Online Quilt Magazine.com
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Online Quilt Magazine.com
Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Online Quilt Magazine.com A Look At NEW – Crazy Shabby Chic Quilting Cuddle Quilt Project A Yarn About Threads What’s New – Fabrics, Books and More! © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 1 Standard Issue Vol.4 No.2 – February 2013 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Online Quilt Magazine Table of Contents A Yarn About Threads ….…….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..….. Page 4 PROJECT – Shabby Chic Cuddle Quilt ……………...…………………..………………………………………………………………………….…….…………… Page 8 Crazy Quilting ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 12 What’s New from the Fat Quarter Shop ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………… Page 14 Book Review – ‘The Basement Quilt’ by Ann Hazelwood ……………………………………..………………………………………………..…………… Page 17 Reader Recipe- Banana Bread …………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 19 Reader “Show and Tell” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 20 BLOCK OF THE MONTH – Domino Block ………………................................................................................................................. Page 21 Today's Tips.............................................................................................................................................................................. Page 24 YES – We Want To hear From You.......................................................................................................................................... Page 25 Upgrade Today to our Premium Online Quilt Magazine for Only $10 for the Year – that’s less than $1 per issue! This Month’s Premium Issue has More Than 50 Pages Packed Full of More Great Articles and Projects for You to Make. To Upgrade, go to www.OnlineQuiltMagazine.com and register in the Right-Hand Box and don’t miss another issue! © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 2 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Letter from the Editor Jody Anderson Hi! Welcome to our new bumper February issue, with more articles, tips and a Brand New quilt project to make too! Now the kids have FINALLY gone back to school, I’m going to knuckle down and get regimented with work and play… OK – so that means getting myself better organised with computer/office time (and actually doing my filing…), whilst play means sewing for one full day each week. That’s my plan anyway… This month we have a quick easy project that everyone can make. Our wonderfully snuggly rag quilt on the cover (and yes – I did make it over Christmas in the peak of summer!) is perfect to show off some favourite flannel fabrics. Pick up some tips on threads in our article from Bev, and I know you’ll love the new ranges of fabric from The Fat Quarter Shop. We’ve reviewed a new book, there’s another recipe to try and more. Settle in for a good read. Have a great month! Jody © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 3 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 A Yarn About Threads By Bev McClune Depending on the project, you want to quilt, the thread types available each have something special to offer. The best way to learn about threads is to play with different ones and discover the effects each will have in various situations. One important tip to keep in mind is you should always be able to break the thread by pulling on it between your two hands. If you cannot break it, do not use it for quilting! It is actually too strong and in time will wear and perhaps cut through your quilt. Put it to use in the garden to support your plants instead. Threads come in different weights. Unlike when you step on a scale, a smaller number actually signifies that the thread is thicker. Remember, the smaller the number, the thicker the thread and the higher the number, the finer the thread. A spool of thread that has 30 wt on it is going to be thicker than a spool of thread that has 40 wt written on it. Keep in mind that needle sizes work like dress sizes which is the opposite of how thread works. The lower the size on the needle the smaller or thinner it is, and the lower the weight of thread the thicker it is. Ply is another word used to describe thread. A ply is one strand of thread and one-ply thread will naturally be a very weak thread. Three-ply thread is three strands of thread twisted together and will be a stronger thread. It is important to consider the characteristics of thread types when choosing which to use in your quilting project. Cotton thread is a natural fibre and has been around forever. Commonly used in many piecing © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 4 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 and quilting projects it is available in various weights. Polyester thread is a man-made fibre. It is quite a strong thread. Rayon thread is generally considered a natural fibre. It is also a strong thread. When used in quilting it has a beautiful shine that looks a little like silk. Metallic thread is a man-made fibre. Historically this thread was actually fine wires of gold, silver and copper. Nowadays the fibre content of metallic thread is not usually so exotic but rather polyester or a polyester and nylon blend. Silk thread is a natural fibre (and probably one of the most expensive threads). It looks exquisite when used for quilting designs on quilts especially in traditional quilting. Monofilament is a man-made fibre. Many people despise this thread but it can be absolutely "tops" in many circumstances. It comes as 100% nylon or © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 5 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 100% polyester. The nylon is preferable to the polyester as the nylon is very fine, soft and flexible - almost like hair. It is not like fishing line! If the monofilament thread you have tried before is thick and hard like fishing line throw the stuff away and make sure you buy a quality monofilament thread from your quilt store. The polyester seems not as fine as the nylon and perhaps has a little less "stretch" to it. A good quality monofilament will be easy, flexible and soft to use. If you tried monofilament thread in the past and given up on it - do give it another try! With a quality monofilament thread, you will find that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. 1. It comes in clear and smoke colour. The clear is good on light fabrics (e.g. pastels and medium colours) while the smoke works well on darker colours. 2. It is great to use "in the ditch", around appliqués and embroidery, etc. Wherever this thread is used, it is almost invisible and is very comforting when you are learning to quilt a quilt, especially when stitching "in the ditch". If you happen to oops out of the ditch on any colour of fabric, it is not noticeable. This makes it an ideal thread for beginner machine quilters. Straying from the ditch will leave an obvious sign if using any other type of thread. 3. It is smart choice of thread when you want to quilt designs on many different coloured fabrics. It blends beautifully with the fabric, which is better than trying to choose the correct tone on tone colour of thread for every different coloured fabric you wish to quilt. 4. Do be aware that you need to be careful when using the iron near these monofilament threads, as they are a little heat sensitive (the nylon is more sensitive than the polyester). Generally, it is not necessary to put an iron anywhere near a quilted quilt so this should not present a major problem. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 6 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Now that you have decided on what thread you will use here's a final tip. There are mainly two different methods of winding thread on to the spool - parallel and cross-wound. Cross-wound threads behave better when placed on a horizontal spool pin. Parallel wound threads behave best when placed on a vertical spool pin. To prevent the thread from twisting and knotting, you may need to place parallel wound threads on a thread stand, placed a small distance to the back of the machine. About the Author: Since discovering quilting ten years ago Bev McClune has become an award winning domestic machine quilter, a professional machine quilter and a popular tutor. She has four how-to quilt DVD's available at http://www.quiltersworld.com.au Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bev_McClune © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 7 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Project – Shabby Chic Cuddle Quilt From www.QuiltBlockoftheMonthClub.com This oh-so-soft flannel rag quilt will be very welcome this winter. Made from a set of 12 Fat Quarters of flannel fabric, this quilt-as-you-go throw sized quilt featured on our cover this month is both quick and very easy to make. You Will Need: 12 Fat Quarters (or equivalent) of flannel fabrics of your choice 2½ metres (3 yards) printed flannel fabric for backing (if a minimum of 40 inches wide) 2-3 metres/yards batting - this depends on your batting width, but you need to be able to cut 42, eight inch squares for this quilt. We used a fairly high loft polyester batting for this quilt, for a really soft and puffy end result. This quilt measures 48 inches x 56 inches. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 8 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Cut: Blocks: From 1 Fat Quarter, cut 42, three inch squares for the centre of each pieced block From 9 Fat Quarters, cut four, 3½ inch strips along the 18 inch edge of the piece of fabric. Crosscut at 9 inches, so you have eight 9 x 3½ inch strips. From those same Fat Quarters cut two, 3 inch strips and crosscut at 3½ inches, so you have eight 3 x 3½ inch pieces. From the remaining two Fat Quarters, cut three 3½ inch strips from each. Crosscut two at 9 inches, so you have four, 9 x 3½ inch pieces. Crosscut the last strip at 3 inches to cut four 3 x 3½ inch pieces. The blocks are very simply pieced as shown. From the backing fabric, cut 42, 9 x 9 inch squares Join a 3 x 3½ inch piece to either side of the centre 3 inch square, then sew a 9 inch strip to the top and bottom. From the batting, cut 42, 8 x 8 inch squares Make 42 squares like this and press. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 9 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 This is a rag quilt, where each block is first quilted, then joined together so the seams finish on the right side of the quilt. The seams are then clipped and the quilt washed and dried to fluff them up. Quilt in-the-ditch around the centre square, then follow one of the seams out to the side about 1¼ inches and sew a second square around the first, as shown. Assembly: This quilt is 6 blocks wide x 7 blocks long. Lay out the blocks on a large flat surface and arrange as you like. Sew rows of 6 blocks together, then join the rows to complete the quilt. With WRONG sides together (the backing sides), pin a pair of blocks together, aligning the pieced seams. Make sure the batting is caught within the block, and does not stick out past the pinned sewing line. You will need to use ½ inch seams to join these blocks together. Sew, and continue adding blocks in this way. Layer each block with a backing square facing down, a square of batting (centred on the backing) and finally the pieced block, right sides up. Pin together well. Next, sew the rows together, again taking care to match seams and pin the ½ inch seam with the batting within the block. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 10 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 When your quilt is completed, use sharp scissors (small embroidery ones worked best) to cut each seam allowance at ½ inch intervals to make the fringe. Be very careful not to cut the stitching line. To fluff the fringe up, wash and dry your quilt. (Washer and drier is OK, but make sure you have a lint catcher.) Join The Club! Keep up to Date with What’s Happening on our Facebook Page – Do You Love Quilting Too? Bonus blocks, hints and tips added all the time!! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/DoYou-Love-Quilting-Too/271888039492644 © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 11 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Crazy Quilting By Penny Halgren from www.How-To-Quilt.com Have you ever wondered why you see so many antique crazy quilts? The answer is really simple. Crazy quilts were made primarily for decoration. They weren’t utilitarian. As décor, they didn’t require as much laundering. Crazy quilts, made popular in Victorian homes of the 1800s, were generally used for throws. They were rarely used as bed coverings at all. Remember, they weren’t exactly quilted so they didn’t offer thick warmness like traditional bed quilts had. The appeal of the Victorian crazy quilt was in its fabrics and stitchery. In a way, crazy quilts were an early form of fussy cutting. When Victorian quilters made a crazy quilt, it was a sign of their social status. While many women quilted for necessity, a crazy quilt was pieced by women who had leisurely lives. They stitched for fun and had rich, luxurious fabrics to incorporate into their works. In addition to fabric motifs and the use of velvets and silks in their crazy quilts, these Victorian women of leisure showed off their embroidery skills. They used bright threads, often in gold or silver, to add extra texture and richness. These beautiful quilts were treasured as works of art as well as preservations of family history. Often the fabric used in a crazy quilt was from clothing or household furnishings such as drapes or upholstery, and elegant embroidery stitches included family names and dates. Crazy quilts are a type of foundation quilt and sewn together as a quilt as you go project. In a © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 12 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 traditional crazy quilt, the individual fabric pieces are sewn onto a piece of muslin. Once the embroidery is finished, the square is attached to a backing piece and the finished blocks are sewn together to complete the quilt. Crazy quilts are still popular today and often include photographs that have been printed onto fabric, adding an even more unique look. (For spectacular examples of this quilted art-form, check out Allie Aller’s work and book.) About the Author: Penny Halgren is a quilter of more than 27 years, and enjoys sharing her love of quilting with others. Sign up for her free quilting tips, quilt patterns, and newsletter at http://www.How-to-Quilt.com © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 13 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 What's New from The Fat Quarter Shop From Kimberly Jolly at www.FatQuarterShop.com Take your little one on a ride with Sheri McCulley’s latest collection, Cruiser Blvd. We're pleased to be able to bring you a selection each month of the Newest Fabric Releases and the new season fabric "must haves". Every little boy will love all the car prints in blue, green, red and yellow. Modern hexagon prints, stripes and textured offer great accent pieces. The Cruiser Blvd collection by Riley Blake Designs is available in fat quarter bundles, rolie polies, 5” stackers, 10” stackers and yardage. See this range at: http://www.fatquartershop.com/Cruiser-Blvd-SheriMcCulley-Riley-Blake-Designs.asp The Cruiser Blvd collection by Sheri McCulley for Riley Blake Designs © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 14 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Field Notes will inspire you to cultivate a garden patch of quilts for your home. The Field Notes collection by Moda Fabrics is available in fat quarter bundles, jelly rolls, layer cakes, charm packs and yardage. Show your love of nature with our Dandelion Basket Quilt Kit! View this collection at: http://www.fatquartershop.com/Field-NotesBlackbird-Designs-Moda-Fabrics.asp Field Notes by Blackbird Designs for Moda Blackbird Designs’ newest collection reflects their love of nature with every leaf, stem and flower that is stitched in place. Quilts using this collection are like notes scrawled on bits of paper reminding friends and families of the joy you find in your gardens. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 15 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 3DollarBOM.com Using this Easy-to-Follow DVD Mentor, Your Quilt as You Go Project can be a Beautiful Family Heirloom. Imagine Downloading An Exclusive Quilt Pattern For Only $3 Per Month! That’s Right – for Less than the Cost of a Cup of Coffee per Month, You will Receive the Pattern for One of Three Original Block of the Month Quilts, emailed Directly to Your Inbox Each Month. Check it out at Working with scraps of fabric and small pieces of batting is easy when you take it one block at a time. Using this fine quilting resource, you will know more than 9 different methods of completing a Quilt as You Go project. www.3DollarBOM.com Choose the one that fits your style and the look you want for your finished quilt. *** NEW Quilts Coming This Month!!! http://www.how-to-quilt.com/quiltasyougo.php © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 16 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Book Review By Annette Mira-Bateman from www.QuiltBlockoftheMonthClub.com Author Ann Hazelwood has published several books on quilting and travel, but this is her first book of fiction. "The Basement Quilt" is a 'feel good' book just full of 'Kodak Moments'. You'll meet the Colebridge Community in Missouri through the eyes of a member of the Brown family, 29-yearold florist, Anne. The story is centered around the quilting frame in the basement. Enjoy the convivial family atmosphere as you read about the lives and loves of the three generations. “The Basement Quilt” by Ann Hazelwood Good food and wine, sadness and happiness, falling in and out of love, quilting, more wine and homely family celebrations fill this story to capacity. Add a few more chocolate brownies © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 17 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 and a dash of friendly family ghosts (and perhaps another bottle of Merlot) and you've got an interesting little read. Best Value Bag Patterns! “Favourite Bag Making Patterns 3” This is the first book in a series. The next two books, "The Potting Shed Quilt" and "The Funeral Parlor Quilt" will continue the story threads started in the basement with Aunt Julia's quilting bee. “The Basement Quilt” by Ann Hazelwood is published by AQS Publishing and is available from: American Quilter's Society, P.O. Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290 or online at www.AmericanQuilter.com It is also available as an audiobook and eBook. Don't keep this Online Quilt Magazine all to yourself –share it with your Quilting Guilds and Friends! Don't wait - Invite them to www.OnlineQuiltMagazine.com to Subscribe and receive each New Issue as soon as it's Published! 24 NEW Bag Patterns on Easy-to-Use CDRom. Available Now Only through www.Quilts-n-Bags.com © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 18 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Recipe – Banana Bread Best Banana Bread This is one of our family favourites, and I'm sure it will quickly become one of yours. Ingredients: ½ cup butter 1 cup caster/fine white sugar 2 small cups Self Raising Flour 2 eggs 2-3 bananas, mashed In a bowl cream butter and sugar, add eggs and mix well. Add your flour, then mashed bananas. Mix together well. Put into greased loaf tin (I find that baking / greaseproof paper works brilliantly to line your tin) and cook for 50-55 minutes at 180 degrees Centigrade (350 degrees Farenheit). Test with a skewer to ensure it's cooked. For a variation or two – add a teaspoon of cinnamon, or a good handful of chocolate chips. I have also made this as pear bread – add a chopped tin of pears instead of bananas. It really should work with most other fruits too. ----------------------------------------------------------------Amendment: Whoops – my conversions weren’t so good last month. I am really sorry (and thanks for pointing it out), but last month’s recipe had 125g butter. This is not the same as 4.4lb – That SHOULD have been 4.4oz or ¼ pound butter. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 19 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Reader “Show and Tell” This month we continue our regular segment of “Show and Tell” quilts made by our Online Quilt Magazine Readers. We will include them as long as you can send them to us, and that way we can all share in the wealth of creativity and inspiration abundant within our quilting community. -----------------------------------------------------------Please keep them coming – we’re missing a few over the Christmas/New Year break. ---------------------------------------------------------------Amber made a lovely cot quilt for a friend’s new baby… © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 20 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Block of the Month This Month’s Domino block is a fairly simply pieced chain Block. You could use it for a whole quilt pattern, a border or feature block as well. To make this 12 inch block as shown, you will need 4 different fabrics, and once you have rotary cut the pieces according to the Cutting Diagram, you can piece them together as shown. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 21 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 22 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 23 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 Today’s Tips: • If you are a new quilter take the time to learn good practices and techniques, and once you have the basics right, your skills will naturally develop. • If at all possible, try and keep a special place just for quilting, so you can leave your tools and projects out, and don't have the hassles of constantly pulling them out, and putting them away again at the end of that session. • Quilting can be good exercise too! Keep your ironing board well away from your machine and get in the habit of getting up to press every seam as you sew. Here’s a few tips we came across this month that are well worth remembering… • To trace a pattern using dressmakers' carbon, draw with a crochet hook. It will not damage the original. (Alternatively, we’ve used a pen when the ink’s run out, or the tip of a knitting needle.) • For invisible machine appliqué, use the blind-hem stitch on your machine set at 20 stitches per inch and an open-toe appliqué foot. • • Press the seams in quilt blocks from the wrong side by lifting the iron and setting down on each new area without moving the iron across the fabric. ----------------------------------------------------------- Remember to send in your handy hints and tips to share too…! Visit your hardware store to find masking tape in many different widths to use for no-mark quilting of parallel lines. © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 24 Standard Online Quilt Magazine – Vol. 4 No. 2 "Quilt-y" Quotes… YES, We Want to Hear From You! * Old quilters never die, they just go batts. * Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces, As our Online Magazine continues to grow each month, we need your feedback in order for us to continue to improve our publication for you. joy and sorrow, stitched with love. * My soul is fed with needle and thread. • We want to know how you liked it. • We want to know the topics you're interested in. • We want to know if you have any suggestions, Hints or Tips of your own that you'd like included, or if you know anyone we should include a story on! Please send me an email with your Testimonial, Tip, Suggestion, “Show and Tell” Quilt or Enhancement – I'd love to hear from you! Send all emails to: jody@onlinequiltmagazine.com To subscribe to our Monthly Online Quilt Magazine, please go to www.OnlineQuiltMagazine.com and register so you don’t miss another issue! If you'd like to submit an Article, or a Project for Publication, or take advantage of our Very Very Reasonable Advertising Rates, please email details or queries to Jody at jody@onlinequiltmagazine.com © Online Quilt Magazine.com All Rights Reserved P a g e | 25