Spotlight Wednesday - Pulling up your bobbin thread

This weeks Spotlight Wednesday is about pulling up you bobbin thread to the top of your work.

It's not something we've need to use yet. But I thought I show it to you ready for when you do.

This is a little technique you can use whenever you want to start your machine stitching not at the edge of your work.

I learnt this when doing machine applique but it's just as useful for machine quilting.

Sew,
if I wanted to start my machine quilting on the beige strip of the logcabin below

This is what I would do
Click on this pink link to watch my video - pulling up your bobbin thread.

So now your work will 'always' be as tidy on the back as it is on the front.

I'm going to go and get my things ready for tomorrow now.

Goody list - money -  camera -  glasses -  sweets and drinks - painkillers - a bus full of quilty friends and a large dose of laughter at the ready.

My D.H. says that when us quilters get together we sound like a gaggle of geese!

We are going (a bus full so probably 50 of us) to the Quilt Show in Malvern - we'll be crossing the border into the English countryside and the land of free bags - you have to pay for grocery bags in Wales and we Welsh get a bit overexcited at the prospect of having our purchases put into free bags.

I'll be taking pictures, making notes, having more than my fair share of fun, and reporting back to you all on Kickback Friday.

Yours in Stitches, Joy

Monday Group – Machine Quilting

Good Monday morning quilty friends.
Today I’m going to talk about machine quilting using your Walking Foot.

Last week I put together my Half Logcabin quilt top, and now it’s time to quilt it.

Sew, let’s talk about quilting.

As I said, I’m machine quilting this quilt. I’ll be using straight line quilting, some what I call ‘three step zig-zag stitch quilting’ and just a little machine decorative stitch quilting.

Let’s take a look at some examples:

This first one is machine quilted in the ditch. You can’t really notice the quilting.

This second logcabin block is machine quilted using a zig zag stitch – so the quilting stands out.

   This flower is straight line quilted diagonally.

Below, I’ve used straight line quilting either side of the ‘free motion’ quilted leaves.
  And finally this block has been ‘crosshatch’ quilted with additional vertical lines.

Now don’t worry if I’ve used some quilting terms your not familiar with. I’ll be showing you each one in more detail over the next few weeks.

I just wanted to give you a taster of what you can do with ‘straight line’ machine quilting.

And now for something completely (well slightly) different.
In todays video I’ll show you how I get ready for straight line machine quilting.

Hope you enjoy,

That's all from me today folks,

But why not Check out 

My Social Media Links

Yours in Stitches, Joy

Monday Group

Good morning everyone, it's the start of a new week and I think winter is finally leaving the U.K. Spring hasn't quite fully arrived but it's edging it's way in. We still have the heating on all day but my jumpers are getting a bit thinner.
I have been busy stitching together my logcabin blocks into rows.
And in this weeks video I show you how to stitch the blocks into rows and then how to stitch the rows together. It's simple enough if you follow a few basic  tips which help ensure the seams meet.
So here it is,

Hope you enjoy and it gives you the confidence to have a go. It's not the end of the world if all your seams don't match - but if you can match some/most of them you'll feel you've achieved something.
With there being lots of seams to match in each log cabin block I've used more pins than I normally would. And although people in class tend to think my works is very accurate - I am no where near perfect. And the point is none of us needs to be 'perfect'.
We just need to do the best we can at the time.
And I stitch as a hobby, for fun. So, do your best, have fun and above all enjoy the journey.

Yours in Stitches, Joy

p.s. I love it some of you could post pics of your locabin quilts on my joyofquilting FaceBook Page 

   

Monday Group

Hope you are all enjoying your Easter Monday and have had your fill of chocolate.
My hubby took my hint and I got the egg I wanted plus a box of chocolates on the side because he didn't think the egg was big enough;) So I'm rather full of chocolate today.

Anyway, today I'm going to show you how to 'factory' or 'chain' piece your Logcabin blocks.
If you have been watching my previous videos numbers one to four showed you how to, (Rotary cut your Strips), make a (Basic Logcabin sample block), make a (Courthouse Steps Logcabin sample block), and finally a (Half Logcabin sample block). If you missed any of these or simply want to catch up. Just click on the relevant link inside the Red brackets above to see the videos again.

Now I showed you how to make a sample of each of the above Logcabin Blocks. But in real life you would most probably be making lots of these logcabin blocks in order to make a log cabin quilt.
And Factory or Chain piecing makes stitching together lots of logcabin blocks much quicker than making them up one at a time.
Instead of constantly stopping to cut and press each strip this method means you stop to cut and press only once for each set of strips you stitch on. Is that clear as mud to you, yes. Just watch the video below and hopefully all will become clear.
Now for todays video number five.

If you have any questions about any of the videos, or anything on my blog please ask and I'll try my best to help you. Sometimes it's only when someone asks a question that I realise I'm not making myself clear.
I just watched this again and I talk about one and a half inch strips and two and a half inch squares.
I was just a tad confused. I should have said one and a half inch strips and one and a half inch squares.
Next week I'll show you how to stitch your blocks together in rows and how to stitch rows together so the seams all match up.

Yours in Stitches, Joy

Kickback Friday

It's been another busy week for me. I'm learning all the time about blogging and followers and networks and circles. Still finding it all a bit confusing. Just when I think I fully understand one thing another crops up. Never mind it's all good fun. But if any of you are having problems with anything on the blog. Please let me know. Because I might be blissfully unaware.

I'd love to see any logcabin blocks/quilts you may have started work on. You can post pictures now on my Joyofquilting facebook page. Click the link on the right hand side or even the red bit of writing here to take you to my facebook page.

It's Easter this weekend. I have given my hubby a hint of what egg I'd like and even where to buy it, so fingers crossed. Mind you it doesn't feel like Easter - it's still freezing here in Wales. And all the spring flowers are still hiding underground from the frost.

I have also picked up my wavy crocheting this week. I don't think I've touched it since before Christmas. I did one row last night, and it certainly keeps you warm while your crocheting.          

What do you think - do you like.

When it grows up it's going to be a blanket.
I was inspired to get this piece of crocheting back out when I saw Dorien's fabulous work on her blog. Click on this link to visit Dorien's blog  

And this is this link to Attic 24 where you will find the pattern for this wavy blanket
and see lots of fabulous crochet work

Well, I've finished my 24 half log cabin blocks and I've been playing around with the placement.

Not sure which one I will make up. Does anyone have any favorites?
Well that's about it from me for today. Have a wonderful Easter, hope you find lots of eggs. And I'll talk to you all again on Monday. With my 'factory or chain piecing' video.

Yours in stitches, Joy

Spotlight Wednesday

Today we are going to put the spotlight on one of the Quilters Fab Four Feet. And this weeks one is proper little workhorse.
Today we are looking at the humble quarter inch foot.
This foot is a real must have for patchwork. Yes you can manage without it.
You could use a piece of tape to mark the quarter inch.
You could use the measurements on the base plate of your machine,
or you could move your needle across to quarter inch.
And all of these ideas will work to a degree. And indeed when you first start piecing your patchwork blocks these ideas will help you get started. But once you know you are going to be a patchworker then your really need to consider investing in a quarter inch foot.
Luckily it is one of the least expensive feet to buy. It's only small. But boy will it make a huge difference to the accuracy of your piecing.
When I first began patchwork and quilting an experienced quilter told me the most important two things about piecing where accurate cutting and accurate piecing - that's stitching quarter inch seams. And it has proven to be the most valuable patchwork advice I have ever been given.

So to re-cap that's accurate cutting which means learning to use a rotary cutter.
And accurate quarter inch seams and that mean getting a quarter inch foot.
And when you consider it, it makes perfect sense. When making a patchwork block if you have just four seams, and your cutting is out by just an eighth of an inch and your piecing is out by just an eighth of an inch in a 12" block you would be out by an 1".
Mind you if you are in the market to buy a new sewing machine for patchwork and quilting. You will find many 'quilters' models come with the 'Fab Four Quilters Feet'

So, the first picture is of me stitching my half log cabin blocks 'factory piecing' or 'chain piecing' style - and that's a bit of a sneek preview because factory or chain piecing is what next Mondays video will show you. But in this picture you can see I'm using  my quarter inch foot. You can also see the piece of tape I have put on the stitch plate just to show you what that would look like.

 And these two pictures (above and below) show it in close up. Each machine manufacturer produces it's own version of the quarter inch foot. This one is Bernina's. It's rather unique in that it has notches (the little v shapes you can see three on either side of the foot) Each of these v's is a quarter of an inch. Which means you can easily see where a quarter of an inch is in all directions from your needle. Useful if you need to stop quarter of an inch from the end or in from the beginning.

The picture below is of Janome's quarter inch foot on the left and the Bernina one on the right.  The black arm on the side of the Janome foot acts as a guide and can be useful although sometimes gets in the way. And I have been know to push a piece of paper in the side of the arm to hold it out of the way.

Anyways, now you know how useful a quarter inch foot is please consider getting one - and if you have one and don't use it please give this little foot a try.

Yours in stitches, Joy

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