With Lynn Krawczyk

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

Every once in a while I get a book that shows something that I haven’t tried when it comes to making a quilt. It would be an investment to purchase the required materials so I don’t usually venture in that direction without knowing if I would like the technique. I usually wait until I can take a class to see how I’m going to like the technique.  I have found another answer to my problem of seeing what it would be like to do each technique: watch someone else do it. I can tell a lot about how much trouble it is or how difficult it is to help me decide if this technique is for me.

I’ve watched the Print, Design, Compose DVD several times, each time getting more out of it. Lynn is so casual and comfortable with the techniques that it seems as though anyone could do what she does.

Lynn introduces screen printing with Thermofax screen and shows screen-printing paints. She shows her method of using a paint brush instead of a scraper to get a different feel to the piece. She shows her favorite method for stamping with hot soy wax and unusual kitchen products to create graphic designs. I’ve done some of the techniques before but can’t wait to try using resist to make my own batik fabrics.

Lynn goes farther than just making great fabrics with many products and techniques. She shows how to use the fabric she made from the techniques in the first part of the DVD. She uses embroidery to embellish her designs then shows how to use pre-stretched canvas to hang her finished piece.

Print, Design, Compose is a 73 minute DVD that you can watch over and over or pause to work along with Lynn. If you are looking to expand your horizons by dipping your toe into art quilts, Print, Design, Compose is a really good place to start.

By Peggy Holt

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

Create Your Own Dream Feathers starts as a tutorial on free-motion feathers and continues with the use of paper templates for blocks and borders.

I’ve always like the look of quilted feathers because of the way they showcase the skill of the quiltmaker. I’ve done hand-quilted feathers on pieces.   I have done feathers from a pantograph but it’s hard to find the feathers that fill the space and are the right proportions.When I sit down to do free-motion I shy away from the free-motion machine feathers thinking that mistakes would be more obvious on the quilt.

After reading Create Your Own Dream Feathers by Peggy Holt, I have changed my mind completely on tackling the free-motion feathers technique. Peggy makes it all sound so easy and the quilted designs add so much to her finished pieces.

Peggy doesn’t quilt every square inch of fabric. She uses quilting that does as much for the quilt design as the piecing. While some of her designs look complicated, she has a very easy technique for creating them. Peggy shows how to make feathers for borders and medallions for blocks or whole cloth quilts.

Peggy starts with base shapes then fills them with feathers. She tells you how to create the designs and create your own variations.  In addition, she explains Folded Paper Application which resembles cutting paper snowflakes or Hawaiian quilting designs.

Create Your Own Dream Feathers shows the designs painted so you can use them as a medallion piece. There is also an example of a Dream Feather used as an applique design.

If I had a complaint, it would be that the designs don’t show arrows indicating the sewing direction. When I’m learning a new technique, I prefer to have the expert show me exactly how to do it leaving the part of figuring out my own way until I have experience under my belt.

Pat’s on-line radio show is live on Mondays at 4 PM Eastern Time but that doesn’t mean that I have to be in my studio to hear her. I just hit the PageDn button on the keyboard and I find a list of all the shows going back to May 2011 just waiting for me to tune in. For quilters who don’t have a computer in their studio, you can listen to Pat’s show on your smart phone.

Prym Consumer USA Inc.  www.dritz.com

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

Since I’m not a big fan of basting quilts, I didn’t know I’d be happy using Dritz Basting Spray, a temporary spray adhesive bond. Most of the quilts I’ve made within the last 17 months have been quilted on a Statler Stitcher which doesn’t require basting. Prior to that, I’ve been using my Hinterberg Frame without need for basting the quilt but the smaller quilts I have no problem machine quilting using a regular sewing machine and a basting technique.

I’ve done safety pins which I found too tedious and slow and spent too much time moving them around to get all the quilting done. I have been using basting tacks which I like because they just fold over out of the way or I can sew right over them easier than I could a straight pin.

Stickiness

I had to show a student how to use basting spray and decided it was time for me to try it again in my own quilts. We used 505 spray adhesive on her quilt which required a lot of spray and wasn’t all that sticky. I have been using Sullivan’s basting spray which requires very little spray and is way too sticky. Dritz Basting Spray has taken the Mama Bear position of being “just right”.

I spread the backing wrong side up on a Big Board ironing board then I smoothed the batting on top of it. I peeled back the top of the batting and sprayed the batting lightly before I smoothed the batting back in place. I did about 25% of the batting at a time. Dritz Basting Spray held the layers together well but allowed me to lift and smooth the batting as I went along. Even though part of the quilt was hanging off the board at all times, I was able to get a nice smooth application.

I placed the quilt top on top of the batting face up and lifted it to apply the spray. I continued to spray onto the batting and smoothed the top in place. I always apply the spray to the batting on both sides rather than spraying the fabric. I usually do it this way but, in this case, none of the fabric in this particular quilt was prewashed. I wanted to err on the side of safety rather than regret my decision if the fabrics ran or discolored. Nothing changed color.

Ventilation

Using the Dritz Basting Spray, I basted a baby quilt during the early fall with all the windows open and fans running. I couldn’t even smell the spray. A couple of days later I was surprised when I detected a slight odor from the basting spray. I have to say that I have a very sensitive nose and pick up smells when others miss them.

This winter, I again used the Dritz Basting Spray inside with the windows closed. I don’t recommend this because my friends with asthma complained. I opened the windows and exhausted the room and all was well. No matter which spray you use, VENTILATE!

Hurry up and Wait

The directions don’t say to wait until the spray is dry before quilting and I’ve done it both ways. I’ve had no problems either way. I have been reading comments from some quilters that say they had trouble with gumming up the needle.

I suspect it comes from using something like 505 which requires lots of spray then switching to Dritz Basting Spray. You have to use lots more 505 and using that amount of Dritz may cause that problem. But since I used the extra sticky Sullivan first, I applied the right amount and had no needle sticking problems. I recommend letting the spray dry for a couple of days if you are a heavy-handed sprayer.

Cost Effective

Since Dritz Basting Spray is less expensive and you need less of it, this product is very cost effective. Since it is sticky enough for a good hold without applying a heavy spray, Dritz Basting Spray is easy to use.

If you would like to try this product, you can use the coupon below to receive 40% off at your local JoAnn’s or at their on-line store.

valid 3/01/12-04/15/12

Debbie H. and I are having a great experience of work with Fifi M. while she is learning to quilt. For years, Fifi asserted that she couldn’t sew even though her mother was a seamstress and her father’s father was a tailor. She came to the table with the sewing gene if ever there was one.

Right from the beginning she wanted everything to be perfect. She went so far as to rip out seams if her intersections were off by 1 or 2 threads. While Deb and I tried to get her to relax a little in her standards, she persisted in her strive for excellence.

Many people who come to quilting from having sewn think they will be excellent right from the beginning which isn’t necessarily true. My experience is that non-sewers tend to have relaxed standards thinking everything they do is perfect without being able to see the obvious imperfections.

I usually tell them  the “old quilter’s tale” if you can’t see the mistake while riding by on a galloping horse, that it was just fine to leave it the way it is. I use this with beginners so that they don’t get discouraged early on and decide quilting isn’t for them.

Fifi never bought into that saying. Much to our surprise, Fifi’s standards have had just the opposite effect. Both Deb and I are looking at our work more critically now. I think we will both be better sewers since Fifi started sewing.

By Dianne Springer

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

Every once in a while, I need to take a break from the serious business of quilting and just have fun making scrap quilts.  It’s even better when having fun helps me organize my life.  That’s what Dianne Springer helps me do in her new book of managing scraps: Scrap-O-Lator Quilts & More.

Scrap-O-Lator begins with a bright and colorful scrap quilt that helps me use up my scraps without being too serious about rules. Dianne uses strips of many sizes that she sews together 3 high and then cuts triangles. The hardest part of this quilt is matching the points for the center of the block. The sewing is easy enough for beginners because I just sew triangles together in pairs and then sew two pairs together using just one pin for alignment to make the quilt block.

Since none of the fabric strips have to be any particular size, they don’t have to match to each other in any way. This method appeals to me because I don’t have to spend hours cutting proper sized pieces and, subsequently, throwing out much of my scrap collection because the remaining pieces are now too small to use. I don’t have much free time so I want to make something creative besides cutting perfect squares.

Dianne has another quilt design that uses strips that are sewn together end to end making long strips which are, in turn, sewn together side by side. This is a perfect style quilt for group projects because it can handle everyone’s sewing of “1/4 inch” seams from scant to generous and anything in between.

Since many quilters do many types of arts and crafts, you might enjoy the other projects in this book. Dianne does home decor projects like cute placemats, lampshades, a rug transformation, a fabric clock and recovered furniture.

While I rarely do craft projects (mostly because of lack of time and focus,) others may enjoy the Mod Podge projects in Scrap-O-Lator that you can do with your kids. They look like so much fun. Confession being good for the soul, I ALMOST bought some Mod Podge earlier this week. I was tempted by the desire to play with my fabric scraps and to do something for myself for a change.

By Lynn Graves http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltsettings/a/settingtriangls.htm

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

I love quilts with quilt blocks set on point but I have been resisting making them because of the extra thinking involved in making the setting and corner triangles. At the end of the day, after work and household chores, I’m not ready to launch into projects that require math, rounding and double-checking my computations.

While it’s not rocket science, it does require paying attention. For those of you who have more stamina that I have, you will find a tutorial on this at http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltsettings/a/settingtriangls.htm.

For the rest of you who want “easy”, you can do what I do. Get the perfect tool for the job. I learned this from my husband who may have just been trying to get more tools but, in this case, I totally agree with him. The Setting Triangle Ruler is the right tool for the job and it makes things a lot easier.

To use this handy device, just look up the size of your UNFINISHED block along the side of The Setting Triangle Ruler and follow the line to the center of the triangle to find the correct strip size to cut. Cut a strip the required size, position The Setting Triangle Ruler so the line for the UNFINISHED block size lines up with the bottom edge of the strip and rotary cut the other two sides.

Because you line up the long edge of the setting triangle with the straight edge of the strip, the straight of grain will run along the border of the quilt making it very stable.  The other two sides will be sewn to the adjoining blocks which are on the straight of grain giving them the stability the bias edges need.

To make corner triangles, cut a strip one size larger that the size you cut for your setting triangles. Cut out the setting triangle then cut it in half. I folded the long edge of the newly cut triangle and creased it with my fingers so I could easily line up the ruler from the crease to the center point.

By making this cut, it gives you two straight of grain sides leaving a long side that is on the bias. The two straight grain sides make stable quilt corners while the bias side attaches to the straight grain of the adjoining block making it stable. The quilt corner blocks fit perfectly.

I won’t lie to you. It is possible to make a mistake by using the finished size of the quilt block instead of the UNFINISHED size which I did once. I looked up the block size of the block in Electric Quilt which automatically adds the seam allowances without making a big deal about it so I forgot to add the ½ inch to the block size when I cut my strip. The cut setting triangle was a little too small but all is not lost because I used my mistakes to make a pieced quilt backing.

The Setting Triangle Ruler handles blocks that range in size from 3-1/2 inches to 12-1/2 inches so I can use this tool for any size quilt except the large Baltimore Album size blocks. This will come in handy when making table runners since the quilt blocks are usually smaller.

Since The Setting Triangle Ruler is more of a quilt template than a ruler, I can fussy cut the exact fabric pattern I want in the setting triangles easily.  Now you know why the first quilt I made using The Setting Triangle Ruler convinced me to add this to my favorite quilt tools list.

Jelly Roll Quilt Magic

By Kimberly Einmo

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

With many quilters trying to reduce the cutting task in making quilts, the sale of precuts has steadily increased. Along with the increase in precuts packages of fabrics, books on how to use them are showing up too.  The challenge is to see how many ways you can use squares and strips without all your quilts looking exactly alike.

Kimberly Einmo used her many talents as author, designer, judge and teacher to bring you a book with 12 quilts that don’t look like they are made from precuts.  The designs she chooses are not ones you’d expect to see from precuts. She uses a technique of adding a background fabric and additional border fabric to extend the size. Then she carefully plans her selection of fabrics from the precut bundle to make the quilts look like she chose every fabric for her quilt individually.

My favorite quilt is the Lone Starburst which is reminiscent of a 1940s quilt I repaired this summer.  This quilt is made from diamond shapes which are sewn before they are cut making this quilt a lot easier to assemble.

Kimberly has created some borders that would work well on planned-fabric quilts too. The Starry Pines quilt uses a series of pine tree blocks that flip flop back and forth across the border.

Kimberly gives lots of helpful information in this book. She not only defines all the available precuts, she  gives lots of tips to make all your quilting easier including a tip using a lint roller.

Toward the end of the book, Kimberly gives you two more things to like. First, she tells you how to use of the leftovers of the precut bundles to make a series of quilts that measure 20 inches by 24 inches. In addition to being fun, these are quick to make and can be used as hostess gifts without a large investment in materials or labor.

Next she tells you how to run a Jelly Roll Round Robin. She did hers on an international level but you could do it within your guild or mini-group.

If you have made several precut quilts and think they are starting to look alike, this book is for you. If you have been seeing the beautiful packages of strips or squares but can’t figure out what to do with them, this book is for you too. Now is the time to jump into the precut waters and get your feet wet.

The AQS Guide to Quilt Care

Reviewed by Sharon Darling

Have you ever wondered what to do with those quilts or quilt tops that have been handed down through the family? Some are stained and dirty or yellowed with age but you just can’t bring yourself to throw them out. Good thing because some of these gems are hidden right in front of your eyes. Before you relegate the quilt to a picnic or beach blanket, give it a little TLC.

Four AQS Certified Quilt Appraisers collaborated in producing this small format 48 page book that tells you what you need to know to bring your treasure back to have a useful life. The experts include Bobbie A. Aug, Carol Butzke, Linda Honsberger and Gerald Roy.

The first section explains how to preserve, conserve and restore your quilts. They write about the effects of environment on textiles and how to avoid the big mistakes that sap the life out of quilts. In this section, they discuss how to use, lighting and storing quilts with the least amount of damage.

One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is how to clean old quilts. The AQS Guide to Quilt Care covers everything from vacuuming to wet cleaning showing proper methods for best results. This section covers tools you will need to do a good job and, maybe more importantly, what not to do.

The Appraisers give advice on finding a restorer to do damage repair and to finding an appraiser to value the quilt. They recommend insuring your prized quilts but you will need a professional  valuation for this purpose. You estimates are not valid because you have an interest in the outcome.

The balance of the book contains a great glossary that answers all your questions about quilting and fabric terms followed by quilt publications reference list that will help you learn all about quilts and their history.

All the information is this book centers around old quilts but The AQS Guide to Quilt Care provides great advice for care of any quilt including the one you finished yesterday. If you follow the principles outlined, your quilts will stay looking as new as the day you made them.

When I give a quilt gift, I usually include care instructions so the recipient can enjoy the quilt for a long time. Since everyone doesn’t know the value and significance of receiving a quilt, this list of instructions educates and creates the importance in the mind of the quilt receiver. I plan to give this $9.95 book with any major project I give.

OttLite LED Flip Light

What could be better than having an OttLite in your pocket?  Maybe an endless bobbin or free coffee for life but little else.  The natural lighting helps old or tired eyes to see the colors more easily and more accurately than other forms of lighting.

From my experience of selling fabric to quilt shops, I noticed that not all shops have enough light to see the fabric well. Many shops have fluorescent lights which give the fabric a slightly greenish cast. If you can get to the windows in the store, you have a chance to see the real color but if it is overcast or rainy, even standing by the window doesn’t help much.

I’ve often wanted to take my portable OttLight shopping with me but it is a little bulky and it needs to be plugged in. It’s great for quilting retreats but not good for shopping. When I spotted this mini OttLite, I fell in love immediately. It filled my shopping need well with its tiny size and light weight.

The Flip Light is less than 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches by 1 inch not counting the belt clip on the back – roughly about the size and weight of a deck of playing cards. When I work at the quilt shop, I carry it around in my pocket or clip it onto my waistband. It’s great when I’m helping quilters pick colors.

My personal favorite use is at the large Presencia thread display rack. Our customers are very particular about matching thread color to their binding color. Since Presencia has so many colors with slight variations, the Flip Light makes it easy to choose the perfect thread color.

The OttLite Flip Light is handy for applications other than quilting and sewing. I have a tiny squeeze flashlight which works for lighting up a keyhole but little more. The Flip Light really lights up the area. I’ve used it to go to the Chicken Palace (our chicken coop) at night to check on the girls (and one who turned out to be a rooster.)

The twelve LED lights are very bright and use only 3 AAA batteries which are not included with the light. This is stated on the package. It comes with a two year limited parts and labor warranty but requires a $10 shipping and handling fee should you have to send it back for any reason.

The Flip Light seems pretty tough but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice it by throwing it down a flight of stairs to land on the cement basement floor.  However, it wouldn’t surprise me if it held up just fine. I dropped my light on the mat at the kitchen sink this morning with no damage. The light flipped open and the light went on making it easier to find in the dark.

The OttLite LED Flip Light is a great item to add to your Christmas list or pick up with a gift subscription which you’d probably just use it to buy fabric. Who really NEEDS more fabric for their stash? The OttLite LED Flip Light is the perfect gift for anyone serious about color.