Topic: Learning to Quilt

[bestofour]

Oh.  I'd like to have one for a bedspread.  Thanks.

[duh]

That's a great explaination of quilt tops.

Tuesday we are going to learn the bow tie quilt block.  I was told to bring 3 10 inch blocks of one color and 2 10 inch blocks of a different color.  Since I haven't a clue if I need 3 blocks for the background or the forground I made 3 10 inch blocks of each.  She said we could bring our sewing machines to this lesson.  So this should be fun.

[duh]

If you could french seam everything a quilt top would be ok; otherwise, I wouldn't want all those raw edges.  And then the material would have to be reversible.  I guess I'm just to picky.

[bestofour]

I will have to ask my ex husband if my sewing machine, which I don't know how to use, is still under the sink in the laundry room.  NOT.    Don't guess I'm gonna be sewing.

[bayou girl]

tammy, i'm glad you are having a good time.  i'm almost inspired to try to work on one again... almost.  not quite. but almost.

[duh]

I need something over my mantle since I took down the mirror.  And something washable would be great in that location.  I'd also read about window quilts and was intrigued by the idea.  And then there is the double bed sized quilt on my twin bed, I'd like to fix that.  And then I went to the quilt show in Altavista last year and just fell in love with the peacock quilts until I realized that they were machine embroidered.   

Anyway I have been looking up patterns to see what I want to work towards after I finish my first sampler quilt.  That one is the one that will go over the mantle to begin with.  I think it would be fun to have it there.

[Jessica]

I would love to make a quilt.  Have never done it.  Maybe I will start on one yet this winter.  Something simple though.

[duh]

I made one that took 14 years to complete.  I started it when I was pregnant with DeVona.  I had no clue what I was doing.  This time I've got experts to go to to find out how to do it right.  And I plan to take advantage.

I've looked at all kinds of quilts and I really like the look of the Art Quilt.

[duh]

Well today is the day.  I've loaded the quilting material the tools and the sewing machine into the car.  I'm so excited.

[Penny]

Well today is the day.  I've loaded the quilting material the tools and the sewing machine into the car.  I'm so excited.

Good luck Tammy and have fun.

[Dianna]

Have fun, Tammy!

[Triss]

Have fun Tammy!!

[Jessica]

Can't wait to hear about it, Tammy!

[duh]

 , what a morning!

I went early and got a notebook that fits in my purse to take notes in.  And a good thing I did,  There were lots of notes to take.

And then when the meeting started I of course stumbled over a chair and fell down.  My balance has never been good and it isn't getting any better as I get older.

Next I messed up the bobbin in my machine and had to be rescued by one of the other ladies.  

But finally I managed to do one bow tie block.  These are the directions I wrote down.  I bet they don't make a lick of sense.

1.  Cut three 5" squares from the material that you want to be the bow tie or "foreground".

2.  Cut two 5" squares from the material that you want as the background.

3.  Fold one of the bowtie squares in half with the wrong sides together so the right sides are showing.  

4.  Sandwich the folded square between one square of the same color and one of the contrasting color with the right sides together.

5.  Pin it down the side where the center square only goes halfway down and then sew it together.

6.  Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the opposite end of the folded square reversing the colors.

7.  Open up the folded square and pin the centers together.  Then take the pocket that is created and stretch it so that it lays flat and pin it at that point to the two squares that lay along side of it.  That edge will not be straight all the way across.  So plan to sew to the middle point and then adjust it and sew the rest.  

8.  Open it up and then press.  You will have a bow tie and none of the sewing will show.  It's really cool.  

The end

Then someone donated a bunch of apholstery fabric samples so that we could make shoulder pouches for breast cancer patients to help with the pain they have during treatment.  

I tried to understand the directions but I didn't.  So I didn't take any of the material.  The last thing I want to do is mess it up.  So I'll help stuff the ones that everyone else makes at the next meeting.  And that will be my contribution.

Now I just have to design the sampler quilt wallhanging I'm going to make.  So far I've decided that it's going to be 38 inches high and 57 inches wide so it will be perfect over my mantle.  So that means a total of 15 blocks, and a 4 inch boarder around the outside and then 1 1/2 inch rows between each row and 1 inch rows between each column.  At least that's the plan at this very moment lol.  

[Triss]

I have to admit that the directions are a bit confusing to me but so long as you understand and can work with it, that is all that matters!  Glad you got one done and good luck on the rest of them!

[bestofour]

I need something over my mantle since I took down the mirror.  And something washable would be great in that location.  I'd also read about window quilts and was intrigued by the idea.  And then there is the double bed sized quilt on my twin bed, I'd like to fix that.  And then I went to the quilt show in Altavista last year and just fell in love with the peacock quilts until I realized that they were machine embroidered.    



Anyway I have been looking up patterns to see what I want to work towards after I finish my first sampler quilt.  That one is the one that will go over the mantle to begin with.  I think it would be fun to have it there.

I used to have a quilt hanging at one of my bedroom windows.  It was a bought quilt, of course, and a friend sewed some tabs on it for me and I hung it on a wooden dowel rod.

That's a lot of directions Tammy. 

[duh]

Yeah none of use could figure out how to explain it.  It's one of those only "show and tell" will work.  But I did my best. 

If anyone runs across any good directions for this block I'd love to have them or know where they are.

[Triss]

I found this in a book on quilting that I picked up at the library last week.  Maybe it will help and it has pictures as well.  I saved it as a jpeg file on my computer and uploaded it to pb... let me know if it works for you, as in if you can enlarge it to read the words.

[duh]

Oh also if you can suggest some simple beginner blocks that would great.

[Triss]

Will pages like that work for you?  The book is called The Art of Machine Quilting by Sally Collins.  ISBN is 1-57120-119-x

[duh]

I can't read the text.  Even with my glasses on it just isn't clear enough.  Thank you so much for scanning it and trying to get it to me.  I really appreciate it. 

[duh]

I learned something really cool at the quilting class.  They were discussing the ouch pouches.  I couldn't figure out for the life of me how they got a flat bottom and those little bottom seams when they were working with just one piece of material.  So of course I asked.

They sew the back seam and then where the corners are they sew across it making alittle triangle between the side of the corner and the seam.  And that makes a flat bottom.  I didn't make that at all clear.  But it's a really neat trick.

[Tina]

Yes, That is easiest the way to make square corners on pillows and things too, Tammy. I was thinking Jess could use that trick on the bottom of her bags for a more 'sturdy' bottom.

[landofoz]

Tammy, The Quilter's Cache has tons and tons of gorgeous quilt blocks.  They all tell you a difficulty rating, as well as show you how to assemble and cut the pieces.  You can choose to look at the patterns alphabetically or by size.  It is my favorite website for blocks.  I hope you find it helpful.

[Jessica]

I would like to give it a shot but need some more directions.  Anybody have a place they can direct me to?  Or show me a picture?