Thursday, August 28, 2014

10 Quilty Secrets

I am stuck on the couch under a sick and cross 1 year old today so I thought I would join in and share my 10 Quilty Secrets at 13 Spools. 
1. I love Liberty fabric, but only for clothes. This may change one day when I have a stack of scraps left over from clothes sewing.
2. I use thread from all sorts of brands, quite a bit of it is polyester because that's what I use for sewing bags, toys and clothes.
3. I don't love machine sewn binding and I really enjoy sewing it by hand.
4. I never thought I would love English Paper Piecing, but I am definitely a convert.
5. I admire what skilled long arm quilters can do (and after trying a long arm at Quilt Market I kind of do want one), but I don't like my quilting to be so dense and I really do love to quilt my own quilts and would love to encourage more people to try it.
6. If in doubt slightly wonky straight line quilting works a treat.
7. I have never used a seam ripper. I learnt to sew as a teenager and there was never one in my house, it wasn't until years later I learnt what they were. I use some little scissors when I need to unpick.
8. I think I was slightly overwhelmed seeing all the new fabric at Quilt Market, the only new quilt fabric to enter the house since I got back from my trip is a jelly roll for a specific project. Though I do have plans to buy some Kokka Irome when it is out. (I have bought fabric for clothes, but that stash it different from my quilting stash).
9. I have quite a few quilt books, but my favourites are op shop finds from the 70s and 80s, it you look past some of the colours and fabrics they are wonderfully inspiring.
10. Quilts are meant to be used. If I give you one and it gets worn though being used as a cubby, playmat, picnic rug, being thrown up on and repeatedly washed. I am more than happy to make you another one.

10 comments:

Lisa said...

Yay! I love your number 10!!! Whole heartedly agree xx.

Plum Cox said...

Hope the one yr old gets better soon!

In the meantime I loved your top 10 'secrets'! Thanks for sharing.

I really love no. 10 too - just how I feel about the things that I make.

Brenda said...

Hope Olive feels better very soon!

Love your top ten secrets.

I always enjoy reading your blog posts.

Thimbleanna said...

Oh. My. Gosh. You're a girl after my own heart! I completely agree with #1. I love the look of liberty in quilts, but it's a thin fabric and I just don't think it will last long term for quilts. (I might make one anyway, knowing it wouldn't last.) But I LOVE Liberty for clothes! Yes! to #3. And #5 - oh how it makes me sad to see quilt machine quilted to within an inch of their life. And don't EVEN get me started on hand-pieced quilts that end up being machine quilted -- that sends me totally over the edge LOL. #7 -- I had a seam ripper but I use a straight pin and small scissors (wouldn't it be fun if we could just say we never have to unpick LOL). #8 is probably the only one where we diverge -- I came home with way too much fabric -- I love it all and it's a sickness!!! What a fun post -- I loved reading your little secrets!!!

Kate said...

Thanks Brenda, I always appreciate your comments!

Abby and Stephanie said...

"Art" quilts are pretty to look at but in the end all they do is collect dust. When I gift a quilt I have only one rule -- USE IT! Too much new fabric is overwhelming to the point I don't even want to look. :o)

Kristyn @ Melon Patch Quilts said...

I think quilts should be used too! Why make them just to put them away and not use them?

Sew Surprising said...

Love all your secrets, think we all have them ;)

bec said...

Except for number 3 and number 7 (I originally thought you were going to say you'd never pulled out some stitches!) we could be twins! Thought I havent been to Quilt Market, but I do get that overwhelmed feeling- I get it now when I go clothes shopping, cos I'd rather sew my own stuff!

Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts said...

I love this sharing of secrets. So fun. and I'm glad you wrote #10. I've gifted quilts and they are treated like museum pieces. While I'm flattered that they value it so much, I'd rather they use it so much!