Join us for a lovely 35 minute chat with Sisters in Stitches Joined by the Cloth. We think you will enjoy hearing them talk about how they journal their stories of grief, ancestral history and all sorts of storytelling through the fiber art of quilting.
~Sheryl Belson
There are times when it’s hard to keep something in place until you get it sewn. Of course, you can always hand-baste, but that’s tedious and time consuming. But, there’s a more slightly less conventional solution—a glue stick!
Now, it you’re a sewing purist, you may be saying to yourself—WHAT? How could someone recommend gluing something in place? But, keep in mind that the glue is only an aid, not the final attachment.
Glue sticks come in a variety of configurations—some are twistable, like a lipstick, others are shaped more like a pen with a smaller tip for more precise placement. A few brands of glue sticks are colored so that you can see where you’ve actually glued, but then as they dry, they become clear. Just be sure you choose one that’s water-soluble and temporary, unless you want permanency.
Placing appliqués, ribbons, laces and trims is easier when they can be secured in place prior to stitching.
If you’re an English paper piecer, you know how tricky it is to get a sharp turned-under edge on the detailed shapes, but a thin glue stick line makes it easy peasy to fold over and hold.Remember that fabric glues are also available in forms other than sticks and can be used for all the same purposes mentioned above. Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, you should be able to handle any sticky situation that arises!
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda 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 two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
This article is part of a two-part Quilting Basics series. Part one is available here.
Quilting is the stitching that holds the quilt top, batting, and backing together.
The quilting (stitching) of the three layers of fabric can be done simply by tying the three layers together with yarn or heavy thread. Most quilts are quilted utilizing one of these common methods of:
This is usually performed utilizing a domestic sewing machine (the kind that you use to sew the top). This is where the quilt sandwich (quilt top, batting, and backing) is moved “under” the sewing machine needle. To learn a few of the basics of Free Motion quilting, watch this short video by Leah Day.
Another method of quilting is using a “sit down” Long Arm machine. These machines have a large arm opening and large table surrounding the sewing machine head that allows for the ease of moving the quilt around. these are specialized quilting machines designed specifically for the quilting process. Long Arm Quilting machines have a large frame where the quilt layers are attached to rollers. The sewing machine head is driven “over” the quilt sandwich. These machines can be driven manually by the quilter or be fitted with a computer that drives the sewing machine head.
Hand quilting is the oldest method of quilting and is still done today. The quilter assembles the quilt “sandwich” and then will baste or pin the three layers together loosely to hold it in place. The quilting pattern is then marked with a removable marker. The quilter places the sandwich loosely in a frame or hoop and a very short quilting needle called a “between” is used to stitch the quilting pattern.
Quilting patterns can be very simple, such as just straight lines, or can be very fancy and intricate.
Binding is strips of fabric that wrap from the front to back of the quilt, finishing the raw edges.
Once the three layers of a quilt are quilted, the quilt is then trimmed to remove any excess batting and backing fabric. That leaves “raw edges” that need to be covered to finish the quilt.
To create the binding, strips of fabric are sewn together to be one long piece of fabric. The most common widths of binding strips are 2 ¼” and 2 ½”.
After being sewn together, the strips are pressed in half creating a “double fold.” The double folded fabric is then sewn to the front of the quilt and wrapped around to the back of the quilt.
There are many different methods of making and attaching binding. To learn more on how to Make Quilt Binding and How to Bind and Finish a Quilt here a couple of videos from Sew Very Easy:
The border is strips of fabric that surround the center of the quilt top.
Borders are used to “frame” a quilt much like one would frame a picture. The border around the center of the quilt may be a single piece of fabric or may be made of up of pieced pieces of a fabrics (blocks). Some quilts may have multiple borders to provide more interest. Not all quilts will have borders, and that decision is left up to the discretion of the quilt maker.
Quilts by Diana Quinn, Marietta. GA
Sashing is the strips of fabric between the quilt blocks.
Sometimes quilt blocks are stand alone and are not connected to adjacent blocks in the quilt. To give each block its own space strips of fabric are sewn in between the blocks and this is known as sashing. In the sashing example below, it should be noted that the square blocks (dark red) in between the sashing strips are known as “Corner Stones.” Corner Stones are used to keep the blocks aligned.
Quilting is such an artistic expression of the art and skill of sewing and there is much to say and learn about the topic. Hopefully, this discussion of a few of the fundamentals has piqued your interest in quilting. To begin learning, reach out to your local ASG Chapter to meet members who quilt or look up local quilts shops in your area and start taking classes!
~Diana Quinn, ASG Atlanta Chapter
This is Part One of a two-part series. Part Two will be published on March 26, 2021.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary: a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth filled with padding (such as down or batting) held in place by ties or stitched designs
A quilter’s definition is simply three layers of fabric that are stitched together that consist of:
So, if a quilter’s definition is not confined to a bed coverlet, what is a Quilt? Bed coverlets are certainly included, quilts may consist of wall hangings, table coverings (table toppers and table runners), artistic renditions of people, places or anything that the quilt artist may conceive. Bottom line, if it has three layers of fabric and it is stitched together it is a quilt!
The backing is a layer of fabric on the back of a quilt that covers the batting.
The Back of a quilt generally is a single fabric that covers the batting of the quilt making up the third layer of the quilt. Quilters choose for various reasons to have several fabrics that may make up the backing. This may be a design choice, or simply because they don’t want to purchase a large piece of fabric and may choose to stitch together leftover fabric from other projects.
A block is one square of the quilt design.
The Block is the foundation of a quilt’s design. The exception to this is a quilt that is an artistic rendition of something.
The Design of the quilt may consist of multiple blocks that are combined to make up the TOP of the quilt. Blocks may be very simple (just consisting of a single square of fabric) to very complex designs what may include 60 or more pieces.
Here is an example how different 3 “foundation” blocks can be put together to make one block that can be replicated to create an interesting quilt design.
Block 1 – Rectangle block containing two different fabrics.
Block 2 – Pinwheel Block is made up of 4 smaller quilt blocks called Half Square Triangles and those pieces are arranged to make the pinwheel. Note, that the fabrics chosen to match the same fabrics in the Rectangle block.
Block 3 – Mary G’s Block is made with a one large triangle, a square surrounded by two triangles. This block is an alternate color scheme to provide some variety. A pair of these blocks is made to be placed into the larger block.
Quilt Block – The four blocks (rectangle, pinwheel and two Mary g’s) are then placed into the desired layout.
Quilt design — multiple blocks are made and then arranged into the desired pattern. Here is how that one single block now fits into the design of the quilt top. Note that the Rectangle and Pinwheel blocks with the cheddar and cream background are in each of the blocks, while Mary G’s blocks are made up of different fabrics in the blocks.
Batting is a layer of padding between the quilt top and the backing.
The Batting provides a cushion or layer between the top and back that gives the quilt some warmth, thickness, and weight. The choice of batting in a quilt may provide varying degrees of warmth, ease of quilting, or the ability for the quilting to stand out. There are many different types of batting available in the marketplace. The choice of batting usually depends on the intended use of the quilt.
Stay tuned for Part Two of this 2-part Quilting Basics article. Part Two covers Quilting, Borders, and Sashing and will be published March 26, 2021.
~Diana Quinn, ASG Atlanta Chapter
You’ve spent hours, days or weeks (OK, maybe years) tediously piecing your quilt top. It’s layered, basted and ready to go. It doesn’t matter if it’s a traditional look or totally mod, the next step toward the finish line—how to quilt it.
You can, of course, hire a longarm quilter to do it for you. You can free-motion quilt it from edge to edge. Or, you can use your walking foot to quilt it. Let’s take a look at a few walking-foot options.
When you constructed your blocks, you probably pressed the seam allowances in one direction, perhaps so they could nest with adjoining seams and because it makes a stronger seam than pressing them open. With the seam allowances pressed in one direction, it creates a “well” in the seam—a small indentation. That’s the perfect location to stitch through the three layers of your quilt (top, batting, backing).
Stitch-in-the-ditch quilting can be done with transparent thread, either smoke or clear, or with a thread color to coordinate with adjacent pieces. Choose a bobbin color that coordinates with the quilt backing. This type of quilting is an ideal way to hold the layers together without creating new design lines and it lets you highlight the piecing itself. Stitch slowly and stay in the ditch.
If you have a machine with an adjustable needle position, try moving the needle to exactly sit in the ditch of the seam for invisible stitching.
If stitching in the ditch seems a bit scary, think about echo quilting. This process uses the presser foot width to keep your quilting lines an even distance from the piecing seams—it’s akin to topstitching on a garment. This simple method allows you to highlight the shapes you’ve intricately pieced, and it’s a great way to hold the layers together.
ANCHORING THREADS: If you’re doing either stitch-in-the-ditch or echo quilting, it’s likely that you won’t be starting and finishing your stitching in a place where you can simply cut the threads. You can start and end your stitching sections by shortening the stitch length to near zero to anchor the threads. If you opt not to do that, then simply pull the top threads to the underside, knot them, thread the ends into a needle and bury them in the quilt layers.
Some designs work well with overall quilting parallel rows of stitches. It’s fun, easy and pretty quick to complete. The channels can be spaced as desired, but a simple way is to use the presser foot width as a guide for the row spacing. Mark the first stitching line in the center of the quilt, then work outward from the center to the left and the right. For a more artsy look, vary the spacing of the stitching rows. If you want them further apart than the presser foot width, use a quilting guide for spacing.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy, no-mark method to prep your quilt, look no further than the paint aisle of your favorite home improvement store. Painter’s tape is designed to mask edges and trim when changing the color of a room, but quilters have taken it to another level. The low-tack tape is available in several widths, and some shapes (scallops, zigzag and waves) and it’s perfect for “marking” quilting lines on your quilt sandwich.
Adhere the tape strips in the pattern you’d like to quilt—parallel lines, diverging lines, crisscross patterning or even diamonds or triangles. Finger-press the tape in place and you’ve got a perfect edge to follow with your stitching. Stitch your first line along the tape edge or a presser foot width away, and subsequent stitching lines using either the presser foot width for spacing, or a quilting guide for wider spacing. You can stitch on either the inside of the tape, outside or both.
When you’re done stitching, simply pull off the tape—there’s no residue. If your lines go edge to edge, there’s no need to secure the threads, as they’ll be caught under the binding. If shapes are within the quilt, tie off the threads as noted above.
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda 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 two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
