Yet More Quilting Videos

I just received a post from the Modern Quilt Studio’s blog (I think it was reblogged by someone else) about Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr’s venture into YouTube land. Ringle and Kerr run the Modern Quilt Studio, and are quilt designers, educators, and makers. Here’s a link to the videos available as of December 2015 . They cover inset circles, solids that work with many different prints, and their binding method.

I looked at the two binding method videos as Ringle and Kerr’s method is different from anyone else’s. They begin by cutting 2 inch WOF strips, joining them at 45 degree angles, and running them through a 1 inch bias strip maker. I learned a good way to mark solid strips so you can keep right and wrong sides straight. I also learned to cut my strip at an angle before I feed it through the bias tape maker.

The second video shows how they fold the strip in half and wrap it around the quilt edges. It gets sewn on with one seam. That’s the upside. The downside is there’s lots of pressing and you need to be accurate. If you watch the video, be sure to stick around for how to do the corners and the ends. Here’s one of their early quilts bound using this method. (The shine in the first photo is from light on the book.)

For some design and color tips I watched the videos on desert island solids chosen from Michael Miller’s cotton couture line. Ringle and Kerr selected teal and mud as terrific choices for a wide variety of prints and color schemes. They gave a disclaimer to the effect they received no promotional consideration from the company. However, they do sell the fabrics in their online store – at $2 more per yard than the other solids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Modern Quilt Studio website the mud is described as a slightly desaturated brown and the teal as a deep teal.  Neither color would leap into your arms as you perused bolts at the quilt shop, yet both would be excellent in supporting roles.

It’s A Flange; No, It’s A Binding

Sometimes it seems I find new techniques through a just in time method. About a week ago I came across a video that shows how to combine a flange and a binding that’s all machine sewn. Maybe I should pay more attention to the McCall’s Quilting website as it seems to contain gems like this.

When I contemplated how to finish the edges of a small quilt I call (At The) Feet of Klee, I recalled this video and decided to try it out. I’d already pretty much destroyed the quilt with my usual free motion quilting, so it seemed destined to be a guinea pig.

I followed the instructions, mostly, but found that the fabric used definitely affects how easy it is to sew on this special binding. My choice of a shot cotton that’s both heavier and more loosely woven than “normal” quilting cotton made for an extra bulky binding. I compounded that by using felt as my batting.

Lining up the different fabrics where the binding ends join was a bit tricky, but the third attempt worked. It would have helped if I put that fabric join somewhere else. If I had it to do over, I’d increase the width of the flange fabric so I could make a wider flange.

I think this piece will join my not ready for the big leagues drawer of work. I learned that I love quilting on silk fabric, but don’t love quilting on felt. However, the felt makes a stable, flat base for a small quilt.

 

Coming To Terms

Over the past year I’ve been noticing that my fingers are clumsier with hand sewing, my hands ache after free motion quilting, and I can pretty much forget about sewing on dark fabrics at night even with all the lights on.  I suspect this is my body’s way of saying that I better get ready to make some accommodations in my quilting.

I had already stopped making large quilts as it was just too hard to maneuver the bulk around the sewing machine and ironing board and sandwich the quilt layers.  Besides, how many bed quilts do I (or my family members) need?

So, here’s some work-arounds I tried with a recent small piece called 12 Carat Diamond.

The blocks are extremely simple and done with freezer paper piecing – no lengthy cutting sessions.  I wanted the fabric to do the work.  I used fusible batting so I didn’t need to use safety pins.  Even with that helper gadget I find closing and opening the pins to be hard.  I used my walking foot for much of the quilting and kept the free motion work to a minimum.  That way my arthritic hands got a break.

For the binding I used Sharon Shaumber’s starch and glue technique to stiffen and then hold the binding in place while I stitched it down.  I’ve settled on cutting my binding strips at 2 and 3/8 inches for “normal” bindings.  That gives me enough leeway to machine stitch down the folded over edge.  I do nothing fancy.  I just stitch in the ditch on the right side and make sure I catch the binding on the wrong side.

This is not a quilt that will be entered in shows so who cares if I don’t hem by hand.

One thing I tried this time was to wash the quilt after it was quilted but before it was bound.  I wanted a crinkly finish but didn’t want that on the binding.  Here’s what the edges looked like after washing but before binding.

I stitched about 1/8 inch in from the edges before washing.

Of course, I could try to persuade my husband that living in a warm climate would help my aches, but then a friend and I wouldn’t have gotten the idea for a guild program on methods and tools for quilting with an aging body.

As I was photographing this quilt I realized that its color palette was a good match for my hair color, or lack of it.  I guess my unconscious was sending me a message.