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| AMISH PRIMER Quilt pattern - NEW |
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| New Price: 2.31 USD |
| Old Price: 4.62 USD |
| Saved: 50 Percent |
| Sale ends: 2010-03-20 23:00:24 |
 or:Show Seller's other items dporty816 |
Reviews & GuidesQUILT BATTING & BACKINGKeep these following charts handy when you go to purchase fabric for your next quilt project.EZ2QUILTPRODUCTS Twin: ( 63 x 87) 5 1/2 yards Double: ( 78x87) 5 1/2 yards Queen: (84 x92) 7 1/2 yards King: ( 100x92) 8 yards Twin (63 x87) Backing: 5&am... Handkerchief QuiltsHandkerchief Quilts I have been making handkerchief quilts for over 12 years. Handkerchiefs have been used in quilts for centuries. Many books on quilt history include quilts incorporating political handkerchiefs, from George Washington onward. Early children's handkerchiefs were also used to make quilts. In recent years, Sharon Newman's book "Handkerchief Quilts", followed by Pat Long Gardner's book of the same title, started a revival of interest in handkerchiefs in crafts. Many guides and collectors books are now available to help identify your handkerchiefs. Or, they can become the center of a wall quilt like this orchid hanky quilt, inspired from Gardner's book. It has a simple border of 2' squares, and two borders of black fabric. Cindy Brick's "Hanky Panky Quilts" inspired ... GETTING STARTED IN QUILT MAKING Quilt making is one of the most practical of the needle arts and I think one of the most beautiful. Simply put quilting is just sewing toghether three layers, top, filler and backing using running stitches. There are many kinds of quilts. Please refer to my guide on types of quilts to see the variety. One of the easiest types to make is the log cabin quilt. Also one that is called a patchwork which is really just squares sewn together. Your quilt can be tied or quilted with running stitches. Many serviceable quilts are made with tying only. Quilting requires very few supplies. You probably have most of them already on hand in your sewing kit such as pins, pincushions, scissors, rulers. Special items just for quilting are the type of needles - the 7s and 8s, called betweens are used for quilting. They are shorter than the standard sharps and are easier for a quilter to handle during long sessions of quilting. The thread you need is a white cotton quilting thread. Just ask at the notion store for it and they will head you in the right direction. Seldom do you need any other color than white for making quilts. Thimble - this is essential for quilting. You could try a leather one or a metal one. Personally I have tried both. I find the needle slides to easily off the metal one and the leather thimble is awkward. So what I use is a bandaid wrapped around my finger. It works very well for me. I tape my middle finger and I find that this saves my hand from the needle. If you find you just can't use a thimble, then try the bandaid method. Pencils ... Quilting For People Who Can't SewI've been a quilter for more than 15 years, and I still feel that I really can't sew, I'm just awfully good at faking it! I've taught quilting classes, designed patterns for newbies, finished countless projects for friends, family, charity and myself; and began a (to remain uncounted for reasons of sheer embarassment!) multitude of UFOs (that's UnFinished Objects to anyone not familiar with the technical language of quilting), but still have that insecurity. Why? Because noone taught me, I had to teach myself. I lived outside of the U.S. for more than 14 years, and was living in places where sometimes I had to actually introduce the words "quilt" and "quilting" to the local language, but I perservered. As most of you know, quilting is an excellent way to pass time productively, and if I had one thing it was time. The methods I came up with for getting things done more quickly and efficiently I called "productive laziness." I'm a terribly impatient person, but quilting has taught me patience more than any other undertaking I've attempted. I prefer to find the most efficient way to accomplish something, because I really need to see progress to remain inspired. Hand-sewing...Pah! I laughed at it until I had to spend countless hours traveling in planes, and then I grabbed it up in desperation as a way to, once again, pass my time productively. Hand quilting? Again, double-Pah!, until I saw how quickly it could go and how lovely it was, and then I was ridiculously proud of the callus I built up on my middle finger of my left hand. All of this knowledge was bought with blood, sweat, tears and no small amount of bad words in lots of different languages. But was it ever worth it! I love working with color and hav... Yo Yo Fabric Blocks ~ Fun Creative Ideals ~ Part 6We are now on Part 6 of the fabric guides featuring the different ideals you can use for your future yo yo projects. If you are just joining this series and would like to start the beginning, click here: Yo Yo Fabric Blocks ~ Fun Creative Ideals ~ Part 1 All pictures used with the ebay seller's permission. Without their generosity, these guides would not be possible. # 24: Vintage Roman Stripe/Bar Strip Style Yo Yo Quilt. This large, vintage quilt measures 96" x 98". It is made out of wonderful depression era prints and loaded with novelty fabric! The strips are separated by bubblegum pink yo yos. Every yo yo is stitched together with blue embroidery floss. Picture courtesy of ebay seller: linengirls. &n... How to buy a quilt design software packageMany people are confused about quilt design software packages. I would like to give you some pointers for purchasing quilting software. There are many quilt software programs available. These fall into 3 main categories: quilt design programs that allow you to design your own quilts quilt software packages that allow you to print foundation (paper) piecing patterns quilt software packages that allow you to download facets of the program to add to YOUR already existing quilt design program Following is a brief discussion of each type of quilt software package. If you are interested in designing your own quilts, 2 packages come immediately to mind--Electric Quilt EQ5 and Quilt Pro 5. Each program is designed to run on PC products. EQ5 can be run with MacIntosh products using Windows emulation software such as Virtual PC. Quilt Pro 5 comes in a MAC version. Be sure you are purchasing the correct version for your computer. EQ5 and Quilt Pro 5 are very powerful design programs. There is quite a learning curve to be faced with either package. These packages will allow you to design your own quilt from scratch or from the hundreds of block designs already contained in either program. You can then find fabric from the fabric libraries contained in either program (or scan your own fabric) to see what your quilt design will look like in your fabrics! Both programs will also allow you to print out various information, such as templates. Both programs have fantastic Help tools. Both companies offer excellent customer support. Both progr... Easiest Mitered Quilt Borders - Tips and Tricks!Please vote on my guide at the bottom of the page - Thanks! Mitering borders doesn't need to be as difficult as you thought! Give up those old complicated methods as I walk you through an easy solution to mitering corners on multiple borders. The first step in the process is to decide how many borders you would like, i.e. inner border, middle, outer, etc. On a bed quilt, I often combine a 2 1/2" cut inner border with a 1" cut highlighting border (a color that sets the quilt off in a dramatic way) and finally about an 8 1/2" cut of my feature, outer border. If your quilt top is 80" and you plan a 10" border all around, your 4 border sides will all need to be at least 100" long (a little longer is better). You will need to seam together enough lengths of fabric for each strip of the border to create the length that you need. When all your individual border strips are the length that you need, go ahead and stitch these individual border strips together in the order that you would like to attach them to your quilt. You should now have a border unit comprised of your full length inner, middle and outer borders, seamed full length. Next, you will need to attach each border unit to a side of your quilt. First, find the center of your quilt (fold it in half and mark it with a pin), then find the center of your first border (fold it in half as well). Attach your border at the mid-point to the mid-point on your quilt. I usually do this process on my ironing board. ... McKenna Ryan - Wonderful Fusible Quilting PatternsPlease visit Stitches for a large selection of McKenna Ryan's patterns Please remember to vote on this guide at the bottom of the page - Thanks! If you are a quilter, you have probably seen McKenna Ryan patterns everywhere! She's the reigning queen as one of the hottest quilting pattern designers out there. A little background on McKenna As you probably know, McKenna's patterns reflect the beauty of nature more often then not. She is inspired by her natural surroundings in her home on the edge of Glacier National Park in Montana. She began creating nature patterns at a time that there were very few to choose from. On her 2 1/2 hour drives through the Rocky Mountains to her grocery store, she settled on the very appropriate name of Pine Needles for her company. McKenna's creative process begins with an idea that she sketches as an overall composition. She will pull colors and fabrics that will contribute the feel of the quilt. With these two elements, she begins to work out the details. McKenna will sometimes cut as many as 25 prototypes of a leaf or animal before it makes it into the quilt pattern. Because many quilters want their final quilts to turn out just like McKennas', she makes an effort to select fabrics readily available at quilt shops.&n... QUILTS -- AN EASY AD TEMPLATE FOR THE NOVICEWe are blessed to have many true experts selling antique quilts and vintage textiles on eBay. Since many of us never rise to the expert level, we just need to move products for ourselves and others at drop-off stores and the like. Here is a quick and easy template for writing an ad for a quilt that will minimize questions and state "the facts, ma'am, just the facts"! One of the dangers in selling this way, is that a true treasure may get past you and you'll never know it, but it also increases the odds of the HUNT for the knowledgeable eBayer Buyer. Every quilt will not have every element, but these are the things buyers seem to care about. Buyers just want to know the truth, positive or negative. Easy Cheater No-Sewing Machine Quilt GuideCheater quilts are a source of great controversy in the quilt world. Many quilters would be horrified at the thought of making one and some are downright disdainful of them. Whether or not they even qualify to be called "quilts" is just one argument among quilters. My own personal philosophy is: whatever gets people quilting and makes them happy quilting is a great thing. If it's cheater quilts some quilters want to make, then let them make cheater quilts. Cheater quilts can be found for sale on Ebay, but they are so easy to make, this guide will focus on getting new quilters to buy those Cheater quilt fabrics on Ebay and make their own quilt. Cheater quilts are a great way to introduce quilting to a beginner and even young children can make one. No sewing machine is required to make one and they can be made in any size you need or made from any size quilt top you purchased. Have you seen quilt tops for sale on Ebay that you want to make into a quilt, but you don't have a sewing machine? Would you like to be able to buy any quilt top or quilt fabric on Ebay and make a quilt without a sewing machine? Would you like a simple technique for teaching quilting to children? Cheater quilts are the solution to all those questions. I uesd to refer to my class as the "No Sewing Machine" quilt lesson. --------------------- REMEMBER TO CLICK THE REFRESH BUTTON EACH VISIT FOR ANY UPDATES -------------------- Quilting Frames-To use or not to useIt is your choice, try it both ways and see which is most comfortable for you. Baste your project together no matter which method you choose, with pins or hand stitching. And third and final suggestion is buy a good, sturdy large quilting hoop. Quilting hoops are not to be confussed with the thin wooden embroidery hoops. Quilting hoops can be square or round, they are usually made of heavy plastic or thick wood and are designed for quilting. It takes a heavy frame to hold the pieced top, the insid... How to buy a Quilt PatternIf you want to buy a quilt pattern on line you have to check on a couple of things first. Is the pattern for the block featured in the picture shown the only directions you are getting or is the pattern for the construction of the entire quilt, start to finish. What type of construction method is used in the pattern? Is it one you are used to using ? I bought a pattern on line once, and when the pattern arrived it was a hand drawn outline of a Manatee. The instructions then said , using the drawing as a guide and using the fusible method of your choice place the manatee in the center of the fabric you have chosen and quilt as desired. I paid $10.50 plus shipping for those three lines of instructions. So, I tell people to ask questions, ask what size the TEMPLATE is, ask how many pattern pcs. are there in the pattern and is the finishing method described in the patteren. Is the pattern new, is it used and if it is used is it complete ? What is the return policy ? After all, you are paying for it, and you deserve to know what you are getting, before you get it .EZ2QUILT PRODUCTS GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR QUILTS - DON'T WASH THEM!Quilts are wonderful things. They keep us warm, are beautiful to look at, bring back old memories and help us to create new one. They are just so very .....well SPECIAL! I know that quilts take time to make - some up to hundreds of hours - and our first though is to hide them away to keep them safe. However, quilts are meant to be used. So don't lock them away in the back of your closet or in a box in your attic. Don't go out and buy expensive boxes and special paper to wrap them up in, so that they will be safe for others to enjoy hopefully years down the road. OK, i know that lots of people are grasping for breathe about now. So let me say this....If you must store your quilt, then yes, it's a good ideal to do everything that you can to protect them. OK, you can breath again. But truely the best place for a quilt to be is on your bed. USE THEM! They really will enhance your lives a little every day. you may not realize it, but they do. And by using them, others may get the chance to see them and enjoy them as well. Tell them the story of your quilt. Every quilt has a story - your great, great granny made it or it was just something that you threw together out of your scraps. Whatever the story, by telling it to others, you realize just how very special quilts are. so please USE THEM! OK, you've decided to drag your quilt out of hidding and have headed towards the bed, quilt rack, etc.... all of a sudden you stop dead in your tracks and think: What if it gets dirty? the husband, the kids, the dog, the cat...... then you start back to put it into hiding again, never to see daylight for several more years. First and formost, quilts were meant to be used and they will get dirty. That's life. So like everything else, adjust. If you quilt was made by your great great granny, you might not want to put it on your kid's... Quilts - Alphabetical Listing of Kinds of quilts Album quilts Also known as Friendship quilt. These quilts are made by a group of friends and each one makes a block or two for the quilt. They then put them all together to make the quilt. Often friends at a distance from each other will do this through the mail. Historically Album quilts were given as gifts to the local preacher, or to a new bride. Baltimore quilts are a well known type of Album quilt. They are beautifully done in the best materials. Historically high society women made these quilts and of course they lived in Baltimore. Amish and Amish style quilts The Amish made these quilts in America's heartland. They are made of solid (no prints) materials in dark and in bright colors. The quilting is very detailed on these quilts. They used left over material from every day projects such as family clothing and were and are as frugal as everyone else by using worn out clothing. These quilts are quite "modern" looking -very abstract. Many quilters try to emulate the Amish style of quilting but unless you are Amish or Mennonite, then it isn't an Amish quilt. Baltimore quilts See Album quilts above. Cathedral Window quilts One of my very favorite quilts. This is the type of quilt I usually make. It is another in the line of "not quite a quilt" since it is... Signiture Labels For QuiltsWhen you purchase a quilt you should look for a signiture, date or label on the front or back. When you make a quilt you should make a decorative label for on the back. This label should give the name of the quilt, name of the person who pieced or appliqued the top, who quilted the quilt. If it was machine quilted or hand quilted. Who it was made for, if it was for a special occasion. The date it was finished. Any other information that is important such as the pattern name and who desinged the pattern. We are finding that the quilts from years ago are hard to date and find information about. The labeling of new quilts being made will make them worth more years from now. PREPARING TEXTILES for QUILTING There is more to making a quilt than just buying the material, cutting it and then sewing it together. The fabric you use must be prepared for quilting and to prevent shrinkage. Some quilters suggest you wash your material. I'm telling you if you have ever put 10 yards of material in a washing machine and then to a dryer you will know what a tangled mess we weave with this! A simpler method is to steam iron the material. Very easy and very quick and it does the trick. Just run an iron lightly over the surface - you don't even have to touch to surface of the material - just give it a shot of steam once in awhile as you do this. Allow it to be dry before you refold you material. That's it! All nicely preshrunk for you. What about strong colors? Strong colors such as reds can bleed out on the first washing. First sew across the raw edges of the material with a basting stitch. I usually take two - three yards of material at a time and put it into a sink with the hottest water possible. At to this a couple of cups of vinegar. Allow to soak for no more than 15 minutes. This allows the color to set. Rinse the water clear. Tumble dry in a dryer with a dark towel. The towel helps the material to dry faster. Then iron very lightly so as not to pull the material off grain. See my Quilts and textiles Book: ANTIQUE QUILT MASTERPIECES by Shelly Zegart If you know nothing about antique quilts, this would be the place to start. This wonderful book published by American Quilt Collections shows many beautiful quilts from private and public collections all over the United States. To gain an appreciation of the history of quilts in the United States, all you have to do is leaf through this glossy paged book. Here you will find masterpiece quilts from all periods with beautiful full color plates showing the quilts in detail. Along with each quilt is a history of the collection the quilt is in, when the quilt was acquired and history of the making of the quilt. The best examples of Baltimore Algum quilts, Reconciliation quilt, Amish, Genealogical, Lone Star, Stained glass, Alabama Album, Basket, tumbling blocks, Broderie Perse, Nine patch, Harlequin, Carpenters Wheel, quilt with the largest number of pieces, Trapunto, red work, Rose of Sharon, Star of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Album, Hawaiian, Mariner's Compass, Crazy quilt, Reverse applique, hexagon, autograph, counterpane, lend and borrow, Log cabin, Friendship, and more are featured in this marvellous collection. On the front cover is a beautiful Starburst quilt. 178 pages. Visit my store :) How to Buy a Quilting PatternTo buy a pattern on line you must ask the seller some questions. These questions will help you determine if the pattern is suited to your needs. It the skill level of the pattern matched with your skill level ? Are you knowledgable enough about the technique to make the pattern at home, by yourself ? Does the seller offer a way to contact them if you do need help ? Then you need to also know the answer to these questions: 1.) Who are you making the quilt for? 2.) Where will that person use the quilt ? 3.) Do you know the pattern designer, or are you familar with the pattern ? By answering these questions you can then make an informed decision and you won't be disapointed with the pattern. Don't be afraid to ask the seller about the pattern either. Make sure you know the finished size of the project, are all the templates included? Ask if the pattern has been used, if so make sure the pattern sheet as well as a clear picture of the finished project is included. And most important, make sure you know prices, you don't want to end up paying more than the original price. MINIATURE AND DOLL QUILTS A miniature quilt is not a doll quilt but a doll quilt can be a miniature quilt. Let me explain. :) A miniature quilt is a quilt that is made to scale - for example the most common scale used is 1:12 where 1 inch equals 12 inches. That is not just the outside dimensions but each piece in the quilt! A miniature suggests that the item exists in a larger natural form. A doll quilt on the other hand is a quilt that is made small and sized for dolls but not necessarily in scale. However most tiny quilts are referred to as minis whether they are true to scale or not. Baby quilts are not true mini quilts but many quilters feel they should be included in the category especially if they are made as an art quilt. Throw quilts and lap quilts often are seen as in the category of miniature quilts to but aren't really. It is true that while miniature quilts take less time than a large quilt to produce, they can be as demanding and exacting of the artist as their larger sisters. Check out thecountrybaker's quilts Choosing a Quilt Pattern There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the quilt pattern that will be perfect for you or the person you will be honoring with the gift of a quilt. Your skill level is a consideration. Choose a pattern of simple geometric design if you are a beginner. If you have experience making quilts, go ahead and choose a more complicated design. Most quilt patterns start with a block that is repeated until the desired size is reached. Borders are added to frame and add depth to the design. Borders can also add inches to create the proper size. Quilts are made from many types of patterns: geometric, applique, crazy quilts (no patterns), picture blocks, cross-stitch, embroidery, and patchwork. Making quilts is truly an American craft. Our early American mothers saved every scrap to make quilted bedcoverings. In the Victorian era, crazy quilts were a showcase for refined ladies' stitching. American women continue to make quilts and display their creativity and involvement in life from families to politics. Consider the statement or message your quilt will make when you choose a pattern. Celebrate Spring with a quilt of yellow daffodils. Commemorate a political event with a quilt of symbols related to that event. Show your love for a new baby with a hand stitched quilt with designs to fit the nursery pattern Mom has chosen. No guide can tell you which pattern to choose, but can inspire you to think about your life and what will best express your views. Each stitch you make in the quilt sews your love into the fabric, and this love glows and lasts. Piecing picture blocks is more challenging than straight geomet... |
