Pins and Needles Day was yesterday and I missed it. But I found this fabulous video a few months ago showing how needles are made so I'm sharing it a day late. (Turn down the volume unless you like jazzy music.)
Pins and Needles Day really commemorates the opening of a pro-Labor play by the same name, but we quilters know it can be a day to honor a few of the tools we use. Or, it could also be a day to commemorate the times your foot falls asleep and you feel pins and needles when you try to talk on it.
However you want to celebrate (late), enjoy!
--Nancy.
.
Showing posts with label quilting tools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilting tools. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Thursday, September 13, 2018
A Broken Iron, a New Tool, and a Barn Star
My trusty old iron broke a few weeks ago. Sadly, it was less than two months old so I guess was neither trusty or old. I knew there was a problem when it began ticking like a time bomb, and I knew it was dead when the ticking stopped and it quit heating altogether. What is a quilter without an iron?
Then I found a new tool.
Quilters on Facebook had mentioned that these little rollers work well for pressing seams. I doubted its effectiveness but when I found one at a local craft shop in its recycle/up-cycle area, I made a donation and brought it home. Gosh, it works like a charm for pressing a seam with two fabrics. I wouldn't use one of these for a all blocks for a whole quilt, especially where seams intersect, but it's great for small seams. I think it will be handy for pressing log cabin and similar blocks.
And I bought a new electric iron. I hope it lasts longer than two months!
I finished my first baby quilt block using a variation of Kim Diehl's Barn Stars pattern. I don't have the pattern, which makes about 4" finished blocks. These blocks will finish at 12".
Kim's blocks are adorable but is that because they're so small? Do they translate as well to a large block? I had to fuss with the on-point square in the middle to get the right size and now I wonder if it's too small. I think it's smaller, proportionately, than the one in her blocks but I think I'll leave it.
The background of this block is a creamy color, a little warmer and slightly golden in real life. I've cut two more stars using different background fabrics in the same color range. All three have small, unobtrusive prints. When I choose such similar fabrics for backgrounds I often question whether scrappy/variety would add more interest. The color ranger for this quilt is here.
Linking to
> Works in Progress at Silly Mama Quilts
> Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Thanks for hosting, ladies.
--Nancy.
.
Then I found a new tool.
Quilters on Facebook had mentioned that these little rollers work well for pressing seams. I doubted its effectiveness but when I found one at a local craft shop in its recycle/up-cycle area, I made a donation and brought it home. Gosh, it works like a charm for pressing a seam with two fabrics. I wouldn't use one of these for a all blocks for a whole quilt, especially where seams intersect, but it's great for small seams. I think it will be handy for pressing log cabin and similar blocks.
And I bought a new electric iron. I hope it lasts longer than two months!
I finished my first baby quilt block using a variation of Kim Diehl's Barn Stars pattern. I don't have the pattern, which makes about 4" finished blocks. These blocks will finish at 12".
Kim's blocks are adorable but is that because they're so small? Do they translate as well to a large block? I had to fuss with the on-point square in the middle to get the right size and now I wonder if it's too small. I think it's smaller, proportionately, than the one in her blocks but I think I'll leave it.
The background of this block is a creamy color, a little warmer and slightly golden in real life. I've cut two more stars using different background fabrics in the same color range. All three have small, unobtrusive prints. When I choose such similar fabrics for backgrounds I often question whether scrappy/variety would add more interest. The color ranger for this quilt is here.
Linking to
> Works in Progress at Silly Mama Quilts
> Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Thanks for hosting, ladies.
--Nancy.
.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Little Birds No More
I added the madder triangles to the "little bird" triangles I posted yesterday. They are 3 1/2" square. I wonder how they'll be placed in the quilt.
These blocks are also for Part 3 in Lori's Quilters Madder quilt-along. Like the ones above, they are 3 1/2" square. They make me think of butterflies.
After I've made a bunch of the same block I always enjoy trying different layouts. I can imagine the blocks below larger and scrappy.
And these remind me of a woven wall sculpture I made years and years ago. They almost look like little trees.
Did I ever mention how much I love my Easy Angle ruler? It has made cutting triangles a breeze. No more 5/8" and 7/8" squares for me.
Whenever a quilt pattern calls for half-square triangles made from a 2 3/8" square, I know I can cut a strip 2" wide and use the Easy Angle. Love, love, love it. I'm not advertising for the company because if I were I might get paid.
I'm linking this post to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.
--Nancy.
.
These blocks are also for Part 3 in Lori's Quilters Madder quilt-along. Like the ones above, they are 3 1/2" square. They make me think of butterflies.
After I've made a bunch of the same block I always enjoy trying different layouts. I can imagine the blocks below larger and scrappy.
And these remind me of a woven wall sculpture I made years and years ago. They almost look like little trees.
Did I ever mention how much I love my Easy Angle ruler? It has made cutting triangles a breeze. No more 5/8" and 7/8" squares for me.
I'm linking this post to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.
--Nancy.
.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Repairing a Break
I love my 14" wooden quilting hoop. I know it's not the sturdiest kind to buy but it's a great weight and I'm willing to be careful with it. Even with care it broke about a year ago. I fixed it but the non-invasive repair didn't hold and it started to come apart last week. Glue, cord, and a splint to the rescue.
This time I made a splint from a piece of another broken hoop (bought at a thrift store). I lined up and clamped both pieces, drilled four tiny holes, glued the splint to the outside of the hoop (since it's the outside ring that's broken), then used some thin, super-strong cord to "stitch" the pieces together. After it's dry I will wrap the repair with adhesive tape to hold the two pieces together and make it easy to put onto a quilt.
The outer hoop always gets the most stress because it moves when the quilt goes into and comes out of the frame. But I think -- and hope! -- this repair will hold.
Do you use a wooden hoop for hand-quilting? Do you grow attached to your quilting and sewing tools and equipment? What do you do when something breaks?
May all your tools remain whole and unbroken!
--Nancy.
.
This time I made a splint from a piece of another broken hoop (bought at a thrift store). I lined up and clamped both pieces, drilled four tiny holes, glued the splint to the outside of the hoop (since it's the outside ring that's broken), then used some thin, super-strong cord to "stitch" the pieces together. After it's dry I will wrap the repair with adhesive tape to hold the two pieces together and make it easy to put onto a quilt.
The outer hoop always gets the most stress because it moves when the quilt goes into and comes out of the frame. But I think -- and hope! -- this repair will hold.
Do you use a wooden hoop for hand-quilting? Do you grow attached to your quilting and sewing tools and equipment? What do you do when something breaks?
May all your tools remain whole and unbroken!
--Nancy.
.
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