QUILTING: IT'S NOT JUST FOR WOMEN

Until recently I never even gave it a thought that men quilted. When I think of the history of quilting, I think of women and quilting and  that it was originally a necessary art form years ago and then as it progressed it became more creative and competitive. A women in my quilt group has a son Kenneth who is an engineer. Awhile back, Cynthia, Kenneth's mother, had back surgery and he would bring her to quilting and stay until she was ready to go home. He started helping our by cutting and pressing and before you know it he was quilting. We have our meetings at a quilt shop and two of his quilts are hanging up there. He is an incredible quilter. I was in awe of his quilts. My grandson Evan has shown interest in learning to quilt. He decided he is going to start on a quilt project soon. He has made pillowcases and even did a speech at school on how to make a pillowcase. I went on line today to google men and quilting and found some amazing stories and pictures of men who quilt. A man by the name of Joe Cunningham wrote a book called Men and the Art of Quilting plus there are pictures of his quilts. Also a gentleman by the name of Luke Haynes did a fantastic self portrait quilt. Thomas Knauer is another quilter. I'm sure there are loads of men who quilt. Every year there is a big quilt show here in Houston. I have  never gone but will go this year and also work in our booth. Don't forget to check out our quilts and see Kenneth's quilts. Until next time, happy quilting!

Batting: Which is the best batting to use for your project?

When you go to pick out batting, there are so many different kinds and

different lofts of thickness it can be really confusing. In the old days, the women were more concerned about warmth and comfort and often would choose wool blankets, old clothes, or raw cotton from the fields to line their quilts. They didn't have the choices we have today. There is 100% cotton, 100% wool, 80/20 which is 80% cotton and 20% polyester, or 100% polyester. Then you have the added confusion of the low, medium and high loft. There is also now bamboo which I haven't tried yet but would like to order some just to try it. I checked JoAnn fabrics and they carry a fusible batting made of 50% natural fiber and 50% bamboo. Hancock Fabrics doesn't carry it at all but it can be bought on line. Even if you don't quilt your quilt top yourself, picking out the right batting can make a real difference on how you project feels when its done. For instance if you make a wall hanging and you use polyester batting, it will stretch after a time. For wall hangings, 100% cotton is the best choice. For table runners and place matts, 100% cotton will lay flat better than polyester. I've made quilts with 80/20 which is 80% cotton and 20 % polyester and more recently have used polyester low loft and a high loft. It you are going to be doing a lot of top stitching then you may want to choose an 80/20 or a polyester low loft. My last project I used a  high loft which is more suitable for tying a quilt than machine or hand quilting. I have found that while I like 80/20, the quilts feel heavier than with the 100% polyester. I intend to make a sample booklet to keep in my sewing room of the different kinds of batting sandwiched between two layers of fabric to get the real feel for the battings effect. Don't forget to look in our quilt collection and see my latest creation. I call it Peace, Love and Tranquility. It is the quilt I made for my son. I even took a picture of the back. The grandsons held the quilt up for me and the back is showing sideways.

Backing Your Quilts With Creativity

 Every quilt pattern goes into detail about the design but have you ever seen a pattern that included hints on what to put on the back of your quilt? Considering the time and money that we all put into our quilts, I finally concluded that more thought should be put into the back.Until recently, my quilt backs have consisted of sheets I bought at Walmart. Not very creative, I know, but at least I used color sheets! I recently completed two different quilt tops. One is for the husband of a friend of mine who is a Vietnam veteran.   I had a 12 x 17 inch panel of the American flag and that became the center and the rest is rows of red, white and blue prints and solids. You don't have to go to great expense and you would be surprised how far scraps can go.  I haven't decided on how to do the back of the other quilt  but it will not be a Walmart sheet. On Craftsy.com they have a video on creative quilt backs. Be sure and check it out. I'd love to hear how you all do your quilt backs also. Be sure and check out our quilts because there are some new ones added. I added 2 of mine and 1 of cousin Mary Lou. Until next time ladies, happy quilting!

The Drunkard's Path

I was introduced to the Drunkard's Path quilt block awhile back by 2 of my sisters, Barbara and Susan, who made a wedding quilt for our niece Stephanie. I wanted to make a quilt for one of my son's as I have made both of my daughters quilts and it was time to work on quilts for the boys. The sisters created a beautiful medallion quilt using the Drunkard's Path template.  This is the most versatile block I have ever seen. It is simply a square with a concave cut out. You make the block and which ever way you turn the block, you create wonderfully different designs.

                 

                                                 
  On the left is Stephanie's quilt and on the right is an example of a Drunkard's Path block but turned a different way. I can't wait to show you the quilt I'm making for my son. It is so easy to do. I printed up a template for the Drunkard's Path and then enlarged it to the size I wanted. In the middle of Stephanie's quilt is a large 12 inch square. The Drunkard's Path is used around it to create the medallion. To get your free template for the Drunkard's Path, go to mccallsquilting.com. Search for the Drunkard's Path and download your free pattern. McCalls has a ton of free quilt patterns and is a great website. Until next time ladies, happy quilting!

Quilting on your Home Sewing Machine

When I first started quilting, I made the decision to quilt my own quilts on my machine or by hand. Not only do you save money as having your quilt done by someone who owns a long arm is quite expensive, but  you have the personal satisfaction of doing it yourself. I have quilted all my quilts on my home sewing machine with exception to one that I hand quilted. There several different ways to quilt on your home sewing machine. One method is to buy design stencils, trace them on to your quilt top and sew following the design. You can also stitch in the ditch, stitch 1/4 inch in from the seam line, or do free motion quilting. I always use my walking foot when doing the stitch in the ditch or sewing 1/4 inch from the seam line. I also always use basting spray that you buy at the fabric stores. You can use pins also, it just depends on what works for you best. With the basting spray, you need no pins and your layers stay in place. It also does not gum up your needles or your machine. With free motion sewing you will need to use your free motion or darning foot and raise your feed dogs. .I searched on you tube for some free videos on free motion quilting and found the following by Patsy Thompson. She has a 4 part video you can watch and she really is good. I also went to her website patsythompsondesigns.com. You can view all her videos on quilting. Free hand quilting takes practice.  .


                                                                                                                    
 

Scrappy Quilts

Well ladies, I have returned! It has been nearly a year since I have blogged and I apologize. I have physically felt bad for so long. In 2012 I had back surgery and in Nov of 2013 I had more back surgery. I can happily say I think they got it right this time and I am pain free for the first time in years. In the past year I have joined a group of quilters called, "Quilts of Valor." There are chapters all over the U.S.  We make quilts for wounded soldiers and veterans. It not only is such a worthy cause, these ladies are really a super group of people. Not only do we have tons of fun, I have learned so much about quilting from them. Most of the quilts we make are red, white and blue but not all. Right this moment we are making Scrappy Pineapple quilts. Initially I had reservations about these squares. We each were given a box that had 2 1/2 inch squares and strips of scraps that were cut to
 1 1/2 inches wide. You sew a strip on each side of the square and then trim it with the pineapple ruler. You keep doing this until you have sewed 8 rows. Here is a sample of a square and a video on how to use the pineapple ruler. The squares look fantastic and you can create so many different looks with whatever material you choose. Also check out the new pictures I included in our album. I did a

 

wall hanging for my daughter Allison for Christmas, a quilt for my
sister Julie and a quilt for my husband in honor of his military service in Viet Nam. I will doing a lot of  blogging and hope all of you submit your posts as well. Now that I have found out how to add videos, I intend to add more as learning tools. Until next time ladies, happy sewing!