Recycle Reuse - What to do with the left over pieces from a quilt project.

Well I have been cleaning my sewing room and came across several left over pieces to some of the quilts that I have made in the past.  Some of them are finished quilt blocks and some are pieces to unfinished quilt blocks. 

At first I was not sure what to do with these pieces.  They have been cut and partially assembled, but then what?  So I have come up with two projects that you can make using these left over quilting pieces.

This weekend we will be looking at two projects.  I hope that you check back tomorrow for the details to project one!!

Recycle Reuse - Tips On Starting A Scrap Quilt

Ok, so some of you have a lot of scraps and want to use them to make a quilt.  You don't want to throw them away but you aren't sure how to get started. 

Here are a couple of tips to help you get your project underway:

Tip one:  Sort your scrap pieces into piles of similar shapes.  This will help you determine what you actually have to work with.

Tip two:  Now that you know what you have to work with, start laying the pieces out in a design that looks good to you.  It's like putting a puzzel together!  Remember the rules of quilting, use light, medium and dark pieces to give your quilt visual interest.

Now that you have layed some pieces out, you are ready to start sewing them together to make your scrappy quilt top.

Happy Sewing!!!

Recycle Reuse

Everybody is all about recycling now days.   You hear the saying "recycle, refurbish, reuse" almost daily.  Well I have to say that I am on this bandwagon with both feet firmly planted.  I call it "waste not, want not" and this is another idea I have had that goes hand in hand with that.

Over the past several months I have made several quilts using the design "split rail fence" and this has left me with A LOT of scraps.  Well you can ask my husband, I don't throw anything away unless it just can't be used!  I took all those scraps and sewed them together to make a crib size quilt that I will either give to some lucky child or donate to my local chapter of Project Linus. 

This is just the quilt top.  I haven't quilted it yet, but you get the basic idea.  DON'T THROW THOSE SCRAPS AWAY!!  These quilts are great to keep around for snuggling on the couch and since they are multicolored, they match everything!  And if you don't want to keep the quilt, find out if there is a local Project Linus in your area and ask where you can drop it off.

I hope this inspires you to get out those scraps and get sewing.  Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas for future projects.

Happy Sewing!!!

Crazy Quilt Top

In one of my earlier posts I showed you a couple of different methods of making crazy quilts.  One of the methods was to make quilt blocks and then sew them together.  Also, I have shown you how to make Split Rail Fence quilt tops out of scraps.  I really like the idea of going green with my quilts.  You know the old saying "Waste Not Want Not".  Well I think we are taking that to the next level by recycling materials and making sure that those scrap pieces don't end up in the trash can.

Here are a couple of pictures of what you can do with those scraps and old jeans.  I hope that they inspire you to try one of these projects for yourself or for a gift.

This is a crib sized quilt top made from denim and cotton scrap fabric.

This is a twin size crazy quilt that was made from recycled denim jeans and scrap fabrics (mostly batiks).  This quilt was sold on Etsy.com

HAPPY SEWING!!!!

Quilt Binding

In my previous posts we have talked about how to make various types of quilts and I have mentioned binding (or edging) your quilt.  This is the last step that you take before your quilt is ready to use.

Below are the directions to make the easiest style of binding for your quilt.

Step 1 - You will need to use your rotary cutter and a ruler to cut several 2 1/2" wide strips of fabric for your binding.  (***NOTE*** If your fabric is the same length as your quilt, you can skip down to the second half of step 4).

Step 2 - Next you will need to take two of your strips and place them right sides together as shown below.  Pin in place.

Step 3 - You will now sew the two pieces together in a diagonal line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.  Then you will trim the excess fabric off making a 1/4" allowance.










Step 4 - Press open and then fold fabic in half (wrong sides together).











Step 5 - Next you will take your binding and pin it to the quilt.  For this quilt I pinned the binding to the back of the quilt first with the raw edges matching the edge of the quilt.  Once pinned, you will sew the binding to the quilt using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Yo will do this step on two sides of the quilt (opposite sides) and trip the binding even with the quilt edge.  Then you will press the binding open from the right side and fold it over to the front of the quilt.  Next you will use the blanket stitch on your machine and sew it in place.

Step 6 - For the last two sides you will start at step 5 but you will leave a tab of fabric at each end (overhang about 1 inch), Once you have attached these two pieces you will press the seam open from the right side of the quilt and then you will fold the fabric over to the quilt top and pin it in place.

First fold the end of the binding over.

Then fold the binding down and pin it in place.

Step 7 - The last step is sewing the binding down.  You can do this either by hand using a blanket stitch (I don't use this method because it takes too long) or you can use the blanket stitch setting on your sewing machine.

Now you are finished!  I hope that you found this tutorial helpful.  Please feel free to post any questions you may have and I will be happy to answer them.

Happy Sewing!!!

Tie Quilting

Over the summer I have made several quilts and tie quilted them.  I have been asked "what is tie quilting", so I decided to post an explanation and an example of how to tie quilt. 

Tie quilting has been practiced for a long time.  Prior to quilting using a quilt frame and sewing the layers together with a needle and thread making fancy patterns, people used to use yard to hold the three layers of a quilt together.  This method was quit a bit faster than the other method and you will find quilts all over the world that have been "quilted" in this manner.

Below are the instructions on how to "Tie Quilt":

Step 1 - You will lay all three layers of your quilt together: Backing (right side) facing down, then place your batting on top of the the backing piece.  (*** NOTE *** The back ing and batting should be approximately 2 inches bigger than your quilt top on ALL SIDES - so that means it will be 4 inches wider and 4 inches longer and you place the quilt top right in the middle allowing 2 inches on each side. ) Then you will place your quilt top (right side) facing up and pin the three layers together with large safety pins.

Step 2 -  Next I start at one end of the quilt and roll it up like you would an area rug.  This enables you to put the quilt on the kitchen table or whatever table you have available to work on.

Step 3 - Once you have your quilt rolled and on the table, you will need to use a measuring tool to determine where you want your first tie to start and use a chalk pencil to mark your starting point.





Step 4 - You will need a darning needle and some yarn.  Use whatever color yard you feel is appropriate for your quilt.  For this quilt I used dark navy blue yard because the quilt is made out of denim and jewel toned fabrics.  You will hold the fabric in one hand and insert the needle as shown below through all three layers.

Step 5 - Once you have pulled the yarn through all three layers, you will tie the yarn into a knot and cut the yarn to the length you desire.



Step 6 - Now you will make a row of these all the way across the bottom of your quilt.  After you get to the end, you will use your measuring tool to mark the next row to be Tie Quilted.



Step 7 - As you complete a row start rolling the blanket over the completed rolls.  You will see how this will make doing the tie quilting easier.

Step 8 -  Continue all steps noted above until you get to the far edge of the quilt.  I usually turn my quilt around and work the last few rows like I did when I started ther first few rows. 

Once you get all of your rows tied, you will trim the excess backing and batting material making all three edges even.  Then you will add your binding edge fabric to finish the quilt.

Happy Sewing!!!!