Tuesday Tip # 6 - Four Helpful Tips When Attaching Quilt Binding

Binding is my sometimes nemesis. You can read about my battle with binding here, which is funny in retrospect. At the time? not so much. This has led me to find easier ways to attach my quilt binding to lessen my frustration.

• 1 --  WALKING FOOT IS YOUR FRIEND

This tidbit of wisdom was shared with me at a guild meeting and has made a world of difference for me.

Use Walking Foot when Attaching Quilt Binding

The walking foot will feed the top layers through your sewing machine, similar to your feed dogs below, and will keep all your layers from shifting.

• 2  --  WEAR QUILTING GLOVES

Quilt Gloves

You are handling multiple layers of fabric and batting. Quilting gloves will allow you to easily grip the fabric as you move it through your machine. 

• 3  --  PRESS SEAMS OPEN

Press Seams Open

I hate to press seams open, but here it makes sense. You want as little bulk as possible on your binding, especially if you are hand sewing it in place to finish the quilt.

• 4  --  PIN IN PLACE

Pin Binding in Place

To avoid binding seams in the corners of your quilt, always take a few minutes to pin your binding in place. Yes, the binding shifts a little (even with a walking foot) but this will give you a guide of where to start your binding and the general area where the binding seams will be. If needs be, adjust your binding. This is so much easier to do before the first stitch than later. You do not want any extra bulk as you fold fabric to miter your corners. 

Tuesday Tip #5 - The Importance of Labeling Solids

We've all had those moments where we think to ourselves, "I'll remember this. I don't need to write this down." We live to regret those words. 

My moment came while making my Honey Honey quilt. I was testing the pattern for Esther, and had pulled fabric from my stash. I reasoned I had enough fabric for this pattern--it was going to be alright. Unfortunately, I also lived to regret those words.  I had to remake about 16 units because I had misread the instructions. I ran out of the gray fabric, but I thought it wouldn't be a problem to match. I was pretty sure of the fabric's brand and where I had purchased it. Oh, how so very wrong. I searched for 2 days! Finally, after giving a swatch to my mom to help in the search, my mom called to tell me she found it. I was looking at the wrong brand entirely! 

 

I vowed to never let this happen again. 

• STEP ONE - WHILE AT THE STORE, WRITE IT DOWN!

 A lot of quilting fabric will have the company, designer, and pattern printed on the selvage. However, solids don't follow this trend. Neither do Batiks. However, this information can be found on the bolt. You know--where you look for the price? Yeah, there.

While at the store, write down both brand and color! This is easy to do while the fabric is being cut. .

Write it Down!

• STEP TWO - LABEL YOUR FABRIC

I have two ways I do this. 

My preferred method is with a permanent fabric pen. Do not use a Frixion pen or any other marking pen--the ink will disappear, and you lose all your precious information!

 

Unfold your fabric. Write the fabric's make and color on the selvage. You're going to cut it off eventually, so you aren't losing out on any fabric.

Label Your Fabric

Or, you can label your fabric with paper and pin. Again, be sure to write down the fabric make and color. I pin it at the selvage (over the holes.) This way, I'm not accidentally damaging any usable fabric.

Label Your Fabric

I found it necessary to use this method for my really dark fabrics, or true blacks.

Label Your Fabric

You may be asking yourself, "Self? Is this really necessary?" From one self to another, it really is. Unless you want to be chasing down that elusive color. Was it Kona? Or Moda? Hmm. Is that blue I need called "Cloud," "Blue Bell," or "Cornflower?" Can't quite tell--and it's harder to tell when you are looking at two entirely different brands.

Don't leave it up to chance! Don't waste 2+ days searching for an exact match! Write it down and keep it with the fabric so you can always match your fabric later if the need arises. 

And Murphy's Law states: "You will always need to match fabric you didn't label." 

Okay, I made that up. But it totally sounds legit, right?

Linked up to Stitch by Stitch here. 

Tuesday Tip #4 - The ABSOLUTE BEST Way to Rip Out Stitches

When I first learned to sew, I quickly learned the need to "unsew." I was self taught, and it wasn't pretty. I'd yank and pull on the fabric, sometimes accidentally gouging the fabric with the seam ripper. It was ugly.

Then I learned the absolute BEST way to use a seam ripper. As a result, my fabric is left pretty and undamaged. And it is super fast with minimal work.

• STEP 1

First, use the seam ripper to cut every 3 to 4 stitches on just one side.

• STEP 2

Next, lightly pull apart the two fabrics. 

It comes apart so easily!

• STEP 3

One fabric will have those small pieces of thread you cut. 

BUT--The other fabric will have one solid piece of thread.

Pull out that ONE long piece of thread.

• STEP 4

Ta-Da! You have spent an itty-bitty amount of time to undo your mistake. Your fabric hasn't been pulled and distorted out of shape. And it is SO easy peasy!

Linked up with Stitch by Stitch here.
Linked up with Sew Fresh Quilts here.

Tuesday Tip #3 - How to Make Your Quilt Seams Lie Flat Part 2

 

Last week's tip covered how to make just one seam lie flat. Today, I'll go over how to do this for your entire quilt. 

Most quilt books will tell you to sew a row of your blocks together and press to one way, i.e. all to the right. Then, you are to press your next row of blocks the other way, i.e. all to the left. I'm here to tell you this isn't the best way to do it.

Once I learned how to spiral my seams open for flat intersecting seams, I wanted to be able to do this will ALL my seams. It took me a while to figure out how to do this for an entire quilt or block. 

• STEP 1 - ASSEMBLE YOUR ROWS

Sew all your rows together.

 

• STEP 2 - PRESS BLOCKS IN ALTERNATING DIRECTIONS

Instead of pressing all to one direction, you are going to alternate directions you press your seams.

In this example, you can see the arrows pointing the direction I pressed the seams. 

 

Take note how the rows also alternate directions. This allows my seams to nest together when I sew my rows together. 

• STEP 3 - SEW YOUR ROWS TOGETHER

Nest your seams together and sew your rows together.

 

• STEP 4 - SPIRAL YOUR SEAMS OPEN

Use the steps of last week's tip to spiral all your seams all open. 

 

Because we already pressed the seams in the rows to opposite directions, you will have an idea of how things should be pressed. You can almost make a path with your seams.

Here are a few examples of what you will do with your seams.

 

This will determine which way you will press the remaining seams.

 

You will have continuous spirals going on.

• STEP 5 - SIT BACK AND ADMIRE

Once you've starched and ironed, you need to admire your work.

Look how flat that is!

 

Give it a try--you will be AMAZED at the difference it makes. 

Tuesday Tip #2 - How to Make Your Seams Lie Flat Part 1

I had no idea I was doing my seams ALL wrong. I was following the directions in all the Quilt Books, which instructed me to just press the seams all one way and then all the other way. When another quilter let me in on this trick, I was flabbergasted. What? The quilt books are wrong? Yes, yes they are.

I was also VERY skeptical about this idea because I was to unpick (UNPICK!) into my seam allowance--the stitches holding my seams together in the "just in case" area. Wasn't that against the quilting rules? Also, I just didn't think it really mattered. But you know what? It really does. I can't help but now notice all the non-flat seams in all my finished quilts now--oh, the agony!

Just look at the difference! This is actually the exact same block, just pressed differently. 

So how does one accomplish this amazing feat? I'm glad you asked. I made a simple 4-patch to illustrate how this is done.

• STEP 1 - UNPICK YOUR STITCHES IN THE SEAM ALLOWANCE

At the intersecting seam, you want to unpick those 4-5 stitches past the seam allowance. You aren't unpicking stitches holding the blocks together--you are unpicking those "extra" stitches you stitched over.

• STEP 2 - SPIRAL YOUR SEAM OPEN

Because you nested your seams while sewing your 4-patch, two seams are already going opposite directions. In my picture, you can see how the yellow seams are going opposite directions--that is because before sewing the 4-patch I had pressed those seams so I could nest them together to match the seam.

Next, you are going make the other 2 seams go opposite directions as well.  The easiest way to do this is to spiral the seams. See the arrows? They are going in a circle following the direction already set by the yellow seams. 

Because we are spiraling the seam, we now know which way the blue seams need to go. You can also stick your finger inside all those seams and move your finger in the spiral motion, helping those seams open. And LOOK! The middle seam is starting to open up. This is when you yell "Wa-Hoo!"

You know you have it correct when you see the opposite pattern in the open seam. Can you see the mini 4-patch in that open seam? That's what you're looking for. 

• STEP 3 - ADD A LITTLE STARCH (OPTIONAL)

This step isn't absolutely necessary, but I find it very helpful. I spritz a spray of starch (my fav is Best Press) to keep the seam open and in place.

• STEP 4 - IRON 

Next, you need to iron the seams in the spiral direction you predetermined. I iron the seams on the back side of the block, then I press the center intersecting seam using the starch to press it flat. 

I then press the front side of the block.

• STEP 5 - STEP BACK AND ADMIRE 

Yes--this is an important step. What fun is it if you can't admire your own work? 

Give it a try! I wasn't convinced until I tried it myself and could see and feel the difference. So much of quilting is texture and touch. We have to feel it.

Have you tried this? Do you like it? What other steps have you taken to make your seams lie flat? 

Next week, I'll talk you through how to do this for an entire project in Part 2.  

Linked up to Stitch by Stitch here.

Tuesday Tip #1 - Quilter's Light Box App

There are times a quilter needs a light box. I've only just recently needed one to work on my Old Italian quilt project. But does this one time justify the need to go out and purchase a light box? For me, my answer is 'No.' I know several quilters will use a window in lieu of a light box. That doesn't always work for me since I do a lot of quilting after the kidlets go to bed--no sunshine outside after bedtime.

I was grumbling about this one evening when my hubby spoke up and said "There's an app for that." Well, of course there is. There just seems to be an app for everything. 

Heard of SoftBox? 

It turns your iPad or android device into a professional studio lighting system. But how does that solve my problem of needing a light box?  

This app is used by photographers for lighting areas while photographing. You can change the color from bright white to any other color in the rainbow. It also has different screen shapes like rectangle, hexagon, oval, circle, etc. There are several textures to choose from, but we don't need any of those.

For our purposes, you choose bright white color, no texture, and full screen shape. 

Voilà! Instant Light Box!

Is this this a perfect fix to replace a light box? No. 

My biggest complaint about this option is that it doesn't always hold still. Once you choose your setting, it supposedly locks into place. You can unlock it by tapping twice on the screen. However, many times the app thinks I've tapped twice while I'm working on my project and will either go back to the app's main menu or close it out completely. Annoying! But in all honestly, this app wasn't designed for how I'm using it. It was meant to just sit there and be pretty. Whereas, I'm basically drawing and pressing all over the screen.

Despite my one big annoyance with this, I'd still rather only pay $1.99 or $2.99 for an app than pay $35.00+ for a bulky light box I would very rarely use. 

You can purchase the app at these links

apple | android

What have you used in lieu of a light box? Do you do the window trick? Have you found another app that works better? I'd love to hear your thoughts, tricks, and tips. Because if there is something out there that works better, I'd love to hear it. It would save me some grief. 

Linked up with Quilt Story here.

Linked up with Free Motion by the River here.