Suzanna Fitzgerald

Name It and Claim It – How to Name a Quilt with a Quilted or Embroidered Nametag

February 11, 2021June 11, 2020 by admin

Ocean Maidens by PYB Designs quilting - how to name a quilt

Almost all quilters – myself included – advise that you name your newly finished quilt with a nametag; today we’re going to talk about why we name and claim our fabric masterpieces, and more practically, how to name a quilt.

The second best part of giving birth is that you get to name that tiny scrap of humanity anything you want. Why do you have that privilege? Because you produced him/her! Giving everything a name was the 1^st job that God assigned to Adam in the Garden of Eden so, to my way of thinking, naming something is a right, a privilege, and the honor of it naturally goes to the person who produced “it.”

The same is true of anything you produce during your times of quilivity.

The Power of a Name

Anything that you sew becomes yours, you are the creator – therefore – you are the namer. And, once you name something you are actually claiming it. Just the fact of the naming implies the act of claiming.

The wonderful thing about naming something is that it gives you all the power.

Not only does the thing that is named have to abide by your decision but so does everyone else!! It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about the name you bestow on your creation, you alone have all the power in this equation, so use it to the best effect. Below are a few ways that you can creatively name your creations.

The most beautiful nametags are often the ones that break the rules

How to Name a Quilt with Pre-Printed Tags

You can purchase pre-printed tags where all you have to do is fill in the blanks. I’ve seen a few of these available in quilting catalogs, and they seem like a good way to get the job done very quickly, but to my mind there are a number of difficulties as well.

Grain of Salt Advisory – I’ve never used a pre-printed tag, so these thoughts are based on opinions and guesswork, not lived experience.

Problems with Pre-Printed Nametags

What if the name of your project doesn’t fit on their lines?
- You will have to make your own tag then.
What if there aren’t enough lines?
- You will have to make your own tag then.
What if there isn’t enough height between the lines?
- You will have to make your own tag then.
What if the style of the tag is all wrong and doesn’t correspond at all to the theme of your project?
- You will have to make your own tag then.

How to Name a Quilt by Making Your Own Name Tags

Obviously, sooner or later you are going to have to make your own name tags – by this I mean both the background, fabric size, shape, and edging of the tag as well as the writing on it.

So you may as well learn how to make them right, learn how to make your letters the way you want them, how to measure and draw lines for all you want to say, and how to attach them to your projects.

How to Come Up with a Name for Your Quilted Masterpiece

While you’re doing all of this you should be trying out different names for your project. Naming something is fun, and so it’s a good idea to get your family involved. Try out a different name every few days – you will know instinctively when you’ve found the right one.

Use Alliteration

Words go very well together when they all start with the same letter and they’re much easier to remember. So, if at all possible, alliterate!

Give Your Creation a Name That Correlates With the Theme of the Project

Home Pastures - a project that used printed fabric panels for quilting - close-up of horse pastured printed panel with a windmill

Home Pastures - a project that used printed fabric panels for quilting

For instance, since our horse quilt had 11 different panels we decided to name it “Home Pastures” because all of the horses were in their separate, home pastures. We named our frog on a lily pad – “My Pad” – because the frog was on the lily pad but also because he has attitude.

So think mostly about what your quilt is saying while you think of a name.

Try to Keep it Short!

The longer your quilt’s name is, the more letters you have to sew. This is not only tedious, but the longer the name, the bigger your tag has to be. The longest name I ever gave to a project was “Dragons in my Window” and the darn thing took me all morning to sew onto a tag! Brevity is the password here!

Make it Personal

If your project is for a specific person it’s great if you can incorporate their name into the name of your project. I once made a rose quilt for a girl named Cassidy Rose, and guess what I named it – “The Cassidy Rose!”

The fact that I named it after her almost thrilled her more than the quilt itself. Be creative. I named the Sunbonnet Sue quilt I made for my oldest daughter the “Sunbonnet Suzanna” and she treasures it.

How to Make a Name Tag

Once you’ve settled on a name for your project, you can start thinking about what you want the tag to look like.

This includes not only the shape of the tag, but also:

The color of the background fabric
The color of the thread for the letters
The shape of the letters themselves,
How you’re going to construct the tag
And how you’re going to sew it onto your finished project

Since I don’t usually make my tags until the project is completely done, I have a lot of time to think and all of this thinking usually produces a clear picture in my brain of the name tag by the time I’m ready for it.

How to Name a Quilt by the “Nuts & Bolts”

Every craft has its “nuts and bolts” elements. A mechanic has literal nuts and bolts. A cabinet maker has wood and glue. A quilter has fabric and thread. And whatever you do, it all comes back to your nuts and bolts.

Making a name tag is back to the fabric and thread, just like everything else.

Background Fabric

The first rule of thumb here is that your background fabric should – if at all possible – be a fabric that you used on the front as well. This helps to make the project more cohesive (such a big word!)

But also, on a more practical level, it gives you a chance to use up some of the leftover scraps from your project. The tag is 2 layers of fabric thick, so that you can use one fabric on the back of the tag and a different fabric on the front if you like. Or you can make the front of your tag a crazy block or a patchwork or whatever floats your boat.

You can also make your tag into almost any shape you like – this is where the creative juices can really flow and why homemade tags are so much more fun than store bought ones!

Outside Edge

Once you’ve decided on the background fabric and the design and shape of your tag you need to construct your tag. You can do this in one of 2 ways.

How to Edge Your Quilted Nametag Version #1:

Layer your 2 fabrics with right sides together and sew a ¼” seam all around the outside, leaving a 4-5” gap along one side. Don’t leave the gap in a corner, as corners are very hard to get straight when you turn your fabric. Turn your tag right-side-out and press in the edges of the gap with a hot iron so that they match the corresponding edges. Sew this down with a matching thread right along the outside edge of the tag.

How to Edge Your Quilted Nametag Version #2:

Layer your 2 fabrics with the wrong sides together and pin. When you have all the letters sewn down and are ready to sew your name tag to the back of your project, you can finish the raw edge in one of 3 ways.

Sew a ribbon such as grosgrain just along the edge of your tag so that it hang off the edge approximately ¼”. Grosgrain ribbon has a nice finished edge, and with the raw edge covered you can sew the outside edge down quickly and easily. I did this with the tag for Dragons in my Window.
Sew a nice, wide satin stitch all around the edge of your finished tag. Depending on how well your machine does this, you may have to go around the edge twice – I often do. Sewing the edge like this will make it curl up but all you need to do is steam iron it or spritz it with spray starch and iron to make it lie flat again so that you can sew your tag on neatly. I used this method to sew the edge of my Ocean Maidens quilt.
Make a short length of binding and sew it around the edge to finish it off before you sew the tag on. Check out my blog ‘Binding Tips & Tricks’ if you’re not sure how to do a binding.

Measuring & Marking for Your Nametag

Once you have decided how to finish your edge, you need to mark your tag and draw lines so that your lettering will be straight and centered.

You’ll want to get everything on 3 lines if at all possible but if you can’t, use 4 – no more!

If you can’t fit everything onto 4 lines then you need to re-think, because there are 3 things that should go onto each tag that you construct:

If you can’t fit everything onto 4 lines then you need to re-think, because there are 3 things that should go onto each tag that you construct:

Name of the project
Your name
And the date

That’s it! Anything more is superfluous.

Measuring the Distance (it’s more important than you’d think)

To start, measure the length of your tag. Starting 2” down from the top, draw your first line all the way across.

This is the name line.

Measure how many inches you have left and divide it evenly in two. Remember, you have to leave enough space between your lines for the height of the letters. I like to leave at least 1 ½” if I can because it makes it so much easier to read.

If your fabric is dark, draw your lines with chalk but if it’s a light-colored fabric a black erasable pen is always a good choice.

Measuring by the Math

Next, count the letters in each set of words and divide them by the length of the line you have drawn. Remember to factor in an empty space at the front and back of each line, and, if your name has two words or more, a space between each word. For example, if your line is 8” long and you have 5 letters in the name of your project, you should make your spacing marks 1-1/4” long each. This gives you a place for all 5 letters, an empty space plus an empty space at the front and back end of the word.

If your machine has an embroidery feature that you can program to sew letters and words that’s great – my Bernina did that till it quit working – it takes all the figuring out of the equation for you.

But honestly, measuring your spacing for your letters isn’t rocket science. It sounds complicated on paper, but it goes pretty quick in practice.

Stabilizer

In order for the stitching and appearance of your letters to be smooth and even you will need to pin a piece of Tear-Away Stabilizer to the back of your tag.

Simply cut a piece of stabilizer a little larger than your tag, iron it flat and pin it to the back of your tag. This helps to stiffen your tag and helps your fabric to move smoothly and evenly over the feed dogs.

Once you’re finished stitching you simply tear it away from your letters.

It’s easy to do and will make a world of difference to the final appearance of your tag.

You can find Tear-Away Stabilizer in any store that sells fabric – it’s usually in among the batting and interfacing packages.

Sewing Your Letters

Once your measuring and marking is done, draw in your letters if you’re doing it by hand. I prefer using cursive because the letters join naturally and you don’t have to start and stop at the beginning and end of each letter to tie off.

It all depends on what I want my tag to look like.

Once again, use an erasable pen on the light fabrics and chalk on the darker ones.

HINT: Only draw one word or line of letters if you’re using chalk because it tends to rub off quite quickly.

HINT: I discovered that a pink glitter permanent fabric marker works real well for marking black fabric as well and lasts a lot longer than the chalk!

Once you have your letters marked, set your machine to a narrow, tight satin stitch and follow along your marks slowly. There is no way to do this fast if you’re sewing your letters by free hand.

HINT: Practice on a scrap piece of fabric first so you will get the stitch width, thickness, and feel of how the thread will work and look before you sew on the real tag. Make sure that your practice piece is constructed the same way as the tag – 2 pieces of fabric and a piece of stabilizer so that you will know exactly how your machine will handle this.

Sewing on Your Name Tags – The Final Step in “How to Name a Quilt”

Name tags are usually sewn in either bottom corner of your project – right or left doesn’t matter. Just make sure it’s in one of the bottom corners and is right-side-up. I once sewed one in upside-down, and I did it by hand so I learned my lesson – always double check!

There are three ways to attach a name tag to your project/

The First Way to Attach a Nametag is to Sew it by Machine

This option only works if you have a large section of very dark fabric on the front of your quilt where you’re planning to attach your tag. Preferably black. If it’s any lighter the stitching will show and mess up your pattern on the front. Sometimes, like on Dragons in my Window, I sewed the bottom and outside edge of my tag by machine, and the top and inside edge by hand.

Sewing your tag on by machine is much the quickest option, but unless you do it before you sew the backing down it is almost impossible to achieve. So give it a think before you completely finish your project.

The Second Way to Attach a Nametag is to Sew it by Hand

I’m anti-hand-sewing nine times out of ten, but this is the option that I choose most often because I rarely have a section on the front that will not show extra stitching coming through from sewing on the tag.

I don’t actually mind hand sewing tags since I did hand embroidery and cross-stitch for years. It’s actually a very soothing activity for me. Use thread that matches whatever color edge you put on your tag and your stitching will be almost invisible, especially if you use a smaller whip-stitch.

The Third Way to Attach a Nametag is to Glue it On

If, for some reason you can’t hand-stitch it, fabric glue is your last option and it’s a good one. Simply spread the glue – make sure it’s permanent – lightly over the entire back of your tag, lay it down on your project and then lay something heavy like a book on top of that and leave it for 24 hours.

Voila! A permanent bond and no hand-stitching involved!

I truly hope that you’ve enjoyed this article. As a last note, please consider naming your smaller projects as well – like table runners and wall hangings. Not only does a named, dated, claimed piece have more value in terms of money, it has more value in terms of human connection.

Until next time!

Your Guide to Quiltivity,

Karyl Fitzgerald

Princess YellowBelly Designs’ “original-pattern-designing, straight-seam-sewing, seam-ripping-mistake-fixing, verbose-wording, how-to-do-it-funner-faster-easier-instructing, quilting-artist”Resident Genius

P.S. You can contact me with questions or ideas for articles, patterns, whatever, at my personal email: karyl@pybdesigns.com.

How to Build a Border Wall – Calculating a Quilt Border

May 12, 2020 by admin

If you’re one of those people – like us here at Princess YellowBelly Designs – who just loves printed quilt panels, but isn’t quite sure how to add the borders to make them into a quilt on your own…keep reading. In this blog I’ll show you to “build a border wall” of sorts, to your own specifications, and how to go about calculating a quilt borders, or borders, so that you can turn panels into quilts of art!

This is actually a project I’m engaged in right now.

Here, There Be Dragons

My daughter, Leiajoy, LOVES dragons, so when I saw a set of dragon panels being sold as part of a quilting kit at my local quilt store, I immediately thought of her. Of course, the quilt came with a pattern and coordinating fabrics and supplies needed, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful quilt indeed, but being me, I decided that I could do it my way, and do it better…at least what I think of as better.

So I purchased the main panel, the 6 smaller – 12”x12” – coordinating panels, and 1 yard each of 2 of the coordinating fabrics, but not the pattern. I didn’t like the pattern at all because when I first noticed the quilt in the store, what caught my attention was the interior, pieced border. It was big, bold and beautiful, and totally nullified the middle panel completely.

Calculating a quilt border means choosing complimentary colors, patterns, and themes to enhance the main feature.

I had to get up close and personal before I could see the middle panel, while the smaller ones faded altogether.

The Purpose of Quilted Border Walls

Fellow seamsters, this is not what a border wall is for!

The function of an interior border wall is to separate important elements from one another while also supporting and highlighting those elements so that they can shine on their own. And the function of an outside border wall is to separate the important elements from the infinity of noise that is the rest of the world.

Dragons in My Window stained glass dragon silhouette quilt

Borders do this by providing an attractive but less bold appearance than the main quilt elements, not by jumping up and down in your face and screaming:

“Look at me, look at me, look at me now  
I may be a border but I’m really WOW!
The main part of this quilt is basic old stock…
But I am the border and I really ROCK!

You get the idea. So, let’s look at borders and how they can be both functional and beautiful without taking over the entire narrative.

Interior vs. Exterior Borders

Mostly you only have interior borders if you’re sewing a panel quilt that has coordinating smaller side panels, such as my Home Pastures quilt – and now the new dragon quilt, of course.

I used 3 large panels and 6 smaller ones to make my queen size western horse quilt and it took a lot of borders and sashing to separate them all.

Unless you’re using some kind of infinite quilt pattern – of which there are a few – you’ll probably want to put an exterior border on your quilt eventually. If this isn’t a panel quilt, I recommend using scraps from the main quilt.

For panel quilts, an exterior border should almost always be a continuation of the inner borders, either in an exact replica, or in the theme.

3 Things to Consider When Calculating a Quilt Border’s Color Scheme

One of the most important part of calculating a quilt border is in choosing the correct color scheme. This is one of the big reasons that the border in the original dragon quilt didn’t work – in my opinion. Too many big, bold colors that actually overwhelmed the more intricate panels.

Thing One

Study the colors in all of the panels and choose which shades you want to bring out in the borders.

You should use a minimum of 4 different colors (unless you’re doing some kind of monotone quilt) so that you have enough to make different design patterns. Remember that your aim is to enhance, not overwhelm, so mix lights with mediums and darks.

This helps your eye to see but not to linger.

Thing Two

When I was teaching my ankle biters to choose their own clothes and dress themselves, they would sometimes come out with eye-crossing combinations that almost required sunglasses to view.

So I made a rule – no more than 4 colors and 2 patterns for any one outfit!

This was a great rule for creative but not blinding dressing and it’s a great rule for border walls as well! Sometimes I’ll use more than 4 fabrics, but they are shades of the same color and not completely different colors altogether.

Thing Three

Go through your quilting patterns and choose one that is not overly complicated and that connects with your panel theme if possible.

For the Home Pastures quilt I chose to do a windmill block pattern because there’s a windmill in the main panel and because windmills are a common site on many ranches.

Also, choose a pattern that you can easily enlarge or reduce as the situation calls for it. In the Home Pastures quilt, I used the windmill block exclusively, but I used it in 3 greatly different sizes.

Home Pastures - a project that used printed fabric panels for quilting - close-up of horses running through a stream

The neat thing about the windmill block is that every 2^nd block is the obverse of the first one, so that it appears that you’re using more than 4 colors because they are flipped. Many, but not all, simple patterns work like this – so take that into consideration.

Plan Ahead!

Next, choose which fabrics you will use for the border blocks, which fabric for the sashing, and so on, and stick with them! Don’t decide to change something halfway through your project.

Find a place where you can lay out one side of your quilt and your border choices and stand back and look at them objectively. It’s easy to switch your choices around before you start cutting and sewing; much more difficult later, and more expensive.

Also, think about the purpose of your border walls as you’re calculating a quilt border.

Some borders only need to be thin ribbons – and sashing will often work for this purpose. Other times the borders may take up more space than the main panel, but you still need to concentrate on elevating that main element rather than hiding it.

Don’t Choose a Fabric You Don’t Like Just “Because”

The colors and patterns you choose should be individual to you and reflect your likes.

Rainbow layout of thing fabric strips: Green, pink, blue, purple, aqua, gold

thin strips of autumn colored fabric, gold, orange, green, turquoise

It can be tempting to pick something because it’s popular, trendy, or simply on sale. But trust me, you’ll regret it – especially if you’re deeply in love with your main panel. Sooner or later that “lesser” fabric will turn into a sore tooth.

Telling a Story with Your Quilting Elements – Including the Border Wall

In my Ocean Maidens quilt, there is only the main panel, all the rest is border. Three interior borders, and a large wide outer border.

I thought very carefully about how I could incorporate the theme of the mermaid into the borders and which colors I should use. Suzanna insisted that mermaids are magical creatures and that silver was the color for magic, so we chose fabrics that went well with our silver accessories, were water-ish, and blended well together. Then we thought about how that mermaid came to be perched on her rock having tea and reading and decided that she obviously came in with the tide and got caught in a tide pool.

Ocean Maidens mermaid quilt with silver accents

With this in mind, our inner 3 borders became the tide pool and the outer border the sea where all the rest of the mermaids are frolicking.

My advice to you is to not just jump straight in and start quilting a panel quilt.

First go through your stash and set aside any fabrics that might work in your quilt. Move them around, look at patterns and let everything percolate through your brain for as long as it takes until you have a clear vision of what you want the finished to quilt to look like, what you want it to say, and how you’re going to achieve that.

Patterns for Borders

Like most things, there are patterns that lend themselves well to borders and those that don’t.

My number one piece of advice to you is ignore any and all patterns that are difficult to make, either in the cutting or construction phases. You don’t want patterns that use specialized rulers, for instance, or require appliqueing, etc.

Remember, your borders are transition sections, NOT the main show! That said, let’s look at designs that work well for both interior and exterior borders.

Interior Borders

Some patterns lend themselves very well to borders, especially interior borders. I usually choose them for their simplicity for two reasons. The first one being that you have to do all your own calculating on a panel quilt’s borders. This sometimes requires heavy-duty math, even with a simple pattern and a calculator. The second reason is that it saves time, and helps to highlight the main element.

Strips

Golden and cream full queen quilt with flowers of Canada and maple leaves

Truth be told, strips are the #1 choice for most borders, both interior and exterior.

Black dragon silhouette on stained glass window creating quilting stories

I’ve used them exclusively in some quilts – such as Dragons in my Window – but I try never to use them alone. For instance – in Dragons – the grosgrain leaded design around the large interior window acts as the first interior border, the black sashing functions as the 2^nd, and the jeweled strips are the 3^rd.

Because the jeweled fabric I used for this interior border was so bright, I didn’t make it into a pattern but left it alone just the way it came. It coordinated beautifully with my theme and I also used separate stars from it on the main dragon itself, to help pull it altogether.

Another way to use strips creatively in an interior border is to use them to separate other interior borders as in my Home Pastures quilt.

Here the brown strips separate the windmill blocks which are the main interior border and give the quilt a neutral breathing space.

Another way to make an interior strip border is to use 2-3 different fabrics and vary the width of each set of strips. For instance – make the 1^st strip 1-1/2” wide, the 2^nd strip 2-1’2”s wide and the 3^rd 3-1/2” wide.

This lends interest and movement at the same time.

Squares

Square blocks are infinitely changeable and designable and as such can meet any border requirement you can imagine. Listed are just a few:

9- patch quilting square pattern for calculating a quilt border

Patch – These are very easy to make and allow you to incorporate an entire spectrum of colors and shades.

4-patch quilt block pattern for calculating a border wall

4-Patch – These are just like 9-patch, but even simpler.

4 triangle quilt pattern for calculating a quilt border

4-Patch Triangles – These are just as simple as the regular 4-patch, but give a completely different look to the finished block. You simply cut each block on the diagonal, re-sew with another color, re-cut on the opposite diagonal, and re-sew with a coordinating section. This triangular configuration can be very eye-catching without being overwhelming.

2-triangle block quilt pattern for calculating a quilt border

2 Triangle Block – This requires one less step than the 4-patch triangular block. Simply cut a block on the diagonal and re-sew with another color.

On point diamond square quilt pattern for calculating a quilt border

Plain Squares – Set on point solid squares are also very attractive especially if the square itself is a bold color while the 4 surrounding triangles are fabrics from your quilt.

Example of a pinwheel / windmill quilt pattern for calculating a quilt border

Windmill/ Pinwheel – This is one of my favorite because, as I said earlier, it gives you 2 completely different looking squares with only the same amount of effort as making one takes. Windmill blocks are made from 4 different fabric strips, and their genius lies in the way they’re cut and re-sewn.

Consider Adding Embellishments

Any of you who’ve read my blogs know that I love enhancement in any form, from ribbons to flowers, from beads to buttons. Look at your border blocks and think if you can add anything to them to enhance the theme of your quilt.

In my Ocean Maidens quilt, we added silver netting and silver rope along with ‘jewels’ to help along the idea of a tide pool.

Bead in the middle of a turquoise and purple background, right in the middle of a quilting project

In the dragon quilt I’m making now, I’m going to construct my interior borders from 4-patch triangle blocks and then I’m going to cover the seams with black grosgrain ribbon to give it a stained glass look, because (for me) dragons are medieval-ish and so are stained glass windows. I may even have to add a fancy stitch across each ribbon with the threads I’m using to quilt the panels.

The beauty’s in the details, friends!

Exterior Borders

Most exterior borders are made of strips and are mainly used to bring the quilt up to the size you want it.

Calculating a Quilt Border with a Super-Wide, Single Exterior Border

If you have only a narrow width to construct, one strip of one width is fine. If your exterior border needs to be more than 3” wide, however, please consider using more than one strip and alternating their widths as I mentioned above.

This adds interest, flow and color and is much more attractive than one very wide border.

We constructed the Ocean Maidens border this way, using 3 different widths, a plethora of colors and shades and then appliqued mermaids onto it to help detract from the width of the whole thing.

Two mermaids having tea on a treasure chest

To me, a very wide border just looks desperate, so anything you can add to it to visually lessen the impact is a plus.

If you do need a wide border, consider inserting a filler border in between an outer and inner strip. For instance, you can place a coordinating triangle border or a 4-patch, etc., in between your 2 outer border strips.

Most of the borders I mentioned as working with interior borders will also work with an exterior border – given some resizing and imagination.

Basically, there are a LOT of different ideas for exterior borders floating around in the quilting universe, and if constructing complicated and visually stunning exterior border is your thing then more power to you!

**The Easiest Exterior Border Ever – the Piano Key Border**

This is exactly what it sounds like. You simply take all the fabrics you’ve used in your quilt, cut them all the same width and length you need, and sew them together horizontally. This is a great border for children’s quilts as it adds a lot of visual interest.

Sweet Roses’ first border is a large pinwheel block, the second is a piano key, the third is a solid strip, and the final is another scrappy piano key…

Sashing

I always construct my panel quilts as if they were “quilt as you go” blocks. This technique requires sashing, and this is also a border, don’t forget!

As such, it should coordinate well with the colors of your quilt and you can use it to either ‘pop’ by itself or blend in with the rest of the border. The choice is yours but remember, even though sashing is very narrow, it makes a big impact so choose wisely. You’ll use a lot of it.

Black dragon silhouette in stained glass window

Final Note on Calculating a Quilt Border

When you have decided what size blocks you’re going to make for your borders, cut the basic, starting blocks or strips at least 2”-3” larger, longer, and wider than you want your finished blocks to be.

This gives you plenty of wiggle room because you need to factor in the inches that the seams will take up, as well as the fact that crazy blocks NEVER sew back together with all of the edges nice and even, no matter how careful you are.

Trust me on this – I have made hundreds of these blocks. So you will need to have the extra room for trimming the block down to the size you want it.

To the greater good of your quiltivity (and please let us know if you’d like us to do patterns or instructional videos on any of these techniques and patterns via karyl@pybdesigns.com.)

Your Guide to Quiltivity,

Karyl Fitzgerald

Make Your Own Homemade Baby Diapers – with Some Magical Flair!

April 24, 2020 by admin

After my sewing disasters in Home Economics classes in Junior High and High School, it took another 16 years before I wanted to sew anything again. And when I did, it was because the man I’d married was 6’6” long and tall…and a rancher, and finding working shirts, jackets, and coveralls that fit him was a nightmare.

Remember, these were the days of no internet!

So that got me into sewing again and I did my duty, but it was when Suzanna made her appearance and was so adorable that I started to really enjoy sewing again. A grandma I met in a trip to Texas when Suzanna was 2 gave me a box full of children’s patterns from 0 – 10 and this really started my imagination going.

Then I discovered Thrift Stores, etc. and my sewing for the kids gradually petered out, so I started looking for another outlet for my genius and discovered quilting! I really enjoyed all of this, but the one thing that bothered me a great deal when the kids were babies was all of the money that I spent on disposable diapers.

Why I Didn’t Use the Obvious Alternative

I didn’t use cloth diapers because the weird-but-true fact was that in our isolated neck of the woods there were no such things as cloth diapers to be had. And besides that we had to haul every drop of water we used.

However, this did not negate the amount of money I spent on those disposable or the guilt I felt every time I threw one away.

A Saner – And More Environmentally Friendly – Diaper Solution

So it was with great interest that I discovered the Babyville Boutique line of baby accessories in a JOANN Fabric store about 3 years ago.

The pattern book I purchased for the diaper patterns was laid out with easy to follow instructions and lots of pictures to help you along. They have also developed a cotton/polyurethane cloth that sort of feels like plastic (but isn’t) that goes on the outside of each diaper and is leak proof.

This delightful stuff also comes in tons of cute colors and designs which just make my fingers itch to start sewing.

The powers that be have also developed soft, wide, folded elastic in matching colors that you sew all around the outside of the diaper and that help the diaper to conform snugly to the shape of your baby’s bottom.

I purchased some of this stuff and made a number of diapers and I have to say, it almost made me want another baby these diapers are so cute.

Almost!

The fact that I’m physically too old now was a great relief to the rest of the family! But, grandkids will be coming and I will be ready.

Money-Practical Reasons to Create Your Own Homemade Diapers

I decided to run the numbers just for fun – because this is what I do when I’m sewing. I figure out how many pieces I sewn together, or how many yards of thread I’ve sewn into a project, or how many diapers a baby uses each month.

As I figure it, this number is somewhere between 250-300 diapers! Each month!!!

For approximately 24 months, which makes the diaper usage total approximately 7,200! I say approximate because kids do potty-train at different ages, but I feel that this staggering number is a fair average.

This life total does not count the diapers you may need at the end of your life, but that’s a different blog altogether!

So, you have to purchase 7,200 diapers for each baby assuming that they’re potty-trained by 2.

I’m no longer au courant on what disposable diapers cost, but I can only imagine that the price of the material needed to make enough reusable, homemade baby diapers is significantly less than even a few months of disposable diapers.

How Many Homemade Baby Diapers Should You Make?

As I was thinking about this astonishing number, 7,200, I looked at the tiny little newborn diaper I was sewing and thought about how fast babies grow and how long a newborn would fit into that tiny little diaper scrap.

Which led to me thinking about how many I would need to get a baby through each stage of growth till 2 years old.

My final number ended up being around 24 diapers per stage and if every stage is approximately 3 months long, then you would need approximately 100 diapers for a baby’s life total!!! This is 7,100 diapers less than when you use disposables. The cherry on top being that you can use them for any subsequent babies you have. Assuming you have 3 children – like I did – you would need 100 hand-sewn, adorable, machine-washable and re-usable cloth diapers vs 21,600 disposable ones.

This is a HUGE difference to both your wallet and the environment, so I would really like to encourage you to consider this option.

The Best Patterns & Materials for Creating Homemade Baby Diapers

There are many diaper patterns out there, but the one I used was extremely easy to make – once I got the hang of it – was Babyville Boutique.

Like I said, I found their diaper fabrics and accessories at JOANN’s so they’re easy to find, but, being me, I made a slight improvement to the diaper design so that I could pull the inside padding out of the outside of the diaper to wash and dry. Just that one little adjustment, and I found you could get a much better clean on stains, etc., and drying time was cut down by hours not minutes.

Let me know if you would like to know how I did this! I always try to answer questions I receive in the comments section, but the best way to get ahold of me is to send an email to karyl@pybdesigns.com.

One word of advice, though.

Babyville diaper designs have the option of Velcro or snap closures. Because I didn’t know any better, I purchased the colored matching snaps and the snap setting machine but found out after I sewed a few diapers that I much preferred just using the Velcro to close the diapers with. The snaps may come in handy for bigger, mischievous babies – we know who you are – who decide it would be fun to pull off their diapers…

But especially for the smaller babies, I would just go with Velcro closures.

Want Your Own Pre-Made Baby Set for Yourself or a Baby Shower Gift?

I have made up a set of newborn diapers that I plan on gifting each of my kids with when their first babies are born. I think this would be a supremely practical and also thoughtful gift and I’m really pleased to be able to do this for them.

If you check out our Etsy Store – Lilies of Grace – we have 2 sets of baby shower gift sets available which include a number of useful new-baby items I’ll talk about in my next blog.

I’d love to have the Patriotic Baby Bundle

I’d love to have the Daddy’s Gone-A-Hunting Baby Bundle

I think these sets would be really useful if you’re about to become a new mother – and of course they’d make fantastic, stand-out baby shower gifts if a friend is about to go through this incredible, but admittedly intense, experience.

To paraphrase a Texan nurse “save the diaper, save the environment!”

Happy diapering!!!!

Karyl (aka Princess YellowBelly)

Homemade Diapers

Teach Your Kids the Basics of Sewing with 1-hour, 1-of-a-Kind Shaped Potholders

June 4, 2020April 13, 2020 by admin

No one will believe your kids made these!

From super-easy shapes to those that are a little bit more complicated with a few more layers for older kids, these shaped potholders are completely unique, and can be made in an hour. In many cases they can be made in less, once you’ve tried the basic techniques once or twice. Depending on the pattern you make, these simple, charming designs are suitable for children ages 5-14.

After just an hour of fun sewing (with minimal frustration or confusion) your child will have a tiny, beautiful little quilt. These delightful shapes are completely functional as potholders – or as miniature wall-hangings. And they make great “Gifts for Grandma.”

Sign-up to be notified as soon as our 1-hour, 1-of-a-Kind Shaped Potholders pattern book and accompanying video tutorial series goes live!

Why Shaped Designs?

We chose to do shaped patterns rather than traditional squares for several reasons.

Reason #1:

Shaped designs are turned inside-out, which eliminates the need for binding. Thus, even though these potholders look hard, they are in fact easier than a basic square with binding. (The only exception is the very last design in the most advanced group, but even that one’s pretty easy.)

Reason #2:

Shaped pieces are really cool. They look more interesting, they’re more impressive because the impression is that they must be harder than traditional squares or circles, and they’re more attractive to kids!

Reason #3:

Plus, by sewing our 1-hour, 1-of-a-kind shaped potholders, your kids will learn all of the basic sewing techniques that they need to know in order to sew, mend, and even fabric art quilt their way through life:

Pink and yellow butterfly shaped potholder

Treasure chest 1-hour, 1-of-a-kind shaped potholder

Fabric sun with a smiling face shaped potholder

Basic sewing machine skills
Straight stitching
Zig-zag, serge, and satin (buttonhole) stitching
How to read and follow basic patterns
Understanding and sewing a quarter-inch seam
Basic appliqueing (which sounds scary but is really very easy and is also the basis of most mending techniques)
Handling ribbon and rickrack as basic trims (optional)
The whipstitch (a basic hand-sewing technique that takes only a few minutes and can be used in mending and embroidery.)

Everything the 1-hour, 1-of-a-Kind Potholder Pattern Book Includes

The pattern book includes 12 custom potholder patterns, and printable 8X10 templates with sewing guides for each separate shape. Along with the step-by-step instructions and graphics, your purchase includes exclusive access to our video tutorial series, which shows exactly how we did it.

*Note:

Each child is different, of course. Some are ready to try far more advanced techniques than their age suggests, and some need more time. But we’ve broken the 12 patterns into sections based on difficulty, with our estimated age-range for each set.

Super-Easy Basic Beginner (Ages 5-7)

These three patterns are extremely basic. Each requires only one applique, and minimal if any zig-zag or serge stitching, and a little hand-stitching.

Basic butterfly
Baseball
Easter eggs

Easy Beginner (8-10)

These four patterns can still be done in under an hour, but they are more appropriate for older children who have more manual dexterity and a little bit of experience. They require applique techniques, zig-zag or serge stitching, and the single hand-sewn seam.

Football
Treasure chest
Sun
Basic flower

Fancy Beginner (11-14)

These five patterns are just as easy in basics as the others, but they have more corners and angles to work with, and require a little bit more patience and a few more techniques to make them really shine.

Puppy
Kitten
Multi-petal flower
Stained glass butterfly
Triceratops (this is the hardest pattern in the book, but it can still be done in an hour!)

The finished potholders are startlingly realistic, and can be done using many different types of fabric, thread, and trim. (All trims and embellishments are optional, of course, but we recommend our favorites in the video series.)

We’re putting the finishing touches on our pattern book as I’m writing this, but I wanted to give everyone a heads-up and a chance to be notified via our email newsletter as soon as this unique, fun, and ridiculously easy project book is available.

We hope that you do sign-up, you get a lot of great benefits including another great, easy quilting pattern with the newsletter, and each issue has some great bonuses, news, and fun stuff – plus the bonus reports like the one that will go out to notify our subscribers when the pattern book is officially available!

To the greater good of your quiltivity, (and fun sewing times for your little munchkins),

Your Guide to Quiltivity,

Karyl Fitzgerald

Let’s Make Freedom Take Flight with the “Freedom Flight of Your Imagination” Challenge

March 24, 2020 by admin

Freedom Flight red white and blue patriotic wall hanging with challenge text

ATTENTION!

Announcing an exciting new challenge from Princess YellowBelly Designs to our wonderful quilters & readers.

We always want to inspire – and to be inspired – to push old boundaries, to re-imagine something great. So, in honor of patriots and the upcoming 4^th of July holiday, we’re inviting you to let you loose on one of our favorite pieces – Freedom Flight!

Freedom Flight embodies so much of what we stand for, which is possibilities. I designed this super 4^th of July eagle because it’s stunning; but also because of what it stands for:

American bald eagle flies wings spread with the colors of the flag, red, white and blue

Faith…
Family…
Freedom…
Imagination…
Heart…
And possibilities…

… Not only in our own lives, but also for our country.

I’m bringing it up now because it will probably take a while for you to get this done if you decide to accept our challenge…

This piece is stunning as is – but we know for a fact that some other fantastic quilter will be able to elevate, change, or enhance it in some way. What we’d love is to be part of that story…to be able to see how our original pattern has inspired creativity, quiltivity, and passion in our readers.

So, here’s our challenge:

Freedom Flight of Your Imagination Challenge

Out of the endless pool of human imagination, creativity, and adaptability, can you – as a quilting artist of any experience level – do something new to our Freedom Flight panel? Can you:

Adapt it
Re-imagine it
Or even to improve it

…If you can!

We want you to make your own Freedom Flight with as many alterations or additions as you can imagine. We will pick the top contestants based on the quality of the finished panel, beauty, personal expression, and creativity.

The winner will be chosen by popular vote across our newsletter and social media channels.

All pictures of your finished masterpiece need to be e-mailed to us here – karyl@pybdesigns.com – by June 17^th, 2020 so that we have time to evaluate and choose our champion.

Thanks-for-Sharing Prizes

We know how hard a quilter works to make a finished piece, and how much pride you take in it when it’s done. So we’d like to thank everyone who submits with a few prizes:

We will use all submitted pictures to make a video collage showcasing the talent and quiltivity of our readers. The video will be showcased on our website, social media, and finally added to our Freedom Flight post forever.

In addition and as thanks for sharing your pictures and quilivity with us, all participants will receive a 6 months free shipping coupon from us!

Winning Prizes

The winner will receive both of the entry prizes, and, in addition will also receive:

A showcase spot in our “closest-to-the-4^th-of-July” newsletter, on our website, and on our social media accounts.
1 month FREE membership to Princess YellowBelly Designs inside circle (which, barring any technical difficulties), will be live and functioning by then – HURRAY!
Finally, and this is unprecedented, you will have the option of selling either your finished eagle panel, or your altered pattern, alongside ours in our store! We will use our platform and help you ship it if it’s purchased – but minus the cost of shipping, all profits will be yours!

How to Get Started

First, if you don’t already own the pattern or kit for Freedom Flight – you can purchase it right now.

Yes! I Want to Buy the Freedom Flight Pattern Today

Second, once you receive your kit or pattern, decide how you’re going to change it.

We’re quite positive that, just like a crime scene, you can start with the exact same product and yet every point of view will deliver a different result. And, of course, all entrants will have their names mentioned both in our newsletter and in our video collage. So, dear readers, please join us in this creative journey!

To receive more updates as the challenge progresses – please consider signing up for our FREE newsletter now

Note:

If you’re concerned about being able to make this eagle, please don’t worry. It’s actually very easy, and we have a tutorial video series that you can purchase along with the pattern to make your journey even easier!

If you have any other concerns, as always, please send in any questions you may have to karyl@pybdesigns.com.

A Few Guidelines & Answered Questions

We’d like to be able to recognize our pattern in your finished work, of course, but other than that we don’t want to restrict your creativity in any way. Feel free to let loose, go a little crazy, and come up with something wild, fun, and spectacular!

Question #1:

“Can I change the colors, add special meaning and insignia…?”

Something personal, inspirational, or heartfelt, like…?

Breast cancer survival…
Military veterans…
States…
Sport teams…
Ethnic heritage (St. Patrick’s Day eagle, African tribal eagle, etc.)…
Or whatever holds special meaning for me?

Answer:

Yes! Which brings up a good point – whatever you do decide to alter, please consider including your reasons why. Art is better with a story, so if you’re supporting or remembering or honoring something special, you can only increase the value and beauty of your finished piece by telling us about it.

Question #2:

“Can I change the shape somewhat, or anything else that springs to mind?”

You might want to put a different style of head, or choose different edging, outline thread, etc.

Answer:

Yes! Here at PYB we encourage all creative and quilting endeavors and we dearly want to see what you can come up with. So be brave and share your quiltivity with us!

Question #3:

“Will the team at Princess YellowBelly Designs be participating in your own challenge?”

Answer:

Yes! We’re planning an alteration of our own pattern, for fun and to participate. We’ll keep you updated on that as it progresses, and our eagle will be included in the finished video collage, but of course we won’t be eligible to win any other prizes.

We so hope that you will accept our challenge. We know that you can create something amazing, fresh, and beautiful. Something so much more than we can even imagine (and we can imagine quite a lot!) Just remember, we need your entry pictures by June 17th, which is just enough time to order your pattern or kit, make the panel, and send in the photos.

What will your Freedom Flight of the Imagination look like?

Get Started Today!

Creating Quilting Stories to Stimulate the Imagination

February 11, 2021March 11, 2020 by admin

Cowboy on a horse against a sunset made of beautiful batik fabrics ranging dark pink to bright orange

Human curiosity is a marvelous thing, and it’s the driving force behind our shared need to know the end of the story – which is something we fabric artists can put to work for us when we’re creating quilting stories. The more curiosity’s used and trained the healthier it gets. In fact, it becomes almost magical when it’s coupled with a healthy imagination. This may seem like a hard thing to achieve, but in reality – curiosity and storytelling are both skills that can be trained.

As we all know, the sooner you start training a character trait in a child, the stronger that trait becomes.

Michael and I raised our 3 kids on an isolated ranch with no neighbors and homeschooled them to boot. Because the kids weren’t getting a lot of outside stimulus, I worked very hard making sure that their minds were constantly engaged with:

Made-up stories
Books – by the hundreds
Games
And all sorts of verbal stimuli.

I knew I had succeeded when they finally took me to their favorite outdoor play place that they had named Dragon Rock. It looked like a boring old ditch to me, but they confidently assured me they could see the scales of a petrified dragon wing and proceeded to enthrall me with all the stories they had come up with about it. (This was the inspiration for my dragon quilt, by the way).

This is my family – I think we turned them into an imaginative bunch!

Wanting their imagination muscles to continue developing, I took a long look at the quilts I was thinking of making them, and decided they were really blank canvasses just waiting to spring into life.

How to Develop Your Imagination Muscles

There are ways to begin developing your imagination muscles faster so that you can start creating quilting stories, rather than just ordinary quilts.

Add Heroes to Your Quilts

I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to tell a story about a character you love and are inspired by. If you’re in love with the main hero of your quilt – people who see it will be, as well. This holds true for everything from butterflies, to a traditional Lazy Susan quilt, to some of my wilder creations.

Black stallion rearing against a sunset — This is a stock photo we found on Google Images – please do not attribute ownership to us! This was labeled FREE for REUSE…

Running wild black stallion on the beach at sunset, black, orange, gold, red fabric art interior wall art — This is a stock photo we found on Google Images – please do not attribute ownership to us! This was labeled FREE for REUSE…

Finding these heroes is a lot easier than it sounds…trust me.

FIRST – I think about what I want the piece I’m working on to say or do

Are there characters that can fire the imagination and generate stories or is there only movement? Keep in mind that ‘characters’ does not necessarily mean ‘human’. They can be anything, from mermaids, dragons and fairies, to puppies, vehicles or fish.

The main focus should always be on this main character with the movement and story going on around them. Look at my ‘Christmas Delivery” Panel. The main character is the unicorn (and he’s only a unicorn because I added the horn).

Christmas Delivery - Christmas small wall hanging, what a completed project of a fabric panel for quilting looks like

I also added 7 fairies engaged in different activities; but they’re there in support of the unicorn.

Now, instead of having a plain white horse with some Christmas greenery around it (pretty but typical); you have a unicorn (magical) that is being delivered to someone – (part of creating quilting stories is in letting your imagination come up with that someone) by other magical creatures – the fairies.

You can see that the unicorn is having a chat with one of the fairies, while the rest are busy getting him ready for the Christmas Delivery.

SECOND – I create countless unanswered questions

The Christmas Delivery scene generates multiple questions in my mind, such as:

Christmas Delivery - Christmas small wall hanging, what a completed project of a fabric panel for quilting looks like - close-up of an added fairy on a new poinsettia flower

What are they chatting about?
Where are they?
Who is receiving this magic gift and why?
What is the unicorn’s mission? Will only the recipient be able to see him, or everybody else as well?
Etc.

In my dragon quilt – which is stunning, by the way – if you have any imagination at all, you begin to wonder why there are dragons on an old abbey window.

Were there ever real dragons there?
What happened to them?
Why is the focus all on the big one in the middle?
What did it do…accomplish…destroy?

Even inanimate objects, such as my Shamrock Table Topper can make you stop and think. Why is this four-leaf clover special? Will anyone find it? What magic can it create?

Engaging your viewer in the story brings it to life, and makes it much more interesting (to my mind) than a regular patterned quilt.

Let Your Project Have a Hand in Creating Quilting Stories

I’ve just finished the Ocean Maidens quilt and Suzanna has lamented numerous times how much she would have adored this quilt when she was young, and the endless stories she could have made up from it.

With just a few mermaid silhouettes and accessories, I turned a basically pretty border into a mermaid sea where mermaids swim…read books…have tea parties…ride dolphins…collect jewels…pick bouquets…and blow bubbles. Much more interesting than just a funky-strip border with endless scope for the imagination.

Suzanna’s also made me promise never to sell the Coral Reef panel because she wants to use it to stimulate her future children’s’ imaginations.

Creating curiosity leads in a project is relatively easy to do.

The Easiest Way to Add a Curiosity Point to a Quilt

Start by taking a good, long look at the project you’re contemplating sewing. What does it say to you? Is it begging for more ‘pop?’

More glitter
Something magical?
A story?
Etc.

How can you improve the quilt without too much trouble? How can you make it completely individual from the million other Log Cabin quilts or whatever your pattern is?

But if you want to fastest, easiest way to add a character or a curiosity point… I have one word for you – appliques. With the right appliques, you can change an everyday quilt pattern into Shazzam!!!

Appliques

Once you have your hero character, and the corresponding pattern and colors chosen, think about what else should be in this picture.

I was very drawn to the Christmas Delivery panel, because the horse was so beautiful and elegant. I bought it not knowing what I was going to do with it; so I just let it sit there and percolate in my mind until the idea to change it into a unicorn with attendant fairies came to me. Then I appliqued on the horn, fairies, neck ribbon, holly leaves, etc.

The silver & gold ribbon and jingle bells really helped, too, and before I knew it, my panel went from the same as hundreds of others to shazzam!!!

Completely unique and different.

I also added fairies to my ‘Fairies in my Garden’ panel and made it pop. Michael Miller Fabrics has a great line in fairies. Check it out. But don’t limit yourself to just those embroidered appliques you get in packages at the quilting store, or to appliqueing on printed fabrics, either.

Appliques can be made from almost any type of fabric or accessory and are only limited by your own imagination.

In my Coral Reef panel, I used some super bright, large floral fabric from Kaffe Fassett to construct my coral reef. Some of the reef I made from fussy cutting the existing flowers, and some I just made up my own shapes for.

It all works.

I have found a little fake fur stole at the thrift store, and I’m going to use it to make animal appliques for bears, dogs, cats, etc. Your own imagination is the only limit here.

Here are a few other suggestions for adding “wow pops” and stories to your quilt:

Fabric

Sometimes the only thing you have to do is choose completely different colors than have ever been done before.

This was the product of a moving day sale from my favorite quilt store – all colors I love, none I need…right now! Tomorrow? Who knows?

Traditional log cabin quilts, for example, tend to use darker earth tone fabrics. Imagine what would happen if you used fuchsia pink and turquoise fabrics instead!

You can most often use fabrics in your stash for these types of projects. Especially as I have to admit that I love some fabrics at first sight, and can’t spend another day without having them in my stash, even though I have no project to use them on yet. I put them where I can see them easily and wait – eventually they will tell me what they want to be used in.

Angles

Round table mat with autumn strip spinners

Quilting is all about angles and how they go together. If a pattern calls for all right angles and triangles, study it and see if you can switch some of these out with something totally unexpected.

Remember that your brain works extremely well with patterns, but it’s the unexpected that makes it take notice.

Fabric Flowers and Leaves

These pre-made, easy-sew, bond-well-with-wonder-under gems can REALLY add a lot of pop to your project, they’re relatively fast to work with and they’re SO realistic!

Small pinon flowers on a fabric panel creating quilting stories

Appliques do not have to be big and bold to carry a punch.

If you look at my Autumn Daze panel, the first thing you see are all the autumn leaves that I appliqued on. They are stunning. But when you look more closely you will find an appliqued owl up on a branch, a few songbirds enjoying the day, and a fox peeking out from behind some leaves; which begs the question –‘Will the owl see him?’

Learning the art of subtlety really helps when you’re creating quilting stories that you want people to come back to over and over again for years.

Silhouettes

These are figures cut from a single piece of fabric – usually black – and appliqued in place. They can be of absolutely anything, but the genius of them is even though there are no distinguishing features, they can express every emotion known to man.

Shepherds look at the star of Bethlehem - quilted using free motion quilting techniques

Silhouettes are all about body language and as we all know, that speaks much more powerfully than words or expressions do. Take my ‘Keeping Watch by Night’ panel. You can see nothing of the shepherds’ faces, but by their stance and the one pointed finger you know exactly what they’re seeing, feeling and discussing. Even the sheep – with the exception of one – are paying attention.

In the ‘Camel Panel’ you can see that the 3 Wise men are tired but determined to reach their goal even though it’s night.

In the ‘Cowboy and His Lady’ you know that he’s coming in tired and hungry after a long day on horseback and 2 true and loyal hearts are waiting and watching for him and thrilled to see him coming. Even though you can’t see it, you know there’s a house just out of sight with light shining through the windows, the good smells of supper cooking, and it’s warm and safe.

Without saying a word, this panel speaks to the very heart of each of us because it shows us what we’re all searching for. Love, acceptance, safety and someone waiting for us to come back. It speaks to our hearts of the true meaning of home with only 3 simple silhouettes.

A western lady and a dog against a sunset - quilted using free motion quilting techniques

Cowboy riding at sunset - brilliant background in a landscape quilt design

I’m a major fan of silhouettes, since they’re easy to create and sew, and they leave such an effortlessly powerful impression.

So give this option a think when you’re planning to tell a story.

Not All Stories are Created Equal

Some projects work best if they get right in your face, bold and unapologetic – like the Coral Reef and Dragon quilts – while others just need a hint of mystery.

The shamrock table topper invites you to imagine all sorts of things, but it does it very quietly. I’m thinking of doing a corresponding wall hanging to my Ocean Maidens quilt, and it too will whisper very quietly of mystery.

Think carefully about what colors and accessories will convey the mood you’re trying to portray and find what you need. Otherwise, all your effort will be wasted.

Consider Movement

If your main character is moving – and this can be anything, remember – answer these questions to yourself.

Is it moving to or away from something?
What emotion will be evident?
Is there a predator?
Is it hiding?
Is it doing something completely out of character?
Does it have any supporting characters?
What season, what time of day, hot or cold, old or young?

All of these kinds of questions should be considered before you make your first fabric cut.

Allow the Quilt Some Creative Freedoms

Don’t panic if you’re planning for your project to go in one direction and it changes course in mid-stream. It happens – just go with the flow. You often end up with something very different, and even better, than the idea you started with.

So be BOLD dear reader, and do not fear to take the road less traveled.

To the greater good of your quiltivity,

Karyl (aka Princess YellowBelly)

Be Still My Beating Trapunto – The Easiest Way to Selectively Pop-Up Your Quilting

March 4, 2020 by admin

Trapunto is an Italian quilting word that means “putting more batting behind some design elements in your project than others,” which effectively selectively pops-up your quilting designs. You can see why we refer to this design skill as trapunto – it’s much shorter in Italian!! Unfortunately, linguistics alone does not make this technique any shorter in execution.

Back in the early days of my quilting journey I was fascinated by the look of trapunto because the extra batting seriously intensifies the 3-D effect of the design it lives behind and makes for a very elegant looking finished project.

Unfortunately, achieving this effect is EXTREMELY time-consuming and to me anyway – off-putting.

Our updated, time-saving trapunto techniques allow for multiple fantastic projects – some of them TOTALLY unique…

The Hardest Way to Selectively Pop-Up Your Quilting

Suzanna and I decided to try the trapunto technique on a wall panel we named ‘Fairies in my Garden’, a beautiful piece that depicts 7 pale green fairies playing in a bed of autumn-ish colored tiger lilies.

Fairies in My Garden - how to selectively pop-up your quilting

We wanted the tiger lilies to pop more than the surrounding flora & fauna and certainly more than the fairies, since everyone knows that fairies are extremely difficult to see in the real world! Our solution to popping out the tiger lilies – trapunto. It’s a great technique with a very simple concept:

You place batting behind your project and then quilt around only those elements that you want to ‘pop up’…
When you have those elements quilted, you turn the project over to the back and carefully trim away any batting that is not directly behind your chosen elements.

So simple, yet so extremely tedious – not to mention time consuming – and a waste of perfectly good batting.

Suzanna spent hours with a small pair of embroidery scissors, carefully trimming away any excess batting. As I watched her I decided that there had to be a bigger, better & faster way to do this. And there was!

Developing a Simpler Method – the Princess YellowBelly Way

Naturally, I decided to eliminate the trimming away process altogether.

First I decided which elements I wanted to ‘pop up’ and then I taped the front of my project onto a large window. This makes it relatively easily to see through.

Then I would layer paper over this and trace the elements I wanted to selectively pop-up, making sure to label each shape as I traced it. It’s quite amazing how shapes very often don’t look like the object they are.

I would then cut out the shapes from the paper and then cut them out of the batting.

Using basting spray and a hot iron to hold the batting shapes in the right places on my project, I would then proceed to quilt them lightly along the outside edges.

Note:

The more heavily you quilt a design, the flatter it becomes – so, if you want a design to ‘pop’ only quilt around the outside edges the first time around.

Once all of my batting shapes were secured, I’d use basting spray over the entire back of the project and baste a layer of batting over the entire back of my project. This effectively removes all potential wrinkles and pleats from the shaped batting pieces.

Then I’d spray more basting spray over this layer and then lay down the backing fabric over top of this. A hot iron works great with basting spray to remove all wrinkles.

Finally, I’d quilt as desired – making sure to leave my double-batting design elements as lightly quilted as possible.

Trapunto Light – The Quickest & Easiest Way to Selectively Pop-Up Your Quilting

Wah-la! Trapunto – quick and easy, or, as I like to call it – ‘Trapunto Light’! The main dragon on my Dragon Quilt was done this way.

After I had used this new technique a number of times I found that wonderful new product – Bosal-n-R-Foam. I actually bought the foam because I was designing a media satchel for the girls’ and the diaper bag pattern I was using as my starting point required this stuff.

As I sewed with it I found out 2 things:

First, keep it out of the seams, and secondly, pop-up foam is much thicker than batting and when you sew enough of it into something (like a media satchel), it will actually stand up on its own!

You can bet by the time I was finished with those 2 satchels, I had visions of trapunto dancing in my head, but this time, instead of Trapunto Light I was envisioning:

Trapunto on Steroids! The Most Striking – Easy – Way to Selectively Pop-Up Your Quilting

You guessed it. One layer of foam is like 6 layers of regular Warm and Natural cotton batting stacked together, so you get a lot more bang for your Trapunto buck when you use foam behind the design elements you need to selectively ‘pop-up’ your quilting designs and projects.

This is what I did behind the central mermaid in my ‘Ocean Maidens’ quilt. As well as the book she’s reading and the starfish around her tide pool. This striking, and fairly easy, technique made a HUGE difference to how much they popped out of the panel.

Never-Ending New Applications

I was delighted by the result of this experiment, and continued using this method, until one day another idea came floating into my head.

Does the foam ALWAYS have to be behind the design element?
What if I want to add another design on top of the main design and really make that ‘pop’?

And that was how my Layer Cake Design Structure was born. You can see examples of this in ‘My Pad’ where the frog is trapuntoed up front as well as in my Christmas Bells Table Topper where both of the bells and the clappers are ‘foam-enhanced”. I just now made up that phrase – isn’t it great!

So there you have my trapunto journey, from the original, century’s long traditional way of doing it, to my quick, easy, and super-enhanced way.

Take a leap of faith and try it just once – I guarantee that you’ll love the results!

Karyl (aka Princess YellowBelly)

Sew-Zone Do’s And Don’ts – Princess YellowBelly’s Sewing Safety Tips

February 29, 2020 by admin

Sewing machine with check marks and no symbols

The sew-zone is any place that you use to do your sewing and create your wondrous works of art. It’s a place for Zen and peace, for relaxation and creativity, for insanity, frustration, chaos – and all the wonderful fruits of both an artist and a homemaker. It can also be a potentially dangerous place, filled with sharp implements and hidden hazards. Here’s a list of sewing safety tips that we hold dear at Princess YellowBelly, and will also help you keep your sew-zone inviolate from intruders!

When I was a little girl we lived in a tiny 700 sq. ft. house with 7 kids in the Northern Alberta bush country, right alongside the grizzly bears. Very “Little House on the Prairie” like, with all the accompanying “adventures” and hardships.

I learned a lot from those years in 700 square feet with 6 brothers and sisters, mostly from my mother.

My mom, who was a wizard at keeping this potential disaster whirling in a clockwise direction, carved out her very own sew-zone on the arm of the living room couch. This is where she worked constantly to keep us clothed, mended, and etc.

log cabin, seven children, farmer and wife, grizzly bear

And even though we ran in age from new-born to pre-school, she had us so well trained in what we could and could not do in her sew-zone, that not one of us ever picked up a pin and stuck it in our mouths, or got injured in any way whatsoever! This was an achievement I took entirely for granted until I had my own ankle biters, and training them made me realize what a genius my mom had been all along.

So I’d like to pass on some accumulated wise sewing safety tips from both her and I, and hope it will help you out as you create your own zone.

Sew-Zone Do’s – Offensive Sewing Safety Tips

Sew Zone Dos - sewing safety tips sewing machine with a check mark in front

There are a few simple tips and tricks that you can and should do to carve out your sewing niche. This will help you to preserve your own space without irritating or frustrating others in your family, and will help to protect your sewing projects as well!

Create a Space

Look around your available space and find a place where you can set your sewing machine up permanently.

Applique foot on Bernina sewing machine - Princess YellowBelly Designs

My mom used the arm of the couch so that she wouldn’t have to move her machine and all her sewing paraphernalia at every meal and taught us to respect her space.
I have used an antique office desk that Michael bought at an auction when we were first married. I have used this desk in almost every conceivable room in the different houses we have lived in, except the bathroom and back entryways!
My friend Barb sews in a large coat closet and she has it so organized that it actually seems spacious and works beautifully.

It’s not the place you sew in that matters, as much as the space you carve out.

Organize!

Having everything organized so that you know where anything is at any given time is a huge time and frustration saver.

The first thing I do when I carve out a new zone for myself is decide where my ironing board will go in relation to my sewing machine. If I have the space, I like to leave my ironing board set up on my right side at a right angle to my sewing desk. This way, I can swing back and forth between the 2 without wasting any motion.

My sewing machine & sewing table is just to the side, closest to the window

Once the ironing board is situated, I think about:

The most-used items I have…
The storage containers I have…
And the available space in my new sew-zone…

I try to organize so that I don’t have to actually get up all that often when I’m actually sewing in my zone – I like to be able to concentrate exclusively on what I’m doing.

Have a Strict Start-Up and Shut-Down Routine

This way you will always power up and shut down all your devices and tools in the same order and don’t have to think it through every time.

Turning your sewing machine on and off each time you sew will lengthen the light-bulb life but also insures that no busy little hands can make that needle go up and down when your back is turned.

Close up of a steam iron — *This iron is cool – but it’s a decent warning, a hot iron carelessly forgotten or set aside CAN be a hazard!*

The same principle holds true with the iron. I know that they have automatic shut-offs now, but I don’t trust them! And, if your kids are even half as bright as mine, they love to push buttons and it will take them only minutes to learn how to switch that iron back on. Burns are a horrible thing, so ALWAYS unplug your iron when you’re finished sewing for the day – especially if you have small children!

**Make and Enforce Rules about Space Invasion**

Do this thoughtfully – for your peace of mind – but reasonably, so that both you and your family can live with it.

Sewing machine silhouette with yellow warning label "you shall not pass" sewing safety tips

If you’ve got your own sewing room or closet (any space with a door that shuts) train your family to knock before entering. If you have to sew on the arm of the couch or the end of the table, make sure that no one touches your stuff without asking you first.

Trust me, a few sharp words will go a long ways towards preserving peace in the home when the option is discovering expensive tools missing, your sewing machine damaged, or something caught on fire, (worst case scenario). Plus, you never want to come back and find that a square which took you two-to-five hours to piece is stained with chocolate fingerprints.

Take Extra Care with Sharp Implements

If your sew-zone is in the living room there’s no way pins won’t end up on the carpet. Michael made me a pin catcher by gluing a magnet on the bottom of a long stick, and all I had to do was move it slowly over the carpet and – voila!

I taught the kids to do this and also to pick up any pin they found on their own and to give it to me. I rewarded them with a jelly bean per pin, so it was a fun game and they never got hurt either.

This is more important than slightly OCD-ish neatness, by the way.

Back in the day when I was teaching school, one of my students’ moms swallowed a pin.

Yes, a mom, not her kid – she had the pins in her mouth, was startled, gasped…and down the hatch that pointy little knife went. (Which is a good reason to leave your pins in the pincushion and not your mouth.)

The medical procedures and trauma that little mishap caused that poor lady emblazoned itself on my brain and I swore that I would make sure my kids knew NEVER to put those little knives in their mouths.

In the same vein, place all:

Scissors…
Seam rippers…
Rotary cutters…
Pins…
And anything sharp…

Out of reach until your kids understand why these are NOT toys! If you have indoor pets, never stop, because they can’t understand.

And finally – and maybe most importantly – make sure that you always close your rotary cutter after each use. This wonderful tool is a razor sharp knife that will cut through skin, flesh, and even bone as easily as it does through fabric.

Fold All Fabric Neatly Before Storing

Fabric takes up a lot of space and the more carefully you fold it, the less space it takes and the more you can stuff in. Also, I’ve found that it’s quicker and easier to iron out a few folding lines than it is dozens and dozens of stuffing wrinkles. If you’re really pressed for space, you can trying tightly rolling your larger fabric swatches, as well.

2 20 dollar bills and a 5 on a background of purple-to-pink fabrics sewing within your means illustration

Either way, you’ll save time, material, and wear-and-tear on your leftover fabrics. It’s a win-win.

Sew-Zone Don’ts – Defensive Sewing Safety Tips

Sew Zone Don'ts - picture of sewing machine with a no symbol in front

In some ways these are even more helpful than the do’s in our sewing safety tips and sew-zone protection list. “Do’s” can come and go with your space, the size and age of your family, and your sewing needs. But “don’ts” tend to stick around regardless of your circumstances!

Don’t Eat or Drink Anything in Your Zone

Stains are extremely unattractive and cleaning projects you’re working on is a pain. Get up and go get something if you want, but eat and drink somewhere else.

My one exception is a water bottle. This is basically a grown-up version of a sippy cup, and it keeps me from getting dehydrated, but since the little straw tube folds down, and I only keep water in it, chances of dumping or staining are minimal.

Don’t Bleed in Your Zone

Even the smallest pin-prick can leave a drop of blood on your project and blood stains look exactly like what they are. You have to clean them right away. Also, if a blood stain sets in, you can actually rip or fade out delicate fabrics when trying to scrub them clean…so take the time to get a Band-Aid.

A needle sticking into the seamstress's finger - one of the consequences of sewing dangerously

Don’t Sew When You’re Panicky or Pressed For Time

Trying to get something done within a certain time isn’t a bad idea, but rushing to meet deadlines, especially when you’re struggling with a certain technique will result in panic. And it will NOT end well. You’ll make mistakes and just have to rip it out later.

Don’t Sew When You’re Tired

You’ll end up with the same result.

Don’t Sew When You’re Angry

Again, for the same reason, especially if you’re mad at the person you’re sewing for. I once sewed a shirt collar in upside down in a shirt I was making for Michael because I was MAD at him for something…

Of course, I didn’t have enough fabric to make a new collar, and ended up having to throw the whole thing away. That was obviously all his fault – since I’m perfect. However, although I still get mad at him now and then, I don’t sew when I’m “P.O.ed.”

Don't sew when you're emotional: angry face, tired face, crying face emojis

Don’t Leave Supplies Sitting in Strong Sunlight

Sunlight is both your best friend – since natural light is the best to work by – and also your worst enemy, since the sun can deteriorate things quickly.

I always sew in front of a window if I can because it helps me to see so much better BUT I always replace the cover on my machine to keep the sun off of it. This is especially true of fabric – fabric fades very quickly in sunlight.

Strawberry place setting or table topper - bargello quilted fabric art

Keep all fabrics hidden along with spray starch, basting spray and plastic scissor handles, really anything that’ll lose its moxy if left out in the sun too long.

Enjoy Your Sew-Zone!

I hope that this gives you an easy list of go-to sewing safety tips and ways to make your creative zone more peaceful, prosperous, and enjoyable. Fabric art should be about joy and experience, and the more you protect your space, the more you’ll enjoy it.

OK, enough with the joy. If you liked our article, or have some tips and tricks of your own, please drop us a line at our email: karyl@pybdesigns.com!

To the greater good of your quiltivity,

Karyl (aka Princess YellowBelly)

Stocking Your Tool Kit with the Other Essentials – Unique Sewing Tools & Their Uses

February 20, 2020 by admin

Wire shelves to hold sewing supplies, all the clutter corralled in tubs

As anyone who’s ever sewed knows, there’re a lot of tools that you use every day that don’t come with a sewing machine or a beginner’s sewing kit. Here I’ll talk about some of these everyday items that I personally have found to be very useful. These unique sewing tools and their uses include oddities like calculators and surgery clamps!

Every seamstress in existence likely has their own ideas of what the essentials for sewing are, but I am sure that mine is the right stuff and you should follow my lead exclusively! I will now give you the benefit of my great wisdom and experience in these matters as I’m sure you will be confused if I don’t.

And, if you have an absolutely terrific sewing tool that I haven’t mentioned in this article, or in the first and second articles in the stocking your tool kit series please send me an email at karyl@pybdesigns.com. Plus, if you have trouble storing all these little tools, please check out our article on corralling your sewing tools and supplies.

These sewing tools are practical, creative, and occasionally unique…

Ironing Boards

You absolutely MUST have one of these as there is no other way to iron large pieces of fabric in an efficient manner.

Just go down to the closest box store and buy yourself a plain old ironing board. In all the decades that the 2-legged adjustable height ironing board was invented, they have never come up with anything better.

Why re-invent the wheel!

Show strips of fabric laid out over an ironing board

It doesn’t matter if you’re short, tall, sitting or standing, a regular ironing board will extend to just the height you need. They have come up with new and fancy ironing board covers which I change out as needed. If you sew at all regularly, your ironing board cover will get dirty, sticky, and just all around yucky looking. When this happens I buy a new one and hey-presto – a new looking ironing board!

I like to keep my board permanently open and sitting at right angles to the desk on which I sew. This way, I only have to swivel back and forth from one to another – very quick and efficient.

One Useful Feature You Do Need in an Ironing Board

Make sure you buy an ironing board that has a metal stand on the end for your iron. I plug my iron in when I start my day and leave it on till I’m done. It’s great to have a hot iron at the moment you need one, and leaving it sitting on the metal stand means you don’t have to worry about jostling the ironing board as you work and knocking your iron onto the floor…or hand…or lap.

This is also a great way to make sure that nothing catches fire!

If, by chance, your ironing board breaks in some way, DON’T throw it away. If you have room, keep it and set it up as a place to hang your ironed fabrics, strips, and applique shapes of the project you’re working on.

Broken ironing boards also make great extra desks – I do my month-end books on mine.

A second ironing board also comes in very handy for holding the excess weight of a quilt as you’re feeding it through your machine. Simply set it up on your left-hand side (if you’re right- handed), and at right angles to your sewing machine at the same height. Lay your project on this instead of on the floor or on your lap.

This works great and saves a lot of wear and tear on your shoulders!

Irons – A Sewing Tool You Cannot Do Without!

That you will need an iron is a given. But what make and what model?

I must be honest here. I am NOT an iron-whisperer. As a matter of fact, my feng shui is kryptonite to irons. I never abuse them but they die anyway.

I always follow the manufacturer’s instructions diligently, never fill them with plain tap water, and turn them off when I’m not using them. Yet anyone would think that I am a closet iron abuser since they still choke, burble, and die eventually; but since I have the same effect on wristwatches, I have decided not to take it too personally.

As a result, I buy cheap irons that have no reservoirs to fill and 10 different setting options to choose from.

When I need to steam something (like seams) I spray the area first with (gasp) tap water that I keep in a handy-dandy spray bottle and then I just set my hot iron on it to press it. It works like magic.

When my iron gives up the ghost (every few years) I simply buy a new, cheap one.

There are too many things in this world to worry about and I’ve decided that the reason irons hate me is not going to be one of them.

I do have one smaller iron which I use in tiny, tight corners. It’s actually a long wand with a very small clover leaf shaped foot at the end. It’s small, it’s hot, and it’s perfect for every little thing.

Iron-Off Hot Iron Cleaner by Dritz

This is a fabulous product that takes all of the frustration out of keeping your iron plate clean and gliding like new. Basically if you use your iron more than once a month you’re going to want a little bottle of iron-off.

Rulers

Although I consider myself a quilting rebel and loathe matching corners, etc., this does not negate the need for rulers and accurate measuring. If we’re being totally honest being a quilting rebel and liable to taking hard left turns from the norm actually means using rulers a lot more – because otherwise you’re going to end up with a nasty mess.

I use rulers constantly, and as you would expect, there are rulers for every type of measuring you need to do.

Measuring Tapes

This is the #1 type of ruler. They are soft and flexible, come in 2-3 foot lengths, and are utterly indispensable when you need to measure anything over 12” long. Get one and keep it handy. Trust me, this is one sewing tool you won’t want to do without.

As you can see, I’ve used this puppy so often that there are breaks and pieces of it missing…

School Ruler

I have a few of the old rulers the kids used for school and I use them all the time. They’re easy to store, measure up to 12”, and have nice, straight, hard edges. I don’t just use them measuring, however. Here are a few other things I use them for:

Guides for drawing straight lines (lay the ruler on your fabric and presto!)
Making new patterns on paper (we do this a lot at Princess YellowBelly Designs)
Smoothing out creases
As a barrier for keeping things from rolling off the desk

Sewing Gauge

I did without one of these for years till Barb convinced me to give it a try and now I use mine constantly. It is my go-to for when I need small, extremely exact measuring. My sewing gauge is made by Dritz, is made from a light-weight, bendable metal, is 6” long and has a slit down the center that a blue plastic gauge slides back and forth in. The blue plastic gauge has 2 points sticking out either side of the ruler that lets you mark your fabric in exact n’ths of inches or centimeters.

Even and especially in fabric art, details and minutiae matters.

Hard Plastic Ruler

The ruler I am talking about here is the 24”x6” one that fits the standard 18”x24” cutting board. This is an absolute necessity as you can’t use your cutting board and rotary cutter (see the sharp stuff article) efficiently if you don’t have it.

I bought mine 27 years ago and have put thousands of miles on it and even though some of the numbers are getting worn it still works like a charm. Get one!

Cutting Board

I’m including this here because although a cutting board is for cutting fabric on, it is also a ruler. By using this board and the hard plastic ruler that fits it, you will be able to cut any number of fabric strips and pieces quickly, cleanly and accurately. There are many different sizes and shapes of cutting boards out there but all I have ever used or needed is the standard 18”x24” one.

Specialty Rulers

These are all the hard plastic rulers that come in all shapes and sizes and often correspond to one specific pattern. They come in triangles, circles, rectangles, squares, swirls, etc. and take up a lot of storage room. I try to avoid them if I can but now and then I succumb because they are attached to a pattern that I just can’t resist and then never get around to making anyway.

When this happens, learn to forgive yourself, store them out of sight and as soon as possible, gift the whole kit to someone else.

Small, Essential Sewing Tools and Their Uses

These are the sewing tools that I keep right next to my sewing table in a kidney dish that I brought home from the hospital years ago.

Point Turner

This 5” long piece of hard plastic is completely necessary any time you need to push out a point or a curve in a project. It has an elongated teardrop shape, and, like its name suggests, it comes to a sharp point which you can slide into hard to reach spaces and use to gently push.

Nothing else (scissors, pencils, skewers, etc.), work like this little tool. It’s one of those tools that saves endless frustration.

Needle-Nosed Pliers

Michael says I stole these from his tool box but since they’re still under the same roof, I think it’s more accurate to say that I appropriated them (permanently).

These pliers come into play when you need to pull the sharp end of a pin out of a project and it’s stuck and the head’s come off. They’re also great for pulling thread snarls out of your machine’s bobbin well, and helping to pull hand-sewing needles through thick fabric sandwiches. Trust me, it beats a thimble.

Erasable Pens

These are exactly what they say. Your draw a line or shape with them and after you sew over it simply apply a hot iron and abracadabra – it’s gone! It really does work like magic. They come in about 6 different colors but I generally like the black ones best.

Fabric Glue

I like to put a drop of this under any button or bead that I sew onto a project because it’s a 2^nd layer of protection. Simply apply onto the bottom, lay something heavy on top and leave for 12-24 hours and you have a permanent bond that won’t come out in the wash.

This is especially important if you have small children around. An excellent brand of fabric glue is Aleene’s.

Surgery Clamp

I stole – err, appropriated – these from Michael as well. I guess he had them because he used to doctor cattle when we were ranching, and he doesn’t use them anymore, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t help myself.

Anyway, I have re-purposed them as fabric tube turners. These clamps look like a short pair of scissors with the tips turned up but they’re not sharp. The handle end has two little metal protrusions that you can clamp together. I simply insert the blade end into a tube, clamp the top end together and pull gently.

They work great! If your guy doesn’t have a pair of these handy, I have seen “real” point turners for sale in quilt magazines. I often use safety pins to help turn my tubes, but if your tube is too small for that, you may want to invest in one of these.

Spray Starch

This is marvelous stuff!! You simply spray it onto fabric and run a hot iron over it. It not only starches your fabric beautifully so that it will hold its shape as you cut and sew, but it removes ALL wrinkles. You know, those wrinkles that have been there since you stored that particular piece of fabric? Spray starching and ironing takes those right out the first time! I wish I could find some that would work on my face.

Upside down branches in a strip set are a true fracture nightmare — This tool will take you from…

The cheapest way to buy spray starch is by the gallon and then pour it into individual spray bottles.

The best brand available that I have found is Mary Ellen’s Best Press. It comes in different fragrances but if I were you I would get the plain scent. When you put a hot iron on the scented stuff, especially if you’re ironing a lot of fabric, the smell will about knock you out.

Beware of scented spray starch!

Basting Spray

This is just a mild, sprayable glue.

Basting spray is one of my favorite sewing tools because it saves a great deal of time and frustration. It lightly glues the layers of your project together without needing to pin – especially for the smaller projects. Basting spray also stops 95% of wrinkles from forming while you’re quilting.

I’ve found out that if you iron your project front and back after you’ve basted it, it not only gets rid of all those wrinkles but the heat of the iron helps the basting spray to adhere more tightly so things won’t move. It’s great stuff.

Beware though – this stuff is extremely sticky, so go down to the local dollar store and buy a cheap shower curtain. Lay this on a flat surface and then lay your project on top of it so that any residual spray will not ruin the surface of your table or counter.

Thimble

These come in extremely handy when you’re hand-sewing as they really save the tips of your fingers.

Sharpie Permanent Fabric Markers

Actually, these are permanent on anything you use them on, but fabric is one of the best. I bought an entire color range of these because you never know which color you’re going to need. I use my black one the most.

These come in very handy for drawing in lines that are too small or difficult to sew like the mane on my Sunset Horse and the scales on my Dragon Quilt. They’re also great for marking over things you want to disappear like the top thread that shows through on the black backing during quilting.

They’re also great for covering up mistakes and for filling in gaps in your satin stitching, etc. Very versatile and relatively inexpensive.

Calculator

I used to do all the math in my head, only to realize time and time again that I had done it wrong and wasted a lot of fabric. Adding and multiplying all those fractions can turn your brain inside out, so use a calculator instead and be accurate and frustration free.

I’m a little short-sighted, and I hate the complicated calculator my daughter got during her high-school algebra days, so one Christmas the kids got me an over-sized calculator. It has huge push buttons, runs on a battery, and does simple elementary level math – addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If you need anything more than that in your quilting – we can’t help you, so please go away! (Or write us about your genius…it’s your choice.)

Lint brush

There are different types of lint brushes, and they’ll all work…but my favorite so far is a brush for pet hair – go figure!

I use this on the front and back of every project as soon as I finish it. It effortlessly removes the batting fluff, thread ends, dust, etc. that accumulate on every project and can be seen on black fabric like glowing neon.

A few swipes with the lint brush and it’s clean and professional looking.

I also run it over any panels that I’ve had on display before I pack them away, as it removes all dust and helps keep your art clean and slows down deterioration.

Remember to Let Us Know About the Unique Sewing Tools in Your Tool Kit

This is my basic tool kit, the tools I use almost every time I sit down to sew. Since I use them all the time I have made sure they’re of the best quality because when it comes to sewing tools cheap = frustration.

So buy the best tools you can afford and they will reward you for decades to come. And remember, the best doesn’t always mean the tools with the most bells and whistles.

We really do love to hear about tips and things from our members and followers. You can let us know in the comments, or follow us on Facebook! We do a lot of fun stuff over there and save cool ideas from other artists all the time.

To the greater good of your quiltivity,

Karyl

Stock Your Toolkit with the Right Equipment – Sewing Machine Edition

Stock Your Tool Kit with the Right Equipment – Sharp Stuff Edition

Stock Your Tool Kit with the Right Equipment – Sharp Stuff Edition

February 20, 2020February 13, 2020 by admin

Welcome back to Princess YellowBelly Design’s series of articles on acquiring the right tools to stock your quilting toolkit with. Last week we dealt with how to purchase the best sewing machine for you, this week we’re going to be dealing with how to use cutting tools in sewing.

The Sharp Stuff You Need – Piercing & Cutting Tools in Sewing Quilts

Just by the very nature of the beast, sewing requires a great deal of sharp stuff. These can be a real hazard if you have small children or curious pets, so think carefully how and where to store them so they can’t be accessed by those curious little hands. There are many and varied storage containers at box stores, etc., so be creative!

Sharp stuff can also be a real hazard to us as we create.

If I had a dime for every time I’ve driven some sharp sewing implement into a finger, or my lips, or my tongue – I’d be able to buy a long-arm quilting machine!

I have been poked, stabbed, cut, and ripped during various creative endeavors. They happen, so be prepared to deal with them quickly, but don’t let these injuries slow you down. Remember, no pain – no gain.

So what sharp stuff is absolutely necessary for your toolkit to be workable?

Scissors – the #1 Cutting Tool in Sewing

This would seem like a no-brainer, but if you have looked at all at the scissors available in most stores these days, you know that selecting the right one for you is mind boggling. I am not going to tell you which brand to buy, because each of us likes different styles, etc. I will only tell you what kinds of scissors you need to do your work.

Heavy Duty Shears

I bought a pair of these about 20 years ago when I was sewing jeans for Michael and needed super strong shears to cut through multiple layers of denim. I no longer sew his jeans for him, but I use these shears almost every time I do any sewing.

They’re invaluable in quilting and fabric art because they cut through multiple layers at once and since they are heavy duty, they don’t slip sideways and ruin your lines.

They’re especially helpful in cutting shapes out of Bosal-n-r-Foam and for trimming around layered appliques.

Regular Fabric Scissors

These are the normal sized scissors for cutting 1 or 2 layers of fabric at most. I use these to cut out single appliques, thin batting…pretty much everything that doesn’t require those heavy duty (and very heavy) shears.

These regular scissors are now made to be ergonomically correct, and very sharp.

I know I said that I wouldn’t mention brands, but in this case I prefer the Fiskars brand because the blades stay sharp for years.

Paper-cutting Scissors

My paper-cutting scissors are actually an old pair of regular scissors that lost their sharpness years ago. They’re useless for cutting fabric but work great for cutting out patterns and templates, etc.

DON’T EVER use your good scissors to cut paper!!!!! It will ruin them in no time!

Thread Snipping Scissors

I have a very small pair of scissors whose tips curve up slightly at the tips so you can cut right against a fabric surface without also cutting the fabric.

These mini-scissors are superior when it comes to snipping off tiny ends of thread on your projects, sliding a blade in under a snarl, or just for cutting thread when you finish sewing.

I know all these fancy new machines come with thread-cutters, but I learned to do it the old fashioned way and that’s how I’m comfortable. Also, the thread-cutters break quite easily and scissors don’t, so keep a pair handy. They’re much smaller than regular sized scissors so don’t get in the way while you’re sewing.

Embroidery Scissors

These little puppies do a big job when it comes to cutting out appliques! I cut out appliques a lot – so trust me on this one.

Here you can see that I used embroidery scissors twice – once on the appliqued background, and once to cut the embroidery thread to edge the applique with…very useful tools!

You need a pair of scissors with tiny, extremely sharp tips to get into all the little spaces that most appliques have. My thread-cutting scissors have the right size tips but they are not sharp enough to snip into tiny places.

A pair of these embroidery scissors will save endless frustration for you and all your friends will be amazed at the beautiful and exact appliques you turn out. It’s a win-win!

Pinking Shears

These are the scissors that I use the least but they do come in handy now and then. Use them when you’re working with fabric that frays like a son-of-a-gun. The serrated edge will help to hold the frays in check till you can sew the seams into it.

Pinking shears are also great on slippery, satiny type fabrics. I think it’s the uneven edge that helps to catch and hold that slippery stuff as you cut.

A Singularly Great Cutting Tool for Sewing Fabric Art – Rotary Cutters

Oh what a wonderful day it was when they first started selling rotary cutters to the masses!!! No tool kit is complete without at least one of these; talk about a huge step forward in cutting implements.

Strip sets in the middle of a quilting project

Back of a strip-pieced panel that used spray starch for ironing

Only with a rotary cutter could you hope to get these types of perfectly straight, regimented cuts. Whether you’re doing strip piecing or building a complicated pattern, a rotary cutter is an absolute must!

I bought my first one 27 years ago and have NEVER regretted it.

My first rotary cutter just had a straight handle…but my second one has an ergonomically correct handle and is a real joy to use.

Beware! These rotary blades are extremely sharp – like knives on wheels – so they’ll slice open any part of you that gets in their way.

ALWAYS push the blade cover up when you are finished using it.

However, there’s literally no better way to cut perfectly straight lines and strips in fabric than with one of these. Of course, you also need the right ruler and cutting board but we’ll discuss those in another blog.

Because of the vast amount of cutting that any quilter will do with a rotary cutter, the blade will inevitably get dull. I’ve seen that there are machines you can buy to sharpen your rotary blades but there are also packages of replacement blades you can buy. Even with as much cutting as I do with my rotary cutter, I find it much cheaper to replace my blades than to buy the sharpening machine.

Pins – Your #1 Piercing and Holding Tool

Pins are another one of those completely necessary items that you can’t do without…but that will turn on you if you don’t watch out! In fact, if your pins are sharp enough, they’ll turn into cutting tools, just not for sewing – they’ll cut you.

And, just like scissors, you’ll need more than one type.

Garden Variety Straight Pins

These are the pins you can pick up at any sewing supply counter. They’re approximately 1-1/4” from head to tip, reasonably sharp, and reasonable strong. I mostly use these in my everyday sewing adventures.

And so will you. They’re the basic pin. However, they’re neither strong enough nor long enough to go through really thick layers, so you something different for that.

Quilting Pins

These look just like your garden variety straight pins but they’re longer, coming in at 1-3/4” long so they have way more reach. They’re also MUCH sharper as you will have occasion to find out if you ever actually have any of these holding your project together while you sew.

These babies will stab you hard enough to draw blood and leave your forearms and chest looking like you’ve been attacked – which you have been.

I had a stranger come up to me once after I’d finished a project and tell me that I didn’t have to throw my life away on drugs – that there were other choices! I had just finished a heavily pinned project and I do have to admit that my forearms looked pretty bad.

My kids thought this was hilarious by the way.

The worst project I ever did, though, was my Peacock Panel. Each of those gorgeous cherry blossoms had a quilting pin holding it tight. By the time I was done I was swearing, my upper chest looked like I had a bad case of chicken pox, and I was fantasizing about bib aprons made out of Teflon.

So there you are. These pins are absolutely necessary…but beware!

Applique Pins – Or Mini-Pins

There aren’t any pins labeled like this, but these are the tiny pins I use to hold the tiny points of appliques in place while I cut around them. Most of these are 1” long but I have found some that are even shorter. Keep your eyes peeled and buy a package when you find them. You’ll never regret it.

To show sharp sewing and cutting tools in action

Safety Pins

Get a pack of different sized pins of these – you need them to turn all sizes of fabric tubes right-side-out, and they come in handy in lots of other instances too.

The Tool That Fixes it When Your Cutting Tools for Sewing Have Done Their Work

I’m speaking, of course, of needles. I can’t think of a single tool that you’ll use more when sewing, or doing fabric art of any kind.

Needles come in 2 categories: hand-sewing needles vs sewing machine needles.

Hand-Sewing Needles

These’re extremely handy to have around and do way more than just sew on buttons. My old Bernina sewing machine has a sew-on-button feature but it’s such a bother to set it up for this that I never bother with it.

And I’m actually quite fast at sewing on buttons by hand.

You can use hand-sewing needles for many other things as well, such as:

Sewing on beads
Pulling heavy strands of embroidery thread or twine through your projects
Sewing areas your machine can’t reach
And a whole lot more!

There is no end of use to these little darlin’s. The best thing to do is search out a package that has needles in multiple sizes and lengths.

Make sure you get some that have very large eyes – these are essential for pulling through large strands of thread and since the needles with the largest eyes are also the longest and strongest ones, you will be using these a lot.

You might also consider getting some that are very thin with hair-line eyes because you’ll need them if you want to sew on tiny little beads.

Sewing Needles

As anyone who’s ever tried to purchase a package of machine sewing needles knows, these come in different sizes from the smallest (11) to the largest (18).

The smallest needles are for sewing your most delicate fabrics and the 18’s are for fabrics that are very heavy going – like denim. In the middle of these are the ones I use the most. I use 14’s for all my regular sewing as they have a good deal of strength, and 12’s for all of my top-stitching because they make smaller holes in your fabric as they punch through it.

A Quick Aside about Sewing Needles

All conventional wisdom says that you should change out your needles at the end of every project. This is a complete waste of money. Do like I do and use the same needle until it breaks.

It’s almost like a built-in protection system, when the needles get too dull to work effectively, they can’t punch through fabric, and the power of your sewing machine will break it.

The only instance I can think of that I would deliberately start a new project with a brand-new needle was if I was sewing a wedding dress for one of my daughters.

Specialty Needles

Because technology just never stops inventing bigger, better, and faster things there are now sub-genres in sewing machine needles. Of course there are! These are:

Metallic Needles

These come in size 12 and are specially made to stop metallic thread from breaking so frequently. Metallic thread is very delicate and I had totally given up trying to sew with it until I found these needles. Get some if you sew at all with metallic thread – they are another frustration saver.

Jersey Needles

Like their name implies, these are made for sewing knits – which are a pain – and also work extremely well on satins and chiffons.

Jeans Needles

These are size 18’s but they seem to me that they’re even stronger than just the generic size 18’s. If you’re doing fabric art that has a lot of layers, you will need these. I know from personal experience how strong these needles are as one didn’t even bend, let alone break when I sewed it all the way through my thumb – nail and all!

Seam Rippers – The Re-Cutting Tool for Sewing

Here is another very sharp piece of equipment that you will need. In all my years of sewing I have never yet made ONE project that I haven’t had to rip something out!

Therefore I’d advise getting a seam ripper, if you don’t have one already. They come in all sizes and shapes but here is the one I like best. It’s made by Dritz and is 5-1/2” long. The blade is only 1-1/4” long, the rest is an ergonomically shaped pink-and-yellow thick plastic handle that sits perfectly in the palm of my hand.

It’s very comfortable to hold – which is a good thing since I use it so often, and the end is rounded so that it doesn’t dig into my palm when I put pressure on it.

I use this seam ripper 95% of the time but there are instances that I need something more delicate as when I have to rip something out of chiffon. For that I have a much more slender one that has an attached magnifying glass.

Actually, Suzanna uses this one because I say my eyes can’t see those delicate stitches. Mostly I’m just lazy!

So there you have it – our list of sharp stuff cutting tools for sewing that’ll save you time. We hope you’ve found at least one new tool that’ll save you time and frustration – and hopefully with some careful shopping – you’ll also get to save some money.

If you haven’t already, please read the first article in this series, and keep a look out – our concluding toolkit article will be coming next week.

Stock Your Toolkit with the Right Equipment – Sewing Machine Edition

Stocking Your Tool Kit with the Other Essentials – Unique Sewing Tools & Their Uses