QUILTsocial | Issue 10

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Visit QUILTsocial.com to download a PDF version of this issue.

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I S S U E 10

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‌eat, sleep, quilt, repeat essential tips:

* tools for successful quilting on your domestic machine * in decorative stitching, the magic is in the rayon threads * using the TrueCut 360Âş Circle Cutter * what to know about stabilizers and threads for machine embroidery * the power of paper, marker and clipboard for free motion quilting designs

* PLUS * Pinwheel Quilt Drunkard's Path Quilt City Scene Quilt Circles & Rings Banner Modern HST Quilt Patchwork & Triangle Quilt Embroidered Crazy Quilting Mug Rug

5 Outstanding Placemat Ideas

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New!

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JoyOS ADVISOR™ Feature Large working area Exclusive stitch techniques mySewnet™-WiFi connectivity and Apps Market’s largest display with capacitive touch, 10.1” VIKING, EPIC, JOYOS ADVISOR and MYSEWNET are exclusive trademarks of Singer Sewing Limited LLC. HUSQVARNA and the “H” Crown Device are trademarks of Husqvarna AB. ©2018 Singer Sourcing Limited LLC. All rights reserved.

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editor's letter How well do you know your rulers?

How many rulers have you explored, or better yet, played with? In this issue, we explore 5 rulers and using each to make a quilt. Each ruler facilitates the task of making a quilt block long considered tedious to make. One example, is the SEW EASY 90° Patchwork Triangle Ruler. I was thrilled to learn how to make half square triangles in a fraction of the time it takes to make these the longer way. I'm more motivated to make projects using HSTs. Other rulers explored in the feature Playing with rulers are the Sew Easy Square Ruler, True Cut 360° Circle Cutter and the Pinwheel Magic template, making blocks that have circles, rings, pinwheels, and triangles sew very easy to make indeed.

Also in this issue, is a feature on working with quilt panels. Let's face it, it's difficult to cut into a printed fabric so very perfect and attractive to begin with. I mean who can slash a scenery and still retain the essence of it? See what Christine Baker has done with the lovely Northcott City Scene panel.

The simple placemat, underestimated most of the time, is such a powerful creative project.

Usually placemats are made to use up scraps of fabric, or because we simply need a placemat. But what if we use the lowly placemat as a creative platform to explore

and refine our creative ideas?

Using it to test techniques and get acquainted with products, and those features on our sewing machine we tend to ignore. Then, use this knowledge and experience on a larger quilt? The 5 placemat ideas make great gifts feature lets you do just that, starting with In decorative stitching, the magic is in the rayon thread. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Don't miss the feature about THE Dream Machine 2 and its vast embroidery feature that makes the task child's play so you can focus on your creative work.

Enjoy the issue, there are so many tutorials within it to list in my letter to you. But my message is always the same, learn as much as you can of all products and techniques that help to make quilting easier and about the sewing machines that make your experience blissful.

Cheerfully,

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eat, sleep, quilt, repeat

PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ART DIRECTOR Carla A. Canonico carla@QUILTsocial.com PUBLISHER, ADVERTISING SALES John De Fusco john@QUILTsocial.com PHOTOGRAPHERS John De Fusco, Carla A. Canonico BLOGGERS/CONTRIBUTORS Christine Baker FairfieldRoadDesigns.com Jean Boyd patternsbyjeanboyd.com Paul Léger paullegerquilts.com Allison Spence meadowrosequilts.com Elaine Theriault crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.ca GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN Carla A. Canonico carla@QUILTsocial.com Sondra Armas WEB and IT Support Alejandro Araujo WEBSITE / BLOG : https://QUILTsocial.com Like us on Facebook : QUILTsocial Follow us on Twitter : @QUILTsocial WHERE TO GET YOUR COPY QUILTsocial is a quarterly eMagazine published by A Needle Pulling Thread. It is available free for personal use online at https://QUILTsocial.com.

A limited number of printed copies of QUILTsocial are available for purchase at select quilt shops and specialty stores. Ask for it at your local shop. QUILTsocial is not available by subscription.

QUILT SHOPS If you are interested in carrying QUILTsocial in your store, please email john@QUILTsocial.com.

EDITORIAL Designers and other contributors who would like to be considered for future issues please email carla@QUILTsocial.com with a brief description of your work and your proposed project for the magazine. ©2018 QUILTsocial. All rights reserved. Issue #10. ISSN 2368-5913.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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daily blog weekly giveaways monthly newsletter quarterly magazine fun Facebook page yummy Pinterest page app on iTunes/Google Play ALL of the above!

All designs, patterns, and information in this magazine are for private, non-commercial use only, and are copyrighted material owned by their respective creators or owners.

ALL

FREE!

visit QUILTsocial.com and download a FREE ebook: Elaine's Tech Tips, Quilting with Elaine Theriault!

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Advertiser Index 80 A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine 79 Brother 78 Business Directory 65 Coats 02 Husqvarna Viking 39 Northcott Fabrics 75 PFAFF 04 QUILTsocial.com 61 UNIQUE Sewing and Quilting 37 WonderFil Specialty Threads

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c o n t e n t s 06 Hooked on Books 09 Overcoming the fear of cutting quilt panels 14 Machine Embroidery with THE Dream Machine 2 22 Playing with Rulers 32 5 placemat ideas make great gifts 44 9 essential tools for successful quilting on your domestic machine 66 Red and White Celebration Lap Quilt 70 Flight of Fancy Quilt 72 City Landscape Vest

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hooked on books

Bright and Bold Wool Appliqué

Quilting Row by Row

Jeanette White & Erin Hamilton

Angela Lawrence

Grow your skills, row by row! Dresden plates, pinwheel blocks, and flying geese... piece like a pro with The Piper's Girls! Starting with the simplest patchwork squares and working your way up to more challenging appliqué and paper piecing, you'll sew through a cheery, 11-row sampler quilt and 2 bonus projects. Build 25 specific quilting skills such as getting an accurate ¼" seam, constructing on-point squares, and using the 45° angle on a ruler.

Straightforward how-to photos and full-size patterns are included. Gain confidence and learn new tips along the way, whether you're just a beginner or a more experienced quilter.

The author of best-selling Wool Appliqué Folk Art presents a treasure trove of 12 seasonal wool appliqué projects, with 3 for each season. Her Americana aesthetic, although very true to early decorative arts, would look great in many homes today. Presented in a lovely antique color palette, these simple and elegant projects include a journal cover, pillow cover, wallhangings, storage boxes, table rug, and more, perfect for your home or to give as gifts; includes a basics chapter and an updated chapter on the collection, storage, and use of wool.

72 pages + pattern pullout, ISBN 978-1-61745-592-6 C&T Publishing ctpub.com

The Fussy Cut Sampler

Nichole Ramirez & Elisabeth Woo

If you are like authors Nichole and Elisabeth, your favorite part of quilting is fussy cutting – and it usually involves figuring out how to enhance an interesting quilt block by framing a favorite element in your mostloved fabric! Let fussy cutting become more than just showing a single design. By following along with how Nichole and Elisabeth create drastically different samplers from each of their 48 unique patchwork blocks, see how those same 9'' blocks can easily be adapted to your own personal taste.

144 pages, ISBN 978-1-940655-22-2 Lucky Spool Media thomasallen.ca

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112 Pages, ISBN 978-1-935726-81-4 Landauer Publishing thomasallen.ca

Hope and Survival: A Story of the Halifax Explosion

Story and Quilt Art by Laurie Swim

This brand-new children’s book was written and illustrated

by Laurie Swim to accompany the monumental community art quilt project commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.

Hope and Survival tells the story of Jess, a young girl caught up in the aftermath of the disaster. It is richly illustrated with Laurie’s unique quilt art, on snow-dyed fabric, and the book acknowledges the legacy of hope and survival that continues to this day. It is a beautifully original gift – perfect for those young and young in spirit. Each book is personally signed by Laurie.

48 Pages, Hardcover, ISBN 978-0-9783548-3-1 Art Quilt Publishing laurieswim.com

hooked on books

Free-Motion Meandering A Beginners Guide to Machine Quilting

Improv Patchwork Dynamic Quilts Made with Line & Shape

Angela Walters

Maria Shell

Finishing your own quilts is easier than you think.

Turn the corner to free-motion success with a meandering makeover! Angela Walters shows you that free-motion quilting doesn't have to be scary - with a couple designs in your pocket, you can finish almost any quilt on your home machine and enjoy the process. Practice 8 meandering stitches for beginners, plus creative variations on each, with step-by-step visuals and quilted samples. Start your free-motion journey on the right foot with proven techniques to help you disguise mistakes and transition between designs with ease.

Explore new options in improvisational piecing and empower your creativity! Cut and combine solidcolor fabrics to create your own "prints" - stripes, polka dots, chevrons, plaids, and more. Forget the rules (and even your ruler) as you piece colorful solids into compelling quilt designs. Use color, pattern, and repetition to develop your personal design aesthetic as you stitch freely to create unique quilts that pack a punch!

80 pages, ISBN 978-1-61745-520-9 C&T Publishing ctpub.com

96 pages, ISBN 978-1-61745-496-7 C&T Publishing ctpub.com

One-Block Wonders of the World New Ideas, Design Advice, A Stunning Collection of Quilts

Maxine Rosenthal and Linda Bardes

Transform a single fabric print with marvelous piecing magic! Best-selling author Maxine Rosenthal and Linda Bardes share stunning One Block Wonders quilts. Learn how to choose the right 60-degree ruler, pick the most useful fabric, and change the look of a quilt with a different strip size. See what others have done - the beginning fabric and the ending projects - and courageously cut into that beautiful yardage! Sew simple pieced hexagon blocks with no "Y" seams, and enjoy the thrill of arranging and rearranging them on your design wall.

The Versatile Nine Patch Joan Ford

Often, the nine patch is one of the first blocks taught to beginners learning to quilt. But the nine patch is also one of the most diverse blocks, offering many different design options. In ScrapTherapyÂŽ The Versatile Nine Patch, quilt designer and teacher Joan Ford offers gorgeous designs using the traditional nine patch block plus more challenging and creative patterns that turn a nine patch into something entirely new.

224 pages, ISBN 978-1-63186-675-3 Taunton Press thomasallen.ca

80 pages, ISBN 978-1-61745-518-6 C&T Publishing ctpub.com

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Overcoming the fear of cutting quilt panels Christine Baker City Scene panel

A quilt panel (almost) too beautiful to cut up!

We’ve all been there. You have a stunning fabric that you just can’t bear to cut, so it ends up finding it’s final resting spot folded up in your stash. But that’s no way to treat a beautiful fabric! It deserves to be used in a project that you’ll love!

The panel that comes with the Artisan Spirit City Scene line of fabric is one of those fabrics that you might just be afraid to cut.

It’s BEAUTIFUL! It looks like a modern art oil painting of New York City.

Version 1 – windowpanes

For this version I chopped the panel up into equally sized squares – about 10” x 10”. I also cut up four 10” squares each of fabric #21879-62 (which has the same coloring as the sky section in the panel) and fabric #21874-64 (which looks much like the bottom section of the panel). By adding sashing in between these squares, the resulting quilt looks like a windowpane looking out over the city. By adding the fabric squares at the top and bottom, my panel appears to look even larger than it is!

Panels are great to use to make a quick and easy quilt project.

You can just add a couple borders and you’re good to go!

But I want to be a bit more creative here, so I decided to cut up the panel. The only problem is, I was only sent ONE panel, so I’m a little afraid to mess it up!

Checking out the options

One great way to preview how a quilt will look before sewing, is to plan it out in a computerized quilt design program using images of the actual fabrics you want to use. Follow this link to see how to download fabric images from the Northcott website.

I’m trying different versions of my cut up panel quilt. Use any program with which you feel comfortable.

Quilt version 1

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Photos by Christine Baker

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Version 2 – vertical sections

For this version I decided to cut the panel into four equal sections vertically and added darker blue sashing in between and as an inner border. I like the clean, simple lines that this produces. Using two different fabrics in the outer border makes it a bit more interesting.

Version 4 – angular sections

For my final version, I wanted to see what the panel would look like if I cut it on different angles and sewed sashing strips in between the sections. Although sewing these sections back together would be more difficult than sewing square or rectangular sections, I think this is the version I’m going to model my project after!

Quilt version 2

Version 3 – horizontal sections

Quilt version 4

For this version, I cut the panel horizontally in equal sections and used a light gray for sashing and inner border. Again, I used two different colors in the outer border.

I also LOVE how the striped fabric looks in the inner border, so I’m definitely going to be doing that in my project!

As you can see, there are many different ways that my Artisan Spirit City Scene panel can be cut before sewing it into my project. By trying these different versions out on my computer using digital images of the fabrics first, I’m much more relaxed about cutting a favorite fabric!

Keep reading, I’ll give you 2 great tips for sewing with directional fabrics. Also I’ll cut up that beautiful panel, and I’ll share some tips to help you to sew oddly shaped pieces of fabrics together.

Quilt version 3

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Sew one fabric #21876-64 triangle to one side of a fabric #21879-63 square lining it up so that an equal amount of the triangle is hanging over on either side of the square.

2 favorite tips for sewing with directional fabric City Scene is a directional fabric and not at all ordinary. I’d like to make my panel into a lap quilt to send to my son who’s just left for university for the first time, so I’m going to add some rows of pieced blocks to the top and bottom of the quilt.

I want to sew my pieced rows together first before I trim the panel, so I can adjust the size of the panel to match the finished size of the rows.

The City Scene fabrics

I’m using the two different directional fabrics and two of the other fabrics to make square-on-point pieced blocks.

The first block will have the lightest fabric as the center and the striped fabric on the corners.

Assembling the block

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materials Here are the materials for the lap quilt: •• 1 Artisan Spirit City Scene panel •• 5⁄8yd [0.5m] City Scene fabric #2187464 (second from the right in the first photo) •• 3⁄8yd [0.3m] City Scene fabric #2187664 (stripe – fourth from the right in the photo) •• ¼yd [0.2m] City Scene fabric #2187763 (third from the right in the photo) •• ½yd [0.45m] City Scene fabric #21879-63 (second from the left in the photo) •• 1yd [1m] Colorworks fabric #9000-93 (dark gray) •• 3yd [3m] backing TIP 1 – pay attention to the direction in which you cut the fabric To make the pieced blocks, cut one 6½” strip across the width of both fabric #21877-63 and fabric #21879-63 and then cut each strip into five 6½” squares.

Cut two 5” strips across the width of both fabric #21876-64 and fabric #21874-64 and then cut ten 5” squares of each fabric.

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If you’re using a ¼” foot with a guide to sew your blocks together, you’ll need to trim off the dog ears after pressing.

Trim off the dog ears

TIP 2 – preview alignment before sewing Sew a second triangle to the opposite side of the square, but first PREVIEW the alignment of the fabric before you sew.

As you can see, this triangle has the fabric lines running in the correct direction.

From each fabric cut FIVE of these squares diagonally one way and FIVE diagonally the other way. This will make it possible to sew the block with the lines in the fabric pointing in the same direction.

Cutting on the diagonal

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Lining up the triangle

Previewing the triangle before sewing

1 essential tip for sewing together oddly shaped fabric pieces Press the seams towards the two triangles and then sew triangles to the remaining two sides of the square.

Repeat these steps to make a total of five Block 1 that look like the following:

Cutting the panel Our next step is to cut the panel. Just earlier I showed you a variety of cutting options, but the one I liked the best was the last one with the diagonal cuts.

Using my rotary cutter and ruler, I lined up and cut from the bottom edge of the panel to the left side. As you can see, I’ve left the selvage edges on the panel – we’ll trim those off later on.

The finished block

Follow these same steps using fabric #21877-63 and fabric #21879-63 to make a total of five Block 2. Sew three of Block 1 and two of Block 2 together to make one row (alternating the blocks) and sew the remaining blocks together to make a second row.

Deciding where to cut

From the dark gray ColorWorks fabric, cut ten strips 1½” across the width of fabric.

Take one of these strips and pin it to the edge of one of the panel segments. Before sewing, flip the sashing strip right side up – the ColorWorks sashing strip must be lined up correctly so that when it’s sewn and flipped back to press, the far edge is long enough to allow for proper trimming. If I were to just Incorrect alignment of sashing strip line up the end of the sashing strip with the end of the panel point, when it’s flipped right side up, there isn’t enough sashing to trim even with the edge of the panel.

As you can see in the picture, the sashing strip must extend quite a ways past the edge of the panel to allow enough fabric for trimming.

The finished blocks sewn into rows

Now that my rows are sewn together and pressed, I’m ready to work on my panel.

Correct alignment of sashing strip

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Sewing the panel sections back together Now that the sashing has been sewn to the one side of the panel, the other side of the panel must be attached to the sashing. This can get tricky when the pieces are not square.

Put these two pieces of fabric right side together and insert a pin so that it goes through the intersection point on both the sashing and the panel and then pin the two pieces together and sew.

TIP To make sure that they line up correctly, use a fabric marker to mark a ¼” line from the edge of the sashing and a ¼” up from the edge of the panel. The intersecting point will be used for pinning.

Insert a pin at the intersecting point Marking the ¼” seam

Mark the same two lines on the second piece of the panel, ¼” from the edge and from the bottom.

Mark the ¼” on the panel

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Even though the bottom edges of the City Scene panel will match up when the sashing is added, the side seams will not and will be trimmed off after all of the sashing strips have been added.

The side of the panel

Continue to slice, and add sashing strips across the panel on different angles. I chose to add four sashing strips, but you can add as many as you’d like!

Once you finish with this step, trim the top and bottom of the panel straight and then measure your pieced rows and trim the panel so that it’s this exact width. Write down this measurement as you’ll be cutting all of the remaining strips of fabric for the lap quilt this same size.

Repeat this same process using fabric #21874-64, except that you’ll be sewing the 4” wide strip to the top and the 5” wide strip to the bottom. The final ColorWorks sashing strip is sewn to the top of these rows and then this entire section is sewn to the bottom of the panel.

Below is how the finished quilt top looks.

The panel with sashing strips

The finished quilt top

From fabric #21879-63 cut one strip 4” wide across the width of fabric and one strip 5” wide.

This finished top measures approximately 42” x 65”. A good lap sized quilt. If you wanted to make it bigger, just add an inner border of the ColorWorks gray (cut at 2½” wide) and then add an outer border of one of the coordinating fabrics (cut at 6” wide).

This would result in a quilt that is 57” x 80”!

Trim them to the same length as the pieced rows.

Cut the six remaining ColorWorks sashing strips the same length as the other strips.

Sew one sashing strip to the top and bottom of one of the pieced rows and then sew the 4” strip of fabric #21879-63 to the bottom and the 5” wide strip to the top. Sew another ColorWorks strip to the bottom of these rows and then sew this entire section to the top of the panel.

Use the remaining ColorWorks gray fabric to make binding that is 2½” wide.

Artisan Spirit City Scene This City Scene fabric is so beautiful and I just love the finished quilt! We are planning a trip to New York City this fall and using this fabric has got me even more excited!

Christine Baker

FairfieldRoadDesigns.com Top rows of the quilt

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Machine Embroidery with THE Dream Machine 2 Jean Boyd

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been learning to use THE Dream Machine 2 by Brother and I invite you to join me on the journey as there is so much to explore. Be sure to check out the QUILTsocial posts from August 28 – September 1, 2017 by Christine Baker. She did an amazing job highlighting many of the sewing features of this great machine. In the articles that follow, I’ll be introducing you to some of the embroidery features of THE Dream Machine 2.

THE Dream Machine 2 with embroidery unit

I have never used an embroidery machine before, and I must admit I was a bit intimidated when I saw this model and all its many parts and attachments. But using the very detailed Brother Operation Manual (1 of 6 that comes with the machine), I was able to set up everything, including the embroidery unit, with no problem at all. You can see by all the sticky notes that I attached to the manual that I’ve been using it a lot!

The embroidery unit is a separate piece that you slide onto the machine after removing the flat bed attachment. It just clicks into place. You can still do regular sewing with the embroidery unit attached. Just make sure that you don’t have anything too heavy (like a big quilt!) resting on the embroidery unit.

The embroidery foot is quite unique. You attach it to the machine just like the other feet, but it also has a connector that plugs into a jack on the back of the machine. This feature allows you to use the LED pointer. Christine explained this feature in her August 30 post for general sewing and I’ll show you how to use it when using the machine for embroidery.

There are 5 different hoops that come with THE Dream Machine 2, ranging in size from 14” x 9½” to 4” x 4”. There’s also a scanning frame that you can use to scan your own drawings and then convert them to embroidery designs.

This is going to be an exciting adventure!

Manuals for THE Dream Machine 2

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Photos by Jean Boyd

A spool of bobbin thread, some small scissors and a roll of stabilizer are included with the accessories so you can start with the embroidery right away. I love the little pointy blades on those scissors!

Embroidery foot for THE Dream Machine 2

There are dozens of embroidery designs that are stored in the machine including a special section with Disney designs.

Please remember that all of these designs are copyright protected and are intended for personal use only. Many of the designs can be re-sized, rotated, re-colored and moved, but more about those features later in this feature.

When using THE Dream Machine 2 for embroidery, it’s essential that you use stabilizer under the fabric. There are many types of stabilizers and which one you choose depends on the project you are making.

Scanning frame for THE Dream Machine 2

Brother bobbin thread and small scissors come with the machine.

5 different hoops are included with THE Dream Machine 2

What to know about stabilizers and threads for machine embroidery When using THE Dream Machine 2 for embroidery, stabilizers are used under the fabric to support the embroidery and eliminate puckered stitches. Usually, the more stitches you have in a design, the heavier the stabilizer should be so the stitches are well supported. There are several different types of stabilizers available. Here’s some information on some of the more common types.

Cut-away stabilizers are non-woven, permanent stabilizers that are cut away after the embroidery is finished. They cannot be completely removed, but are available in a variety of weights to suit the fabric and design you’re using.

Tear-away stabilizers are nonwoven and are gently torn from the embroidery after it is stitched. They’re also available in a variety of weights to suit your fabric and design.

Water-soluble stabilizers are temporary and available in several weights. They’ll disappear completely with water. Use this type of stabilizer with washable fabrics where you don’t want any stabilizer to remain.

Heat-soluble stabilizers disintegrate with heat and should only be used on fabrics that are heat-resistant.

It’s important not to get water or any liquid on this type of stabilizer, as it could damage the fabric.

For the beginner type of work that I’m doing for this issue, I’ll be using lightweight cut-away and tear-away stabilizers.

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When using THE Dream Machine 2 you’ll almost always be using a light-weight bobbin thread like the one that comes with the machine. I used the Brother bobbin thread for almost all the samples I did here. I also tried some prewound bobbins and they worked perfectly with this machine. If you have trouble with a prewound bobbin, Brother includes a Bobbin Center Pin that you can use.

For the top threads, there's a wide variety of threads from which to choose: rayon (which has a lovely sheen), polyester, cotton, silk and metallic. Each one serves a special purpose and you’ll get to know more about these threads as you do more embroidery.

A variety of threads that can be used for embroidery

Using an embroidery machine for the first time can be quite challenging, but going a step at a time and reading the manuals, you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll learn all the wonderful features of THE Dream Machine 2 by Brother!

Brother bobbin thread that comes with the machine

You might need to use the bobbin center pin if you are using prewound bobbins.

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I did lots of practicing before I started my first “real” project. Here are some of the samples I did, just by reading the manual and “playing”. I discovered it wasn’t so difficult after all!

My first embroidery samples using THE Dream Machine 2. Can you tell that I like Redwork?

Machine embroidery 101 I found that the best way to start using the embroidery unit was to watch the videos that are built into the machine.

Just press the video button at the top of the LCD screen and then choose Embroidery Basic Operation from the list of topics that appears. Every step that you need to start embroidering is shown on a video that you watch right on the screen on the machine. How cool is that?

on

THE Dream Machine 2

Even though I’m a complete newbie about machine embroidery, I wanted to try some of these wonderful designs right away to see how it all worked. I chose this heart design from the built-in embroidery designs.

I also read through many sections of the manual, but then it was time to just start embroidering.

LCD screen showing my chosen heart design and options that are available

LCD screen showing the help menu

See how easy it is to set up your stabilizer and the hoop on THE Dream Machine 2!

Once you select the design, it appears on the LCD display screen along with a menu that allows you to resize, move and rotate the design along with many other options. You just touch the buttons on the screen either with your finger or the stylus that comes with the machine.

There’s a lot of information that appears on this screen. Right at the top of the screen, you’ll see the size of the design.

My heart design was 3.06” x 2.96”. You’ll also see the 4 hoop sizes at the top of the screen. All of them have a red + sign which means you can use any of the 4 hoops that come with the machine.

There’s one red + sign that is highlighted (the smallest hoop) which means this is the best hoop to use for this design.

It’s very important to use a light-weight bobbin thread when doing machine embroidery, so I filled the bobbin with the Brother bobbin thread that came with the machine, as I mentioned earlier.

I used a variegated, 30 weight rayon thread in the top.

To prepare the fabric, loosen the screw on the bottom section of the hoop.

Cut a piece of light-weight tear-away stabilizer that’s slightly bigger than the hoop.The fabric can be whatever size you need for your project. Lay the stabilizer and fabric, right side up, on top of the bottom section of the hoop. Place the top section of the hoop on the fabric and press gently to lock the 2 sections together. Make sure to do this on a table or other firm surface. Tighten the screw on the hoop. Gently stretch the fabric and stabilizer so they’re taut in the hoop.

Fabric and stabilizer have been placed in the hoop and are ready for embroidery.

Raise the presser foot using the presser foot lifter button. Raise the frame-securing lever on the side of the embroidery unit. Slide the embroidery frame into the holder on the embroidery unit and lower the frame-securing lever.

Hooped fabric attached to the embroidery frame

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Machine embroidered heart design from the design library on THE Dream Machine 2

It’s really hard to make a mistake with THE Dream Machine 2. If the start/stop button is red, the machine won’t sew and you’ll see a message on the LCD screen that tells you what to do. When the button is green, you’re ready to sew or embroider.

Gently tear away the stabilizer from the embroidery

A small amount of stabilizer will remain in the stitched area.

I removed the fabric from the hoop and gently tore away the excess stabilizer from the back. You don’t want to accidentally tear out any stitches from the embroidery!

first, I found that using the embroidery unit on THE Dream Machine 2 was really quite easy. The on-screen help is excellent and the manual has every detail you would ever need.

Although it seemed a bit intimidating at

Keep reading I'm making a mug rug.

Machine embroidery + crazy quilting makes a gratifying mug rug I decided to use my little heart embroidery as the center of a crazy quiltstyle mug rug. I left the embroidery unit on the machine but switched to ‘Sewing’ mode.

Starting on one side of the embroidered square, sew on a 2½” strip, right sides together, on an angle. Press seam away from the embroidered fabric. Trim excess fabric from the seam allowance.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started: 1 embroidered square of approximately 5” to use for the center 2½” strips of fabric in coordinating colors

Trim excess fabric from the seams

Using a different fabric, sew a strip, on an angle, on the next side of the embroidered fabric. Press. Trim excess fabric from the seam allowance.

Machine embroidered heart and co-ordinating fabric ready to be cut into 2½” strips

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Continue adding strips all around the embroidered fabric. Try to use a different fabric for each new strip and create a variety of angles as you sew on the strips.

You could stop and square-up the block now. You could also sew another round of strips on top of the previously sewn strips to make a larger mug or table mat.

Depending on the angle on which you sew the pieces, you will have to add 4 – 6 strips in order to get all around the block. Press and trim each seam as you sew.

Using a plastic square or ruler, and a fabric marking pencil, draw a line to mark the outside measurements of the block so that the block measures your desired size. My block is 8½” x 8½”, but you can make yours whatever size you wish. Don’t cut off the excess fabric yet.

For an added accent I stitched ‘in the ditch’ of each seam using stitch #Q-04 and the same thread that I used for the embroidery. This is just 1 of 30 different “Q” stitches on THE Dream Machine 2 that is designed especially for quilting.

Stitch in the ditch for added accent

Quilting using the walking foot and serpentine stitch with monofilament thread

I layered the embroidered crazy quilt square, batting and backing and pinbasted to secure.

Using the walking foot and the serpentine stitch #Q-16, I quilted a simple design around the square using monofilament thread. THE Dream Machine 2 had no problem sewing with this sometimes difficult thread. I added a binding and my little mug rug was finished.

This is a quick and useful project to make and you can make the mug rugs any size you like. You can try out many different embroidery designs as you are learning to use THE Dream Machine 2 by Brother and also use up some of those scraps you have been saving for a special project.

Next up, is how to use the scanning frame that comes with THE Dream Machine 2 so you can convert your own drawings or designs into embroidery designs.

Machine embroidered and quilted mug rug

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How THE Dream Machine 2 changes your design into a machine embroidery design I can touch the ‘size’ button to make the design the size I want. The size of the design is shown at the top of the screen.

Making a small embroidered design on THE Dream Machine 2 and incorporating it in a mug rug is easy enough. Let me show you how easy it is to use the scanning frame that comes with the machine to turn your own drawings or designs into embroidery designs.

Some time ago, I designed some Redwork and embroidery quilts and thought the drawings would be perfect for the embroidery machine. My original designs were for hand embroidery, but now, there’s a whole new way to use these designs. As an added bonus, my designs could be re-sized to any size I wanted!

I printed one of my Redwork Basket designs on regular copy paper and then placed the paper on the scanning frame.

The paper is held in place with the magnets that come with the machine. I then placed the scanning frame in the embroidery unit the same way I placed the hoops for embroidery. Starting with ‘My Design Center’, I pressed the scan button (the button with 2 flowers and a blue arrow on it), and ‘scan’ and then let the machine do its thing!

Press the “scan” button to activate the scanning operation

When the scanning was finished, I pressed line and then this screen came up. I can use my finger or the stylus on the red arrows to frame the parts of the design that I want to stitch.

Press ‘OK’ and then ‘Set’.

My design on the scanning frame ready to be scanned

Move the red arrows to frame the parts of the design you want to stitch.

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Press the arrow buttons to re-size the design.

Then press OK.

The default stitching line for a scanned design is a satin stitch, but because my design is going to be quite small, I want to use a straight stitching line instead.

I press the top menu button on the side of the screen (it looks like a square with lines on it) to get the stitching line options. I pressed the triple line stitch – you can see it highlighted in blue on the screen. Then I chose the red color for the stitching line by pressing the red square on the color palette.

Press the triple-stitch line and then choose red from the color palette.

Press the “pitcher” button on the top right to fill the lines with red.

These are simple steps…

Press OK and I’m back on the design screen.

Press the green fill button on the right (it looks like a pitcher), touch a line on the design with finger or the stylus, and the lines are filled in with a red, triple stitch line.

If the design lines are not all connected, I may have to touch each line separately to color it. My design is all one color, but several different colors can be used if your design lines are not connected.

Save the design by pressing the red arrow going into a pocket.

Press ‘next’, ‘preview’ and ‘set’.

Now I can press ‘OK’ and then ’embroidery’ at the bottom of the screen, attach my hooped fabric to the embroidery unit and the machine will stitch out the design.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a few of the basic techniques for THE Dream Machine 2 by Brother.

Press the arrow buttons to re-size the design.

Then press OK.

On the right is my Redwork design stitched in the original size with double-line stitch. On the left is the re-sized design with triple-stitch line.

Jean Boyd

patternsbyjeanboyd.com

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Playing with Rulers Welcome to the start of a fun-filled series of articles that explores the variety of rulers available to create a deal of designs. I'll cover designs for pinswheels, circles, rings and triangles. Get your supplies and follow me!

There are at least two ways to do a pinwheel block: the traditional way and the easy Paul way. In other words, I found a template that makes the pinwheel block quick and painless to do. I’m using the SEW EASY Pinwheel Magic 6½” template.

Paul Léger

As you’re sewing the blocks together, I strongly recommend that you press the seams open as you go. Why? There will be less bulk on one side of the seam or the other. It’ll help the ruler to lay flat on the fabric with little to no rocking that could result were your seams pressed to one side.

Place the Easy Sew template where all fabrics intersect.

Use either a KOMFORT KUT Rotary Cutter – 28mm or a KOMFORT KUT Rotary Cutter – 18mm rotary cutter to cut your fabric.

Make a 9 patch block and add the borders.

SEW EASY Pinwheel Magic 6½” template

Use two different colored fabrics.

From one of the two fabrics, cut five 9” squares and from the other, cut four 9” squares.

From either fabric cut 4 strips, 2 that are 5” x 26” and 2 that are 5” x 35”. It doesn’t matter which fabric you use as either will create a unique look.

Sew the cut squares of fabric together to make a nine patch block.

Two contrasting yet complementary fabrics for a pinwheel quilt

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As you can see from the photo above, I chose the darker fabric for the border.

The reason for my choice is that I liked the colors in the darker fabric more than those in the lighter one. As simple as that: personal preference.

As you look at the template, you’ll notice that there are lines on it marked A, B and C. Using any one of those lines will give you a slightly different look. For this article I’m using the line marked: A.

When cutting using the template, you need to be careful to barely go beyond the template. Using either of the rotary cutters above will allow you to stop cutting closer to the edge of the template.

When cutting the fabric using the template you may cut from left to right or right to left, but whichever way you choose to cut, the direction must be consistent throughout the cutting process.

To use this ruler, simply place the center of the ruler where the fabrics intersect as shown below.

Place the Easy Sew template where all fabrics intersect.

Photos by Paul Léger

As you’re cutting each piece, place them aside on a flat surface and turn each piece 45° counter-clockwise.

As the pieces are cut lay them out in the order the are cut. You should have 4 rows with 4 blocks per row.

As blocks are cut put them aside and turn each of them at a 45° counter-clockwise.

When the pieces are cut and laid out sew the blocks and rows together.

Sew all blocks and rows together.

The blocks cut using the Sew Easy template are laid out in the order they were cut.

As you can see, the SEW EASY Pinwheel Magic 6½“ template is easy and fun to use. For any fabric you may have left, you may want to consider using the SEW EASY Pinwheel Magic 4½” template.

The completed pinwheel quilt

The only thing left to do is quilt the project! I kept it simple, and quilted the pinwheels only, but you can add more quilting to yours. Echo quilting on the purple portion would create cool triangles.

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Let's explore cirlces by making a small Drunkard’s Path quilt using the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter.

I wasn’t a big fan of the Drunkard’s Path block due to all the pinning required to assemble it.

In the process of creating this feature, I decided to give the Drunkard’s Path block another chance which led me to an idea which avoids the need to pin the curves!

A Drunkard’s Path quilt made easy with the

TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter

Fabric selection for Drunkards Path quilt

materials

•• ½ yd of fabrics, the equivalent of approximately 4 fat quarters

TIP This is a great project to use up your scraps.

•• 17” x 1yd stabilizer HEATNBOND Lite Iron-On Adhesive Sheets

instructions Cut from your fabrics: •• four 10” squares •• two 8¾” squares •• two 6¾” squares Cut from the HEATnBOND lite stabilizer: •• two 8½” squares •• two 6½” squares

Completed Drunkard’s Path quilt

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With a pencil, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each of the four 10“ squares of fabric and also on the four pieces of stabilizer. This step will help you to locate the exact center of each piece and will also help when you center the stabilizer on the wrong side of the fabric pieces.

Before cutting each of these blocks into 4 quarters, using a decorative stitch around each circle, I’ll be using a blind hem stitch.

Adjust the sizing knob to the desired circle size and lock it into place.

Now, place the pin that’s located under the sizing knob where the lines of the fabric intersect and cut your two 8” circles then do two 6” circles.

The circle fabric is secure to the background fabric using a blind hem stitch.

Draw lines from corner to corner.

Next, cut each of the fused and stitched squares into 4 quarters and lay them out to your liking.

Place the stabilizer on the wrong side of each fabric square, matching the X’s.

When you’re satisfied that your centers match, apply heat according to the directions on the stabilizer packaging to the stabilizer so that it bonds with the fabric.

Remember, there are no correct or incorrect ways to place them. Go for a look that appeals to you.

A prefect centered circle is cut from one of the fabric squares.

Match the lines of the X on the stabilizer to the X on the fabric.

Using the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter cut an 8“ circle from each of the two 10“ fabric squares that have been bonded to the 8½” square piece of stabilizer.

From the squares with the circles cut from them, remove the stabilizer’s paper backing and lay the fabric face down on your ironing board. On the squares that have the 8” circles cut from them, place the 8¾” fabric squares over the circular hole ensuring that you fully cover any stabilizer with fabric. Fuse them together by pressing lightly.

Repeat this process with the squares with the 6” circular hole and the 6¾” fabric squares.

Then, cut 6” circles from the 10“ squares that have been bonded to the 6½” square of stabilizer.

See how easy it is to make circles with the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter? You simply adjust the sizing knob to the size you wish.

The 8¾” and the 6¾” fabric squares are place over the circle opening and pressed to larger piece of fabric.

Four of the many possible placement of Drunkard’s path blocks

Once you decide on the final placement, sew the quarters together then quilt away! Unless, of course, now that you used this great tool you want to construct more blocks to make a bigger quilt!

I hope you enjoyed this project using the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter as much as I did, I think it facilitates the task of making a Drunkard’s Path block and quilt. I have more to share about this handy and useful tool.

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Making perfect circles and rings using the

TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter Ok the Drunkard Path block, which is more of a traditional block was made using the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter. Since I liked using the circle cutter I decided to play with it for a 2nd day. I’m using the circle cutter to link circles, sort of like at the Olympics…

The fabrics I’ll be using now are all from the Northcott ColorWorks Premium Solid 9000 collection. I’m using 5 bright colored fabrics plus a black fabric for the background. You may wish to add more colors if you want a longer quilt.

I’m going to need squares that are a bit bigger than 10” squares of all the fabrics but the black.

5 perfect circles using the TrueCut Circle Cutter

Adjust the sizing knob to the 6” mark to cut the inner circles. Again, place the pin located under the sizing knob where the lines intersect on the fabric and cut the 6” circles from all 5 circles.

HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive Sheets -17” x 1yd

On the back of all the 10” stabilizer squares draw lines from corner to corner.

This is needed to assist in finding the center. After all the squares are marked, press the stabilizer on the back of the fabric squares.

Decide the order you wish your circles to be placed. There is not right or wrong, place them as you please.

Inner circles are cut from the larger circles.

As the title says, we’re going to link these circles. To make the links, every circle but the first must be cut open as shown in the next photo.

Press HeatnBond stabilizer on the back side of the fabric squares.

The 6 fabrics Northcott ColorWorks Premium Solid 9000 collection. The 5 brights pop on the black background!

I’m also using HEATnBOND Lite Iron-On Adhesive Sheets – 17” x 1yd stabilizer.

From the stabilizer cut 5 – 10” squares.

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Adjust the sizing knob to the 9½” marking on the TrueCut 360 Circle Cutter, this is the first size of circles to cut. Place the pin (located under the sizing knob) on the intersection marked on the stabilizer and cut 9½” circles from all 5 fabrics.

Cut every circle except the one that will be placed first.

The opening of the red circle is hidden under the green uncut circle.

Position the uncut circle on your background fabric. Take the second circle and position it on the background so that the cut of the circle is hidden under the first circle as shown below.

Repeat the above step for the remainder of the circles.

Tuck all the cuts under the circle before it in order to complete the links.

Once all the circles are in place and spaced as desired, press the circles in place so they bond to the background fabric.

I realize that up to this point there has been no sewing. I wanted to show you that all quilt tops do not need to be sewn into place. I’ll spend some time adding a decorative stitch around the edge of the circles. Once the decorative stitch has been added it’ll be time to quilt and bind the quilt.

I hope you enjoyed using the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter like I did. I’m already thinking up other quilting projects I can do with the circle cutter.

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Using the SEW EASY Square Ruler – 6½” x 6½” to cut fabric squares for our modern quilt.

For this project, you’ll need the following:

SEW EASY Square Ruler makes easy work of half square triangles We went ‘modern’, and got a bit dizzy going around in circles using the TrueCut 360º Circle Cutter.

Now, we’re making another modern quilt using the SEW EASY Square Ruler – 6½” x 6½”.

From white fabric using the SEW EASY square ruler cut the following: •• 16 squares 6½” x 6½” •• 2 strips 2” x 32½” •• 5 strips 2” x 29” •• 12 strips 2” x 6½” From colored fabric (any scraps would work well for this project) cut the following: •• 1 square 6½” x 6½” •• 2 squares 5½” x 5½” •• 3 squares 4½” x 4½” •• 4 squares 3½” x 3½” •• 3 squares 2½” x 2½” •• 2 squares 1½” x 1½” After all your pieces are cut you’ll have a beautiful squares for your quilt.

With a pencil, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each of your colored fabric pieces.

Draw one diagonal line going from corner to corner.

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Place colored fabrics squarely on the white fabric squares, right sides together, matching edges. As the colored squares become progressively smaller square them off at the upper right corner.

Start sewing the first row together for a total of 4 rows.

To separate the blocks, sew a white 2” x 6½” strip between each block.

There are two ways to sew the rows together: the first is to place them randomly and the second is to put them together in an organized manner.

I organized mine in the following way from left to right using the colored fabric size as the point of reference:

Place colored fabric on the upper right corner of the white fabric square.

Row 1: 3½” x 3½”, 4½” x 4½”, 5½” x 5½” and 6½” x 6½” Row 2: 2½” x 2½”, 3½” x 3½”, 4½” x 4½” and 5½” x 5½” Row 3: 1½” x 1½”, 2½” x 2½”, 3½” x 3½” and 4½” x 4½” Row 4: 6½” x 6½” (white), 1½” x 1½”, 2½” x 2½” and 3½” x 3½”

Sew along the diagonal line.

The 2” x 6½” white strips are sewn between each block.

Take 3 of the 2” x 29” strips and place them between each row. Then, sew the remaining 2 – 2” x 29” strips on each side of the quilt. Sew the last 2 – 2” x 32½” strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.

Quilt and bind as desired.

Place all blocks in rows prior to sewing white strip between blocks.

The modern half square triangle quilt is completed.

Sew along the drawn diagonal line.

Once all 15 squares are sewn, trim fabric to ¼” from seam on the upper right corner then press the block open.

Trim fabric to ¼” from seam on the upper right corner.

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SEW EASY 90° Patchwork Triangle Ruler Here's the last project of this series using SEW EASY rulers.

HSTs are so versatile and can create a wide range of designs. The possibilities that this ruler has are limitless, I hope you will enjoy using it.

Take a 5” strips from each color, put them right sides together and sew on both sides of the strips; you‘re sewing a tube.

Sew all your 5” strips this way.

Once all strips are cut, remove the few stitches at the point of the triangle by gently pulling the fabrics apart then press the seams to the dark side.

From the 3rd fabric, 7” strips, cut triangles in the same fashion as you did the with the 5” strips, using 7” mark on the ruler.

Cut a total of 16 triangles.

We’ll explore the SEW EASY 90° Patchwork Triangle Ruler – 7½” x 15½” to make a baby quilt. I want to show you how easy it is to use this ruler to make blocks.

Sew a seam on each edge of the fabrics strips.

I found great fabrics from Northcott that I’ll be using for this quilt, they are from the Stonehenge OH CANADA Our Home and Native Land collection.

Take your Sew Easy triangle ruler and align the 5” line of the ruler to the edge of the fabric. Once both, ruler and fabric edges are aligned use your rotary cutter to cut the fabrics.

Using this method to cut your half square triangles makes the task faster and less tedious than other methods.

For this quilt, we’ll need three complementar y fabrics.

The single triangles cut from the 7” strips are used to put the blocks on point which will complete the rows, as shown below.

We’ll need 7⁄8 yard of each of the 3 fabrics. You’ll also need an additional 10” for the color of your choice for the quilt’s binding.

From 2 of the fabrics cut 6 strips that are 5” wide. From the 3rd fabric cut 4 strips 7” wide.

Triangles made from the 7” strips along with the blocks made using the 5” strips.

Align the 5” line of the ruler to the edge of the fabric.

Once cut, rotate your ruler 180° repeating the above step on the opposite edge of the fabric. Continue rotating your ruler until the entire strip is cut. You should be able to get 7 blocks per set of strips. You’ll need 35 blocks.

Placement of the quilt block and triangles

Stonehenge OH CANADA Our Home and Native Land collection

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Rotate the ruler and align the 5” line with the other edge of the fabric.

makes quick job of half square triangles Once the half square triangles are sewn, press the seams towards the darker fabric and cut off the dog ears.

Center the triangles at the corners and sew them in place.

I’m on a roll…I’ve had so much fun with all the Sew Easy Rulers explored here.

They really make the task of making what could be considered a tedious quilt block, into a quick task. As you saw, making HSTs for this baby quilt simplified this otherwise tedious task.

Putting a quilt together doesn’t have to be complicated when using rulers like the SEW EASY Triangle Ruler 90° – 7½” x 15½”.

Paul Léger Center the corner triangle piece and sew.

paullegerquilts.com

Cut off the dog ears after the rows are sewn.

Sew the blocks and triangles into rows in a diagonal fashion as per the above photo. Then sew the rows together to complete the quilt top. Keep the 4 corner triangles for last.

To ensure their correct placement lay rows diagonally prior to sewing.

The last step before quilting is to add the corners. Before you can sew the corners to the quilt top they must be trimmed down. Line up the bottom of the triangle with the 6½” line SEW EASY Triangle Ruler and cut.

Trim down the corner triangles for a perfect fit.

The completed baby quilt, it measures 49” x 49”

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5

Placemat Ideas make great gifts

Allison Spence

Making placemats is a creative way to explore WonderFil Specialty Thread’s rayon thread packs offering that instant gratification to boot! These little boxes of thread hold 10 spools of 40wt Splendor thread (with an occasional metallic thread, Spotlite thrown in). Each spool holds 164yd [150m] of thread.

These packs are available in a variety of sets. There are theme packs, harmony packs and seasons packs. I’ll be sewing five different placemats using 5 different packs and include a hint or two for using these threads.

To show these threads off, I decided to stitch some placemats for my kitchen. These are roughly 12” in width. There’s just the two of us at home and we try to eat most of our meals at our little kitchen table. These little placemats are perfect for our small table.

WonderFil rayon thread packs

I began with a layer of very low loft batting under the chosen fabric. I laid out the selection of threads to see which I liked best.

Getting everything ready to stitch with WonderFil fall thread pack

In the past I’ve stitched these placemats with strips of fabric.

This time I’ve chosen to create a striped effect with thread for these placemats. I stitched rows of stitches using WonderFil fall thread pack. The yellow didn’t show too well, so I stitched a few rows of a heavier pattern to balance things out.

Stitch using a variety of thread colors and decorative stitches.

TIP Choose the right needles for the project

WonderFil rayon thread pack in the fall colorway

Schmetz universal and topstitch needles

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I’m a bit of a needle snob. I’ll spend a bit more money for the needles I like. I have a preference for Schmetz brand needles.

I especially like the topstitch needles.

Topstitch needles have a larger eye and deeper groove for decorative threads. I can use a smaller needle which will make smaller holes in my fabric and still not have to worry about my thread shredding.

The top needle in the above image shows a size 80/12 universal needle and the bottom needle is a size 80/12 topstitch needle. You can easily see the larger eye and the deeper groove on the topstitch needle.

I sewed the triangles into sets of 3 and pressed the seam allowances open.

Sew around the outside edge, leaving an opening for turning.

I turned the placemat right sides out and pressed. I stitched close to the edge so I don’t have to hand stitch any openings closed.

Layer the block with backing and batting.

I sewed the sets of 3 together and pressed the seam allowances open.

I then placed the blocks face down onto the backing and another piece of batting. Pin well.

I make these placemats for quick and easy gifts. I can use as many threads and stitches as I like to get a great design.

I find this kind of stitching almost meditative and often have a project or two on the go for the times I want to sit and sew, but am not sure what I want to stitch.

Continue reading for another great placemat idea using another of WonderFil Splendor rayon thread pack.

Trim the fabric into a strip and cut 60° triangles.

Once the line of stitches were complete, I pressed the strip well. I trimmed the fabric into a usable strip and then cut 60° angles. I arranged the strips, alternating the stitching arrangement as I went.

Sew around the edges leaving a small opening for turning and trim.

Arrange the triangles and sew into sets of 3.

Placemats stitched with WonderFil fall rayon thread pack.

Photos by Allison Spence

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In decorative stitching, the magic is in the rayon threads Stitching hexagon placemats is fun using threads from the Seasons Colorway rayon pack on a single piece of fabric.

This time, let's play with a variety of fabrics and make the fabric piecing really sparkle in a placemat using decorative threads.

I began by cutting strips of my orange and green fabrics and used the stitch and flip method to sew the strips of fabric onto a length of low loft batting. I finger pressed each seam and once the stitching was complete, I pressed with a hot iron.

Sew strips of fabric to batting using the stitch and flip method.

Decorative stitches add interest to strip piecing.

Once the piecing was done, I started stitching with my machine’s decorative stitches and the threads from the Pumpkin thread pack. The colors are perfect for this project.

Some of the threads are a little bit lighter in color, so I used satin stitches to help them show clearly.

These placemats use a selection of coordinated hand dyed fabrics and the Pumpkin thread pack, part of the Seasons Colorways. This pack has some lovely oranges and greens and 2 metallic, Spotlite threads that I used sparingly.

Decorative stitching adds interest to stitch and flip piecing

TIP Make use of the easy lock in the thread cap.

WonderFil Pumpkin rayon thread pack

Secure threads in the cap of the spool.

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WonderFil small spools of thread have little hooks in the caps of the spools. This is an easy way to secure the thread and keep it from unraveling. Just wrap the thread a couple of times around the top of the spool and the thread will just click into place.

Once all my decorative stitching was complete, I pressed the piece and trimmed it to an even width.

I also trimmed the stitched corners so that I would get neater corners once the piece was turned right side out.

I like to stitch close to the edge of the placemat and then not have to hand stitch the opening closed.

Place the placemat right sides facing the placemat backing and sew around all edges leaving a small opening for turning.

Turn placemat right side out and press. Top stitch close to the edge.

I used another piece of batting for the base of the placemat and cut it an inch or two larger than I need for the project.

I placed the decorative stitching strip on the left side and using the quilt as you go method, sewed a plain piece of fabric to both sides of the strip.

Use quilt as you go to sew plain fabric pieces to either side of the decorative strip.

Once all my pieces are stitched to the batting, I trim everything down to size.

I turned the placemats right side out and used a point turner to push out the corners. I pressed with my iron and then used some of my decorative stitches to stitch along the outside edge of the placemat and on either side of the pieced panel.

This is just one way to sew the strip piece into the placemat. Why not try a horizontal line instead of a vertical line.

Your imagination and the fabrics you have are your only limit.

I’ll show you another way to use these great WonderFil rayon thread packs and stitch another placemat with just one fabric.

At this point I could layer the backing fabric right side facing down and the placemat piece right side up and add a traditional binding. I’m making these as quick projects, so I just layer them right sides facing, stitch around and turn.

Trim backing and placemat top to the same size.

I matched the backing fabric right sides facing with the pieced placemat and stitched around all sides. I left a small opening along one edge to turn the piece.

Strip pieced placemats using WonderFil Pumpkin rayon thread pack.

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Making woven Holiday Ribbons on placemats using fabric and threads

Here we go, playing with the Christmas pack!

I like using the rayon Splendor as an embellishing thread. I find the 40wt thread just a little too fine for quilting larger projects, so I limit myself to quilting wall hangings and decorative stitching.

This placemat is simple, but really great looking.

It involves some pre-marking on the fabric, and then some fun stitching!

There are 3 different Christmas theme packs to choose from: Christmas, Classic Christmas and Country Christmas. I’ve chosen the Christmas pack.

I’ve also chosen a light beige fabric with metallic print as I think the thread will show well.

Christmas thread pack creates ribbon effect on placemats.

TIP Stitch with fabric right side up!

I was showing off my finished placemats and hubby noticed that one was shiny and the other wasn’t. I guess I wasn’t paying attention. Good thing these placemats are for us and not gifts!

WonderFil Christmas rayon thread pack

One placemat with fabric right side up and one with wrong side up

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My placemats will be 14” x 10”. I’ve cut the fabric and a layer of low loft batting 15” x 11” to allow some shrinkage as I stitch.

I drew myself a little map on a piece of paper so I know which ribbon will weave under and which will weave over.

I started my lines about 3½” away from the top and left edge of the fabric. I’ve drawn 4 lines 1” apart horizontally and vertically starting at the left edge.

It’s always a good idea to test decorative stitches. I look for density, size, whether I can flip or mirror the image and just to see how the pattern stitches out. It’s a good time saving idea.

I chose different stitches and green thread to stitch the vertical ribbons. It’s starting to look good.

Have you noticed that I’ve used 2 different green threads and 2 different reds? The reds are quite close in color, but there’s a clear light and dark in the 2 greens. I could have easily used just one red and one green threads, but I like the lacy effect I get with two shades.

Stitch decorative stitches between the marked lines.

Draw ribbon lines on right side of fabric.

I used the drawn map to give me an idea of where to stitch. I started with stitches a bit more solid down the center between the lines. I then used stitches a bit more open to stitch down both sides of the center line.

TIP Test stitches on scraps of fabric.

Once the decorative stitches were sewn, I layered the placemats with backing fabric. I used a triple straight stitch to outline the ribbons and quilt the layers of fabric together at the same time.

There was no need to add a 2nd layer of batting.

Add the green stitch to show off the ribbon effect.

Use scraps of fabric to test decorative stitches.

Quilt the placemat with outline stitches on either side of the ribbons.

Notice that I used the darkest green thread from the pack to outline the green ribbons and the darkest red to outline the red ribbons.

I used the Fall, Pumpkin and Christmas rayon thread packs from WonderFil to stitch up some quick and easy placemats.

You can see all these exciting collection packs under Seasons Colorway – you’ll fall in love.

I’ve got a Variegated and the Bright thread pack left to work with and I have some more placemat project ideas to share with you!

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What colors inspire you?

BOLD BASICS

Northcott offers a wide selection of basics that can be mixed and matched to create a palette perfect for your next project! Combine ColorWorks Premiums Solids, Stonehenge earth textures and Toscana suede-like cottons to make bold beautiful quilts.

Visit Northcott.com to see the full range of colors and textures, and use the Product Finder tool alongside each collection page to locate a quilt shop that carries these fabrics.

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Decorative stitches create an original

Decorative stitches and WonderFil rayon threads create one of a kind fabric.

applique fabric There are over 20 combinations of thread with 10 spools in each WonderFil Splendor rayon thread pack. Choose from harmony packs made up of a combination of threads in one color way, or choose a theme pack with 10 spools of coordinated thread.

WonderFil Bright rayon thread pack

I hope the last three projects I shared with you have given you inspiring ideas to make your own version of a placemat.

Let's look at the Alphabet Applique Placemat I made for my granddaughter. II made this placemat for her when she started preschool and learning her letters. This placemat will stay at our house for her to use when she comes to visit.

This is a great way to personalize a placemat or even a wall hanging. I’m using the Brights rayon thread pack. There are some great colors in this pack: purple, teal, green, red, 2 shades of blue and more!

I began by fusing some fusible interfacing to the back of a plain piece of fabric. The interfacing gives the fabric some body and prevents puckers or pulls in the fabric.

TIP Adjust tension for perfect stitching Throughout the previous projects, I’ve been using low loft batting as a stabilizer for the decorative stitching and WonderFil DecoBob 80wt polyester threads in prewound bobbins. I didn’t really need to adjust the tension for my decorative stitching.

Use a variety of decorative stitches and thread colors to create a bright, colorful piece of fabric.

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For this project I’m using fusible interfacing which is much thinner. I do need to turn my tension down to a lower number.

I start by turning the dial down one whole number. If I can’t see the bobbin thread coming to the top of my fabric, I’m good. If I can see the bobbin thread coming to the top, I turn down half a number at a time until I’m happy.

I want some stability as I stitch the applique in place and know that using a satin stitch will show too much on the back side of the placemat. So I layered the fused applique/placemat fabric and the low loft batting. I used a dense satin stitch to secure the applique in place. I could have chosen a blanket stitch, but I wanted to make sure to secure all the loose ends of the decorative threads.

Can you see how the tension has been adjusted to show that the needle thread is coming to the back side? This would look really messy if I were stitching through all layers.

Auditioning placemat fabrics

I had originally planned to sew the placemat with the pink fabric, but as I was stitching the fabric, I thought that maybe the purple was a better choice. Purple it is.

Once I decided on the best fabric color, I cut the placemat 11” x 15” and later trim down to 10” x 14” once the applique has been stitched.

I traced the reversed applique letter onto fusible web and fused to the back of the stitched fabric. I then cut out the applique and fused to the right side of the placemat.

Quilt around the edge of the placemat and around the appliqued letter.

Once the satin stitch was complete, I trimmed the placemat to 10” x 14” and placed it right side down on the backing fabric. I sewed around all edges leaving an opening for turning.

I used a straight stitch close to the edge of the placemat and used the width of the presser foot for additional lines of stitching. I also outlined the applique with a straight line. I used matching thread in the needle and bobbin and adjust my tension back to normal for the quilting.

Next up is something completely different. It crosses the line of ‘quilting’, but makes some great placemats.

Use a satin stitch to secure the applique to the placemat.

Simple applique and decorative stitching with WonderFil rayon thread packs

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WonderFil Splendor Variegated Thread Packs create wonderful corded placemats

I've been playing with WonderFil Splendor Thread Packs and stitching a variety of placemats. Here’s the exciting list of techniques used while exploring these colorful thread packs and making cool placemats to boot!

•• Hexagon Placemats using the Fall thread pack.

•• I used the Pumpkin thread pack and strip piecing for the Quilt as You Go Placemats

•• I used decorative stitches to create the

illusion of woven ribbons in my Holiday Ribbons Placemats using the Christmas thread pack.

•• I created the fabric using decorative stitches to then make the applique for the Alphabet Applique Placemat, using the Bright thread pack.

Never a dull moment with WonderFil Rayon Thread Packs! Read on as the sewing fun continues…

I’m straying from the ‘quilting’ focus and using piping cord and the Variegated A thread pack to show you something you might want to try.

There are 3 variegated thread packs and each one has a different combination of variegated threads.

Some are light to dark values of a color. Some threads are a combination of different colors.

4 finished corded placemats

WonderFil Variegated Thread Pack A

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I’ve found that about 20yds [18.3m] of cording will make a nice sized placemat.

I begin with a 3” length folded piping cord, and using a matching thread and a zigzag stitch, I anchored the original folds in place.

Begin stitching the placemat with matching thread.

I switched to the variegated thread and sewed over the original anchor stitches. At first I needed to sew slowly around the corners but once I got going, everything was easy.

This variegated green moves from a bright green to a very, very light green.

WonderFil variegated threads are random dyed. The lengths of each color are never the same length. I find it adds interest to sewing projects.

When using a narrower stitch be very careful that both sides of the zigzag stitch catch both parts of the cording!

These can be used as placemats, table centerpieces or places to put hot dishes.

WonderFil variegated thread pack B

Alternating yellow and green variegated thread The pin marks the beginning of the row.

I changed from a regular zigzag stitch to a double zigzag stitch, which helped to highlight the red to very light pink variegated thread. The red is darker and the light is lighter.

This has been a fun creating placemats using WonderFil Splendor Thread Packs in 5 different ways.

I changed from a yellow variegated to a green variegated thread every 10 rounds.

It adds a lot of interest.

I sewed a total of 4 corded variegated placemats. Compare the picture above with the one below. The picture below shows the reverse side of each placemat.

The red and white front has a blue and white back. The red and salmon pink has a golden yellow and white back. The yellow and green striped placemats have a plain cotton matching thread on the back.

WonderFil variegated thread pack C

When I get to the end of my placemat, One final thing. These thread packs make great gifts. They’re reasonably priced and the colors are coordinated. Add a few matching fat quarters of fabric to a thread pack and you’re ready to go.

Simple zigzag stitches

I found that the machine’s default stitch length and width is perfect for these projects. I tried some different stitches using this red to salmon pink variegated thread. I used an heirloom stitch, double zigzag and also played with the stitch width.

The reverse side of the stitched placemats using WonderFil variegated threads

I pull out the center core for a few inches and trim. I then fold over the outer part of the cord and stitch over the folded end.

I’m sure everyone has done one of those fabric wrapped bowls or bags. I’m lazy and instead of wrapping the clothesline with fabric, I’ve made bags with just the clothesline and thread! I now use narrow cotton piping cord. It’s much thinner and easier to sew through.

Enjoy your adventure with WonderFil Threads.

Allison Spence

meadowrosequilts.com

Different stitches add interest.

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9

essential tools for successful quilting on your domestic machine Elaine Theriault

I’m so excited to write this article about the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 sewing and embroidery machine, there's so much I want to show you. I’ve been sewing up a storm and there isn’t anything that this machine can’t handle!

I’m focusing on machine quilting. A quick confession – I’m a long arm quilter, although I teach people to quilt on the domestic machine. I had so much fun quilting on the Designer Topaz 50 and it performed beautifully.

Follow along and see how amazingly easy it is to get great machine quilting results. There are loads of tips for all aspects of the quilting process.

Let’s get started!

Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50

When I chat with quilters about machine quilting, it’s always about how afraid they are of messing up their quilt. The other thing I notice is that most people think that quilting is all about sitting down at the sewing machine and quilting.

If only it were that easy. While the end result is certainly very dependent on the quality of the sewing machine, there are many other factors and tools that come into play when machine quilting.

Let's look at the

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tools that are critical to successful machine

Extension Table

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If you’re serious about machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine, the first thing you need (besides getting an awesome sewing machine like the Designer Topaz 50) is to get an extension table.

I’ve been piecing and quilting with this table for several years and I can’t say enough about it. The front edge is curved so there’s zero danger of your work getting caught or being dragged over a sharp edge like on other ‘straighter’ extension tables.

Free motion quilting fun

The purpose of an extension table is to give your hands some place to rest while controlling the quilt. Think of the extension table as your steering wheel. You don’t need a huge steering wheel to drive your car – you don’t need a huge extension table to quilt your quilts. You can only control the immediate area surrounding the needle of the sewing machine.

This extension table provides just the right amount of room, particularly the area to the left of the needle. Compare the first and second pictures above. See how little room there is to the left of the needle without the extension table? If you didn’t have the extension table, where would you place your left hand when trying to control your quilt? The quilt would fall off the bed of the sewing machine.

There’s a nice ruler guide on the front as well so if you’re piecing and need a quick measurement, the ruler is very handy.

Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 with optional extension table

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I NEVER sew or quilt without the extension table. I LOVE it! It’s a 'must have' accessory!

Photos by Elaine Theriault

Straight Stitch Plate

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This Straight Stitch Plate isn’t absolutely necessary to successful machine quilting, but it helps to provide a nicer stitch.

The larger hole in the general purpose stitch plate allows for more movement of the fabric. The larger opening is necessary when doing decorative stitching, zigzag, etc. You know when you start a new line of stitching and the fabric gets sucked into the bobbin case through that large opening? That doesn’t happen when you use the straight stitch plate.

I try to use the straight stitch plate as often as possible for piecing and quilting. Make sure that your needle is 100% centered when you insert it and it’s not a bad idea to manually lower the needle in the event that it’s not positioned quite right.

There’s very little space surrounding the needle.

I would also suggest that you go into your settings and engage the Stitch Width Safety. You’ll not be allowed to select any stitch that moves the needle out of the center position. You’ll get a pop-up message when you turn on the sewing machine if you’ve engaged this feature. Saves a lot of worry about what mode you’re in. I use it whenever I have the straight stitch plate on the Designer Topaz 50.

Dual Feed Foot (aka walking foot)

Straight stitch plate

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This is a must have foot if you’re planning on doing any stitch in the ditch quilting. It also works like a charm for serpentine lines, grid quilting, top stitching and yes – I even use mine when I apply a quilt binding.

The purpose of the Dual Feed Foot is to move the top layer of your project (the quilt top when quilting) at the same rate as the feed teeth (in the sewing machine) move the bottom layer.

If they don’t move at the same rate, you may end up with a top that is slightly stretched.

When you’re piecing, it’s easy to control your work as you can pretty much see the edges of both pieces at the same time, but when quilting, it’s impossible to see the bottom. It’s for this reason that pinning long expanses of fabric (like borders) is CRITICAL to a beautiful finished product!

Dual feed foot with interchangeable presser feet

The Husqvarna Viking Dual Feed Foot comes with three different feet that snap into place. I mostly use the one on the right with the wide opening so I can see what’s happening when I apply quilt bindings. The openings on either side become great placement guides for the wider than ¼” seam allowance that I use when applying my bindings.

If you want parallel lines of quilting you can use the guides that come with the Dual Feed Foot. There’s one for the left and one for the right depending on the direction that you’re sewing. You can see in the picture above how they slip into the back of the Dual Feed Foot.

And not a bad idea to take a quick peek at the booklet if you’ve never put a walking foot on before.

I’ve found that there’s a LOT of valuable information in these booklets! As always if the Dual Feed Foot isn’t on properly, the sewing machine will not stitch properly.

Left and right guides for the Dual Feed Foot and an instructional manual

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One thing I should mention. To some, my studio might look a tad messy, but I’m a stickler for keeping things together. My Dual Feed Foot and all the accessories are stored in the original box which is then kept in the drawer with all the other presser feet. There is ZERO excuse for it to go astray.

Free motion presser feet

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It’s easy to set the Designer Topaz 50 for free motion quilting. See the box in the photo below with the squiggly line?

Hit that button and you’ll get a pop-up message asking if you’re using a floating (non-spring action) presser foot or spring-action presser foot.

Machine quilting gloves

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And what is the difference? I like to use the floating feet, but I do find that some threads, especially some heavier threads, work best with the spring-action.

Just be aware that there are two options and try both (because you’ll have bought one of each kind of foot!) to see what works best for the quilting/thread that you’re working with.

Various styles of free motion presser feet

Machine quilting gloves

Some form of machine quilting gloves is essential, especially if you’re working on a larger project. You hands are oily or cold, your cotton quilt fabric is slippery and when you’re trying to move the quilt with your hands, it’s hard to get a grip. If you don’t have a good grip on the quilt, your quilting will not be smooth. Remember – the ease at which you move the quilt is what dictates how smooth the lines of stitching are.

There are numerous styles of free motion presser feet that you can purchase for the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50.

Some people use gardening gloves.

Personally, I find them bulky or hot and sweaty.

I missed getting a picture of the one that’s included with the Designer Topaz 50 but it does come with one style of free motion/embroidery foot.

This was a new pair of gloves that a friend (designed by the award-winning quilter herself ) gave me to try. I used to cut the tips off a couple of the fingers of my own gloves so this felt weird with two fingers missing completely.

You’ll notice that some of the presser feet have a spring and some do not. Some come with a guide as pictured above.

There’s a purpose for each of them and it all depends on the kind of quilting that you’re doing.

The box with the squiggly line sets the Designer Topaz 50 for free motion quilting

My two favorites are pictured above – a spring action open toe foot and a floating (non-spring) open toe foot. I like the fact that the foot is metal and there’s an opening at the front of the foot which allows me to see right into the tightest areas that I’m quilting.

Thread

It’s essential that you use GOOD quality thread. Do yourself a favor and do NOT use those old spools of thread that your grandmother left you. Thread has a shelf life. I find the biggest issue that most people have with their quilting is the thread. Good thread equals good quilting.

Or you can check out Page 64 of the Husqvarna Viking Accessory Catalogue and look at the quilting presser feet.

Pop-up screen to choose between Floating Free Motion or Spring-Action Free Motion

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I could go on for days about different kinds of thread. There are so many options available. Thread weights, colors, styles, glitz or not.

I would strongly suggest that you play around with the free motion foot that comes with the Designer Topaz 50 and then book an appointment with your Husqvarna Viking dealer so they can show you what other options are available.

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I liked the feel of the glove and they certainly helped to move the fabric nicely. I think it’s a question of getting used to them. But gloves are essential to smooth, even quilting. If you don’t have quilting gloves – buy a pair!

Marking tools

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Bigger is better than smaller and make sure that the needle matches the thread weight that you’re using.

When in doubt, buy quilting needles and use the large ones for thicker threads and the smaller size for the smaller threads.

Various marking tools

Like the threads, I could go on and on about the pros and cons of the various marking tools that exist.

Two spools of Wonderfil thread and pamphlet outlining their thread line-up

A quick mention of what type of thread to use. For piecing, I like to use a 50 weight cotton thread. The Designer Topaz 50 loves the thread. For quilting, I use whatever I can get my hands on that works in the sewing machine (haven’t had to give any thread away so far) and it can be anything from cotton to nylon to rayon and many other types.

I can’t say this often enough – use a GOOD quality thread for piecing and a GOOD quality thread for quilting. It’ll show in your end result.

I had two different threads to play with (in addition to using my own thread stash).

The variegated thread is a 40 weight – 3 ply thread.

The brown thread is a 100 weight – 2 ply thread.

As I work with those threads later, I’ll be providing a bit more information as to what tension settings I used, and whether I used the thread in the bobbin or on the top or both.

Clipboard, scrap paper and a marker

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Let’s just say that you need to be fully aware of the pros and cons of each tool. Some will work perfectly for one application and be lacking in another.

Some things to consider when choosing a marking tool:

• Can the project be washed after it’s

completed to remove the markings?

• Will the item need to be ironed at some point?

• What length of time will occur between the marking and the quilting? (don’t laugh as this can be an issue!)

• Is the fabric dark or light or a combination of both?

That list is not inclusive of all the questions you need to ask, but it’s a starting point. While it’s OK to ask your friends which marking tool(s) they use, I find that it’s essential to do some experimenting on your own. Buy one of each type – try them out. Do you like it? Does it work for you and your style of quilting?

We each have our own style, so be sure to find a marking tool that YOU like.

I used to do a lot of marking when I first started to quilt and now I try to not mark if I can avoid it. Why? It takes time to mark and takes time to remove the mark (if necessary). I’ll like to use marking tools to create registration lines, but rarely for marking an entire design. More on that later.

Sewing machine needles

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I’m not going to go into great detail on sewing machine needles, but again like the thread – good quality needles equals good quality quilting.

Scrap paper on a clipboard with a marker

The items shown above are ESSENTIAL to good quilting.

Why? Well – here’s the thing and this seems to be one of the hardest for people to understand. People will look at the quilting of someone with more experience than themselves. They seem to think that most of us were born with superior quilting skills. Not so – I’ve come a long way from when I first started to quilt many years ago.

Have you ever tried to pat your head and rub your stomach? Try it! It’s hard – right? Well imagine sitting down at your sewing machine and you’re trying to move the fabric under the needle of the sewing machine AND you’re trying to figure out where to quilt. It’s HARD, very hard. While we think we can multitask, few of us can do it well. If you become familiar with the many aspects of quilting one at a time, you’ll be much more successful.

Variegated and brown thread

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That’s why the paper is so essential.

Practice your designs on the paper first before you hit the sewing machine.

Work out the issues. Do you always work yourself into a corner? Practice on the paper so you can figure out how to not do that!

I was chatting with participants attending a machine quilting class about how useful a tool this was. After we had attended a guild meeting and heard the guest speaker say that she doodled her designs on paper before doing them on her quilts, one of those students turned to me and said, “Oh – she designs her stuff on paper first!”.

power of paper, marker and clipboard for free motion The

quilting designs

Have you assembled the essential tools for successful machine quilting? If you did – great! If you didn’t what are you waiting for?

I’m having great fun with machine quilting on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 which in addition to being an awesome sewing machine is also an embroidery machine.

Do you remember the last tool that I mentioned in the previous article? The clipboard, the scrap paper, and the marker?

Here’s the thing – whenever I talk about machine quilting to people, I often hear three issues:

• What design should they use • They stitch themselves into the corners

• The lines of quilting aren’t smooth We’re going to set the sewing machine aside as we take a look at how important the paper and marker are for successful machine quilting.

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I cannot stress this enough. If you don’t work out the logistics of what design you’re going to stitch, you’ll never be successful (unless you happen to be a super gifted artist). For the rest of us, we’ve got to work a bit more at it.

There you have it – some of my alltime favorite – NO – those items are must have tools to successful machine quilting. Even if you miss one of them, you’ll run into trouble.

We’re comfortable with our sewing machines and we’re comfortable with pen and paper, but most of us are not comfortable with drawing. And when we attempt to do free motion on the sewing machine, we freeze. Why? That’s because we haven’t learned how to mix the two elements together – drawing on the sewing machine.

We’re going back to kindergarten. I’m giving you permission to get as much scrap paper as you can find (it’s a great way to recycle paper) and we’re going to learn this once and for all!

So get that clipboard and your marker (or a smooth flowing pen) and let’s get started!

A quick note – if you bought a very inexpensive clip board, I would advise that you keep the protective plastic on it.

I’ve heard from some of my students that the quality is less than desirable and the sweat from their hands was enough to crumble the material the clip board was made from.

I can’t draw a straight line Let’s be very clear, I’m not an artist. The best version I can do of a person is stick legs and arms with an oval body! Dogs get four sticks for legs and two blobs for the head and body! I’m not a doodler, but I wish I was, but I can at least doodle better than I can draw. But my doodling has improved immensely over the years.

Check around your house – do you have them all? If not, better get shopping!

And while all these extra tools are essential to successful machine quilting, if you don’t have a great sewing machine like the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50, you’ll still be able to quilt, but you won’t get great stitches. Wait until you see some of the results. This sewing machine shocked me at how easy it was to quilt with and the results are amazing.

Why? because I’ve been practicing! The more I practice, the better I’ve become.

And in case you wonder why I’m chatting on about doodling, look at most quilting designs. It’s a form of doodling!

No way! Yes – quilting is technically doodling by sewing machine!

When I ask my students to “draw” a straight line with their free motion foot, almost everyone says, “I can’t draw a straight line!” And my response? “GREAT – I don’t want the line to be perfectly straight – it looks unnatural!”

So here’s the first exercise. Draw a leaf shape on your paper. It doesn’t have to be perfect – we’re learning here and the outer shape isn’t important. It’s just a reference.

Two things to keep in mind • Do NOT rest your hand on the paper.

That’s why the marker or a smooth flowing pen is good. If you keep your hand on the paper, you’re trying to write and we write small. We want flowing movements.

• Go BIG. See how my leaf is almost half a page?

Now draw a straight (ish) line through the middle of the leaf. Looks boring, doesn’t it? And how much fun was that to draw? Not much at all.

Now go ahead and draw another leaf.

You could always draw one leaf and photocopy it if you wanted. But we’re not going for perfection here and the more you practice drawing the leaf, the better for you. In most cases, the leaf would have been appliqued on your quilt so no need to worry about that shape. We’re going for the quilting lines within the leaf.

Leaf shape with a boring straight line through the middle

Now draw another leaf shape and this time, have fun with that line through the middle. Draw an ‘organic’ (for lack of a better name) straight line. Wasn’t that way more fun to draw?

Don’t like what you drew? Throw that scrap paper in the recycling! Don’t keep these papers if you don’t like them. If you have one that you like – keep it! It becomes a good reference of what you like. You may also want to keep the ones that you don’t like so you have that as a reference as well. Don’t just say you don’t like it – ask yourself – why don’t I like it?

That’s very important feedback for you!

Let’s pretend that we’re actually quilting this leaf. We don’t want to stop and start at every leaf because we’ve hundreds of them on our imaginary quilt.

Draw that organic line from one end of the leaf to the other, but this time, you have to go back to the beginning so you can move to the next leaf. Oh – am I supposed to come back down right on the line or beside or a combination of both? Well – why don’t you try it both ways and see which you like the best.

The same leaf with a few extras veins drawn in

And if you had 100 leaves to quilt and each one was slightly different – who cares? Each leaf could be unique if you so chose.

A different leaf with an ‘organic’ straight line through the middle of it

Center line of “quilting” up and then back down again – notice the lines are not on top of each other

OK – now ask yourself, which line is more appealing? Which line have you seen on someone else’s quilt that you’ve admired? Which line was more fun to draw? Most people will answer the second line to all three questions.

How are you doing so far? Are you getting a feel for the organic lines? Try this exercise a few more times. Get comfortable with the flow of the lines.

Keep your hand off the paper.

By the way, there’s NO need to keep these papers once you’ve drawn on them. They’re just practice sheets.

Now when you get back to the bottom of the leaf, try a few additional veins. Go to the tip of the vein and then back to the center stem and travel up one side and down the other. Try the squiggles in different angles. What feels right? What works best?

The second leaf has a different style center spine than the first leaf

Practicing a design for a quilt Even though I’ve been quilting for years, I still spend a lot of time messing around with potential designs. It’s not so much as developing hundreds of designs, but figuring out about 10 designs really well and then getting creative with how you use them. There are oodles of books on the market with design ideas in them.

Or you can search the internet. Here’s a couple of things to watch for:

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»» The design you’re trying to copy

won’t work for you! You must take that design as an inspiration and adapt it so it works for you. Someone might be able to do tiny little circles and your circles might end up looking like ovals. That’s OK – that’s your style. Don’t try to fight it – let your style develop instead of trying to force something. Once you’re comfortable with your style, then you can start to learn new things. »» Take the style and figure out how you can modify it to get a new look.

What if you lengthen or widen the marks? What if you adjust the height within the same area (like a triangle)?

What if you add a small loop between your main components? If you look carefully at the professional quilters, they do this all the time. It broadens their repertoire without requiring them to learn a whole lot of new styles!

Doodling attempts in a 6'' flower block

Below is an example of whether the bottom left corner should be mitered or not? If I was going to miter it, then this is where a registration line would be helpful so I would be reminded visually to miter the design.

I had a quilt to quilt recently and I wasn’t sure what to quilt in the blocks.

The block had been designed using a computer software program. The block was 6'' and I was able to print out an outline of the block onto paper. I then took a pen and tried different ways of “quilting” the block.

You’ll notice how rough my doodling is – it’s horrible in fact. I didn’t really care as I was trying a couple of things.

Does the design that I’m trying even flow so that I can complete one block without stopping? That’s very important – no one wants to spend a lot of time starting and stopping!

I was also looking for issues – like the bottom left corner – should that have a mitered design or not?

And yet another option

Should I miter the design in the corner?

It would be a tad easier to see if the block were colored, but I’m using the sections of the block as my reference lines. No need for marking and no need for registration marks, unless I decide I need something in that bottom left.

The block represents a flower and I tried multiple designs in each block to see which I liked best. Often I find that the vision we have in our head doesn’t always translate well to the real thing.

That is why this doodling exercise is so important.

And another

Same design in the two sections

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Same design, different direction and some of the potential background quilting

Options for the inner border

Really? Do I have to do all that prep work before? Yep – it’s better to do all that prep work than spending hours and hours ripping out! Depending on the design, I can spend a lot of time prepping before I ever touch the sewing machine! Who knew?

One more option with a few sashing options added at the bottom

Let’s not forget that you can do the same exercise for sashings and borders.

If it helps, draw lines on your page to represent the width of your sashing or border. Don’t forget to figure out how to deal with the corners and the intersections.

The beauty is that there is NO right or wrong about any of this. It’s what you want, what you like and what you have the skill for. There are no quilt police and friends/ acquaintances who make comments – well – we just won’t go there.

Then I’d go to the sewing machine and I’d stitch out a few of them on some scrap fabric (practice quilt sandwiches). Can you translate all that practice on paper to the machine? If you “quilted” with the pen several times, it should be way easier to do this on the fabric sample. Once you’re comfortable with it, then it’s time to get to the quilt.

The back of my quilt with the flower blocks

Here’s another very important thing.

Once you’re relatively happy with the design, you may want to do a couple more on paper as if you were really quilting them. In other words, make them a teeny bit neater. You can move from the beginning to the end of the block and perhaps even on to the next block without breaking the thread – a huge time saver!

Do you feel a little more comfortable now? This prep work is not just for beginners. It’s for everyone who is learning something new or trying to understand how the logistics of getting from A to B will work with minimal stops and starts.

Here’s a picture of what the quilting actually ended up looking like on the right side. The quilt is called Birds of Paradise and was featured with full instructions in A Needle Pulling Thread Issue 45.

PS – keep that clipboard handy so when you have a few minutes of downtime (put DOWN your phone), you can doodle!

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How

to

choose the right thread

for your quilting project

The darker thread would compete with the main motif if it were used in the background

How’s the doodling? Isn’t that just the best tip ever? Wait until you get going and you’ll be totally surprised at how easy free motion quilting can be when you know where you’re going. Think of going into a large city and having no idea how to get from A to B. But if you have a GPS (your doodles), you’re way more comfortable.

We’re continuing our free motion adventure using the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 sewing and embroidery machine!

Choosing thread The thread you use is a very important factor in how the finished project looks.

What thread weight should I use? What color works best? Will I have to adjust the tension? Do I have to use the same thread weight in the bobbin and the top? What about the color – does it have to be the same in the bobbin and the top?

The only reasonable answer I can say is “it depends!”

I’m going to focus on quilting a couple of projects and show you what the end result looks like and why I choose the style of quilting that I did and what thread I used in the bobbin and on top. There’s no right or wrong in these choices. It’s what one has on hand at that time or it could be for a number of reasons that those choices were made!

And like everything, the more you do, the more experienced you become and you can make better choices.

I decided to make a tote bag from this panel by Northcott. I only want to use the middle section of the panel for this particular project. The top and bottom motifs will be used for other projects. So I started with two panels. It’s from the Artisan Spirit Flight of Fancy collection.

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Northcott Artisan Spirit Flight of Fancy panel

I had chosen the variegated orange/gold WonderFil FabuLux thread to quilt the bag.

I knew that I was only going to use the middle section of the panel.

Now you can’t try this in the store, but here’s the ideal way to view how a thread will look on your project. Reel off a couple of feet and lay it on top of the project – does it look OK???

In the picture above, the variegated thread is too dark to be used in the background of the top motif but I could quilt the motif with this color. Too dark of thread in the background would compete with the motif.

The thread blends in beautifully with the motif in the middle section of the panel. You won’t see the stitches, but you’ll see the texture which is just what I wanted! I’m not sure I would use this in the background as the top part of the background is still fairly light.

By looking OK – you need to ask yourself – do you want the quilting stitches to show? Will a contrasting thread compete with the main motif?

Do I want the thread to blend in and provide only texture?

The variegated thread blends in with the motif beautifully to provide visible texture

In the next example, I could probably use the variegated thread in either the background or the motif itself to provide visible texture. If I wanted the quilting stitches to show, I would have to pick a completely different color.

I hope to incorporate more machine quilting into my work. That’s how much fun I’m having! So if you have suggestions for the type of project you would like quilting ideas for – let me know!

Thread blends into the motif and the background in the bottom section of the panel

I’m making a very simple tote bag. The two pieces on the ends will be the sides of the bag and the section on the bottom of the center panel will be the bottom of the bag. I’m making two sections like this. I won’t have the bag completed, but I’ll have parts of the bag made so you can see how perfect the thread color is.

When I was getting ready for vacation, I came across this embroidered block that was done but not quilted. Hm – what color thread would I use to quilt this one? See how the black thread would just make this a muddy mess. Even the brown thread on the bottom would be too much, but the light beige in the top left works just fine even though it looks dark on the spool. Just goes to show that you need to reel off a length of thread before you can make a call on the specific color!

The pieces for ONE-half of the tote bag

I could use several different thread options for this tote bag. Did I want to use a metallic thread? Did I want a matching or contrasting thread?

Invisible thread?

Since this is a tote bag, it doesn’t need a lot of quilting and I don’t want the quilting to be the main focus, I want the motif and the fabric to be the focus.

That’s why I’ve chosen the matching thread color.

Here’s another example of numerous options for the type and color of thread to choose for a project. I’ve got metallics, cotton, and rayon. I’m going to have to pick one!

Various thread choices for the snowman table runner

Thread choices for an embroidered block

In this next example, I want to do some stitch in the ditch around the applique and also to follow the embroidered vines.

No need for something thick as I want the texture only and not for the quilting stitches to show. That’s a spool of beige InvisaFil from WonderFil. GASP – beige?

WonderFil InvisaFil in beige for the quilting on this small wall hanging

Yes – that’s what I’m going to use. The thread is a 100 weight – 2 ply, so very thin. If the project is quilted carefully, the thread won’t show.

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Variegated thread options Since one of the threads I’m going to use is variegated, I thought I’d spend a moment to chat about variegated threads. It’s hard to tell when the thread is wound on a spool, but an important factor to check is how long the spans are between the variegations. You should be able to find this out on the internet or ask the shop owner if they have a sample on hand.

When I got the spool of thread back after mere seconds, there were a few dents in the spool. I wound off a couple of outer layers and thinking I’m good to go, I loaded the thread onto the Designer Topaz 50 so I could proceed with my stitch-out.

Spool of thread with dents (from dog bite)

We interrupt this feature…

There’s a moral to this diversion so please bear with me!

It’s very hard to photograph black fabric in my studio so I decided to take it outside to snap pictures on my deck.

Next thing I knew, my two helpers (dogs) were jumping around and very excited to be helping ‘mom’ take pictures.

While Lexi created a diversion by stretching and then laying on my fabric, Murphy snatched one of my spools of thread! Wait – come back here with that!

Hmm – I seem to be having some problems with the sewing machine. I changed presser feet, I changed the thread to a vertical position and I unwound some more of the thread.

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I did manage to get a bit of a stitch out with the damaged thread. You can see that thread on the left side of the sample below. The color variegates from an orange to a very pale yellow and the variegation is quite long.

The sample on the right (FabuLux

by WonderFil) doesn’t have as much variation in the value of the color and the variegation is much shorter.

Turns out that bite went deep and the entire spool of thread was pretty much toast!

Look at what those sharp teeth did to the thread – almost bit through but not quite. Yards and yards and yards of it was like that.

Stitch-outs of two different brands of variegated thread

The thread was damaged by a dog bite!

Lexi creates a diversion while Murphy (the thief ) hides in the background (upper right)

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The moral of this story is – keep spools of thread away from your pets! This is the second spool that Murphy has stolen and destroyed!

And now back to the feauture...

I thought I’d show you a sample of how these two similar colored variegated threads differ from each other.

Two different brands of orange variegated thread

Thankfully she took the spool that was my own and I was simply going to use it for my stitch-out! I’ve put it back in my sample box that I use for teaching.

Again, there’s no right or wrong, it’s just knowing that each one is different and stitch outs help to learn how each thread will suit your project. It’s essential to stitch samples of the variegated thread if you’re not familiar with it.

What did I use in the bobbin? For both types of thread (the damaged thread was a 40 weight rayon thread and the other one was a 40 weight 3 ply polyester), I used the InvisaFil in the bobbin. I also tried a 50 weight piecing thread.

In the next sample you can see the tension is a slight bit off in the left-hand sample. That’s because I was messing with the tension because I thought I knew better than the Designer Topaz 50 did.

But alas, I was wrong! I ended up putting the tension back to what the default was and it worked like a charm!

Note to self – don’t try to fix what isn’t broken!

Let’s just say that I learned a few things while writing this.

• Don’t let the dogs steal thread!

• Don’t mess with the tension unless there is a problem I’m very excited about the results of the quilting sample with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50. I had used several different thread weights in the top and bobbin and there was no need to change the tension. Imagine sitting down at your sewing machine and being able to just start quilting? That’s what I call exciting!

6

essential tips for

How’s the doodling? Doodling really is such a simple technique and yet it has improved my quilting so much I can’t believe it!

Two different thread weights used in the bobbin

perfect free motion

I rarely use the other functions when I’m quilting, but I do use them all the time for piecing and decorative stitching.

quilting

There’s more on this subject further on in this series.

I’m going to start quilting a couple of small projects on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 and I’ll be sharing my techniques and thread choices with you.

Let’s get started!

1 The Function Panel Here’s a picture of the Function Panel on the Designer Topaz 50. There are some key features here that help make free motion quilting a breeze. If you’re not comfortable with controlling the speed with which you do free motion quilting, you can manually adjust the speed and that eliminates one variable when you’re learning.

Surprisingly, I never use the Scissor Function when I’m quilting. I like to leave long tails so I can pull them to the top of my work and trim the threads at the end of a line of stitching. So I don’t use the scissors when I quilt.

Needle Up/Down is an absolute must when quilting. When you stop, you want that needle to remain in your work to prevent your piece from shifting and causing a big stitch where you don’t want one.

And of course, the Presser Foot Up and Presser Foot Down functions are essential.

Pulling the bobbin thread through the quilt sandwich so it’s sitting on the surface of the project The Function Panel of the Designer Topaz 50

2 Pulling the bobbin thread to the surface As I mentioned above, I never use the Scissor function when I’m quilting. That means I’ll have a long bobbin thread tail which I can pull to the surface of my project. In the photo below, you can see there are two threads – one is coming from the needle, the other is the bobbin thread which has been pulled through the quilt sandwich. It’s easy enough to do – hold the top thread in your left hand. Touch the needle down function twice – up comes the bobbin thread.

Tuck the two threads behind the needle under the presser foot. I like to hold them when I’m starting. Otherwise, the threads have a tendency to be pulled to the back of the work and will cause unsightly messes.

3 Use InvisaFil thread for stitching in the ditch Enough talking, let’s get started with some quilting!

I found this small wall hanging when I was going through some stuff. It’s been sitting unfinished for years and it’s time to get it done! I looked at the beige InvisaFil thread from WonderFIl. Hm – I think that would be perfect for this little piece.

InvisaFil thread is a 100 weight – 2 ply thread which means that it is very thin.

It’s recommended by WonderFil (in their very helpful pamphlet) that this thread is great for “stitch in the ditch”.

I’ve used it before and absolutely love it! I could have used invisible thread, but I prefer InvisaFil as it doesn’t have a sheen to it whatsoever.

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Another great advantage is that when you wind a bobbin, it lasts a long, long time! So I wound a bobbin with InvisaFil and also put it on the top. I did a sample stitch-out to make sure that the tension was fine. No problems and no need to adjust the tension at all. Yeah!

4 Learn to do free motion “stitch in the ditch” I quilted the entire piece without stopping. I simply back tracked if I needed to move to a new location.

No need for marking on this piece as I stitched in the ditch around the appliques and the border and followed along all the embroidery.

In the photo below, I’m stitching in the ditch beside the hand embroidery stitches. The thread is so fine so it blends right in and you only see the texture, not the stitches.

Here’s the most amazing thing about InvisaFil. Can you see the thread?

Remember, I used the beige thread for the entire piece, even over the embroidery which in some cases, I had to cross over the embroidery stitching.

This thread is truly amazing and I would love to have all the colors, but if you can only manage a few spools, I would highly recommend a dark, a light and a couple of beige/taupes. You’ll be set for pretty much anything you want to stitch in the ditch!

Now notice in the photo below the foot I have on the Designer Topaz 50. YES – a free motion foot! NOT the Dual Feed foot as we commonly think of when stitching in the ditch.

“Stitching in the ditch” beside hand embroidery stitches

Here are a couple of close up shots of the piece AFTER it’s been quilted. You can’t see the thread along side the borders or beside the applique or on the embroidery. The InvisaFil is truly a magic thread!

Years ago, I had a big project to quilt with a lot of compass blocks. I wanted to stitch in the ditch around all those compass points and the thought of doing it with a walking foot made me ill. I learned how to do stitch in the ditch with the free motion foot and haven’t looked back since! I still use my Dual Feed foot for stitch in the ditch, but I’m very selective about using it!

Stitch in the ditch using a free motion foot

Quilting stitches are almost completely invisible on the wall hanging

Even when I stitched on the blue fabric with the beige thread, the quilting stitches are pretty much invisible.

Small wall hanging quilted entirely with InvisaFil thread

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Think about it – you’re new to quilting.

You’re afraid to quilt because you know your friends are going to look at your stitches which are not necessarily that consistent. Imagine if you used InvisaFil. What would your friends say when they can’t even see the stitches!

6 Keep your learning projects small One other tip – keep your first projects small. You’ve got a lot of things to learn about how your sewing machine works, how you move the fabric, learning the designs and a whole lot more. Keep the piece small so it takes an hour to finish, not a week. You’ll be more encouraged with your progress!

The Snowman Tablerunner Remember this table runner that I made in July 2017 when I was showing you 4 key tips to successful and stress free machine applique embroidery? I had used an embroidery design from the built-in designs in the Designer Topaz 50.

Then added borders.

Quilting stitches are still invisible in the blue sections of the wall hanging

5 Use busy backings for your projects And here’s another amazing trick. Use a BUSY backing for your quilt! Can you see the quilting stitches below? Can you see where I had to backtrack to get to a new spot? If you look really really close, you can see them, but nothing jumps out at you!

Snowflakes are a bit large for the scale of the table runner

Here’s what I did to resolve this issue.

I decided to use the snowflake applique as a template and quilt the snowflakes into the center section! I thought that was a brilliant solution! I could have done something like a grid but I’m very happy with the snowflakes.

Be a good friend to yourself and use busy backings and fine threads. You’ll be happy that you did!

Now the question is how to mark the design so I can stitch it out. If I had the negative of the snowflake (essentially a stencil), I could have used that and a chalk pounce to mark the outline of the snowflake. But I didn’t have that. I could have cut it out of paper, but that was too much trouble!

Snowman table runner

Now it’s time to get it quilted.

Remember how I wasn’t sure what to put in that center part? My applique snowflakes were a tad on the large size.

Quilting stitches pretty much disappear on the busy backing

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So I got out my trusty Chaco Pen (my favorite marking tool) and I marked a line around the applique.

Oh yes – I used the free motion foot for these snowflakes. Way faster than the Dual Feed foot.

A knot or nest of thread on the back of the table runner

Stopping and starting the line of free motion stitching

Using a Chaco Pen and the applique shape to mark the quilting lines

There are times when I don’t follow my own advice. I choose a thread color and I stitched out the first snowflake.

Good grief – you can’t even see it! I was disappointed. Now if I would have used that blue thread on a sample of this fabric and even stitched out one section of the snowflake, I would have seen how awful it looked in the blue thread.

So I did the next one in white thread and I was much happier with the results. Yes, I ripped the blue one out. Grr!

Thread on the back of the table runner matches perfectly to the fabric to hide possible flaws

In the photo below, you can see that I’ve pulled the bobbin thread up from the back of the work. I have it tucked behind the open toe free motion presser foot.

I’ll continue holding that thread for the first half inch or so. Otherwise, there’s a tendency for the bobbin thread to get pulled to the back of the work and cause a knot or thread nest.

If I wanted to do a super professional job, I would leave those long thread tails until I was finished the piece and then bury them with a needle into the batting. But this is a simple table runner and I don’t need to be that particular about it. Once I have stitched away from the start, I will clip those threads off right at the surface of the work. Because both the top and bobbin thread are on top, it’s easy to clip the threads.

When I arrive back at the beginning of the outline, I simply stitch over the existing stitches for a bit to anchor the beginning and end of the stitches. I could also do a couple of small stitches at the beginning and at the end of the line of stitching.

One snowflake stitched in white, and one stitched in blue which is practically invisible

I used a matching thread on the reverse side of the table runner. This backing isn’t that busy so a matching thread helps to hide any flaws.

If you want to get those nice points, make sure you hesitate ever so slightly before you change direction.

It’s like dancing the waltz – there is a slight hesitation before you move to the next step.

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Pull the bobbin thread to the surface of the work and tuck it towards the back of the presser foot

In the next photo, you can see a knot that occurred because I didn’t hold the threads tight enough. In this case, that knot looks just like one of the stars on the fabric, but trust me, it’s a thread knot!

Stitch away from the start of the line of stitching and clip the threads

Quilted snowflakes

And here’s my three snowflakes nicely stitched into the center of the table runner. I’m thrilled with the results and it took a few minutes to do each including the marking! Marks that I don’t have to worry about removing.

The chalk mostly bounces away by the time I’m done the quilting.

I did mark each snowflake and then stitched it immediately, before marking the others, so that I wouldn’t disturb the design for the others while stitching one of the other snowflakes.

There’s so much more to cover in the world of free motion machine quilting.

I won’t have time to cover everything here and this is not an exhaustive tutorial. Just some basic tips and suggestions to get you over that fear of free motion quilting and to improve your stitching!

Snowman table runner with three quilted snowflakes

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Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 with optional extension table

3

essential tips that takes

stitching in the ditch to a

professional level Time sure flies when you’re having fun and I had loads of fun creating feature.

Hopefully, you’ve picked up some great tips along the way.

The Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 is a great sewing machine and also an embroidery machine. I was very happy to note that the Designer Topaz 50 is a sewing machine that does both, stitches and embroiders, beautifully which isn’t always the case with a dual purpose sewing machine.

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It executed all purposes with ease, keeping the quality of the stitches for embroidery and free motion quilting, impeccable. I was very, very happy using the Designer Topaz 50!

I’m going to show you a few things that I did with the Designer Topaz 50.

I’ll include tips for stitching in the ditch and more free motion work using the WonderFil threads I used earlier on the panel from Northcott. Let’s take a look.

Some decorative stitches are not meant to be stitched through a quilt sandwich and may not look as pretty as we would like them to be on the back and the second reason was to evaluate the size of the stitch.

Quilting with a decorative stitch I want to do some stitch in the ditch to highlight that light border on the snowman table runner.

F:7 – a snowflake stitched on the scrap quilt sandwich

I contemplated using a decorative stitch on the Designer Topaz 50 down the middle of the light border instead of (or in addition to) the stitch in the ditch.

The first step was to evaluate the stitches in the decorative stitch menus to see if there was something appropriate.

I found Stitch Number F:7 which is a snowflake. The second step was to stitch it out on my scrap quilt sandwich. I did that for two reasons.

This is the underside of the decorative stitch and it looks great!

The underside of that stitch looked just fine on the back side of the quilt sandwich. I would have been happy to stitch that out, but I felt that the stitch width was a teeny bit too small. No problem, the border isn’t that wide so if I don’t put any stitching in it, it won’t be a problem. I was just trying to find another way to use a decorative stitch.

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Stitch in the ditch What exactly is stitch in the ditch? When you press your seams to one side, there is a hill (the seam allowance part) and a valley (the side of the seam with no seam allowance). When you stitch in the ditch, you want to stitch on the valley side of the seam allowance. This will help to tuck the stitching line down into the pre-existing seam so no one can see it.

It’s hard to tell in the photo below, but the seams were pressed away from the center so the top horizontal line has the seam allowance towards the white fabric, meaning the quilting stitch has to be on the blue. On the other side of the white border, the seam is pressed to the blue (both seams are pressed in the direction of the bottom of the photo) so this time, the quilting stitch has to be on the white.

That raises the question of what color thread to use. But having used the InvisaFil from WonderFil, I don’t think it’ll be hard to find something that I can use in both spots.

The horizontal seams are pressed towards the bottom of the photo

I bet you’re puzzling about the direction that the seam allowances were pressed in, especially if you’ve been taught to always press to the darker fabric. I tossed that myth out the window years ago.

My motto now is press to eliminate bulk and if that means pressing towards the light – then I press towards the light fabric. I also try to press to be consistent and I think that’s what happened here. It doesn’t really matter – you do what you think is best, but just remember some of those myths? Well, they’re just myths!

place and lastly, I check and check and recheck after every seam to ensure that the back is still smooth in the area that I’m quilting. I would advise that you do NOT do this unless you’re comfortable with the process!

1 Choosing the right thread I set up the sewing machine for the stitch in the ditch. I kept my light blue 50 weight thread for the bobbin, it matches the backing very nicely and I didn’t want to have to change it.

I had some white WonderFil InvisaFil in my thread stash so I popped that on the top. Remember this thread is 100 weight which means it’s very, very fine.

I just happened to have a light blue very fine thread as well as the white, so I used the white on the white section and the blue on the blue section. The lines of stitching are pretty much invisible.

2 Using the a sewing foot with a flange I attached the Dual Feed foot and used one of the Interchangeable Feet. It has a flange right in the center of the foot. This is brilliant for stitching in the ditch. That flange rode along the edge of hill side of the seam allowance (in the photo below, the seam allowance is pressed to the white) and my stitch in the ditch was perfect. That flange allowed me to stitch at a fairly fast pace and little danger of wobbling onto the hill side of the seam allowance.

3 Do not pivot when stitching in the ditch I do NOT suggest that you pivot your work when doing stitch in the ditch.

However, if the piece is small enough like this table runner, there isn’t a problem.

But if you have to push and shove

The other thing you may notice is that I’m using straight pins to baste my project. This is a case of “don’t do what I do!”. I normally do not baste small items.

GASP! I know – it’s true. Partially because I’m lazy, but I do press all the layers well with a steam iron (front and back – very carefully). Then I throw some straight pins in the project to keep things in

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your quilt under the arm of the sewing machine in order to pivot, then don’t pivot. I work those seams in straight lines, stopping and starting at the edges of each section OR I use free motion stitch in the ditch.

If your piece is small enough that you can safely pivot, then be careful. You want your stitching to come right into the corner as shown below. That means that you may have to shift the work forward or back to make that happen.

Whatever you do, make sure that if you shift the project, that you keep the presser foot down whenever you take the needle in or out of the fabric.

If you don’t, you’ll get a little blip at the corner or sometimes, you’ll get a rounded corner. It takes a bit of skill and understanding of how the sewing machine works, but remember, in order to keep the tension, the presser foot has to be down when the needle moves up or down.

I know that I’m being super picky here, but if you look at the corners below, you’ll see that the one on the left is perfect while the one on the right has a teeny blip in it and it’s rounded. When I raised the needle, the presser foot was up meaning there was zero tension on the thread. That was enough to cause this little blip!

Stitching right into the corner Using the Dual Feed foot for Stitch in the Ditch

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The lines of stitching are invisible

In the big scheme of things, the corner on the right isn’t bad, but it’s details such as these that will take your quilting to the next level giving your quilting project an overall professional look. It’s up to you how you where you want to take it!

Take a close look, there are lots of instances where my backtracking wasn’t perfect. Did I worry? Did I rip it out?

Nope and I’m going to show you why.

The underside of the free motion work on a quilt panel One perfect corner, the other has a tiny blip

Free motion quilting the panel But, getting back to the free motion work on the side panels of my tote bag.

I’m working with Northcott’s Artisan Spirit Shimmer Flight of Fancy panel in the autumn colorway and this time I used the floating free motion foot. I loaded the WonderFil FabuLux thread on the top, used the InvisaFil in the bobbin. I changed the needle to a topstitch size 14, lowered the feed teeth, put on my quilting gloves and away I went. I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having!

I fused fusible fleece to the wrong side of the panel motif. There’s no backing as the bag will be lined. This is what the design looks like from the underside. I simply followed most of the lines on the motif. No marking! And I did it all in one stop and start so I had to backtrack over some of my stitching.

In the big photo below, the left side is the panel that hasn’t been quilted yet, while the right side (folded on top of the other bag panel) has been quilted.

See how that thread blends right in and provides a lot of texture on the right-hand side? I don’t need to see the stitches, I really just want to enhance the panel and do it fast! So while it may be a bit messy for you, the effect is exactly what I was looking for.

This is one of the huge advantages of having a matching thread to your work.

It blends right in and you get the texture, but no visible stitches. You can stitch fast and if you wobble a bit, who is going to notice? Matching threads (and this one was variegated as well) are a quilter’s best friend.

I also did some organic straight lines (using the floating free motion foot) as I was too lazy to change to the walking foot and why should I when I can get the effect I wanted with the free motion foot.

Organic wavy lines of quilting

This almost looks like a practice piece from a class on free motion quilting.

Simple which is good and also fast!

Density I’m going to chat about density another day, but I want to make a brief and important point here, in the photo below, you can see there’s an area that has no quilting in it. If this were a quilt, I wouldn’t be happy with that. But this is a panel for a bag – I’m letting it go!

The left side is not quilted, while the right side is

Density isn’t quite as even as it could be, but this is a panel – it’s OK

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If you’re going to do free motion along the sides like I did, be very careful. In an ideal world, you’d have 2'' – 3'' of backing or backing extending beyond your top. I had NOTHING to hang onto when I got into the corner and it was a bit tricky to keep a good stitch length. Do yourself a favor – make sure your backing and batting are larger than the top so you have something to hang onto!

Gosh, I’m thinking this article is all about what NOT to do! I do want to show you that once you’ve mastered the basic techniques, then it’s OK to experiment and do what suits you!

Since the thread was already on the Designer Topaz 50, I decided to forge ahead and top stitch the handles. That thread color just blended in beautifully with this fabric. I love the end result. The thread color enhances the fabric, but not enough to detract from the fabric color. A perfect match!

Nothing to hold onto when quilting in that corner

That brings to a close a fabulous article, using the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 for some great quilting techniques. There were loads of tips and hopefully one or two of them were enough to inspire you to pick a small project and give it a whirl.

Use GOOD tools including the sewing machine, needles, thread, and fabric. If you use inferior products, your results will be inferior as well.

Make sure you doodle – I can’t stress that enough. Most important of all, STOP criticizing yourself. Seriously – STOP! Just go with the flow, use matching threads, use busy backings and just do it!

Don’t forget to let us know if there’s something in particular that you’d like to see quilted. A particular type of project, a particular type of thread or whatever. Happy quilting!

Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 50 with optional extension table

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Color of thread is perfect for this fabric

Elaine Theriault

www.crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.ca

Dual Duty XP® combines superior strength & durability with a smooth finish for trouble-free sewing.

DUAL DUTY XP® The "Xtra Performance" All Purpose Thread.

World’s leading thread company for over 200 years. makeitcoats.com

15-020 © 2015 Coats & Clark. All rights reserved. Coats & Clark is a registered trademark.

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Red and White

Celebration Lap Quilt

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Brother NQ900 Embroidery, Sewing, Quilting, & Crafting

Use beautiful built-in embroidery designs from the PR1050X (or any lightly embroidered stitch pattern for a 10” x 10” block that you may have) to quickly stitch up this lap quilt using a Quilt As You Go Method. Your quilt is quilted by the embroidery design saving you quilting time.

Fast, Fun and Fabulous!

skill level Intermediate finished measurement 50” x 40” [127 x 102cm] materials fabric • 3½ yds white cotton for embroidered squares and 4 patch blocks • 3½ yds red cotton for embroidered squares, sashing strips and borders • 1 fat quarter coordinating fabric for 4 patch blocks • 3 yds print fabric for backing • 2½ yds quilt batting threads • red rayon embroidery thread • white rayon embroidery thread • light grey cotton thread equipment • NQ900 Brother Sewing Machine • Brother Entrepreneur® Pro X PR1050X Embroidery Machine • 9½” x 9½” embroidery hoop • rotary cutter and mat • 505 adhesive spray (optional) Notes • WOF = width of fabric • All seam allowances are ¼”

Entrepreneur Pro X PR1050X

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instructions

Fabric in the hoop

Design on the screen Attach sashing to the block

Cutting instructions • 6 – 12” x 12” squares from white fabric (embroidered block 1) • 6 – 12” x 12” squares from red fabric (embroidered block 2) • 12 – 12” x 12” squares of quilt batting (embroidered blocks) • 12 – 12” x 12” squares of backing fabric (back of embroidered blocks) • 2 – 3” x 50” strips of fabric for side borders • 2 – 3” x 45” strips of fabric for top and bottom borders • 2 – 8” x 55” strips and 2 strips 8” x 45” for quilt facing (same fabric as quilt back) • 2 – 3” x width of quilt, strips of batting • 2 – 3” x length of quilt, strips of batting • 4 – 2” x WOF strips of fabric for the 4 patch appliqué block patches.

Two different print fabrics and white fabrics were used in the sample.

• 1” x WOF sashing strips Note: 4 – 1” x 12” strips for each embroidered quilt block. Red blocks are sashed with white fabric and white blocks are sashed with red fabric.

• 3” x WOF sashing strips for back of blocks.

Note: 8 – 3” x 12” strips for the back of each block to use to sash the back of the blocks together.

• 3 – 3” x 35” strips to join the rows. Fold the 3” strip lengthwise – 1½” in width Note: For the quilt back sashing use the same fabric as the quilt back or use a coordinating fabric.

Embroidering blocks 1. Layer quilt block fabric with a piece of quilt batting and a piece of backing fabric.

2. Hoop layered fabric in 9½” x 9½” or 9½” x 14” hoop.

3. Select embroidery design #012 or #017 (in the PR1050X).

4. Add a basting line around the outside of the design.

5. Stitch 3 white blocks with design #012 using red embroidery thread; and stitch 3 blocks with design #017 using red embroidery thread; 6 white and 6 red blocks in total.

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6. Stitch 3 red blocks with design #012 using white embroidery thread; and 3 red blocks with design #017 using white embroidery thread. (6 red blocks in total).

7. You should have a total of 12 embroidered blocks.

8. For each block remove layered fabric from hoop; trim and square to 11” square.

Add Sashing to Each Block 1. With right sides together place the 1” x 12” a strip of sashing fabric to one of the outside edges of the embroidered block.

2. Stitch sashing to block.

3. Repeat for all four sides of the block.

4. Press sashing away from the blocks.

Note: Stitch red sashing to the white block; white sashing to the red blocks.

Add Border to Quilt Front With right sides together stitch 3” border strips to the sides and top of the quilt top.

Assembling Rows of Blocks 1. Lay out sashed quilt blocks alternating red and white embroidered blocks.

2. With right sides together stitch the blocks together, stitching the edge of a white sashing to the edge of a red sashing.

3. Repeat this step to join all the blocks of row one of the quilt.

4. Flip the quilt over.

5. Now attach the sashing strips to the back of the quilt. Sashing strips will be attached to the right side of the first block and the right side of the second block of the row. It isn’t necessary to add a sashing strip to the third block in the row.

6. Lay the raw edge of the quilt back sashing strip to the back of the quilt block.

7. Stitch in place, making sure to keep the front sashing out of the way.

8. When a quilt sashing strip is attached to the back of a quilt block it should fold over to hide the seam join.

Instruction photos by Lynn Swanson

9. Pin quilt sashing strip in place.

10. Flip quilt over to the right side and stitch in the ditch of the embroidered block and the sashing strip.

Note: The picture shows stitching in white thread so you can visualize the stitching.

By using the same colour thread as the sashing strip the stitching disappears.

11. Repeat steps 2 and 3 above to join the block into rows.

Note: Don't worry about perfect joins of the seams where 4 blocks join together you will be covering the join with an appliquéd 4 patch block.

Join Rows of Blocks 1. Sew the horizontal sashing strips to the back of the quilt. Sashing strips will be attached to the bottom of the blocks in row 1, 2 and 3.

2. Lay the raw edge of the quilt back sashing strip to the back of the first row of quilt blocks.

3. Stitch in place, making sure to keep the front sashing out of the way.

4. Repeat for rows 2 and 3.

5. When a back of quilt sashing strip is attached it should fold over to hide the seam join.

6. Pin back of quilt sashing strip in place.

7. Flip quilt over to the right side and stitch in the ditch of the embroidered block and the sashing strip.

Final Assembly of Quilt 1. Lay strip of quilt batting 3” x width of quilt to the wrong side of quilt border strip (top and bottom). Use 505 adhesive spray to hold in place if desired.

2. Lay strip of quilt batting 3” by length of quilt to the wrong side of quilt border strip (left and right side). Use 505 spray to hold in place if desired.

3. Fold 8” x 45” fabric strip in half to form 4” x 45” strip.

4. Stitch raw edges backing fabric strip to the edges of the outside quilt border strip, in this order: top edge, bottom edge, left side, right side.

5. Fold and press to the back of the quilt.

6. Stitch in the ditch from the right side of the quilt to secure quilt facing in place.

4 Patch Appliqué blocks 1. Stitch 1 white 2” strip to a red 2” strip.

2. Repeat with a second print strip.

3. Cut into 2” blocks.

4. Rotate colours and stitch into 4 patch blocks.

5. Fold to the back side ¼” on all sides of the 4 patch blocks. Press in place 6. On the right side of the quilt position the 4 patch blocks over the joins between the quilt blocks. This will hide any untidy seam joins.

7. Using a blanket stitch, stitch around the outside of the blocks to stitch in place.

Attach sashing to quilt back

Stitch in the Ditch

Lynn Swanson Brother Educator Western Canada www.brother.ca

Appliqué block 2

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Flight of Fancy

2 other colorways: Blue Lagoon and Earth

Designed by Deborah Edwards, Flight of Fancy, the latest addition to Artisan Spirit Shimmer is stunning and sophisticated! The collection is offered in three palettes including Autumn, Earth and Lagoon.

The featured panel and full width ombre are elegantly depicted and exquisitely detailed.

Complementing the panel and ombre are tossed butterflies, dragonflies and feathers. Flight of Fancy was created with the same refinement and style as in the existing Shimmer patterns.

All of the existing blenders in Shimmer coordinate seamlessly with Flight of Fancy.

Panel photos courtesy of Northocott Fabrics

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In creating the quilt patterns, the designers should make full use of the panel and ombre.

As well as incorporating the new designs, they should use the existing coordinates that are shown with this group to offer relief from the busy patterns.

quilting

skill level intermediate finished measurements 51” x 47” [129 x 119.5cm] materials fabric • 1 panel – Fabric A (21662M-39) Butterfly Panel NOTE: You may wish to carefully trim the border away from the center before you cut out the motifs. The border from the panel was used to frame the blocks, but there wasn’t enough to make the inner border. You may choose to use the dark raindrops fabric for all the frames and inner border.

Trim the center butterfly to 17” x 13”. Center the butterfly so approximately 3⁄8” extends above and below the motif.

Trim the dragonfly to 11½” x 7½” Trim the small butterfly to 10½” x 7½” • 1½ yard – Fabric B (21461M-580) Dark Raindrops (frames, outer border and binding) Cut three (3) strips measuring 1½” x wof (block frames) (you may wish to use the border from the panel for this part) ◊ Subcut two pieces that measure 17” x 1½” ◊ Subcut two pieces that measure 15” x 1½” ◊ Subcut one piece that measures 11½” x 1½” ◊ Subcut one piece that measures 10½” x 1½” ◊ Subcut two pieces that measure 8½” x 1½” Cut four (4) strips measuring 1½” x wof (inner border) Cut five (5) strips measuring 4½” x wof (outer border) ◊ Join end to end using a straight seam.

Cut six (6) strips measuring 2½” x wof (binding) ◊ Join end to end using a diagonal seam • 5⁄8 yard – Fabric C (21665M-39) Overall Motifs (background) Cut two (2) strips measuring 8½” x wof • 5⁄8 yard – Fabric D (21664M-39) Overall

Wings (border 2) Cut four (4) strips measuring 3½” x wof (2nd border) ◊ Join end to end using a diagonal seam • 2¾ yard Backing Pieced crosswise other • matching thread • rotary cutter • cutting mat • ruler • pins

Instructions

Notes: Use ¼” Seam Allowance unless otherwise stated.

It’s best to NOT prewash preprinted fabrics such as panels and border prints.

The fabric goes through many processes to be delivered to the consumer and there may be some size variations. If you’re unable to cut the panels/border prints to the sizes mentioned above, cut the pieces to a size that works for your panels and adjust any other measurements accordingly.

Block frames 1. Using Fabric B (or the border from the panel), sew a 17” frame to the top and bottom of the large butterfly block.

Press away from the center.

2. Sew a 15” frame to the two sides of the large butterfly block. Press away from the center.

3. Sew an 11½” frame to the bottom of the dragonfly block.

4. Sew an 8½” frame to the left side of the dragonfly block. Press away from the block.

5. Sew a 10½” frame to the top of the small butterfly block.

6. Sew an 8½” frame to the right hand side of the butterfly block. Press away from the block.

Quilt Center 1. Measure the height of the large butterfly block including the frame. It should be 15”. From EACH of the 8 ½” strips of Fabric C, cut one piece that measures 15” x 8½”. Sew one to each side of the framed butterfly block.

Press towards the frame.

2. Sew the remainder of one strip of Fabric C to the LEFT hand side of the dragonfly block and sew the remainder of the other strip of Fabric C to the RIGHT hand side of the small butterfly block.

3. Measure the width of the center section, should be 35”. Using that measurement as a guide cut the dragonfly and the small butterfly ‘border’ strips to match the length of the center section.

4. Sew to the top and bottom of the large butterfly section and press away from the center.

Inner Border 1. Using Fabric B, cut TWO pieces of fabric that measure the center width of the wall hanging.

2. Match the center of the inner border to the center of the wall hanging and pin.

3. Match the ends of the inner border to both ends of the wall hanging and pin. You may have to ease the inner border or the wall hanging. Sew the seams. Press toward the inner border.

4. Repeat this process for the side inner borders using the height (through the center) of the wall hanging as your measurement guide.

2nd Border Repeat the steps for the inner border using Fabric D, add the 2nd border.

Outer Border Repeat the steps for the inner border using Fabric B, add the outer border.

Elaine Theriault

Fabric Collection: Artisan Spirit Shimmer Flight of Fancy - Autumn by Deborah Edwards www.northcott.com

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City Landscape Vest Create mirrored fabric and then use it to cut out a simple vest. I have done this with as little as two fabrics to a maximum of six, always keeping the sky or the top fabric the same. Although I used red and white with a hint of black you can get a very elegant look using black and gold and for a quick serger sweatshirt use this technique with fleece and don’t quilt it.

This is a version of Bargello quilting. It's much easier and quicker as you don't need to worry about lining up perfect points. Working with strips of different widths and less colors you will get the look of a city skyline. A great technique for the first time quilter!

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quilting

skill level intermediate finished measurements This is a technique more than the project, use the size and pattern that’s best for you. materials fabric • 2¼yd [2m] white cotton • 3 different red prints • 2¾yd [2.5m] Colour 1 red dots (quilted fabric and lining) • 39” [1m] Colour 2 solid red • 20” [50cm] Colour 3 black with red maple leaves Note: There will be some left over of each of these fabrics. This will allow a little play room.

• 39” x 59” [1 x 1.5m] Fairfield light weight cotton batting pattern • Burda 6986 was used for this sample notions • 1 – 65cm red, 2 way separating zipper • 1 – 65cm white, 2 way separating zipper thread • white Gütermann cotton thread • red Gütermann cotton thread • clear invisible Sulky thread sewing feet • ¼” foot • stitch in the Ditch foot • zipper foot needle • Schmetz Quilting size 75/11 or Microtex size 70/10 cutting tools • cutting mat • rotary cutter • 6” x 24” ruler • scissors suggested sewing notions • double sided basting tape • point turner • pins • iron • wonder clips • temporary fabric markers

instructions Sewing Machine set up Sewing Foot: ¼” foot Needle: Schmetz Mictrox Needle size 70/10 or Quilting needle size 75/11 Stitch: Straight Stitch Length 2 mm Tension: Normal Thread: White Gütermann cotton thread Cutting Instructions White Fabric 1 piece 20” x wof 1 piece 24” x wof 1 piece 12” x wof Colour 1 1 piece 20” x wof Colour 2 1 piece 24” x wof Colour 3 1 piece 12” x wof

1

2

Creating the Quilted Fabric Step 1 To determine the length of quilted fabric required for your size pattern, measure the vest back pattern from the shoulder to bottom edge, double this measurement, add the 15”.

Example: Back 36” x 2 = 72” +15” = 87” Note: This cannot be larger 88”, so choose the pattern carefully or shorten the vest.

Step 2 1. Piece one: 20” x wof white and 20” x wof colour 1.

2. Cut the red fabric in half so you have 2 pieces 20” x ½ wof.

3. Trim selvages of all three pieces.

4. Right sides together, stitch a red piece to each selvage end of the white fabric creating a strip 20” x 88”. Photo 1 5. Press seam towards the red and straighten one side.

Step 3 Cut 6 strips 2½” x 88”.

Step 4 1. Piece two, 24”x wof white and 24” x wof colour 2. Cut the red fabric in half so you have 2 pieces 24” x ½ wof.

2. Trim selvages of all three pieces.

3. Right sides together, stitch a red piece to each selvage end of the white fabric creating a strip 24” x 88”. Press seam towards the red and straighten one side.

Step 5 Cut 10 strips 2” x 88”.

Step 6 1. Piece three, 12”x wof white and 12” x wof colour 3.

2. Cut the red fabric in half so you have 2 pieces 12” x ½ wof.

3. Trim selvages of all three pieces.

4. Right sides together, stitch a red piece to each selvage end of the white fabric creating a strip 12” x 88”. Press seam towards the red and straighten one side.

Step 7 Cut 6 strips 1½” x 88”.

Note: These amounts are for a size 12 if you’re using a larger or smaller pattern, adjust the number of strips.

Step 8 Sew strips with right sides together, making them randomly uneven as in photo 2, keeping the up and down spacing to no more than 4” – 5” from previous strip. Working from the center outwards, start with colour 3 add colour 2 on each side. Continue in this manner adding colour 1 on each side and then colour 2. Repeat in this pattern (3-2-12) until all strips have been used. Your panel should be approximately 30” wide.

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Step 9 Press all seams open.

Step 10 Place light weight cotton batting on the wrong side of the panel.

Step 11 Set sewing machine up for Stitch in the Ditch.

Sewing Machine set up Sewing Foot: Stitch in the Ditch foot Needle: Schmetz Mictrox Needle size 70/10 or Quilting needle size 75/11 Stitch: Straight Stitch Length 2.5 mm Tension: Normal Thread (Top) Sulky invisible thread; (Bottom) White 60 weight bobbin thread Step 12 Starting on the center strip, stitch in the ditch down the length of each seam.

Step 13 Press.

Fabric is now quilted and ready to make a vest.

Garment Construction Sewing Machine set up Sewing Foot: Zipper foot Needle: Schmetz Mictrox Needle size 70/10 or Quilting needle size 75/11 Stitch: Straight Stitch Length 2.5 mm Tension: Normal Thread: White GĂźtermann cotton thread Step 1 1. Back: Remove the center back seam allowance from the pattern.

2. Place the lower edge of the pattern as far down on the reds as possible aligning the center back with the center strip (Colour 3).

3. Trace pattern piece, flip over aligning the center back and trace second side.

Step 2 Front: Place the lower edge of the pattern as far down on the reds on the opposite end of the panel with the center front lined up on the seam of the center strip, trace the right front.

Step 3 Flip the pattern piece over and move over slightly to other side of the center strip. Trace the left front.

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Step 4 Cut out the three pieces for the vest (2 fronts and 1 back). DO NOT cut the center back seam.

Step 5 Cut one back lining on the fold from Colour 1.

Step 6 With right sides together cut front lining from Colour 1.

Step 7 Sew side seams of lining together, leaving a 12� opening on one the side seams.

Step 8 Press the shoulder seam allowances to the wrong side.

Step 9 Sew sides seams of the quilted fabric together.

Step 10 Press open side seams on lining and quilted fabric.

Step 15 Clip the seams and remove excess batting.

Step 16 Reach in through the opening in the lining side seam. Turn the vest right side out.

Step 17 Press.

Step 18 Sew quilted shoulder seams together and press open.

Step 19 Slip stich shoulder lining seams and side seam.

Step 20 Press.

Step 21 If you like the look of topstitching, topstitch the vest with white or red thread.

Step 11 Using two different colours of zippers to create one dual coloured zipper: separate the zippers and take one side from each zipper, zip together and put the other two sides away. On front side of both zipper tapes place double sided basting tape.

Photo 3.

Step 12 1. Place the zipper along the center front of the vest (quilted fabric), right sides together matching the raw edges.

2. Remove the paper from the basting tape and finger press in place.

3. Baste in place.

4. Repeat for the second front.

3

Step 13 Pin lining to the quilted piece, right sides together.

Step 14 1. Starting at the front of the shoulder, leaving the shoulder seam open, stitch the front of vest and continuing along the bottom and around the other front finishing at the second shoulder opening.

2. Stitch back neck.

3. Stitch the arm holes.

Cathy McClean Product Specialist www.hakidd.com

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Q U I LTs o c i a l b l o g g e r s

Christine Baker

FairfieldRoadDesigns.com

Christine has been designing and publishing quilt patterns for the last 10 years under the business n ame Fair f ield Road Desi g ns .

Her patterns range from fusible applique and piecing to felted wool applique and punchneedle. You can see all her patterns on her website.

Elaine Theriault

crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.ca

Jean Boyd

patternsbyjeanboyd.com

Je a n h a s b e e n d e s i g n i n g a n d publishing patterns since 1997. Her work has been published in several magazines across North America.

Jean holds a Fiber Arts Certificate in quilting and has taught extensively throughout Canada, including six national Quilt Canada conferences.

She was named "Canadian Teacher of the Year" in 2003 by the Canadian Quilters Association and has won numerous awards for her quilts.

Elaine made her first quilt at the tender age of 13. The urge to quilt resurfaced when her daughter moved from a crib. The rest is history – she now teaches several days a week, makes quilts on commission and quilts for others on the long-arm .

Paul LĂŠger

paullegerquilts.com

I took my first quilting course in September 1994 in Barrie, Ontario, near the armed forces base where I was stationed. After moving to Ottawa in 1996, I joined my first guild. I took more courses and began to buy quilting books and lots of fabrics. Quilting has become my passion. I have made over 150 more quilts since then, and have never looked back. I now share my knowledge of quilting by teaching and doing presentations , and blogging!

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Allison Spence

meadowrosequilts.com Allison began teaching sewing and quilting while working at a sewing machine dealer in Calgary, Alberta.

She also owned her own fabric store and sewing school for 6 years where she had the wonderful opportunity to teach a wide variety of classes to many sewers, young and old. She now has a studio and classroom in her home and does customer quilts. She teaches in her studio, locally and in North America. Allison has a very, very supportive husband, 2 daughters and granddaughter close by.

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and there's so much more!

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

To list your business in this space please call 1.866.969.2678.

Brenda Franklin Designs 7570 Mapleton SR 18 RR 1, Alma, ON N0B 1A0  519.638.9958  bfdesigns.on.ca  help@bfdesigns.on.ca More than 500 charts available for counted needlework, latch hook rugs, beadwork, beaded knits and knitting patterns. Mail/fax order or ask for our products at your local shop. Contact us for custom designs or needle felted sculpture.

Brampton Sew & Serge 289 Rutherford Rd S, Unit 7, Brampton, ON L6W 3R9  905.874.1564  sewnserge.com  monique@bramptonsewnserge.com Welcome to Your One Stop Sewing Centre! We are authorized dealers of Baby Lock, Husqvarna Viking, and Singer sewing machines and sergers. We also offer a full schedule of sewing classes for everyone.

Heartfelt Fibre Arts 42 Industrial St, Toronto, ON M4G 1Y9  647.920.3616  heartfeltfibrearts.com  info@hearftfeltfibrearts.com Canadian Fibre Arts supply store specializing in high-quality, unique fibre and tools for all of your knitting, felting, rug hooking and stitching needs.

Impressions Embroidery & Engraving #8-449 Mayor Magrath Dr S, Lethbridge, AB T1J 3L8  403.942.3934  impressionslethbridge.ca  impressions22@shaw.ca Our shop does embroidery and laser engraving.

Laser engraving is a beautiful process for fabric, as nothing cuts cleaner and more precisely than a laser. We now carry a nice array of fabric as well to compliment the abilities of the laser.

Bytowne Threads - Ottawa, ON  1.888.831.4095  bytownethreads.com  mlj@bytownethreads.com Featuring AURIfil® thread from Italy. Long staple Egyptian cotton threads - 270 colours in 12, 28, 40 and 50 wt; 88 colours in 80 wt. Polyester Aurilux 240 high sheen colours. Wool threads - 192 colours.

Many kits available. Check our website!

My Sewing Room 148-8228 MacLeod Trl SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2B8  403.252.3711  mysewingroom.ca  Queenofeverything@mysewingroom.ca Canada's Largest Independently Owned Quilting Store with fabric, patterns, kits, notions, sewing machines and more! My Sewing Room boasts over 10,000 bolts of 100% cotton fabric from designers and manufacturers from around the world.

Canadian National Fabric - Melancthon, ON  https://canadiannationalfabric.com/  info@canadiannationalfabric.com We are an online fabric shoppe offering a wide variety of fabrics, patterns, books and notions for all your sewing needs. Flat rate Canada wide shipping of $5 with FREE SHIPPING for orders over $75. Shop in person available by appointment!

Needles & Knits 15040 Yonge St, Aurora, ON L4G 1M4  905.713.2066  needlesandknits.com Fabulous selection of yarns. Extremely knowledgable and expert help. Cozy and friendly atmosphere. Classes. Guild night every first Tuesday of the month. Tea with Tove, the owner, every Thursday from 6-8pm.

Country Concessions 1 Dufferin St, Cookstown, ON L0L 1L0  705.458.4546 or toll-free 1.888.834.4407  countryconcessions.com  quilting@countryconcessions.com Visit our lovely and unique quilt shop in the quaint village of Cookstown. We have over 7000 bolts of cotton fabrics plus a wide selection of patterns, books & notions. You will be so glad you came for a visit.

Needleworker's Delight / Silkweaver Fabrics Plaza K 181 Route 1 South, Metuchen, NJ 08840  732-388-4545  needleworkersdelight.com  info@needleworkersdelight.com Standard & specialty Zweigart Fabrics & canvas, hand-dyed fabrics, floss, fibers, towels, tableware, leaflets/designs, painted canvases, notions, tools, baby items, home decor, and so much more!

Gitta's 271 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON L5G 1G8  905.274.7198  gittas.com  questions@gittas.com Gitta's, named after owner Gitta Al-Basi, nestled in the east village of Port Credit, is the place where stitchers meet with their stitching friends, shop for stitching supplies and see the new stitching designs from Europe and the United States.

Hardanger House PO Box 1223, Stettler, AB T0C 2L0  403.742.2749  tnplisting.com/hardanger-house.html Hardanger embroidery charts and kits designed

by Betty Stokoe. Hardanger House designs feature contemporary adaptations of this traditional cutwork embroidery from Norway. Shop online at https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/HardangerHouse.

Some digital downloads available.

Haus of Stitches 626 Main Street, Humboldt, SK S0K 2A0  306.682.0772 or toll-free 1.800.344.6024  hausofstitches.ca Our one of a kind store offers everything you need for sewing, quilting, knitting, rug hooking and needlework. Authorized dealers for Janome and Elna.

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Pine Ridge Knit & Sew 17477 Hwy 2 PO Box 68, Trenton, ON K8V 5R1  613.392.1422  pineridgeknitsew.com  yvette@pineridgeknitsew.com We have knitting machines by Artisan and Silver Reed, embroidery machines by Husqvarna/Viking & White. Sewing notions and supplies, books and software. Hands-on lessons and classes. Wide variety of yarns, threads, dress and pant zippers.

Ruby Pearl Quilts 500 King St W, Suite 8, Oshawa, ON L1J 2K9  905.436.3535  rubypearlquilts.com  joy@rubypearlquilts.com We are your full service source of professional quilting equipment, products, & courses. Led by 44 years of sewing experience & more than 20 years of quilting experience, we have the experience necessary to help you push your hobby to the next level!

Ruti's Needlebed 10 Thomas St, Mississauga, ON L5M 1Y5  905.821.9370  ruti.ca Mississauga's Finest Quilting and Knitting Store!!

Come see our huge selection of yarn, fabric, supplies, sewing machines and knitting machines…a local store for all your quilting, sewing, knitting needs! We offer a wide variety of classes.

Serenity Knits 525 Brooker Ridge #102, Newmarket, ON L3X 2M2  905.710.3283  serenityknits.ca  info@serenityknits.ca We offer a wide selection of high quality yarns as well as needles, hooks, patterns and notions. We also offer a large variety of classes from beginner to the more advanced.

Sew Fancy Inc. Guelph, ON  519.824.4127  sewfancy.com  sales@sewfancy.com Your Premier Canadian Source for Specialty Sewing Supplies including Smocking, Heirloom Sewing, Goldwork, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Needle Tatting, Swarovski Crystals, Sashiko, Quilting and more. Visit the website for the latest in sewing supplies.

That Sewing Place 16610 Bayview Ave #10, Newmarket, ON L3X 1X3  905.715.7725  thatsewingplace.ca  jaret&liana@thatsewingplace.ca Introducing That Sewing Place as your sewing source and Authorized Dealers for Bernina and Brother machines. Jaret & Liana focus on placing your sewing needs first, providing outstanding support, service, and training.

The Quilt Store / Evelyn's Sewing Centre 17817 Leslie St, Unit 40, Newmarket, ON L3Y 8C6  905.853.7001 or toll-free 1.888.853.7001  thequiltstore.ca Evelyn's Sewing Centre in Newmarket is your Quilt Store Destination! The staff here at Evelyn's is always on hand to provide Quilt Wisdom, Quilt Inspiration and most of all we pride ourselves as the place to make... All Your Quilt Dreams Come True!

The Stitching Corner #2, 185 First St E, Cochrane, AB T4C 2E9  403.932.3390  stitchingcorner.ca  nygabe@telus.net Your Needlework Shop in Cochrane.

The Stitcher's Muse 99 Commercial Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G3  250.591.6873  thestitchersmuse.com  info@thestitchersmuse.com A divine little shop with supplies for all your hand stitching needs! Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff. Cross stitch, canvaswork, needlepoint, embroidery, counted thread, lace making and more. Books, patterns, fabric, threads, tools.

The Yarn Guy 15 Gower St, Toronto, ON M4B 1E3  416.752.1828 or toll-free 1.800.836.6536  theyarnguy.com  info@sewknit.ca See us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter!

Knitting machines, sewing machines, repairs, parts for Passap, Studio, Singer, Silver Reed, Superba, White. Sewing notions and supplies, books, ball yarns, coned yarns, TAMM yarns, Paton's yarns, Bernat yarns, Phentex yarns, Bernat kits & crafts.

Ultimate Sewing Centre 191 Bloor St East, Oshawa, ON L1H 3M3  905.436.9193  ultimatesewing.com  ultimatesewing@bellnet.ca For all your sewing needs be sure to call Durham’s largest one stop shop: Janome and Elna Sewing Machines, Sergers, & Embroidery machines, over 3000 bolts of first quality cottons, Floriani Embroidery supplies, the latest notions, books, & patterns, year round classes, and so much more!

Upper Canada Quiltworks PO Box 64, Brockville, ON K6V 5T7  613.345.3956 Fax: 613.342.3327  uppercanadaquiltworks.com Visit us online for a wide selection quilt patterns and books. Techniques include felted wool, fusible appliqué, punchneedle, rag quilting and printing photos on fabric.

Your quest for the best stops here.

Brother’s Q-Series machines are ready to take your sewing passion to a whole new level! Whether you’re a seasoned sewer, an embroidery enthusiast or a crafty quilter, you’ll find the perfect model with the best features, fast embroidery speeds, super-sized workspaces and fantastic functions.

Quench your creativity and bring all your projects to life!

Impressive 8.3” from needle to arm

Exceptional sewing experience with longer feed dogs and zigzag foot

Filled with easy-to-use features

Exclusive

Disney is in our DNA. Our machines have the magic of Disney embroidery designs built right in.

Visit your Brother authorized dealer, or go to brother.ca to discover more.

INSPIRING CREATIVITY FOR GENERATIONS * Disney embroidery designs are built-in the NQ3500D sewing machine model. The Disney embroidery designs are included in select Q-Series sewing machine models. Photos are for illustration purposes only. The NQ3500D shown in this ad has been manufactured by Brother Industries, Ltd., under a licensing agreement with Disney Enterprise Inc., through which Brother has permission to use the Disney images. The embroidery designs built into the embroidery machine are for personal use within the home only and may not be used for business or industrial purposes. Brother and its logo are trademarks of Brother Industries, Lts., Japan. All specifications are subject to change without notice. All registered trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective companies. ©2017 Brother International Corporation (Canada) Ltd. 1, rue Hôtel de Ville, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Québec, H9B 3H6. ©Disney 06/2017 - 94598

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A NEEDLE PULLING THREAD

QUILT SEW KNIT CROCHET CROSS STITCH EMBROIDER HOOK RUGS

A Needle Pull

A NEEDLE PULLIN G THREAD

QUILT SEW KNIT CRO CHET CRO SS STITCH

EMBROIDER

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