be sharing here! If you like you can tell your friends about me too! I won't mind, in fact I love to meet new quilters.

Do you need quilting tips?

If you are new to quilting there is a lot of great information on the web to help you. But you first have to find the sites that are most helpful. Well I have compiled a list of some of my favorites to help get you started.


Miscellaneous Quilt Tips From Quilters Around The World

Tips and Tricks for Creating Iron-on Transfers - T-Shirt Design

Quilting Help and Information

Victoriana Quilters Free Quilting Techniques

Another 50 Tips for Quilting
.
Machine Piecing Instructions

This should keep you busy for a while.

Design Choices or Mistakes?

Design choices or mistakes, how do you see it?

I say in quilt making there are no mistakes, only design choices to be made. (These are some very powerful words to live by in your quilt making). And something I learned many years ago in a quilt class I took. I used to point out all the mistakes I made in my quilts, before the viewer even had a chance to admire the quilt. You may ask why would I do that? The answer is simple, I though that the mistakes were the only thing anyone would see, and I felt I needed to justify why I continued making the quilt even though there were such obvious mistakes being made. You see, as the quilt maker, all I saw were the problems I had in making the quilt, whether it was a seam that didn't match, or a point that got cut off, or wobbly quilting lines. But to my surprise most of the viewers only saw a beautiful quilt and were amazed and impressed with the workmanship in the quilt.

Quilt making is a process, and a journey so enjoy the ride. As long as you continue to make quilts, you will improve your skills, and continue to learn and grow along the way. This I can gaurantee! So the next time you feel the need to point out a mistake, think about what you improved on or what new skill you learned. Try to talk about that instead of the mistakes that might have been made. (You will feel much better about your quilts, and your viewers would never dare point out any mistakes I can assure you of that!)

Go ahead, look past the mistakes and see what you've learned and accomplished on your previous quilts!

This is a post from the news section on my website. Quilting Weekly. This website is dedicated to helping quilters. It is an online quilting classroom, where you can always get an answer to you quilting questions!

This Quilt is where it all started part 3

I know I started this story awhile back, and I do apologize for taking so long to finish it. I can make excuses for my delays, but really do you want to hear them? Or would you prefer I just get on with it? Ok I hear you, I will get back to the story.

If you have not read part-1 and part-2 of the story you may want to check that out before continuing on. (Even if you did read it, you can refresh you memory if needed by clicking the links above.

The rest of the story behind my first quilt

A I continued to sew the 2" inch squares in rows, I soon realized I had a lot of squares to sew! In the process of sewing these squares, I also learned about the all important 1/4 inch seam allowance. Now mind you, at the time I was sewing on a very basic sewing machine. It was a machine that my sister-in-law had given me sometime ago. Just to give you an idea of the machine I was using here is a link to the manual along with a pretty good picture of the Kemore I was using. By the way, this site is a good resource for finding manuals, and parts for your older Kenmore machines, as I know I am not the only one out there with an old Kenmore! Please tell me I am not.

As you can see there were no fancy features, just a basic machine. It was a work horse of a machine and with all mechanical parts. Making it very heavy, but also easy to clean and maintain. Unlike the newer electronic ones of today. But 1/4 foot? I did not even know that existed. Never making a quilt before, or ever reading a pattern for making a quilt, how would I. Most seams I had worked with were for clothing which typically were 5/8 inch and were marked on the plate under the presser foot. My needle only had center, no positions there to choose from either, so I had to figure out what a 1/4 inch seam looked like,and then try to keep it consistent. Not an easy task if you do not have the right foot, or setting on your machine. (oh how spoiled I am now!)

To shed some light on how you can solve this problem (in case any of my readers out there do not have the fancy machines of today)I will explain a way to find and mark this on your machine.

Help me find my quarter inch!

One of the easiest ways to do this is take a ruler (quilters ruler with 1/4 inch markings on it)and place it under the presser foot. If you need a look at what a quilters rule is here is one by Omni Grid. Of course there are other brands out there, this is just one I use. do not lower the presser foot Now turn the hand wheel so that you lower the needle down so it touches the ruler on the 1/4 line from the edge of the ruler. Move the ruler as needed to get it exactly on the line. Now take a pad of "post-it notes" and place them next to the right side of the ruler. Stick them to the bed of the machine. This will help in two ways, by making the 1/4 inch easy to find, and it also gives you a nice edge to but the material up against.

Another method is to find the 1/4 inch spot the same way as above, but instead of using the "post-it-notes" you place a place several layers of painters tape on the bed of the machine. It works the same way. You can also just draw a permanent line on the machine which will show the mark, but there is room for error as there is no edge to press against. Which can result in an uneven seam. (of course that is what I did before I learned about the tape or post-it method. So you know that I had some issues in lining up my blocks later on! Oh yes I said I had to learn things the hard way, as I was too anxious to get to sewing, and did not take time to read the nice book I had, or ask questions at the fabric shop.

Lessons learned here "Ask questions the ladies at the fabric stores all love to help new quilters. And they are full of helpful tips like the one I shared above. In fact that is where I got it from." (and you thought I can up with that all by myself!)

Now the next thing I would like to tell you about has to do with being accurate. It is very important with any project to check and double check along the way. (This is something I still struggle with today) As you cut your blocks take a moment and verify they are all the same. When cutting lots of the same thing it is easy to switch measurements when you get distracted. I like to place a piece of colored tape on the ruler in the spot I need to remind me of my measurements. Hey they even sell tape in the quilters section of most fabric stores now just for that very thing! Check it out here is what it looks like at JoAnn Fabrics. I am sure if you looked in your husbands tool box you may find he has some thin painters tape that would work too, but the ones from JoAnns come in pretty colors!

When it comes to accuracy you need to also make sure you check your seams periodically to be sure they are still maintaining the proper seam allowance. We can tend to slip once in awhile, and better to catch a few off blocks then lot's of them. Sometimes you can press them into submission if the difference is slight, but more times than not, you will have trouble down the road. Especially if you are making more complicated blocks with lots of pieces. So get in the habit now of checking and rechecking with each new step in the block. Trust me you will thank me for this some day.

I thought I would get to the end of this project here, but looks like things are getting longer than I anticipated so I will need to finish off tomorrow with the quilt sandwich, quilting and binding lessons I learned.

I do hope you are enjoying reading this story, and if so, bookmark me, or subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a lesson. Feel free to leave me comments on my page I love to hear from my readers.

When did "Rag Quilting" start?

Rag quilting seems to turn up everywhere. I see patterns in all the quilt magazines, in fabric stores, and quilt shops. There are even entire books dedicated to this style of quilting. You hear about rag quilts being made by quilters of all ages. From beginners to more advanced quilters. From kids to adults. So of course I had to try this out for myself. I am in the process of making a rag quilt as I type this article. (well not actually, as I can not type and sew at the same time)

For those of you who may not have discovered rag quilting yet let me explain what it is. Better yet I will show you a few websites who have graciously taken the time to show you how to make one if you like.

Rag Quilts

Kids can make a rag quilt!

Free Rag Quilt Patterns

Of course there are hundreds more, but this will give you an idea of how they look, and it just might start you off on a new adventure in quilting.

I like rag quilts because when the last square is joined to the last row, your quilt is done. (except for the clipping and washing part) There is no quilt sandwich to be made or any basting or tops stitching to be done! It is this simple construction method that makes it so popular. There are no fancy points or intersections to match, and if you seams are off a bit, with all the fringe who will notice.

The history behind rag quilting has intrigued me. And so I want to know when it started or who made the first rag quilt. I find the history behind the pattern to be just as interesting as the pattern itself. I have searched the internet over the past few days and have not found the answers yet, but I did find some interesting websites along the way. Here are a few of the sites I discovered. You might find some interesting reads here as well.


* American Quilt History

* Americas Quilting History

* Needlework and Quilt History

While I found some very interesting facts here at these sites, I still have not uncovered the mystery of who made the first rag quilt, or where this style of quilting got it's start. So I guess my quest for this knowledge will have to continue. Who knows, I may find it some day, and if I do you can be sure I will update this article for you!

In the mean time:

If you like what your reading please tell me so, by leaving me a comment on this page. If you would like to keep up to date with my quilting lessons please use the convenient feed buttons on the right hand side of the page to subscribe to this blog so you will not miss out on any important articles. Take care and thanks for reading my blog.