week 1 – quilting the layers
One of the most important tools you will need for bigger quilts is definitely a walking foot, see for a decent one below. Make sure you don’t forget to out the bar or clamp on the right over the needle screw. This can be a bit of a fiddle!
Make sure you position the bar or clamp on the right over or around the needle screw or it won’t work! It can be a bit of a fiddle, just practice and you will end up doing it with ease!
If you want to do free motion embroidery or quilting you will need a darning foot. No need to drop your feed dogs with this foot!
Position it on the stem from the back and make sure the foot’s bar sits on top of the needle screw.
Do a little sample stitching to check your tension as sometimes it is very loose on the back and you will have to increase your tension.
An embroidery hoop can be very useful. A lot of the wooden ones are quite thick and hard to get under your foot or even the needle, but plastic ones can be much thinner, this seems to be a good one (comes in different sizes too)
Some of the other tools I have mentioned are curved safety pins, sewing clips, and I also use grippy gloves for larger quilts. I will add the link for the Bondaweb for the applique too, as well as the fabulous mini iron and wool ironing mat I use all the time. Please click on the pictures to be taken to the listing
Sew Easy ER418.2.150 | Curved Safety Pin | 38mm | 150pcs
Therm-o-Web 17″X5.25Yd Heat-N-Bond Lite Iron-On Adhesive
3M Spray Mount repositionable spray adhesive, 400ml aerosol, EACH
Olfa RTY-2\DX Deluxe Rotary Cutter, 45 mm
Prym 0.60 x 50 mm Quilters Flat Flower Pins, Silver/Yellow, one size
Basting
I briefly talked about basting larger quilts and then found this, it looks SO much easier than what I do, so I am ordering some swim noodles! – https://www.onwilliamsstreet.com/how-to-easily-baste-quilts/
week 2 – english paper piecing
hey that was fun huh!?! Here is the video
There are a variety of ways you can use to hold the paper to the fabric, you can pin it, glue it with pritt stick, or secure the edges with thread. Or you can iron over the edges and that may just do. Shape wise, the most common one used in english paper piecing are hexagons, but there any many more that can be used. And as for fussy cutting around partucular parts of fabric and creating incredible new patterns as seen above.. well, what can I say! Check it out on Instagram or Pinterest. I have a very cool book by Flossie Teacakes exploring this method and I hughly recommend it if you’re interested exploring this further. I have realised I am too impatient for it myself but can’t help but admire it!!
week 3 – foundation paper piecing
1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22
1 & 2 you always have your fabric wrong side facing your pattern, and rifght side facing down as you sew. Find a piece that is big enough to cover piece 1, plus seam allowances (1/4-3/8″). Rough cut around this.
3 pin from the paper side or stick your fabric to the paper with glue.
4 I always then fold over the edges of the pattern piece so you can then more neatly cut the seam allowance. You can do this by eye or use a ruler and rotary cutter.
5 Find a piece that is big enough to cover piece 2 pluys seam allowances. Remember to test it with the fabric right side away from the back of the paper. You can easily get caught out so if you are in doubt use an uncut piece of fabric or pin along the stitch line and fold open (18 & 19)
6 Turn your stitch lengfth down to 1.5 or if you don’t have numbers on yours, the very smallest setting. Don’t back stitch or stitch in place
7 oops it removed image 7 and I can’t get it back! Never mind, it was in the wrong place anyway!
8 stitch along the line between 1 and 2. You can stitch into the seam allowance around the poutside of the pattern if there is one but inside the pattern stopo exactly at the end of the line
9 fold you fabric piece 2 to the right side and iron it open
10 – 12 fold along the line between 2 and 3 and also 2 and 4 and after adding a seam allowance cut your fabric piece 2 to size
13 find a piece of fabric big enough to cover piece 3, rememebering again the way the fabric should face when sewn and to add seam allowances. I’d just leave it fairly large for now!
14-17 stitch, fold open, iron, fold the edge between 3 and 4 and a 3 and 5 and cut piece 3 (and seam allowances) to size
18 etc repeat until the whole pattern is complete and then neaten the outside edges
very useful resource and videos on foundation paper piecing (click on this link)
week 4 – curved piecing
https://www.stitchedincolor.com/blog//2016/05/tutorial-lotus-block-part-a.html
Here is the class video:
Here is my own little video of piecing the drunkard’s path:
That was a fun session huh?!
Here are some ways in which a drunkard’s path block can be used. It’s. really fun and flexible block!
So I have booked in some more classes starting again on 21st April, here is the link: https://ticketlab.co.uk/event/id/6747. Hope to see some of you there/then! Enjoy a bit of Easter time off in the meantime xxx