Never too late to teach an old dog new tricks

When I started quilting I thought since I had been sewing since about 12 or 13, that I knew all there was to know and quilting would be a cinch. Little did I realize that sewing clothes and such was a whole different story from quilt making. Believe it or not one of the most difficult things for me to learn was rotary cutting. The fabric kept shifting and I couldn't get the fabric to cut just right or lined up just right. I recently figured out that one thing I was doing wrong was I would line the fabric on the side without looking to see if I had lined it up also on the bottom so my fabric would be off the line on the bottom but straight on the side, still making it uneven. I was looking on line today for a book about borders. I always seem to do the same old boring borders, and found there is a place called about.com and when you go there, you can pick your subject, like I picked arts and crafts and then quilting and found a video on rotary cutting. I actually learned something about cutting that will help me. They also have othere topics on quilting. I love the on line videos. Also try Pinterest which I have heard is really interesting. It is a web site that is like a giant board of topics. Pick the topic you want and within that topic are thousands of ideas for you craft. .I am attempting to add a link to that video. If I dont suceed, I figure it out later. As always, keep quilting ladies and don't forget to send in pictures of your projects.

Back in the Groove

I've been out of the groove to sew for awhile with surgery and the holidays but now with Christmas packed up and put away, the house all clean and tidy, I'm in the mood again. I'm working on a quilt for one of my sisters. I am determined to create a quilt for each of my siblings. So far I have done 2 and am almost finished with the 3rd, and already know what the 4th one will be. That makes 5 more to go! I recently stumbled across a quaint quilting shop close to where I live. They have an open house tomorrow and offer a large assortment of classes to take. I am signing up for the hand quilting class. I really have a fasination with hand quilting for some reason. I have arthritis in my hands so I don't know how long I will be able to do hand quilting but want to give it my best shot. If you have shopped for fabric lately, you will have noticed how expensive the quilt fabric has become. Some of the less expensive fabric at JoAnn's and Hancock's is not as nice as the fabrics in the quilt shops. I have decided though, since quilting takes so much work and time, you don't want to use inferior material. I also have used just a sheet for a backing on my quilts but have decided not to do that. When Susan and I were making a quilt for our sister Barbara's 70 th birthday, she made the back out of the leftover fabric we used on the front. With the quilt I"m making now, I'm going to do the same thing. I'm thinking of sewing strips of the fabrics I used on the front to make a backing. Barbara, who was the first in our family to start quilting once told me that when you make a quilt, you want the back side to look nice and compliment the front of the quilt and she is so right. If you live in MIssouri, Susan and Barb can direct you to a fantastic quilt shop in Caladonia. Yes it's way out there in the boon docks but her fabric is high quality and low priced. Well worth the trip out there. Until next time ladies, happy quilting! Debbie

Pieces of the Past

In my last blog I talked about this quilt top created by my maternal grandmother, Dora Winkler Schott, and possibly my Aunt Dorothy Schott. What amazes me the most about this top is how all the pieces line up perfectly and the tiny hand stitches that hold them together. I use a rotary cutter and have difficulty getting each piece exactly the size of the one before it. Not to mention I have a fancy sewing machine to join them together and a 1/4 inch foot attachment to make sure my seams are exactly the same width. Not to mention the hours spent trying to choose the perfect fabrics and paying a pretty penny for them also. Grandma's pieces were made up of old clothing no longer wearable, probably tableclothes, etc., cut with a pair of scissors and sewed together with an array of threads which I think are embroidery threads because of the thickness and the different colors used. I can picture in my mind her living room and the exact spot where the old radio sat. I can see her sitting with papa and Aunt Dorothy by the radio in her rocker, sewing her quilt together. I can't think of any antique past down to me that belonged to her that would mean as much as this quilt top does. Quilting has definitely come a long way since Grandma's day but remains a labor of love to all of us quilters.