Now with a measurement in hand, all I needed was a pattern. Since 34” doesn’t divide into many block sizes and I had to be mindful that the center will be covered by a cake! She said I could pick the pattern, but of course I showed the pattern to her, before I would start. I was digging through some magazines and the cover of an American Patchwork & Quilting caught my eye. I remember that it came out we both got this issue in the mail at the same time and had a phone conversation over how cute the cover quilt was, so I knew she liked it and the block is huge…24”. So one block and a decent border or two and I will have it!
Wedding Project Part One
Recently I have started a project for my daughter Kelsey’s wedding. I was given creative license to create a table topper for the 48" table that will hold “The Cake” and other goodies. My first stumbling block was the size…? She wanted it to be square and have the corners just come to the edge of the table. So a square in a circle. Unfortunately I don’t own a 48” table to use as a model. So I had the sudden realization that my project was two right triangles smashed together and that I know the hypotenuse is 48”. High school math flashback moment. That stuff I thought I would never need to use! So the Pythagorean Theorem was called to use. You know A squared + B squared = C squared. So my 48" is my C. I knew my A and B leg needed to be equal, so out came the geometry and algebra thoughts. My C is 2304 (48" x 48”), so I needed to find my A and B next. I divided my 2304 by 2 and got 1152. Now I just need a number multiplied by itself would be 1152. The closest whole number was 34, 34 x 34 = 1156. Close enough for me. Now I have an approximate size! Yes, I am kinda math geek.
Basting a Quilt...
The first quilt that I really quilted on my domestic machine was a fusible batting. Can’t say that I was a fan. I have never done the pinning process. I went straight to spray basting.
There are some woes with this process. I have a vertical design wall in my sewing room. It measures approximately 4’ x 7’. If my quilt is small enough I can do my spray basting there. The woe is the residue from the spray that doesn’t attach itself to the quilt. It falls to the floor. So sticky floor end result. I thought I would get cleaver and lay papers on the floor. It worked but not reusable. Then I noticed my daughter Kelsey used some old towels. She has carpet in her sewing room. Perfect solution. Sometimes I teach her things about sewing and quilting and sometimes she teaches me.
On to bigger quilts…I watched a few YouTube videos about using insulation for pipes or pool noodles and PVC pipe to create a system for spray basting large quilts. I am amazed at how often I go to the hardware store for quilting supplies. If they only knew what I am doing with the stuff I buy. Anyway, my husband helped me cut the pipe and I assembled the tubes. It works! Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCIdv6iwLeQ. I love her accent. I have used this for two quilts and plan on using it again soon.
Word of caution: Crack open a window or door, as there are fumes from spray basting.
Here is a picture of my tubes. My grandson Camden, is often attracted to them. I think he thinks they are weapons or swords.
Good Quilting Weather
When I went out to lunch today it was raining, and it has been raining for awhile. It reminded me of my dad. Whenever it rained or there was a heavy snow, anything that kept you inside, he was always quick to say it was good sleeping weather. I really think it was a reason to catch up on all the sleep he was missing. He worked for a dairy as a wholesale delivery driver. You might say he was the "milkman". And a very good one. He was well into his work day before I ever got up. So he enjoyed that nap during those good sleeping weather days. For me rain and snow are good "quilting weather", as that is what I enjoy. My dad often took those naps under a log cabin quilt made from plaid flannel, that I gave him one Christmas. I miss him.
Teaching beginners…
I have taught a few people to quilt. It’s super easy to be lax by choosing a pattern that has all squares and rectangles for a first project. I did this with my niece thinking it won’t matter if she didn’t hit a 1/4” seam. She was doing a square framed designed. Easy right? Wrong! She started in making blocks and I was dumbfounded by the irregularity of the blocks. So I will be squaring up the blocks. Time to work on the quarter inch seam. The other side of this is eventually your student will be making quilts on their own and they will try to tackle something with half square triangles and nothing will line up at all. So take my advice start with the ¼” seam. Work on that first. Invest in the ¼” foot. Time well spent.
Why We hand Bind...
It occurred to me how odd it is that I machine piece, machine quilt and then use a machine to attach the binding to the quilt top, only to spend many hours hand stitching the binding down on the back side of the quilt that virtually never gets viewed. Insane right? Are we channeling our hand quilting ancestors? Are we too scared to machine stitch it by machine for fear of how it will look on the backside? Are we trying to prolong the process as we have enjoyed the quilt some much we don’t want the relationship to be over?
I think I have my answer. I work outside the home and steal any hours I can get in the evenings and weekends in my sewing room. Guilt of deserting my husband sinks in by the time I am coming to the end of quilt. So I always gather my binding supplies (thimble, thread and tiny scissors) and plop down on the couch to watch whatever my husband is watching on TV. Bear in mind this could be anything from Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods to MMA to Sports. Which really doesn’t matter as I am focused on my sewing and I like his company. I think he likes it too, as he knows the “I finished a quilt natural high” is just around the corner for me. This natural high has been known to bring on cookie and bread baking and occasionally house cleaning enthusiasm.
I really like the needles below from Fons & Porter, they are designed for binding specifically, click to the needle pack to check them out.
B.R.C.
B.R.C. (before rotary cutters), the dark quilting ages. I made a quilt in the late 70’s for my first born, yarn tied. But the quilting bug didn’t set in until my second child was born. A large cold farm house might have been the onset as well. I made a churn dash, twin sized quilt, in creams, mauve, lavender and touch of pale blue for my second daughter. Her room had the cutest border of little Bo Peep in those colors. I made it from tracing around cardboard templates and cutting by hand with scissors. I recall the edges getting worn from the tracing process and I added masking tape to all the edges to maintain the true size. I still have them and a couple orphan blocks too. Needless to say my points were not perfect.
I will never forget when my friend got excited about my project and wanted to make a quilt for her parents. She asked if would share my pattern with her. I said of course! I handed her the three pieces of cardboard. She inquired as to what I just handed her. I said the pattern. And the lesson began.
My first encounter with the rotary cutter happened at the local quilt show. I was there as a vendor for the home decor business I was in with my mother-in-law. I had to have one and the mat and the 22” long ruler with the raised grid underneath to allow you to snug up to the edge. I still have two out of the three items. The small cutter is now used for paper, the mat got wore out and tossed, but you can still vaguely see the numbers on the ruler. I was in love with the rotary cutter. I recalling saying to my friend Barb, I wonder how sharp this is and touched my finger to the blade. It was a nice clean cut, bleed a lot and then healed just fine. Shortly after that I then found out about this “Quilt in a Day” thing. I was off and running. Never to return to the cardboard templates and scissors. To date I have a half a dozen rotary cutters in varying sizes. What a game changing invention.
I jumped up to the big wheel Christmas 2015, I have a great husband. I really like the 60Mm cutter. If you are interested in the larger one, click on the cutter below.
Hello Quilt Friends!
Hello Quilt Friends! My name is Natalie Fisher.
Welcome! I am so excited to share with like minds on my passion…Quilting!
Starting this blog made me think of my quilt beginning.
My first quilt I made had a yellow and white, large gingham print background. The design was a machine appliquéd turtle that I drew myself. The shell was patchwork squares of various colors of gingham. The funny part is that I thought the quilt pattern I just recently wrote and printed was my first, but really the first quilt I ever made was my first original design.
The quilt was for my oldest daughter Tiphanie; she will turn 38 this year. I yarn tied my first quilt. I am still proud of it today, as I had no idea what I was doing, but it was used and loved, and that’s all a quilt ever wants (a little personification for my quilt).
I had learned to sew as a child; my mom was the best teacher ever. She ripped out anything I didn’t love. If you ever teach someone to sew you should do this, it gets through the frustration quicker, and keeps the new seamstress from walking.
I would love to teach a beginning quilt class and bring in my first quilt for show and tell. Wouldn’t it be fun to see the first quilt of some famous quilt artists or any quilter you admire? Now I want to go see if I can find that quilt or picture to share with my quilt friends.
Sew Happy,
Natalie
