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Our monthly workshop is Wednesday, January 9th
at the Enfield Senior Center, from 6:30 – 8pm.
We will meet Wednesday, January 16th, at HB Stowe School on Post Office Road,
doors open at 6:30pm and the meeting will begin at 7:00pm.
This meeting will be a 4-corners member demonstration night.
Also Raffle, Show & Tell.
Raffle: Karen Shaw & Nell Parsons
Classes will be non-sewing: they are educational only and are certain to enrich
our knowledge of quilt history and the generations of quiltmakers that have come
before us.
Sat. and Sun. Jan. 26 & 27 @ Northeast Utilities, Berlin Tpk.
(see your last basting lines for class registration forms)
Sat. Jan. 26, 10am - noon. Guest speaker: Lynne Z. Bassett
"Keeping Cozy: Connecticut Bedcovers 1750-1850"
Sat. Jan. 26 afternoon class 1-4pm. Speaker: Vivien Lee Sayre
Symbols in Quiltmaking, Deliberate, Hidden and Personal. Uncovering different
meanings found in many quilts including symbols, patterns and fabric. This
class uncovers secret messages hidden in many antique quilts, including
Victorian Crazy Quilts, plus the symbols used to define quiltmakers or their
subjects in contempory work.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own quilts.
Sun. Jan. 27 all day class 10am-4pm. Guest speaker: Vivian Lee Sayre
Styles, Colors and Designs from 1800 to the present. In depth look at he styles,
colors and designs found in quilts over a two hundred year period. Trunk show,
plus participants quilts are discussed. Participants are encouraged to bring
their quilts.
Sat. Jan. 26 half day class is $20
Sun. Jan. 27 all day class is $30
Make checks out to GHOQ
Mail to Bev Scharper
47 Greenhurst Rd.
West Hartford, Ct. 06107
PS: Stew Leonards is right across the street from Northeast Utilities,
if you haven't been there yet!!
How You Can Improve The
Quality of Your Quilting
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One of the best ways to improve your quilting and patchwork skills is to learn
to work accurately. For accuracy, always start out slowly and increase your speed
as you become more familiar with a process but ensuring you do not lose accuracy
along the way. Quilt designers, such as myself, develop quilt instructions with
accurate mathematical calculations for units or blocks to fit together perfectly.
Success is based on you the quilter, cutting accurately, stitching an exact 1/4"
seam and pressing accurately. These are the technical skills you need to create
a quilt. By developing and improving these skills, you can make more challenging
quilts. Have you heard the saying "You need to learn to walk before you can run?"
This also applies to quilt making.
Pressing
It is important to press your fabrics right from the beginning of your project,
before you even begin cutting. Following is some general tips on how to improve
your quilt making with pressing.
Iron Settings
Use the correct settings on your iron for the type of fabric you are using and
select steam. Steam is always a debatable selection; you either love it or hate
it. I found it gives a much better, crisper finish to the seam as well as to the
finished project so I urge you to give it a try.
Fabric Yardage
When pressing any fabric yardage, glide the iron from the center of the fabric
out towards the edge, following the grain lines. Avoid pressing on the diagonal
along the bias, as this can stretch the fabric.
Seams
Before pressing seams to one side or open, it is important to set the stitches.
Why? Because this allows the stitches to settle into the fabric and helps prevent
the seam from stretching or bending out of shape, particularly for those long
strips.
How do we set the stitches? To do this, place your block flat on your ironing
board so you can see the stitches or seam you have just sewn. Press the seam by
placing the iron down onto the seam, lift the iron and reposition in a new
location along the seam. Repeat this right along the seam. Do not slide the iron
along the seam as this can push the seam out of shape.
Should I press a seam open or to one side?
Many quilters insist you should press all seams to one side, while others insist
pressing all seams open. In fact, for accurate pressing, a combination of both
should be used, depending on the block or design you are stitching. It can also
depend on the style of quilting you wish to do.
So why do we press to one side? Pressing to one side allows the seams in joining
blocks to butt up or lock together and reduces the amount of pins required. This
is definitely less time consuming and seams tend to match more perfectly. When
quilting in the ditch, this type of pressed seam will create a high side and a
low side, which makes ditch stitching much easier and neater.
With this being so, why would there be a need to press seams open? Sometimes
when pressing to one side, seams will bulk up together. This happens mostly
when diagonal seams meet together. In these cases, pressing the seam open
will give a smoother, neater finish.
How do I press a seam to one side?
To press a seam to one side, lay the block or unit flat on the ironing board with
fabric you want to press towards on top, seam away from you. Lift the top fabric
with one hand and gently fold this over the seam. Now use the iron to press in
place being careful not to get too close to your fingers. Steam burns as well as
hot irons. Check both sides of block to see that the seam is pressed correctly,
lying smooth and flat.
So which seam should I press towards? General rule is to press towards the darker
fabric when possible, otherwise trim the darker seam allowance slightly narrower
than the light. Why? The darker fabric often leaves a 'shadow' on the right side
when it is under a light fabric. By pressing to the dark side or trimming it back
on the light side, we avoid this shadow. We should also ensure to remove any loose
threads floating about as these can often get trapped between the layers.
How do I press a seam open?
To press a seam open, position block or unit right side down on the ironing board.
Open the seam allowance with your fingertips. Use the tip of the iron to press
open the seam. Again, be careful not to get too close to your fingers with the
iron and steam. Check the right side to ensure seam is pressed correctly.
By following these basic steps you will improve the quality of your quilt making.
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How To Pick A Quilt Pattern
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In the past, quilting patterns were handed down generation to generation. You
could get new patterns that weren't in your family from close friends. Today,
with computers and the Internet, there are literally thousands of quilting
patterns at your fingertips. How do you select which quilting pattern to use?
Before you begin browsing quilting patterns, determine the purpose of your
upcoming quilt. Will it be a gift for a special occasion? Will it be a wall
hanging, piece of clothing, bed cover, furniture cover or even a pillow?
Knowing what you are going to use the quilt for when it is done is the first
step in selecting a quilting pattern. Some patterns look better on smaller
projects and vice versa. Depending on your quilting skill, you might need
several patterns for different sections of your quilt.
The next step in selecting a quilting pattern is to determine approximately
what colors you will be using. For example, you would not want to use bright
pink if it's going to be a baby quilt for a newborn boy. A wedding quilt would
be in light colors. Perhaps the quilt is a wall hanging and needs certain colors
to compliment the room's dacor? Knowing what the quilt will be used for will
help you determine roughly what types of colors that you want for the quilt.
Decide what types of materials you want to use for the quilt. Some quilting
patterns do better with cotton fabrics, while others need different materials
to do well. Will you be using high-loft or low-loft batting for the quilt piece?
Will it be a batik piece? Knowing the type of material will help you select the
best quilting pattern.
Write down your plans for the quilt. As you browse through the patterns available,
disregard the ones that don't fit the theme, colors or material that you will be
using for your project. Select a design that catches your eye and will be enjoyable
to work with. You can look at the colors on the quilting pattern picture to get an
idea of what color schemes work best with that particular pattern and modify them
to specifically meet your needs.
Many quilters purchase quilting patterns. Some purchase expensive software like
EQ6 to generate patterns. Many choose to become members of the Quilting Resource
Center and have access to a large number of quilting patterns that are easy to
download and print. The advantage of doing this is that you can modify your design
and colors easily since you can see the dimensions of the quilting pattern design
and how it will fit together. There is a large selection of themes for the quilting
patterns as well.
One fun use of quilting patterns is to learn new quilting techniques. Members at
the QuiltingResourceCenter.com
have access to a comprehensive library of quilting video tutorials, eBooks, audios
and more. You can select a quilting pattern to try out a new quilting technique to
add uniqueness to your future quilt projects.
Choosing the right pattern to personalize and to match a quilt's theme is essential
to the success of every quilting project.
Jan Myers is the author of numerous articles and books on topics from organizational
development and leadership to quilting. It was her avocation, the love of quilting,
that inspired the popular online membership site for quilters known as the "world's
largest quilting bee" at QuiltingResourceCenter.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jan_Myers
Fabric Grain - This term refers to the way threads are arranged in a piece
of fabric. The way you cut your fabric in relation to the grain, can make all the
difference in the accuracy and ease of assembly to your blocks.
Warp Threads - These are the long threads that continually run the
length of your fabric, as it comes off the bolt. Otherwise known as the
fabric's lengthwise grain.
Weft Threads - These are the threads that are woven back and forth,
perpendicular to the warp threads, along the entire length of the bolt.
Otherwise known as the crosswise grain.
Straight Grain - The lengthwise threads of the fabric are regarded
as the straight-of-grain.
Selvages - These are the bound, finished edges, that run along the
outer edge of the fabric.
Fabric Bias - The thread line that is at a forty-five degree angle,
to the lengthwise and crosswise grain of the fabric, as it is on the bolt.
April 4-6 (Fri.-Sun.)
GHQG Quilting Retreat "Sew Many Options"
Immaculate Retreat House
Willimantic, CT
Details in the Nov. issue of the Basting Lines.
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Additional Notes From Your Editor
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Hoping all of you had a wonderful holiday season!! Seems it just flew by……
I am now looking forward to staying inside, out of the cold and snow and do
some sewing and quilting!!
I want to thank all of you for sharing the holiday with me and esp. for
my very generous secret pal!!
Wishing you all the best in 2008!!
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Submittals for Our News Letter
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If you have news or events, Classified Ads or other information
you would like to submit for publication, please Email it to
Vicky,
or mail it to Vicky Altenhein, 3 Elizabeth St., Enfield, CT 06082,
or call 745-4956. The deadline for newsletter submittals is the first
Wednesday of the month. (Feb. 6)
I AM A QUILTER, MY HOUSE IS IN PIECES !!
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