С��è��ý

Stringing Beads is a free pattern from Jordan Fabrics. The pattern tells you what and how much fabric you will need. Donna Jordan has created a tutorial for this pattern. Please give it a look.

Should you prewash your fabric? It depends. Washing removes the stay in the fabric and removes any bleeding of colors. It creates a softer length of fabric with which to work. Not washing gives it a stiffer length of fabric some find easier with which to work. Be careful of any possible bleeding. It’s all u p to you. BTW, don’t prewash pre-cut bundles like Jelly Rolls or 5″/10″ packs. What a hassle!

Should you cut your fabric before class? It also depends–if you are a newbie, you might want to wait in order to learn how to read the pattern and how to cut. If you are an oldie then you may just want to get it going. It’s up to you.

1. Sewing Machine
   A basic machine is great. There is no need for a fancy machine in order to quilt. If it stitches forward, backwards, and maybe has a zigzag stitch, it is just fine. You might want to upgrade once you have become addicted to quilting, but not yet .
   **Bring your machine to class!
2. Rotary Cutter
   A good 45mm rotary cutter is what is needed. There are smaller bladed and larger bladed cutters, but for general purposes a 45mm cutter is perfect. And while you are there, grab a package of extra blades. Some quilters change their blades often…I tend to think of it when I am pushing down on the fabric like it is an inch thick. And even then I don’t immediately. Why? I’m busy cutting fabric! And then once I do change the blade, it is like cutting butter and I wonder what took me so long to change the blade? I like Olfa Endurance blades because they really do last longer. But any 45mm blades are great.
   **Bring your cutter and extra blades to class!
3. Self-healing Cutting Mat
   A self-healing cutting mat is what you use under your rotary blade. It saves your desk or table 🙂 Size needed? At least 16”x 24”. This will give you room to cut and trim and have things in your way, like other blocks. The best size for cutting fabric is 24”x 36”. This size allows you to only fold once when you cut your fabric. This saves time and there is less chance of “slightly off” cuts. But truth is, the best size is the size that fits your space. There are smaller mats that are great for trimming, but too small for cutting fabric.
   **You can bring your cutting mat to class or use the one I bring–but you’ll have to wait your turn 🙂
4. Fabric Shears and Clippers
   Have one pair of scissors for fabric. Have another for paper and plastic and gardening and repairing outside tools. But your fabric sears should be for fabric only. This keeps them sharp, smooth, and clean. Take a strict “hands off!” approach. Clippers are used even more than fabric shears. I like a small scissor that looks like the big shears. Some people like a different one. My mother loved a clipper that she could hold in her palm and clip threads. I’ve tried all sorts of styles and finally found what I really enjoy.
   **Bring your clippers and scissors to class!
5. Rulers
   A good quilting ruler is a must. If you are only buying one ruler, make it about 6” x 16” or 6”x 24”. The ruler should show at least ¼”, ½”, ¾”, and 1” marks. I  like them to have 1/8” markings as well as angles (60, 45, etc angles). I love my 6”x 12” ruler because I need to have a smaller cutting board (18”x 24”) near my machine so therefore, the 12” and the 24” are used the most.  I also like a 6.5” square ruler to trim blocks, but the 12” can do just as well.
   **Bring your rulers to class!
6. Seam Ripper
   Oh the joys of stitching wrong and needing to rip all that sewing out. That’s when we start doing the Frog Stitch…when we rippit rippit rippit. So much easier to use a seam ripper than a little pair of clippers. Make sure your seam ripper has that little red ball on one end. My blog explains that little red ball:
   **Bring your seam ripper to class!
7. Quilting Pins
   Quilting pins are longer than regular pins. Quilting pins are great for…quilting! You want to get something long and strong. A pin holds fabric together as we sew; therefore, we want a pin long enough and strong enough to go through layers of cloth or batting or whatever. Most quilting pins are between 1.5” and 2” in length. Clover’s quilting pins are listed as “fine” and Dritz’s are simply listed as “quilting pins.” They should be fine enough to slip through the fabric, and sturdy enough to slip through layers of fabrics and batting.
   **Bring quilting pins to class!
8. Iron
   An iron is such a well-used tool, I take it for granted. I often forget to mention it. It doesn’t need to be a fancy-smancy iron that practically irons everything for you. It doesn’t need to even be a steam iron. In my on-campus quilting class, the irons are all inexpensive-from-Freddy’s-or-Walmart irons. They no longer hold water for steam. They get hot…they iron seams…they work. The one I have at home is better. It has steam, doesn’t leak, and doesn’t spit at me. I’m happy. I get iron-envy when I watch a quilting video and they have some cool iron that stands up on little legs or nestles in a tray of some kind. But my iron does the job.
   **I supply irons and ironing boards
9. Thread
   Old thread will easily break. Icky thread may gum up your machine. Good thread is happy thread. I use everything around, including Coats and Clarks thread. My machine is happy. But I had a machine that was picky about thread and needed Mettler or Gutermann thread to stay happy. According to cabininthewoodsquilters.com, “Most quilt professionals are going to recommend at 50wt thread (depending on the brand) for quilting and they will always recommend using a 100% cotton thread for piecing. Something thick enough to be sturdy but not so thick that you see the stitches after pressing.” Like I said. I use just about anything. 50WT or 60WT are just perfect for piecing your quilt. I use cotton. I use poly. I don’t care. Choose a neutral color like natural or a light grey. Use it for the whole piecing process. When quilting you might use another color, but not behind the scenes. The exception is Navy Blue and Black. These should be pieced with dark thread.

Questions? Email me @ dwerkman@pcc.edu, pollyanna66@comcast.net, or text @ 503-703-6404