ASG Sewing Blog – Page 24

February 10, 2023

Quilt Border Patrol

When you finish the center of your quilt, there’s always the last sprint to the finish to add the border. Borders add a frame to the quilt and make it larger than the perhaps intricately pieced center section. They also provide a wonderful place to showcase running quilt designs and fussy corner motifs.

Quilt borders can match the quilt center, pick up one of the piecing prints or they can be a coordinating print or solid color. And, of course you don’t have to stop with just a single border—use multiples of varying widths for added interest. Borders should be a proportionate width to the quilt size, so consult your quilt pattern for the recommended size(s).

Borders can be pieced or simply straight strips, depending on your preference. Or go for the gusto and make shaped borders with scallops or zigzags, or add in some leftover blocks from the center.

Poorhouse Quilt Designs | Summer Memories and Winter Memories feature pieced borders

Long Story Short

Unless you’re making small quilts for kiddos or to hang on the wall, chances are good that one width-of-fabric strip may not be long enough for a border without seaming it. No one wants a prominent seam in a quilt border, but there are ways to make them less obvious.

If a single fabric width strip if too short to make a border for your quilt size, team it with a matching strip using a diagonal seam. Place the strips right sides together at a right angle matching the top and side edges. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Sew on the line, trim the seam to ¼” and press it open. Pressing the seam open makes a flatter seam than pressing both seam allowances in a single direction.

This diagonal seaming can be used in prints or solids, and while you might think it’s too obvious, it practically disappears once the quilt it quilted. Some people like to position the seams to one side or the other, rather than showcasing it exactly at the quilt edge center.

Depending on the size of your quilt, you may need to seam multiple strips together to fit the quilt center.

Corner Cues

C&T Publishing | Quilter’s 2 1/2″ Strip Pre-Cut Companion, Black Tie Affair by Basic Grey for Moda
Cornerstones accent two borders on this quilt

If you’re making a small quilt and the border strips are just a bit too short and you’re hesitant about seaming, think about using cornerstones to lengthen the strips. A cornerstone is a contrasting block positioned in each corner of the quilt and it’s as wide as the border itself. Note that cornerstones can also be used on larger quilts with seamed borders as a design feature.

To use a cornerstone, measure the quilt top center. Cut and sew the quilt border to each side of the quilt center and press the seams toward the border. Cut four squares the same width as the cut borders—these can be all the same fabric or different if you prefer a scrappy look. Cut the top and bottom border the width of the unfinished quilt center measurement. Sew a cornerstone block to each end of the top and bottom borders, pressing the seams toward the border.

Matching the cornerstone seams to the side border seams, sew the top and bottom borders to the quilt. The addition of the cornerstone creates additional length for the upper and lower borders.

Note that cornerstones can also be pieced in the same or different pattern as the quilt top center. Just be sure the finished block is the same width as the border strips.

Symmetry Not Required

Traditional quilters tend to choose borders that are the same size all around, or at least on opposite sides of the quilt, but more modern quilters often opt for asymmetric borders of all ilks. Sometimes just a border on one edge, or sometimes just two, or even three. There’s no hard and fast rule regarding sizes, number or placements, as when you create, the choice is yours.

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at .

February 3, 2023

Buttonhole Window on a Reversible Garment (preview)

The buttonhole window is strong and attractive on both sides of a garment, which makes it ideal for a reversible vest or jacket. If your garment is trimmed with faux leather, suede, or wool jersey, the same fabric should also be used for the patch because it won’t ravel.

Buttonholes in a reversible or unlined garment are difficult because a standard machine buttonhole through a single fabric thickness will stretch or pull away from the cloth. A bound buttonhole is attractive, but only on one side. However, a buttonhole window is attractive on the front, as well as the back.

The complete version of this article is available on the ASG Members Only blog and requires member login.
CLICK HERE to read the full article. Not a member? Join online!

February 2, 2023

Women of the World Quilt

Richmond, VA ASG member, Dianne Portwood, recently gave a presentation at a chapter meeting about a quilt she made that celebrates women, titled Women of the World. This is Dianne’s story of how the quilt came to be:

Since I was young, I have enjoyed watching people. It could be sitting on the pier at the beach or enjoying a cup of coffee at the mall and watching people. The expressions on their faces, faces filled with joy, laughter, or sadness. Faces tell a story… the story of a good life or one of hardships. Ah, the stories we could learn from faces! As I was growing up, I was intrigued by various faces from around the world, their colors, shapes, hair color types, and what they wear on their heads and/or faces.

In making the Women of the World quilt, I wanted to capture women’s faces from around the world, including their different head coverings, jewelry, and dresses.

The faces were hand drawn, color penciled in (eyes and mouths) and then hand embroidered with floss. Floss was also used to shape the nose, make the hair, and the feathers on the Native American hair dress. I machine embroidered a couple of flowers on the Polynesian lady and filled in with hand embroidered ones.

The face that began it all was the light skin African American on the center left. I designed an Asian quilt and was teaching a class on how to make it when a student wanted to use an African woman instead. So, I drew this face for her. I did not want my copy to go to waste, so this quilt began. I dressed her with a turban head wrap made from an African boho print with metallic weave. Her earrings are wooden. She was followed by the others.

The Eskimo woman is wearing a fur lined hoodie with eyelash yarn around her face. The red hair woman below her is from the British Isles. The Native American woman is wearing a medallion in her hair made of seed beads with a buffalo nickel made into a button in the center. Feathers and hair are made from floss. On the bottom right about 5 o’clock on the globe, the African woman’s hair was made with hundreds of French and Colonial knots. She is dressed in boho fabric with gold threads with matching earrings and necklace.

I could not make this quilt without including a woman that has or is going through the battle of cancer. She is on the lower left. With her glasses on the top of her hairless head and pink ribbon earrings, she has a worried but confident look.

The letters “Women of the World” were machine embroidered on felt then arranged of top of the globe. The made was drawn and stitched in place. The quilt was quilted by free motion quilting.

Each face in Women of the World quilt tells a story. After the faces were finished, I noticed that one reminds me of my great-grandmother. She was a farmer, lived off the land, and worked from sunup to sundown. Quilting was her winter project. She made beautiful ones, all made by hand from feed bags and old clothes. As you look at the faces, do you see one that reminds you of someone you know and love?

January 27, 2023

Sewing Get-aways & Retreats

It goes without saying that we love to sew with friends—after all, that’s why we’re members of ASG! But getting away from your usual locale and sewing with friends is twice as nice. Think about attending a sewing retreat.

A sewing retreat can be organized by a group of friends, by your chapter, by a business (think fabric store, quilt shop, etc., or by a teacher) and it can be at the business location or some other beckoning destination like the coast, mountains, etc. Sewists can fly or drive to the destination, depending on proximity. Before you sign up for a sewing adventure though, be sure you know exactly what you’re getting. Another great “retreat” option — albeit on a larger scale and full of education, social events, tours, and more — is, of course, ASG Conference.

What is the cost of the retreat?

Are you paying a single fee for an all-inclusive package, or are you paying individually for things on-site? If it’s the former, be sure you know exactly what the fee includes, and the cancellation policies of the group or person organizing the adventure. Is full payment due at the time of sign-up, or can you pay multiple payments over time?

How will you get there?

If the retreat is away from your home town, how you get there can greatly influence what you might be able to take with you. Transporting a large sewing or embroidery machine on a plane can be troublesome for both you and the machine. If you’re going cross-county for a getaway, check with the event organizer to see if a machine can be rented or borrowed on-site.

Drivable events offer more flexibility in what you can bring with you, as you can pack as much as space allows, though if you’re carpooling, space may be limited.

Image provided by stitchinggirlssociety.org

What is provided at the destination?

This could include lodging if it’s a far-away location. Can you opt for a single room (usually with an up-charge), or specify a roommate, or are the sleeping arrangements dormitory style? You may have a different comfort level with each of those options.

If lodging isn’t included, how close is the nearest hotel or motel to the sewing destination? Is there a shuttle offered between the locations?

What is the plan for meals? Is food provided by the host, or does everyone take turns cooking for the group, or do you just fend for yourself for each meal? If it’s the latter, does the location have individual cooking facilities, and how close is it to restaurants and markets? Restaurant outings for all meals can add a considerable amount to the cost of a retreat.

It’s very likely that tables and chairs are provided in the destination sewing area, but what about cutting mats, mirrors (for fitting if you’re making garments), irons and ironing boards? Perhaps there are bulletin boards or design walls available, if needed. Sewing space may be limited, so check what your actual space and table size will be so you can judge how many things to take.

Of utmost importance could be proximity of the nearest fabric store. Not only to acquire something you might have forgotten or run out of, but also in case someone else’s project inspires you.

It seems that most sewing retreats always have a large snack table. It’s hard not to stop on your way to the ironing station or coffee pot, but keep in mind that you’ll likely be there for several days, so show moderation. Or, promise yourself to stick with fruit, nuts, etc., with only an occasional sugary indulgence.

What is the format of the retreat?

Some get-aways are structured around a specific topic, like fitting, a single garment pattern or a mystery quilt, while others are a free-for-all and everyone sews whatever they want. If it’s a single project, often kits are provided for participants—perhaps included in the retreat fee, or for an additional fee.

For retreats featuring a noted teacher, there may be a scheduled time when he/she is demonstrating a specific technique, so be sure you know the timetable and plan accordingly to keep up with lessons.

Are there designated sewing times, or do you simply have access to the sewing area 24/7, like with an individual key to the room?

What else is there to do nearby?

Although most of us are excited to be able to sew uninterrupted 24/7, sometimes you just might need a break—like a walk on the beach or a stroll through a summer garden. Or for some, shopping at quaint shops or an outlet mall. Be sure you know what’s near the retreat location if you need a diversion.

Making memories and new friends at sewing retreats is priceless, so check online to find one that entices you to get away!

January 20, 2023

Your Sewing Temperament (preview)

The kinds of sewing you do — and do well — have a lot to do with your sewing temperament. For example, do you have the patience and skill it takes to do tailoring? Can you stand the repetitive work required by quilting?

Have you ever thought about your sewing temperament? After an informally collected observations of sewing friends, I found they seem to fall into several categories. These descriptions are more astrology than science, but you may find that something in them rings true for you. These snapshots are intended to get you thinking about your own preferences.

The complete version of this article is available on the ASG Members Only blog and requires member login.
CLICK HERE to read the full article. Not a member? Join online!