The Right Size Backing for Your Quilt

Often we get questions about various quilting topics, and a while back a quilter wrote in asking how to make sure that the layers of your quilt end up relatively the same size after you finish your quilting stitches.

I’ll readily admit that I’ve had some quilts end up with the backing too small – it kind of shriveled up as I quilted.

It’s always been a mystery to me, but here are some tips for making sure that the layers in your quilt end up the “right size.”

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/5103-fitting-the-backing.php

 

Our Marketplace and How to Quilt Weekly News

Now YOU can make money easily with your quilting – or other crafts in TheQuiltingCoach.com!

For some time now, I have thought it would be fun to have a Marketplace – a place where crafters can Buy, Sell or Trade their
craft-related items.

And just last week, I put the “finishing” touches on Our Marketplace.

It’s pretty straightforward and easy to use.

You can post as many items as you like in any category, or in all of the categories.

There are no listing fees or selling fees.

The only cost involved is a membership fee, which is a tiny $9 per month – for unlimited access to the Marketplace and other resources.

If you are already a member, your membership includes access to Our Marketplace.

And, there are resources to show you how to make money with your crafting – including how to decide what to sell.

I will continue to add business-building resources to make it possible for quilters to make money on the side!

In addition to more information about Our Marketplace, in this week’s news, you’ll find information about how to organize
your fabric, and the March quilt block patterns:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/organizingfabric.php

 

Fabric Measurements

For a beginning quilter, choosing how much fabric to buy can be daunting.  And not only that, there are terms such as “fat quarter” that someone other than a seasoned quilter might never have heard of.

In today’s how-to-quilt.com’s daily article, we will discuss some common terms when it comes to measuring fabrics for quilts.

Many shops have fabrics already cut into smaller than one yard sizes that can be bought individually, saving time and sometimes money.

Knowing how much fabric is in those pieces and if your pattern pieces will fit the fabric size is important so that you never run short when making your beautiful works of art!

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1082-fabric-measures.php

 

Buying Fat Quarters

It seems like everyone is reading labels and comparing prices these days, even quilters.

You may have found yourself doing this in the fabric store, too.

It’s always a good idea to make sure you are getting the best product for the money you are spending.

To really know this, however, you have to be able to compare apples to apples.

Or, as the case may be, yardage to fat yardage.

Who hasn’t heard of fat quarters?

They are easy to buy, prepackaged for easy sale.

They are usually inexpensive enough that it is possible to easily work the cost of a few fat quarters into your quilting budget.

But are they a good deal?

For more about fat quarters, visit:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/1079-fat-quarters.php

On the left is a 1/4 cut, the center is 1/2 yard, and on the right is a fat quarter

 

Secrets of Fat Quarters Webinar Next Week

Earlier this week, Jackson added a bunch of super duper special secret bonuses onto our Machine Quilted Fat Quarter Quilt DVD Mentor.

One of the bonuses is a replay of the free webinar – Secrets of Fat Quarters.

Whether you took advantage of his offer or not, we’d like to extend a special invitation to attend the webinar.

It’s scheduled for next Thursday, February 23, beginning at:

5 pm Pacific Time
6 pm Mountain Time
7 pm Central Time
8 pm Eastern Time

If you are wondering about using fat quarters in your quilts, you’ll want to attend.

Or, if you have a bunch of small pieces of fabric in your stash, this is the place to be.

It is a free event, and you’ll want to register to get the login information:

http://how-to-quilt.com/fatquarterquilts-webinar.php

 

 

 

 

P.S. if you can’t attend, you’ll definitely want to get a copy of the replay. This information will make your quilting easier and much more fun:

 

http://how-to-quilt.com/fatquarterquilts-webinar.php

 

 

 

Fussy Cutting

The term “fussy cutting” tends to scare quilters away from it.

The truth is, it is not as fussy as you’d think. A better, less threatening term would be “planned cutting.”

A fussy cut is simply a cut that you “fuss” over a little.

Fussy cut pieces are often center pieces of a quilt block, but are not always.

Think of a patchwork design like Grandmother’s Flower Garden. If you want the center piece to be a specific motif from another piece of fabric, you will make a fussy cut.

Lots of things can be used for fussy cut pieces.

You can select a motif from a piece of fabric to fussy cut.

You can also print photographs onto fabric and fussy cut them to make a photo quilt.

This article also includes a video:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/6114-fussy-cutting.php

These diamonds have been fussy cut so the fish are featured in each diamond

 

 

Miss America Day and Quilting

The Miss America pageant is a long-time tradition in the United States, dating all the way back to 1921.

ver the years, the pageant has evolved from a “beauty” pageant to a “scholarship” one. For many years, the pageant was held every year in September. That changed to January in 2006 and now January 14, 2012 is Miss America Day.

While you likely won’t see a contestant from one of the eligible 50 states or additional territories quilting during the talent competition of the show, quilting does historically have at least one similarity.

To learn more, visit:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/4097-missamerica-day.php

 

Calculating Fabric Requirements

One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is how to determine how much of each fabric will be needed to make a quilt of a certain size.

We’ve covered this before and the questions still keep coming. We’ll probably cover it again, and that’s fine with me. I love getting questions and comments and doing what I can to help.

You’ll learn how to calculate the yardage for each of four fabrics in a twin-size quilt – and find a handy “Bed and Quilt Sizes” resource – when you visit:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/2009-calculate-fabric-yardage.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny

 

Fabric Choices for Beginner Quilters

Fabric is one of the major tools we quilters need. We naturally tend to gravitate toward cotton prints because that’s just what quilters do, right?

Well, there are actually plenty of other cottons used in quilting. And, if you are new to quilting, all these fabrics can get confusing.

So, let’s take a look at some fabrics you might use in your beginning quilts, as well as some you just might want to avoid for a while, and why:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/1053-fabric-for-quilts.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny

 

How-to-Quilt.com Weekly Newsletter

Rebel Patch Quilt Block

Even though most people associate quilting with tradition, quilters are not being left out of the new and ever-advancing technological age.

With more and more people (quilters included) carrying smart phones, developers have included phone applications that quilters will love for their convenience and uniqueness.

In this week’s newsletter, you’ll learn more about these nifty aids, as well as:

• The rain in Scotland and a “pain” in California
• 275 Popular Traditional Quilt Block Patterns
• The Weekly Crossword Puzzle – There’s a new one every day!
• Halloween Roundup for Postcard Quilts for the Troops – the next deadline is September 23rd
• July’s Free Quilt Block Patterns

http://how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/quiltapps.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny