Tuesday, August 26, 2014

My quilty little secrets

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post! Things have been busy around here, and believe it or not, I actually have been sewing, but I guess I just couldn't muster the energy to write about it. I'm going to blame it on the heat....

Anyway, a few weeks ago, Amy over at 13 Spools wrote a great post confessing her 10 Quilty Little Secrets. It's now become a bit of a thing, so I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring, too. Here you go...

13 Spools

(1) I use good old Coats and Clark for almost all of my thread (definitely for piecing and usually for quilting).

(2) I use steam in my iron, and I don't press, I iron.

(3) With very few exceptions (mostly a few basics), I am not a fan of Anna Maria Horner or Amy Butler fabrics ... and a lot of the Cotton + Steel fabrics (though I LOVE their basics).

(4) I machine quilt all of my bindings.

(5) I love the look of EPP, but I hate hand sewing, so there goes that.

(6) I like the idea of designing my own patterns, but I'm perfectly happy to use ones others have created, often with my own little twist.

(7) I like the idea and process of improv piecing, but I'm my own worst critic and often don't end up liking the look of the result.

(8) I second guess my choices all the time and constantly ask my hubby for his opinion (and listen most of the time).

(9) I generally don't pin while quilting unless I'm connecting really long strips with lots of seams to match.

(10) I don't cut my backing and binding as big as they're "supposed" to be. I cut both about 2" wider than the quilt all the way around. I generally lay my quilt top on top of my batting (on the floor), then cut around it (eyeballing the 2"), then lay the batting on top of my quilt back and cut it to the same size. I've never had a problem with the backing not covering the top after quilting.

(11) I sew on a (very) basic Singer.

So what are your quilty little secrets? Feel free to leave a comment or link up your own post over on Amy's blog.

5 comments:

  1. Great list. I am guilty of number 10 too.

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  2. Love your list of quilty secrets! I can identify with several. I agonize over my fabric choices to the point of exhaustion. In the end, it usually turns out just fine, so I wind up wondering what all the fuss was about! I, too, love the idea of creating my own patterns/designs. In fact, I purchased EQ7 when it came out earlier this year for Mac users. I am intent on learning how to use it. Like you, I have no problem using existing patterns.

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    1. Gina, yes! It definitely takes me a long time to choose fabrics, and I'm never very confident in my choices until they're cut up and sewn together. Good luck with your designing!

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  3. I ask my hubby for his opinion all the time too, but generally end up ignoring it!

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