Quilting Math

Hi all!

Sorry for the delayed posting, Christmas has swamped me. We leave tomorrow for Texas to see that darling grandson. We'll be gone through Sunday the 20th. Then Mike leaves Wednesday, December 23 to drive up to see his dad who is ill for Christmas. He will drive back home on Christmas day. I have dog duty (staying home with four-legged family). So, we'll celebrate late Christmas day.

Enough of that, thought you all would like some Quilting facts to make life easier. Hope it's helpful.

Merry Christmas to each one of you.

Melanie

CUT FABRIC


1/16 yard = 2.25" x width of fabric (WOF)
1/8 yard = 4.5" x WOF
5/16 yard = 11.25" x WOF
3/8 yard = 13.50" x WOF
7/16 yard = 15.75" x WOF
1/4 yard = 9" x WOF
1/2 yard = 18" x WOF
9/16 yard = 20.25" x WOF
5/8 yard = 22.50" x WOF
11/16 yard = 24.75 x WOF
3/4 yard = 27" x WOF
3/16 yard = 29.25" x WOF
7/8 yard = 31.50" x WOF
15/16 yard = 33.75" x WOF
1 yard = 36" x WOF


FABRIC PACKS


1/4 yard

• 1 Fat quarter (18" x 11") 
• 8 charm squares (5x5)
  

1/2 yard

• 1 charm pack 35-40 (5x5" squares)
• 1 turnover contains 80 triangles (40 squares). Two joined makes a 5" square

2.75 yards 

• One layer cake (40 10"x10" squares) 
• 1 jelly roll contains 40-42 strips (2.5" x width of fabric-about 42")
  

1 Honey bun contains 40-42 strips (1.5" width)
1 Jelly cake contains 1 layer cake and one jelly roll 
1 Charming Jelly Cake contains one layer cake, one jelly roll and one charm pack


QUILT SIZES

Lap Quilts: 36"x36" for a child up to 40"x60" for an adult lap quilt to nap

Table Toppers: Based on your table
Square card table size of 36"x36": 36"x36" table topper

Dining table size of 42"x54": 13"x48" table topper
 
Bed quilts: Questions to ask yourself...

• Will your quilt fit on top of the bed or hang down?
• How thick is the mattress? (Standard mattresses are 8-12" thick, but newer pillow tops can be up to 20" thick)
• Will the quilt sweep the floor like a bedspread?
• Do you need to cover pillows?
• How deep are the pillows?
• Is there a central design (ie medallion or pattern) that needs to be in the center?

Quilting shrinks the size of the quilt. The more densely you quilt, the more it will shrink. Add up to 5% in both width and length.


US Mattress Sizes:
Crib 28"x52"
Cot 30"x75"
Twin 39"x75"
Double 54"x74.5"
Queen 60"x80"
King 76"x80"
California King 72"x84"

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Gift Idea

Good Morning!

Do you have someone on your gift list that you have no idea what to get them?

Here's an idea:

It's a framed Scrabble board. It's very personal and fun to make.

Here's how:

1. Make a word list of important places, people, experiences, inside jokes, pets etc
   
2. Using a scrabble board, lay out the words in a pattern. Start with the longest word and build from there
3. When you're pleased with the arrangement, glue down wood pieces with white school glue (it doesn't have any gasses and won't fog up the glass frame later).
4. You can have it professionally framed or put in in a premade frame.
5. Wrap and prepare for a thrilled recipient!

The first framed board was a gift to my husband for our anniversary and the second one was a board we made for his dear, sweet grandmother. When she passed away, we got it back. We've given these to our parents and friends and they are much loved.

Hope you enjoy making and giving this gift.

Have a nice day!

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Thanksgiving

Good Morning!

Here in America we celebrate today as Thanksgiving. Images of Pilgrims and Indians enjoying a harvest meal together come to mind. As a child I made paper hats of feathered headresses or Pilgrim bonnets. It was a time to eat until you were miserable and watch football games while mom cleaned up the mess.

But this holiday actually began when our first president, George Washington, signed a proclamation requested by congress "to recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to form a government for their safety and happiness." Washington then assigned the twenty-sixth day of November "to be devoted by the people...to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; and to unite all in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country..."

So today, I give thanks to God for all that is in my life. And I lift my voice up for blessings on this country and all countries. May He protect our soldiers and guide our leaders. And may we remember all what God has done for us.

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you.

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Great Applique Tools!

Tired of burned fingers, crimpy applique? This evening, as I was trying to avoid first degree burns on my hands, I reached in my drawer of tools and grabbed my Cricut Spatula. It's a very thin, flat spatula. This tool worked wonderfully by holding my fabric down as I used the mini-iron to turn the edges. Because it is thin, it gives a crisp edge. It's about one inch wide which is just the right to hold a small length of fabric. It costs around $5.95 US dollars and you can find it in craft stores or Walmart.

I also use a small metal knife from a child's picnic set. It doesn't cut, but it's good for ironing like the spatula. Your fingers will thank you!

Have you noticed how expensive those pressing sheets are? Did you know Parchment Paper (you can purchase at your grocery store) works just as well?

Do you wonder why ironing boards are so narrow? Not too helpful when you're ironing a quilt top. Sharon Schamber has a great video on You Tube that shows how to make a great pressing board that you put on top of your ironing board. The firm surface makes a huge difference with piecing. Here's a lousy photo of mine:

(Please ignore the messy sewing room). Simply put, get a piece of plywood (mine is two feet by four feet), spray one side with glue, layer with a piece of batting that is about five inches larger than the surface, spray batting surface with glue, layer with a piece of canvas or duck cloth that is about five inches larger than the plywood, flip over, staple excess canvas/batting to back of board, pulling corners and sides taunt. Now flip back over, spray heavily with water and let dry (this shrinks the canvas to make it tighter).

For appliqueing I read somewhere on the web to use a silver gel pen for tracing your pattern on your foundation piece and the piece itself. It shows up on all fabrics. Yes, it's permanent, but it forces you to make your edges meet! I like working with it.

My favorite applique stitch is the ladder stitch. Ami Simms has a great video on QNN that shows how to make her "Invisible Applique" and she also has a great little book about this technique. It truly is invisible.

 

And finally, I discovered at Bed Bath and Beyond a wonderful lap desk that I converted into a hand sewing and applique desk. In the cup holder I stuffed a pin cushion and in the pencil holder I keep a  seam ripper (I'm sure you're shocked anyone would need that--certainly not you!) The light above really helps you see your mistakes stitches. It only cost $19. 99 I've seen something similar, specifically for sewing, for over $50 at a quilt shop.

Get yourself an early Christmas present and enjoy quilting today!

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Fun Floss Bobbins

Does your floss look like this?
Mine does! Yikes!

Does it bore you to wrap floss on these?

Why not have some fun doing this chore by using cute paper bobbins?

Super easy. It took me about ten minutes to make thirty six. Just stamp (or punch) shapes that have an indention in the middle. Then cut them out and snip a slit (to tuck the floss end in). I suggest you use heavy stock paper or index cards.

Have fun!

PS Anyone interested in winding my floss?

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Joseph's Coat Quilt-Along

Ta-Da! Introducing my first block for the Quilt-Along. I just love it! The fabric is from "Whimsy" by Michael Miller.

Kellie, From Don't Look Now had very well-written directions on how to make this block. Her applique method is my favorite. Very easy to do and superb results. Check it out (see sidebar).

Have a great weekend!

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Travel With Me-Rome, Italy

I mentioned a few posts back that I had the joy and pleasure of traveling to the Mediterranean this last September. It was a vacation of a lifetime. I thought I'd share a story and some photos every so often and "take you along" with me.

Rome is amazing. Americans think 250 years is a long time. As you Europeans know it's a drop in the bucket. It's hard to imagine centuries ago people lived, laughed and cried where we walked.

I stumbled on a fantastic tour called "Scavi Tour" while researching the trip online. We applied to the Vatican to participate (only 120 people a day are allowed). And we were lucky there was an opening. Groups of ten to twelve people are taken below St. Peter's Basilica and shown the exact place St. Peter was buried and the graffiti that says "Peter is here!" with an arrow! Of course it wasn't English...

Early Christians used to gather there in secret to worship. But to be in places early Christians gathered was incredible. The picture above is the public location honoring St. Peter in the basilica. The huge "canapy" is over the site of the moved grave and is made of bronze. To find bronze statues or carvings from the past is rare because they were generally melted down for weapons. This picture below is the actual site where Peter is buried, a few yards behind this alter.

Constantine built the first St. Peter's Basilica there 300 years after Peter's death. It was attacked multiple times and finally a new, grander basilica was built in it's place. (and it's very grand) This is the one that exists today. Seems over time everyone forgot Peter was buried underneath with many others. The crypt was discovered when they broke through a wall while burying a pope.

Because this is a quilting blog, I am adding something we're all interested in! This is a photo of one of the many outstanding tapestries on display in route to the Sistine Chapel. They were drawn by artists and then made by workers. I'll bet the colors were much more vivid when they were made, but isn't this beautiful?!

I hope each of you is doing well. Have a great evening!

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Wall Quilt Finished!

Well, I noticed I had a blank wall...that needed something...what better than a small quilt?

Introducing my wall quilt. the pattern is from "Piece of Pie" booklet and the pattern is named "Skip to My Lou". The fabric is "Peace On Earth" from last winter's Moda collection. Everything I used (besides batting) was from my stash! I have this on a wall in my living room. The room has a creamy butter colored couch and a red ottoman with touches of dark wood around the room. I also made three pillows of the fabric to go on the couch. I chose three blocks I enjoyed and pieced them together. It was fun doing such a small project.

This afternoon I tried to start making "petals" for my "Joseph's Coat" Quilt along. Unfortunately I had the wrong fusible product and had to order it. Nothing more frustrating than wanting to start a quilt project and not having the materials! Rats!

Have a great day!

Melanie

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Another Quilt Finished!

Good Morning!

Presenting my "Bow-Tie" lap quilt. It's red, white and blue with stippling. I love it. I feel my stippling is improving with each project I quilt. I'm in a church quilt group and I'll be quilting all the quilts we make because no one else is comfortable quilting. I love it and it will give me more practice time and hopefully my skills will improve.

This lap quilt was made for me! I felt it was time to make something for myself and there's nothing nicer than cuddlying up to read with a lap quilt! I have it on my wicker rocker and now I realize I'm going to need to make a new cushion to go with the quilt! LOL! Guess I'll have to go buy some more fabric. Rats!

I've joined the Christmas Ornament Swap (see sidebar). Check it out, you have until November 1st to sign up.

We've made reservations to visit our grandson the week before Christmas. We haven't seen him since he was born, six months ago! He's changed so much!

Have a great weekend!

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It's Finished!

Introducing the Dresden Plate Table Runner!

I just love this pattern. It was fun to make and has a real "wow" factor. You can get the pattern from www.modabakeshop.com.

I had it on the breakfast table this morning. Do you think the hubby noticed? No. I'm a bit frustrated with his lack of encouragement in the hobby department. I go out of my way to ask about his golf, bridge and poker and encourage him to be active in those things. I wish he would support me. Anyone out there have this problem or ideas for solutions?

Have a great day.

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Sewing Like Crazy...And Nothing to Show for It!

I've delayed posting, waiting to complete a project--but I realize it may be a few more days and I wanted to say hi.

I'm working on a gorgeous Dresden Plate table runner and chargers (Moda Bakeshop) that I've very pleased with. it's all pieced and sandwiched. Just need to quilt and bind it.

I'm also almost done with the first lap quilt I've made for myself. It's a lovely bow-tie pattern in blues, creams and a dash of red. All reproduction fabric and shirtings. All I have to do now is hand-stitch the binding to the back of the quilt. It looks great, if I say so myself! :D

I want to give you all a few "heads-ups" on neat things. If you go to Leah Day's website she has a Fabulous on-line video collection/e-book for sale ($18.95) called "Stitch It Up A Notch" about "How to Piece Perfect Quilts". I purchased it and learned so much I can already see a change in my work. It's worth the money and you can access the videos online anytime. She's the gal that has the 365 days of free motion quilting clips for free. She's a great teacher, very articulate and nice. Check it out.

Also, "Don't Look Now" has a Quilt-Along using the "Orange Peel" pattern with hand applique. She will have instructions and pattern downloads. The plan is to make about a block and a half a week to complete a twin size quilt. This is another extremely talented young lady that we can all learn from. If you mozy around her site you will see she is amazing. She will be teaching a different way to applique-not needle turn. Why don't you join us?

Hope each of you is doing well.

Melanie

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It's Beginning to Look a lot like...

Meet Alex, the apple of our eye. He's our six month old grandchild. My job, as grammy, is to thoroughly spoil this little guy. I'm trying hard.

When I was a new little baby my mom made a beautiful Christmas Tree skirt for my first Christmas. It was made of felt and had beads and sequins. It is a family treasure, a link to my mother who has passed away. She stayed up late for several weeks before Christmas finishing it. Now it's my turn. I've made Alex a quilted Christmas Tree skirt of cottons and buttons and applique and stockings.


It is my hope that it becomes a family treasure for him to pass down.

I hope each of you is having a good day.

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Travel with Me! Venice Italy

I was blessed to go on a wonderful Mediterranean vacation this month. We saw wonderful, amazing things. And I just can't resist sharing. So, mixed in with other posts I'll be adding photos and stories from our adventures.

Perhaps my favorite city in the Mediterranean was Venice Italy. What an enchanting city. It was basically built on a bog by folks trying to hide from conquering rulers. They stuffed timbers into the soil below the water and then built on the timbers. Because the timbers were so tightly packed together, they didn't rot. Amazing. Venice has no streets. Really! Their streets are canals, which have sidewalks on each side small foot bridges crossing the canals every so often. The sidewalks are in front of the homes and businesses. To get around this small city (you can walk it's width in about 20 minutes) you take water taxis (boats) or gondolas. The sidewalks are like a maze and the best thing to do is to just get lost and enjoy.

There is a tower in the main square that gives wonderful views of the island. It was at the top of the original tower (which collapsed twice) that Galileo showed his new invention of the telescope!

Have a nice evening!

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Quilt Festival-Fall 2009

Howdy! This post is celebrating the online Quilt Festival that Park City Girl is hosting. Go check it out and share your quilt.

Here's my quilt and story...


This is Pinwheel Baby Quilt (tutorial from Moda Bake Shop by Pleasant Home's Jody Nelson)

This was my first prairie point and my first pinwheel quilt. I just loved making it. The points make a wonderful dimensional quilt that babies love to finger. But, I must be honest, I can't bear to give it away! And I'm a grammy! (please don't tell my daughter!) This is my favorite quilt of all time.

So, go take a look at the Moda Bake Shop tutorial and Jody's site.

Have a great day!

PS Please click home at the top of the page to check out my other quilts and posts!

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Welcome!

Do you like sewing? Quilting? Is your time limited or do you have a limited attention span (like me!). Then this is the blog for you!

I hope to keep you interested with ideas, projects and tutorials for wee little projects to make for yourself or a loved one.

Let's start on one I'm making for myself. Above is a doll quilt that I've machine pieced and now I'm hand quilting. What do you think?

I also love, love wool applique. I love making blanket stitch and trying to maintain a consistent, small stitch. Here is the one I'm working on for this autumn. (Hope I finish it before Christmas!)

Have a nice evening!

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