Category: Quilting

More Memories

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On Saturday, I promised another group of quilts from the book “Memory Quilts – with T-shirts, Autographs, and Photos” from Better Homes and Gardens. As you may recall, we looked at photo quilts and T-shirt quilts in our first post. Today, we will look at autograph quilts.

When most people think of the word ‘autograph’, the first thing that comes to mind is a famous person’s signature. Well, for these quilts, the famous people are the important people in your life. I’m actually going to use the term autograph very loosely for this post – because as you will see a little later, one of these projects doesn’t even use signatures!

For the first quilt, something that you might expect to be called an autograph quilt – and a great idea for a graduation party, wedding or baby shower! This project is a 30″ quilted pillow cover – see all of the white spaces? Guests at the graduation party will sign this, and it will be a great gift for the grad who is going to be living miles from home and familiar faces.

Autograph Pillow

For a project like this, make sure you use a true permanent marker – that is intended to last through the wash. If you don’t know what type of pen you will need, check with your fabric store, they will be able to help you.

This next quilt is more inspirational, with phrases like “be creative”, and “my first quilt retreat” on the borders. Looks like the phrases here may have been designed to encourage the creator of the quilt – what a great uplifting type of project that would be! Once again, this quilt uses permanent fabric markers to ink the messages.

Wallhanging

And the final project is a wallhanging, designed to be a family tree of sorts. Family names have been embroidered onto the quilt, along with wedding dates for each of the quilter’s children.

space

Did you notice anything else about these quilts? They are all made using the same wallhanging pattern – but the various fabric choices really make each of them look very unique. With all three of these quilts in the same room, most people wouldn’t see they are all the same pattern at first glance.

We’ve talked about using permanent pens to autograph your quilts, and you’ve seen the results of using an embroidery machine. But there is another option that can be used, and we discussed that in an earlier post – you can use photo fabric. Transferring signatures or messages onto photo fabric paper and then incorporating that into your design. Think of preserving a message from a person who can’t be there to sign the quilt themselves – their message could be photocopied onto the photo fabric paper, and you could do all sorts of things with it! For those of you who haven’t seen the post on that idea yet – here’s the link.

Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

Book Review: “Memory Quilts” by Better Homes and Gardens

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Hello all! I bet you thought I’d forgotten you! I assure you that isn’t what’s happened, things have just been a bit – well I’ll say it’s been unusual and leave it at that! But you didn’t come here to read about what’s kept me from posting – you want to see what I have for you today, right? Then here we go….

Today, I’d like to share with you some quilts that were made from a great book titled “Memory Quilts – with T-shirts, Autographs, and Photos”. The book is by Better Homes and Gardens. This time of year, with graduations, new babies and weddings just around the corner, we all have great memories to preserve – and what better way to do so than with something you have designed yourself?

The first type of quilt discussed in this book is the T-shirt quilt. T-shirts can say so much about the owner of the shirt, and putting together an entire quilt of them can really be a great way to showcase their interests, accomplishments, and passions.

Also, making a quilt from those shirts that will probably never be worn again gives them a great new life! Particularly for the graduate who is moving onto a new stage in life, the shirt that was worn with pride at a high-school football game may not come out of the closet once they get to college. But a quilt made with those shirts will be displayed and used with pleasure. This book has great ideas whether your t-shirts are all the same size or you have to be creative to make the different sizes work together.

T-Shirt Quilt

Here is a T-shirt quilt made by Bev of Elkhorn, NE. What a great quilt for one of her kids to remember some high school activities. There weren’t enough T-shirts for a whole quilt, so she used some of the ideas in the book to make pieced blocks to fill in areas that might otherwise have had another T-shirt patch. The closeup view on the right will show you a bit more detail on the blocks if you click on it.

It’s rare to find T-shirts that have been made for different events and with different themes that all come in the same size. So determining a block sized based on your largest t-shirt patch can help in creating your design. Sewing the final quilt together becomes a snap – as you only have to decide how the blocks look best together.

T-Shirt2

This quilt had even more of a challenge when it came to block size – so the quilter become a bit more creative. As you can see if you click on the photo to the left, I have marked some areas where borders and fabric strips were added to the quilt to make things properly.

This style of filling in the spaces makes the quilt seem a bit more difficult, but if you lay things out ahead of time, you will find that it really isn’t too tricky. As you can see, this particular quilt has 5 bands going down the length of the quilt. Each band has it’s own width, so once you get going, it’s hard to make a mistake.

Of course, this is about memory quilting – not just T-shirt quilts. And what better way to preserve your memories than with photos? Many of us have groups of photos on our computer hard-drives, just waiting for that ‘perfect’ way to display them. But you don’t always want to make a photo album. Why not a memory quilt with photos?

What a cute quilt this grandma made featuring her granddaughter, Katrina Rose. And years from now, imagine Katrina enjoying the site of this quilt that was made just for her!

Photo Memory

Just imagine all the ideas you could do with this idea. Feature a wedding anniversary, church events, school days, etc. In the book it will teach you how to work with fabric sheets you can print photos on (you may remember that earlier I did a series of ideas on photo fabric printing).

Take a closer look at this image on the right – a digital photo, printed on fabric, and then a picture taken of that fabric – and it’s still beautifully clear! What a great way to preserve those precious memories!
Pick up this great new book! Get the family and friends involved in making memory quilts!
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila
P.S. – watch for another idea from this book in a day or two.
Sheila

DYK – Coats & Clark Thread

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DYK – Did You Know?

Coats & Clark Thread

It’s time to stitch together that all-important project. But wait! What type of thread will you use? What will give you the best look? Since many crafting/quilting/sewing stores have good-sized Coats & Clark thread displays – we will look at their new styles to see what will work best for each type of project.

Those of you who shop in Hancock Fabrics stores may have noticed a new display of Coats & Clark threads. What has changed from the old style? What new features can you look forward to?

  • A new thread – Dual Duty XP replaces the Dual Duty style

  • Dual Duty XP (X-tra Performance) has a polyester wrapped, core-spun construction. This creates a thread with an enhanced seam appearance.
  • Spools now have a smooth trap at each end to secure your thread – no need to hunt for the notch in the end to hold your thread, just wrap around the trap and you’re good to go.
  • Spools are now color-coded to match the thread type – this will make it easy to identify the type of thread you have picked up. The display tray has also been color coded to match the thread types.
  • New manufacturing process unique in the industry creates a thread that is both smooth and strong, reducing thread problems when sewing.
  • A color-conversion chart can be downloaded at this link (scroll to the bottom of the page that opens): Chart

Features that haven’t changed in this thread

  • Consistent tension used in the process of wrapping onto the spool – which means it unwraps consistently also.
  • A wide variety of colors, particularly for the Dual Duty XP threads.
  • 100% Cotton threads available in some styles.
  • A wide variety of thread types, allowing you to match the thread to the project instead of just the color.

Now, on to the types of thread, and what you can use them for…

Dual Duty XP All Purpose Thread – Art S900, S910, S930

  • Spools color-coded in white
  • Available in three sizes: 125 yds (114 m), 250 yds (229 m) & 500 yds (547 m)
  • 100% Polyester wrapped polyester
  • A medium weight thread, designed for most hand and machine sewing applications.
  • Colorfast, weather resistant
  • New colors include more fashion brights, ‘color tints’ which give you very pale tints of color (great for prom sewing), and the whimsical multicolor (great for any application where the thread becomes a focus in the project).

Coats Cotton All-Purpose Thread – Art S970

  • Spools color-coded in yellow
  • 225 yds (205 m)
  • 100% Mercerized Cotton
  • For all purpose sewing on natural fibers
  • Egyptian Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton

Dual Duty XP Fine – Art S940

  • Spools color-coded in purple/lilac
  • 225 yds (205 m)
  • 100% Polyester wrapped polyester
  • Fine, but strong to reduce breakage
  • Designed to reduce seam puckering in lightweight fabrics.
  • Ideal for machine embroidery, heirloom sewing, prom/bridal sewing, and microstipple quilting.

Dual Duty XP Heavy – Art 950

  • Spools color-coded in tan
  • 125 yds (114 m)
  • 100% Polyester wrapped polyester
  • Heavier, stronger thread
  • Great for bold topstitching, buttonholes, and cording
  • Recommend size 16 or 18 machine needle

Dual Duty Plus Button & Carpet Thread – Art S920

  • Spools color-coded in green/turquoise
  • 50 yds (45 m)
  • 74% Polyester, 26% Glace Finish Cotton
  • The strongest and heaviest of the hand sewing threads.
  • The perfect thread for sewing on buttons, tacking carpet, or for most craft hand sewing applications.

Coats Extra Strong Upholstery – Art S964

  • Spools color-coded in rust/brown
  • 150 yds (137 m)
  • 100% Nylon
  • Weather Resistant
  • For machine and hand sewing on upholstery, outdoor and heavy fabrics.

Coats Transparent – Art S995

  • Spools color-coded in red/rose
  • 400 yds (365 m)
  • 100% Polyester
  • Designed for true invisible stitching.
  • Can be used for many applications, including machine quilting, home décor and crafting.
  • Thread size – .004

Coats Metallic Embroidery – Art S990

  • Spools color-coded in gray
  • 125 yds (114 m)
  • 60% Nylon, 40% Polyester
  • Suitable for machine quilting, decorative stitching, and appliqué.
  • Idea for machine embroidery.
  • Can also be used for hand applications such as hand embroidery or cross stitch.

Coats Denim – Art S976

  • Spools color-coded in gold/yellow (see also Coats Jeans Topstitching)
  • 125 yds (114 m)
  • Denim color is heathered to blend into jeans
  • Strong thread
  • Designed for use in mending jeans

Coats Jeans Topstitching – Art S974

  • Spools color-coded in gold/yellow (see also Coats Denim)
  • 60 yds (54 m)
  • Gold Top-stitching color for the traditional and authentic bold top-stitching used on denim.

Dual Duty Plus Hand Quilting – Art S960

  • Spools color-coded in lime/green
  • 325 yds (297 m)
  • 66% Polyester, 32% Glacé Finish Cotton
  • Designed specifically for hand quilting applications.

Coats Cotton Hand Quilting – Art S980

  • Spools color-coded in pink
  • 350 yds (320 m)
  • 100% Glacé Finish Cotton
  • Designed for traditional hand quilters who prefer to work with cotton threads.
  • Great for use in repairing heirloom quilts.

Coats Cotton Machine Quilting – Art S975

  • Spools color-coded in light brown
  • 350 yds (320 m)
  • 100% Mercerized Cotton
  • Designed for machine piecing and quilting
  • Egyptian Extra Long Staple (ELS) Giza cotton for excellent sewing on natural fibers.

Coats Polyester Machine Embroidery – Art D75

  • 1110 yds (1000 m)
  • 100% Trilobal Polyester
  • 40 wt – compatible with digitized embroidery machines
  • Ideal for baby clothing, towels, outdoor and other frequently laundered embroidered items.
  • Color fast – even when washed in chlorine bleach
  • Excellent strength, high luster

Coats Metallic Machine Embroidery – Art D79

  • 600 yds (548 m)
  • 60% Nylon, 40% Coated Polyester
  • 40 wt – compatible with digitized embroidery machines
  • Has a coating of pure silver to provide a high shine
  • Can be machine washed and dried

Coats Polyester Bobbin Thread – Art D78

  • 1800 yds (1645 m)
  • 100% Polyester
  • Doesn’t add bulk to the project, providing a smooth backing for your design
  • Lint-free
  • Works well with polyester, rayon and metallic embroidery threads
  • Low stretch

What does a Glace finish mean? – this is a polished finish given to cotton threads to prevent tangling and thread abrasion (such as tearing of fiber as it goes through the needle)

What does Mercerized mean? – this is a chemical bath through which the thread passes several times under tension. It provides extra luster and strength to a cotton thread.

What is the best color thread for my project? – select a thread that is a shade darker than your fabric – it will appear lighter when sewn in. When sewing on a fabric with a pattern, the thread should match the dominant color if you want it to blend in.

What is the best type of thread for my project? – Consider how you will be stitching the fabric together – is this a hand sewing project, or are you working with a machine? Do you need it to be stronger for more vigorously used fabrics, or something fine for a lightweight fabric that might pucker? Are you quilting?

Some Tips for Machine Sewing

  • Keep your machine in good condition – a clean, oiled machine is always best
  • Wind the bobbin slowly and evenly
  • Change your needle often, every 2-3 projects. Or, if sewing a large project, every 6-8 hours of sewing time.
  • Sew at a steady pace – this will help your stitches remain even.

Some tips for Hand Sewing

  • Cut the thread, do not break it.
  • Keep the thread to a manageable length (20” is recommended) to reduce knots and tangling which will weaken the thread.
  • Sew loosely; do not draw thread too tightly.
  • If you find the thread twisting, take a break and let your needle hang free to untwist the thread.
  • To prevent twisting and tangling, pull the thread from the side – not the top – of the spool.

Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila