We’ve just added a fun novelty selection to our fabrics from Timeless Treasures. You’re sure to find a fun addition to your fabric stash with such prints as International Currency, Italian Vacation, Debi Hubbs Crows, knitting cats and chickens, bicycles, junk food and many more. Novelty fabrics are fun for pillowcases, bags and throw quilts.

Be sure to check out the latest Timeless Treasures selection at Alice in Stitches.

As a beginner, it can be scary to venture out of your comfort zone when choosing fabric. Here are a few tips to help you break through your personal barriers to color, texture and scale.

• Choose an assortment of fabrics for each color value

If your pattern calls for three to five fabrics, choose a color family for each of those fabrics rather than a single fabric. You quilt will come to life if you move towards a less planned approach. For the “red” in your quilt, you could have 5 or 6 similar value reds that will all “read” as the same color, but will keep your eye interested.

• Vary the scale of prints in your quilt

Include some medium and large scale prints in your projects. A large scale print when cut up will help move your eye across your quilt. These fabrics also work well to transition between colors.

• Use fabrics that transition between color areas for a blended look

If you are creating a quilt that needs to “blend” or “transition” gently between colors, look for a variety of transitional fabrics that include both colors in the area you want to blend. These fabrics help your eye move over the space without a definite break in color. On the other hand, if your quilt has areas that need to be set off in a dramatic way, use highly contrasted fabrics in those areas.

• Experiment with new colors and prints

Don’t be afraid to experiment with new color combinations or fabrics that are out of your comfort zone. Try to add at least one fabric that stretches you into new territory!

Keep in mind when shopping for quilting fabric that your choices for a quilt do not all need to come from the same “family” of fabrics. It can be interested to combine a print with a batik, or a stripe. Keep the scale of your prints varied.

If you are having a hard time with color combinations, try combining colors you might find in nature, or pull out the color wheel to help. It’s a good bet to base your quilt on a complementary, adjacent, monochromatic or primary scheme.

Fabric and color terms

VALUE: is the lightness or darkness of color. It is important to use a variety of values in a quilt to create contrast and add sparkle. Quilts made of all one value of fabric will come across as dull and lifeless. A useful tool to use to determine the value of a fabric is called a Ruby Beholder (a piece of red plexiglass that you view the fabric through). Or, simply stand back and squint at a line-up of fabrics and see which one appears to pop out or be out of place.

INTENSITY OF COLOR: is the brightness or dullness of the color. Try to keep to the same palette within a quilt. There are of course always exceptions to the rule and occasionally it will work to throw in a muted fabric next to a bright.

PRINTS: will add texture, interest and enhance your ability to blend fabrics in a pleasing way. Try to use a variety of print scales within your project. Mini-prints and calicos are small enough to “read” as solids in many quilts. Medium to large scale prints are great for blending the colors from the fabrics on either side. When you cut up a large scale print to use in your quilt, it will help to move the eye around with more random color placement.

TRANSITIONAL FABRICS: are fabrics used to bridge the gap when moving from one color to another or one value to another. These are used when a gently blended flow is needed. Transitional fabrics usually are multi-color, blending the prints from fabrics on either side of them.

STRIPES AND PLAIDS: can be incorporated into many designs successfully. You can “fussy cut” them or rotary cut (if you don’t worry about them being straight!). Strips are great in borders. Plaids can be really fun in block quilts - try a whole collection of plaids in a quilt! Try a diagonal stripe as a binding.

DIRECTIONAL PRINTS: are one way prints. You’ll need to be careful in their use (especially if it will drive you crazy to see a print upside down in a project.

Have fun and experiment!

If you are new to the world of quilting, you may be confused about the differences between piecing, applique, quilting and tieing. Here’s a run down on when and where to use each.

Piecing

Piecing your quilt refers to seaming together fabrics (by hand or machine) in a pattern to create your quilt top. Piecing is most often used in creating blocks and quilts where the seam lines are straight or gently curved. Your quilt top is created from many small “pieces” all sewn together, hence the name “piecing”. The standard seam allowance for piecing your quilt is 1/4”. Seams should be ironed to one side rather than opened.

Applique

Applique is the process of hand or machine sewing shapes onto your quilt top in a pattern or design. Applique is often used for curved shapes that would be difficult to seam together. You will instead sew them directly to the quilt top. There are a number of types of applique that are popular with quilters.

Let’s begin with needle-turn. This method requires that you cut your fabric piece slightly larger than required. You will sew your applique in place using your needle to fold a slight seam allowance under with each stitch. Basically, you fold, then stitch, fold then stitch.

Paper-piecing requires that you cut out a paper template (I like to use the lightweight cardboard inserts in magazines), cut a slightly larger piece of fabric. Then you will baste your fabric onto the paper template, with seams turned under the paper. This gives you a nice, neat edge to then applique onto your quilt. When you near the end of appliqueing your piece down, you will cut the basting, pull out the paper and continue to applique the fabric piece in place.

Raw-edge applique means that you will cut your fabric piece to the size you need, and machine sew it to your quilt without turning under any seam allowance.

Fusible applique refers to cutting out your fabric piece to the correct size (no seam allowance), fusing it to a fusible webbing such as Misty Fuse, and then ironing (or fusing) into place on your quilt. No sewing is required.

For reverse applique, shapes are cut from the interior of a piece of fabric and the raw edges are turned under at the cuts to expose a second layer of fabric beneath.

Quilting

Quilting is the process of sewing the top, batting and backing together. You can quilt your project by hand or machine. The first step before you begin quilting is to mark your quilt top with the pattern that you would like to use. Mark lightly with a pencil or water soluble fabric marker. Many pattern templates are available to choose from. If you would prefer, you can avoid marking your top by deciding to “quilt in the ditch” (quilting in the seam lines), or quilt a consistent 1/4” from the seam line (so the quilting lines show).

Before you begin quilting, carefully layer the backing, batting, and top together, being sure that all wrinkles are smoothed out. Baste your quilt project with a long running stitch, cross-hatch. Or, use #2 Safety pins to pin baste your quilt. Pins should be placed every 4-5”. Be sure you begin quilting from the center of the quilt, working your way out to the edges. This will allow you to smooth any wrinkles out to the edge.

When you are finished marking and basting your quilt, you will be ready to proceed with hand or machine quilting the three layers together. Again, start from the center and work outward.

Tieing Your Quilt

Tieing your quilt is another way to join the layers of the backing, batting and quilt top. You can simply create ties (with yarn or embroidery floss) to hold the layers together. To tie your quilt, you’ll need a large eye needle and your choice of yarn or floss. Thread the yarn through the needle, push it through the quilt so both ends of the yarn end on the top and create ties – trim to about 1”. Your ties should probably be spaced at every 3-5” depending on the type of batting you used.

When your layers have been joined by quilting or tieing, you’ll be ready to trim the edges and apply the final binding around the outer edge.

Click here to read about my Needle Arts Product Information:

Mascot Tutto Machine On Wheels Size Chart

The Mascot Tutto Company has created a wonderful line of bags for the quilter and crafter. The Machine on Wheels bags are available in various sizes to fit just about any sewing machine, embroidery unit and serger. The smaller bags can be securely strapped to the top of the Machine on Wheels bags.

The Tutto Machine on Wheels bags are lightweight, collapsible, easy to maneuver and stackable. They are sturdy bags that will not tip over. For your ease of loading in your sewing machine, both the top and side of the bag opens up. The interior has straps to hold your machine securely in place, as well as mesh pockets for extra notions. They are made of a durable nylon and carry a one year manufacturer warranty to be free from defects in material and workmanship.

The Mascot Tutto bags are an excellent choice if you have a hard time lifting and bending. In 1994, Tutto won the Arthritis Foundation Award. The award was based on the following:

• A 4-wheel base which lessens weight and strain on user’s back and arms
• A rigid U-shaped puller bar anchored to each side of the frame making it easier to maneuver and reducing the need to bend and lift.
• Location of the wheels improves balance and traction
• Lightweight product

SIZE GUIDE
Medium size: Interior Dimensions 19″L x 12 1/4″H x 10″W
Large size: Interior Dimensions 21″L x 13 1/4″H x 12″ W
XL and XXL Sizes available by special order (Black Only)

POPULAR SEWING MACHINE BRANDS:

FITS LARGE SIZE BAG:

BabyLock: Ellegante, Ellageo, Esanite, Ellure, Espire, Proline, Evolve, Imagine, Ecline
Bernina: Artista, 200, 1000, 1008, 1020, 1080, 1630
Brother: NV-4000D, PC8500D, 6500, 2800, ULT-2002, ULT-2003D, 1500S
Elna: Xquisit
Janome: Memory Craft 11000, 10001, 6600, 9700, 350E, 6500, 6105
Juki: Serger
PFAFF: Serger 4752, 4842, 4852, 4862, 4874
Simplicity: Creative Spirit, Limberty
Singer: Quantum 5000, 9940, 750, 3860, CE-100, 200 Futura
Viking: Serger 936
White: Superlock 2000 ATS

FITS MEDIUM BAG:
BabyLock: (Tight fit for top screen models) Crafter’s Choice, Quilter’s Choice, Denim Pro, Decorator’s Choice, Embellisher, Intrique
Bernina: (Tight fit for top screen models) 180, 165, 155, 153, 145, 135, 125, 730, 1230, 1130, 630, 630E, 640, 640E, 185, 700D, 800DI, 1200DA, 1300DC, Aurora 430, 430E, 440 QEE
Brother: NX-200, 400, 600, PC 180D, 500D
Elna: Serger 945, 744, 686, 3005, 3007, 3210, 6005, 2130, 2110
Janome: 4800, 4623, 3500, Jem Silver, Jem Gold
Juki: HZL-E80, HZLT-100, TL98QE
PFAFF: Creative 2140, 2144, Performance 2054, Quilt 2044, 2046, Expression 2014, 2024, 2034, Select 1520, 1530, 1540, Hobby 1016, 1022, 1032, 1042
Simplicity: Frontier Serger, Craft & Quilt
Singer: Featherweight (with 12″ height case), Featherweight II, Featherweight (with 11″ height case)
Viking: Platinum 750, 770, Viva, Iris, Rose, Lily
White: W4400, 3300, 3100, 2037, 1750 C, 1740

Also Available:

Embroidery Unit Case, Serger Bag, Tool Caddy

If in doubt, it is usually better to go with the larger bag - always good to have room for supplies!

The Machine on Wheels have become “the” bag for quilters, sewers and crafters on the go! These great bags will be just the thing to take to classes, quilting retreats and cruises.

eBay & Amazon Store News:

Differences in Fabric Quality

You’ll probably notice quite a difference in the price of fabric depending on whether you are buying from a specialty quilt fabric store or a discount sewing store. What makes some fabrics cost more?

The differences begin with the base fabric, called “griege” goods. Griege is pronounced “gray”. The quality of the griege is based on thread count and thread weight. A high quality fabric will have a thread count of 75 and a thread weight of 30 or 34. The thread count is the number of threads in an inch of fabric. A less expensive fabric will often be made with a greige base with a thinner weight and lower thread count. Consequently the lower quality fabric will not hold up well with wear and washing.

The Cranston fabric manufacturer provides a great look at How Fabric is Made.

You will be able to feel a noticeable difference between a high quality fabric and a lower quality. The higher quality fabrics will often be softer and silkier and you will not be able to see through them. A lower quality fabric will often be stiff or thin to the touch. The colors will be more vivid and vibrant and will not be as likely to run as lower quality fabrics. An exception would be with some batiks - it often takes several washings to soften and eliminate dyes, due to the process the fabric goes through.

A higher quality fabric also has a consistent and balanced weave. This will eliminate excessive and uneven shrinkage.

The higher thread count in the fabric will prevent your batting from bearding through the fabric when you are quilting. You will find as a hand quilter, that a higher quality fabric will be easier to quilt.

With all the time and love you put into your quilt, reward yourself with quality fabrics, and be sure your quilt will be around to pass down through the generations.

Fabric Grain Lines

If Home Economics wasn’t your strong suit, here’s a quick and dirty run-down on fabric grain lines!

The Straight of Grain (or warp) runs parallel to your selvage. It indicates the direction of the yarns. A cut from this direction will have very little stretch and is good for your borders.

The Cross Grain (or weft) are the yarns that run across your fabric from selvage to selvage and are woven to create the fabric. The cross grain has more stretch and give.

The Bias is on a 45 degree angle to the straight of grain. This is best for any place you need stretch and give. You will find this useful in bias bindings, especially very curved bindings.

Washing and Steam Ironing your fabrics

Washing your fabric before quilting is one of those somewhat controversial subjects. Your decision to wash and remove the chemicals from your fabric, pre-shrink and remove excess dyes, can also result in your fabric losing it’s new crisp feel and in some cases, the sheen.

I tend to wash all my fabrics before use. By removing the chemicals, your are also prolonging the life of your fabrics and beautiful heirloom quilts. Chemicals will tend to break down the fibers of your fabric and cause damage over time.

If your quilt is to be laundered anyway, there is no reason to not wash ahead of cutting your fabrics. You may as well remove excess dyes that could seep into other areas of your quilt.

My tip on washing long lengths of fabric is to fold the piece into approximate 3 ft sections, and then safety pin along one selvage edge to hold it all together. Then go ahead and throw it into the washing machine and dryer. You will save yourself the time and frustration of pulling a tangled wad of thread and fabric out of the dryer that would have taken a lot of power ironing to fix!

An alternative to washing your fabric before using would be to steam iron. This choice is suitable for someone who would like to create a wall hanging or other project that is not likely to need washing. If you steam iron your fabric, you will still shrink the cotton before use, without loosing the sheen.