Daily Blog

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Here is a question almost all of us can relate to (except those few of you who finish your project, before you start the next one...that actually might be a great question in itself; how many of you are there?).

Anyway, back to the original question; How many UFOs (unfinished objects, quilts, projects, hooked rugs, needlepoints, etc.) do you have and what do you plan to do about them?  Give them away, swap with a friend, take them apart and reuse the fabric?

Drop us a comment and share your thoughts on finishing up those projects.

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Have you come to see what our TQS members designed for their ultimate quilt studio? Well they outdid themselves this time and it would be impossible to list all their advice.  We'll give you a few tidbits here, but then you should visit here to see all kinds wonderful ideas that will make your sewing area a place to get your creative juices flowing.  

Here's just the tip of iceberg in sewing area hints...

A proper height cutting table.

A comfortable chair!!!

I have put wheels on all the furniture in my 20 x 20 space, giving me the flexibility to change configurations as necessary to suit the present purpose.

I'd definitely have to say a portable design wall. 

Remember to consider vertical space in your area. If you have a wall use it to your best advantage. Old fashioned peg-board can be painted and then used to hang things from acrylic rulers, thread racks, etc, to packaged kits.

non-slip and easy to clean flooring, and large windows with semi-transparent blinds.

...One of the best cabinets he added was a 9" wide cabinet for cookie sheets. (She uses it to store rulers.)

DH bought insulation board and I covered it with fleece. It's an inch thick he trimmed it down to 4X5 so it would fit on the wall next to my cabinet.

My Hubby made me a pressing/cutting/storage station out of 2 sideboards. We purchased them ready made from Lowe's.

I have an old 40's ironing board that is pretty solid (not tippy). My husband made a nice topper for it that is 22" wide x 60" long. I covered it with two layers of warm and natural and a nice heavy cotton fabric.

Good lighting is a must. I used track lighting.

Photo: Carol Taylor's Quilt Studio

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You've finally talked your friend into making their first quilt. You want them to be successful; so, what block would you suggest they make? 

 A log cabin, an Ohio star, a four-patch?  Do you have a particular pattern you think they should use?  

Would you show them how to draft a block or send them straight to Alex's Start Quilting?

Submit a comment and let TQS know how you'd get that newbie up on their feet and off and running into the world of quilting.

Image from http://home2.fvcc.edu/~cgreig/final/history.html

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TQS Members find inspiration in the objects found in their everyday lives, whether it be elevator doors, rug designs, or a subway grate. Here are just a few examples of what they have found to give their quilts that extra dimension of creativity.

A picture of a ceiling in a palace in Russia.

The tile work in the bathroom at Herrod's Dept. Store.

A face in the clouds.

An Indian Mandala.

The shape of stained glass windows.

An old-fashioned kitchen linoleum floor, doodling, my sister's beautiful eyes, a manhole cover, crop circles, and ... everywhere.

So for inspiration to strike, it looks like we just have to keep our eyes open.

To view all their comments, click here.

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Your friend had just been given the freedom to have their own sewing space.  Whether it be a room, a table, a studio, or a closet, what advice would you give them to optimize that space and make it a fun, as well as a creative and practical, work area?  Is there an ergonomic chair that would be perfect; a collapsible design wall perhaps?  Submit a comment and let's help them create the ultimate in quilting luxury.

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For this week's Quilters Quips and Tips, TQS wants to know; do you use software applications to help you design your quilts?  Have you used computer software such as QuiltPro or Electric Quilt?  Have you downloaded any free quilting apps?  Have you taken a peek at the Quick & Easy Quilt Block Tool from C&T that let's you figure out how to make different types of blocks right from your phone?  What do you think, do they help you get the job done?  What are their main benefits?

If you've used a machine, other than a sewing machine, to help you create your quilts, submit a comment and let us know what computes for you.

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It looks like everyone has a favorite beginning quilt book and our TQS members are no exceptions.  Here is a list of some the books mentioned as great references for the beginning quilter.  While of course, Alex's, Start Quilting, is a winner, TQS members have shared the names of some of the best books available for the newbie who is interested in either hand or machine quilting.

Here, in no particular order, is just a sample of all the wonderful book suggestions:

"Quilter's Complete Guide" by Fons & Porter

“Heirloom Machine Quilting” by Harriet Hargrave

"Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!!" by Diana McClun & Laura Nownes

Ursula Reikes:”Quilts for Baby” and  “More Quilts for Baby”

"Your First Quilt Book (or it should be!) by Carol Doak

"That Perfect Stitch" by Roxanne McElroy

Jinny Beyer’s "Color Confidence for Quilters,” "The Quilter's Album of Blocks and Borders" and “Quiltmaking by Hand.”

"The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide from A to Z - Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking" Ellen Phal, Editor

BH&G's “Complete Guide to Quilting”

“Quilts from the Quiltmaker’s Gift” by Joanne Larsen Line and Nancy Loving Tubesing

Click here to see all of our TQS member's suggestions.

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There are famous quilters who have been inspired by subway grates, floor tiles, and wrought iron gates when it came to designing their quilts.

What is the most unusual thing that has inspired your quilting? Did you use it to create the blocks? Was it the quilting motif?  Did it inspire an applique design?

Submit a comment and let TQS know what everyday object gave you inspiration.

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We asked Alex to name the five top questions she is asked when she teaches.

One of the top five is "How do you store your fabric?"  So, we are asking YOU, How do you store your fabric? Do you use plastic boxes, metal baskets or open bookshelves?

And, Where do you store it?  Is it in your sewing room, under your bed, in the oven?

 Just submit a comment and let use know where you stash your stash.

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Once again TQS members came through and offered loads of advice and thoughts about batting.  Here's what they had to say.  

If you have the money, wool batting seems to be the way to go.  Comments about wool include:

"The wool drapes beautifully, has a nice loft that shows off my quilting, and is light weight. It also keeps us warm in the winter but it breathes in the summer!"

"It quilts well, doesn't hold creases and has great thermal properties on the bed. My idea of heaven."

"I am looooving wool batting."

"I mostly have used warm and natural but I recently discovered wool and I love love love it! I did our kingsize quilt for our bedroom with the wool and it's so lightweight, but not overly warm at night."

"Then I learned more about wool batting when I took a workshop in machine quilting from Dianne Gaudynski. She uses wool quite a lot. I found it to be just as nice for machine quilting. The thing I like about wool is that it doesn't get so stiff when you use a lot of machine quilting."

For cotton batting, Warm & Natural, Warm & White, and Quilter's dream appear to be the winners.  For hand quilting, most members preferred a poly-cotton blend.

Bamboo batting intrigues a number of you.  There seems to be a debate about shrinkage with this type of batting.  If you are concerned, you might pre-wash the bamboo batting before using.

Many users, however, do not pre-wash any of their battings as a general rule.

Other batting tips included:

"It is recommended that you use a white batting when you have a white fabric in your quilt top, I found that the printed design on a white on white did not show up with a white batt so I used the natural colored batt instead. I could see the print better and the white still looked white, although not as bright."

"Well I know what I will never do again and that is buy a polyester batting on sale and then quilt it on to a quilt with a lot of dark navy blue fabric. The polyester some how manages to escape the middle and form little balls on the navy blue top. I pick these things off all the time."

To read all of our member's comments, click here.