INSPIRATION: Creating a label is a good way to identify your quilt, with the pattern designer, quilt maker and the quilter, the recipient and date, but not the actual story of the quilt. After a quilt is completed its a good idea to tell the story, admire your work, wind down and reflect on what new techniques were learned, challenges and how they were resolved, what could have been done differently and most important, the feeling and state of mind, before, during and after completion of your quilt.
I was inspired to tell the story of my quilt after watching Craft In America; QUILTS which premiered on PBS Dec 27, 2019. Quilts do tell a story, history, feelings, state of mind, and history; after watching the Craft in America: Quilts, I was moved to began documenting the of my quilts. As I began to tell the story, I realized there were varying components which i have listed below including photos.
QUILT NAME: Shining Star (two versions of the Shining Star (1) and (2)) DATE STARTED: 11/30/2019 DATE COMPLETED: 1/2/2020 SIZE: (1) 13 1/2″ & (2) 16 1/2″ QUILT TYPE/RECEIPIENT: Home Decor/Wall Hanging
Shining Star (1) border with corner stones and the quilting extends to the borderShining Star back with facing and corner pockets for hanging.Shining Star (2) Wide borderShining Star (2) narrow binding
TOOLS:
ORGANIZATION: The Quilter’s Planner -Projects at a Glance & Project Planner MACHINE: Baby Lock Ellure Plus NEEDLES: Organ Needes XAX1 10pcs 130/705H/90/14, The Bolt Quilt Shop QUILT COLORS: Green, Red, Gold, Ivory FABRIC: Moda Watercolors Fat Quarters; RJR Holiday Collection 2 1/2″ strips; and Joann Fabric & Craft -Elizabeth Brownd Designs “Woodland Splendor” yardage. THREADS: Craftsy Prima-Parchment 1006 100% cotton; 50wt/1200yd; Poly-X40 100% Polyester/1000M/ES1552 (for bobbin, outlining, stitch in the ditch); Robison-Anton/JMetallic/100yds/Gold/color 1003/Lot 792676 BATTING: 987F Fusible Fleece, White, Fabric type: 100% Cotton By Pellon (one-side); Pellon Natural Blend 80/20 Batting With Stabilizing Scrim Binder, 96″ Wide, 9 Yard Bolt NOTIONS: Omnigrid 2102 Glow Line Tape, Pink/Orange/Yellow; Omingrid 12″, 6 1/2″; Mat 58″x34″; June Tailor Mat 36″x24″; Super Fine Quilt needles, Dritz 172 Glass Head Pins, Ultra Fine, 1-3/8-Inch (150-Count); Singer fabric sissors & Pinking Shears.
I always begin with an idea, a shape, a thought, then a plan, then the fun begins, choosing fabric colors, When you first get the quilting bug, inspiration is literally, EVERYWHERE!
Color: Look around, you will see a huge array of color for inspiration. For example, a photo of an autumn sunset, I used Moda Palette Builder to pull colors from the photo to translate to Moda fabric
Is this your first time piecing a block or making quilt? Sewing has been a great passion for me for many years. In my teens sewing was practical, so making school clothes afforded me the uniqueness of custom outfits. Garment making started as a necessity and as a way to give customized gifts to family and friends. At first, quilting was a gradual liking. I just could not understand why the fabric had to be cut into varying size pieces and then the pieces sewed together. Then I though about it and related it to garment sewing. For instance, making a dress, in order to make a dress, a whole piece cloth of fabric was purchased and then cut up into varying pieces and then sewed together based on a specific pattern. Then a light went off when I discovered that quilting is the same as sewing a garment, except the pieces are put together to make quilts for cribs, various sizes of beds, a wall hanging, home decor like placemats, table runners and pillows, to name a few. Then quilting made sense and I was in love! I already loved fabric, though I had to understand the types of fabric to use for quilt making, as well as quilt care. After watching many quilt tutorials various types of fabrics were references that I was not familiar with and that’s when I discovered, batik, minky, flannel, fleece, oil cloth, vinyl and other interesting types of fabrics.
After working with cotton, I kept hearing the word batik, and after understanding what a batik was, I ventured into making batik fabric blocks.
Blocks! Blocks! Blocks! How many are there? Thousands! I was introduced to quilt blocks because I loved the look of quilts and was curious how to put them together as well as coordinate color and create a beautiful design. Though at the beginning quilts were intimidating and looked so difficult. Picking just one block is not easy, there are so many beautiful blocks to create. However, as with anything new, it takes time to understand, learn and make, after which I found making a block and eventually a quilt easier. How I approached beginning a block was to read and view tutorials, review magazines and understand what tools and fabric are required. Learning from others allowed me to bypass a lot of the difficulty in making a block and gaining from other’s experiences and tips, which came in very handy in understanding a lot of the concepts.
I used fat quarters that were already color coordinated so I wouldn’t have to think so much. After I got a bit better, I wanted to do more piecing. Magazines, websites, and tutorials have a massive assortment of blocks. However, there are some blocks that can be simply made with a square, i.e., 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″, which creating four and piecing makes a 4-patch block. There are many websites and tutorials on YouTube to help. If you are looking to understand quilt lingo, the Quilt Glossary could be your best way to learn, especially when watching a tutorial and some of the terms is not explained.
Having sewed garments in the past, I knew the basics about sewing, but learning about quilting required a new type or style of piecing. The tools were already available, mats, rulers, sissors, and thread. Though I learned, after a few piecing, that there is a difference in thread and seams were not the same. Where garments required a 5/8″ seam, piecing requires a 1/4″ seam, that took some getting use to until I purchased a 1/4″ foot, that made piecing more accurate. So just for practice and understanding, I started small, making a simple pieced pad.
A simple pocket pad with basic quilting and and my first hand at binding.
Going it alone was good, though I benefited from joining a quilt-along. There I was introduced and now understand the different terms, feature fabric, background fabric, auditioning fabric, color theory, flying geese, following a pattern piecing a block, sashing, quilt top, basting, sandwiching and binding.
Where do you begin when making a block. Learn on your own? Subscribe to magazines? Join a Quilt-Along? Attend a Quilt Class? Or, another way of learning?
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