I’ve been invited by my second sister to speak to the quilt group that meets at her church. She would like me to do a Show and Tell and Tips presentation on March 10th. I spent some time thinking about the quilts and wallhangings and unfinished work here, and think I could easily take 25 pieces to show. The hard part is limiting it to 25. A few years ago I decided to keep some of my work rather than giving it all away, and I didn’t realize how many quilted items I’d amassed.
The first Friday of every month a quilting bee meets here at Chez Buffy. I was thinking about the “Tips” part of the presentation. I’m able to give tips to beginners and intermediate quilters, but I realized that I had the opportunity to ask my bee what tips they thought were most important for beginners.
Seven women join Elegante Mother and me to make up this bee, and I am the least prolific quilter among them. One of the ladies is a certified quilt appraiser. Another is a member of the local professional art quilter’s association, and another is the most amazing applique artist I know. Another brings her eight year old daughter who is a budding quilter.
We settled in last night with cups of hot tea to tide us against that cold wind, and had our show and tell. Then I asked each of them for the tip they felt was most important. It didn’t work that way. There was silence for a moment as they thought, and then one started and the tips came fast and furious. I was hard-pressed to keep up with them as I took notes. These are the tips they gave me:
1. Use good fabric.
2. Take classes and ASK QUESTIONS!
3. Do what you like. Of course, we mean choose colors and techniques that you enjoy.
4. It’s okay not to finish something.
5. There are some things NOTHING will help.
6. It’s okay to have more than one project at a time but try to keep the number under three
digits. (*G*)
7. Don’t be too “matchy-matchy” when choosing fabric.
8. Colors cycle through the market. If you see a color you need or like, BUY IT! That bolt
won’t be there in 90 days, and that color probably won’t be available next year.
9. Change the needle in your sewing machine with every new project.
10. Look for long-staple 100% cotton thread. If thread feels dusty or “linty” don’t buy it.
11. Learn how to clean your machine, and keep it clean, especially the bobbin casing.
12. Read the machine manual and keep it near the machine!
13. Know your sewing machine’s quarter of an inch measurement. Keep in mind that the
size of the needle, the weight of the thread, and the kind of fabric will all have an affect on
sewing a perfect quarter of an inch.
14. When taking a class, make sure it suits your skill level. If the class level is not posted,
ASK what it is.
15. Keep your rotary cutter closed when not in use.
To those fifteen, I’d add:
1. Don’t change sewing machines in the middle of a project.
2. Periodically refold the fabric in your stash so that the folds don’t weaken the fabric.
3. Store your stash away from light to avoid fading.
4. When displaying quilts in your home, place them where they will not receive direct
sunlight. Even bright indirect light can fade fabrics.
5. Look into acid-free archival storage boxes, especially for older quilts.
6. When making an all-cotton quilt, avoid cotton-covered polyester thread. Buy the best
100% long-staple cotton thread you can afford.
7. One of the bee members and I are fond of saying that we have never walked away from a
class without learning something new. Don’t be afraid to take a class in a new technique.
Even if you decide that technique is not for you, you will have learned something that will
improve your piecing or quilting, so it’s worthwhile.
8. Keep a quilt journal, listing the projects you’ve made, dating the work, showing who owns the pieces and a picture of the finished work.
9. Create labels for your work, with your name, the date completed, and your town. Also list if anyone else worked on the quilt with you, and who the owner is, if it is a gift. At the very least, write the information on the back of the quilt.
Quilting can be a solitary activity, but it’s at it’s best when it’s shared!
Daily Archives: March 3, 2007
Garbage Cans in the Wind
This morning, I headed off to exercise on my own. Elegante Mother is a little under the weather, and wanted to stay home out of the rather inclement weather. I didn’t blame her. We had winds so high I was do-si-doing with garbage cans as I drove down the street. I think some of the residents are going to have to travel to the next county to find their garbage cans!
It was windy all day, with periods of higher gusts. It began to “rain” snow in early afternoon. When the wind died for a bit, the snow looked more like fog. There wasn’t much accumulated snow, probably less than an inch. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any melt-off today We have ponds of melt water in the swales along the road that are freezing, but they didn’t get any larger.
Our driveway is a MESS! We have an old gravel drive that needs to be reconditioned, that is 220 feet just to the edge of the house. There’s probably another 100 feet from that point north. Dear Husband had that accident almost two months ago, and the front of his truck was damaged. It wasn’t damaged enough to keep him from driving, but he couldn’t use the snow plow, so ice and snow have built up on the driveway. THIS WEEK they called to say the parts are in, and they’ve had the truck hostage all week. It’s a very strange way to do business: making the owner of a brand new truck wait two months for parts and repairs!
At any rate, I think we are going to have to wait for all this ice to melt. I doubt the snowplow will be able to do anything with it. So, we very carefully drive the ruts down the drive, and wait until all the traffic has passed, both ways, before trying to get onto the road. I didn’t think I’d ever say it, but I’d be happy to see Spring!