finishing a quilt is often a challenge, especially for a young child with a short attention span. In fact, finishing is often a challenge for adults, too - that's why we have so many UFOs (unfinished objects) that need attention. Face it - sandwiching, quilting and binding can be tedio...
I’ve been around sewing my entire life – my mom made a lot of curtains, stuffed bunnies, and Easter dresses throughout my childhood, and I even had my own little sewing kit that I’d use to fashion Barbie-sized clothing and quilts. I started using her sewing machine when I was ...
Part two has the reveal if you want to skip part one. I even washed the quilt before binding was added. Yup apparently you can do that. I wish the quilt top could have told me when and who. I am a little bit sad that I did not know the maker, but I am certain they are looki...
For a large quilt I would cut the strips across the width of the fabric (from selvedge edge to selvedge edge), but for small projects, like this one, I sometimes cut strips from a fat quarter – it doesn’t really matter how you get there, so long as you make enough binding to go...
Spray a scrap of leather with temporary quilt basting spray. Carefully line up the sides of the dart and finger press gently to tack the dart closed. I position one side first; then align the second side. Doing this over a tailors ham helps get the proper contour. I’m using a leather...
Machine quilting doesn't have the same folksy reputation as quilting by hand, but it can make for a more visually dramatic quilt. The tension of the stitches creates more extreme peaks and valleys. Of course, it's also much faster to create a quilt with the help of a sewing machine. Ma...
I added the red rick rack bows, secured by vintage buttons, because I thought the center of the quilt needed more “heft” – and I was pleased with the effect this small addition made. (I took this photo before I had trimmed the ends of the rick rack even.) I neglected to take a...
A long time in-the-making, I put the binding on Ezra's baby clothes quilt this weekend, and gave it its first wash. I really thought I was going to give this to him for his 13th birthday last year, but it sat waiting for binding until now, just before his 14th. These things happ...
Make sure your ends are secured with tape while storing and the proper machine stitch for your finished project. Where to Buy: Sewing trims can be purchased at any local fabric or quilt shop and on line, but one of my favorite places to look is at estate sales. I just suggest that ...
Operated manually with a hand crank, it is a vintage-style machine popular among sewing enthusiasts and collectors. Find out how to put all of these materials together to create the fun and creative Baby's Busy Day Quilt on the next page....