Category Archives: Quilt Therapy Quilt Tip

Quilt Police: Trim Your Points!!!

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Have you ever gone to a local fair or quilt show and really looked closely at a quilt?  And when you’ve done that, have you ever noticed that the person who made the quilt did not trim their points because you can see them through the fabric?

OY, drives ME CRAZIER!

Here’s a quick reminder – for beginning as well as more advanced quilters – TRIM YOUR POINTS!

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Four half-square triangles (HST’s) – two on the left have their points trimmed, two on the right don’t.

I shall repeat myself:  TRIM YOUR POINTS!!!!

A Binding We Will Go…A Binding We will Go…

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Hi Ho a Merry Oh, a binding we will go.

I am here to testify that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  I have diligently cut and sewn my binding fabrics for the last three quilts I made as well as the binding for the beautiful retro quilt that is my cousin-in-laws.

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LOVE being organized with my binding fabrics…is SO difficult, once I have a quilt ready, to either find the correct fabric for the quilt bindings as I occasionally (shhh, happens more than occasionally) use the fabric for other purposes or put it in my scrap file for others.

Do YOU make your binding when you finish a quilt top?  Or wait until the quilt comes back from your quilter before getting the binding ready?

Quilting Essentials

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I am a self-taught quilter, just as I am a self-taught website designer.  I purchased a quilt in my teen years and borrowed a sewing machine and now, 30+ years later, I am continually honing my craft.

Through the years, I have put together a small but mighty list of quilting essentials.  Everyone knows about thread, patterns, fabric, etc.  But, quilters who have been around a quilt a time or two also have their own idea of quilt essentials – and I personally feel it’s imperative to share those quilt necessities with new quilters.  Especially since I learned these things through other quilters or by trial and error.

See this photo?

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THESE magnetic pin holders are on my quilting essential list.  Not only will they hold my pins securely but if I drop pins on the floor, I just turn the magnetic pin holder upside down and go back and forth with it down near the floor – and it will pick up my pins even if I cannot see them!  I can also put a pin holder in my quilt bag, for hand-sewing projects that I may need while riding in the auto or waiting for doctor’s appointments.

What is on YOUR quilting essential list?

Beginning Quilter Basics: Choosing Fabric

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ALL of my original quilt designs on BOMquilts.com are beginner friendly.  I try to chose colors that either compliment or coordinate with the quilt pattern I design.  But, one thing my patterns don’t always show is how to pick out fabrics that will make a quilt statement but not be a problem for a beginning quilter.  This is mostly because my friend Linda at AbbiMays.com kits the quilts with fabrics I’ve chosen.

But what if a beginning quilter wants to use some of her stash…or go to her local fabric store to purchase the fabrics?

My biggest tip to new quilters is to avoid fabrics that have directional patterns on them.  This would include gingham or stripes.  Unless you fussy-cut each part of these types of fabrics, you will find that the directional patterns in the fabric do not line up and when looking at the finished quilt, it seems that those areas are what catches the eye very quickly and then you can’t seem to get past them to look at the quilt as a whole.

Let me give an example:

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This is a directional fabric.  The dots/flowers are all lined up in symmetrical rows.

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This is a non-directional fabric.  The flowers are artfully splattered all over the fabric with no clear direction.

If you are a beginning quilter, do you see the difference in the two fabrics?  My best suggestion to you is to stay away from directional fabrics until you are more comfortable with fussy-cutting and/or making sure the pattern on the fabric is going in the same direction in your quilt.

And to find JOY in quilting, you want whatever you make to be a special quilt without compromising the integrity of the quilt pattern with directional fabrics.

Quilt Secrets Revealed: Pinwheels or Half-Square Triangle Formula

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In December of 2011, I posted this video as a Countdown to Christmas tutorial:

Absolutely LOVED the idea and practiced it many times.  Problem was, I couldn’t get the FORMULA figured out.  You know, the formula for making the half-square triangles the size needed for various quilt projects.  I searched and searched online for someone who knew the secret formula but never did find it.

This past weekend, I needed to make a number of half-square triangles and I was bound and determined to figure that elusive formula out.

I needed 5 1/2″ unfinished half-square triangles.  My first practice piece was made using a 2 1/2″ increase in the 5 1/2″ unfinished size I needed – so, the squares were 8″.

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Once cut apart, I was still loving the much simpler technique for making half-square triangles!  But alas, the size was incorrect as I ended up with 5″ half-square triangles instead of 5 1/2″ ones that were my goal.

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But, those measurements obviously meant I was on the right track!  The next size I tested was 3″ bigger than my goal so I used 8 1/2″ squares.

The results – PERFECTO!

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And to finish out my half-square triangle success, I squared up the blocks and the results were so darned perfect I almost jumped for joy!

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So now, the secret is no longer a secret to me.  To make half-square triangles using the method shown in the video above, you need to add 3″ to the size of your unfinished squares.  It sure made my piecing go very quickly once I had the formula figured out!