A while back I had the idea of using the color windows on fabric selvages to decorate Christmas tree quilt blocks. I can’t be absolutely certain this was an original idea, but I think it might be. I worked out the kinks and today I’m going to show you how to make Christmas tree quilt blocks with selvage lights.
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You may know that I worked as an editor for Quiltmaker magazine until about a year ago. During that time, I managed the QM Scrap Squad, a team of quilters who made scrap quilts from our patterns.
Beth Helfter of EvaPaige Quilt Designs
Beth Helfter was one of the people chosen for the Scrap Squad in 2014. I knew from the start that she had talent. She’s smart and wickedly funny, and she makes dynamite scrap quilts. She designs quilts under her business EvaPaige Quilt Designs, and from what I hear, gives entertaining guild programs with lots of quilts for inspiration.
She recently released a series of short videos showing a great trick for making scrappy half-square triangles. I hope you’ll take a look. I’m going to try this soon!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Does your quilt group need a speaker? Please consider me, Diane Harris of Stash Bandit. I have more than 30 years of quilting experience, including 11 years in the quilt industry as an editor for Quiltmaker. I’m booking for 2018 and 2019 now. Let’s talk quilts!
By the time I finish piecing a quilt’s center, I’m ready to be done. In the past, sometimes I’ve attached plain ol’ borders and called it quits. But when I’ve given more thought and effort to a border, it has paid off. Scarlet Spin is a good example.
Scarlet Spin by Diane Harris. Photo by Mellisa Karlin Mahoney. Used with permission.
I’ve learned not to rush to the finish line, but to take time to do the border justice. Bonnie Hunter influenced me with her borders, which can be as involved as the quilt center. I don’t think she has ever slapped on a plain border and called it good.
One of the last jobs to complete when you’re making a quilt is to add the border strips. It’s not my favorite part of the process but I’ve learned to do it so that I have good results. I dislike measuring long border strips for my quilts, so here’s how I cheat to get my border strips to the right length. This method helps avoid unsightly wavy borders which do not lie flat, which is what you get when the border strips are longer than the edges of the quilt.
Stash Bandit is all about making scrap quilts, often from the fabric you already own. I asked some well-respected industry folks for their best tip, trick or advice about making a scrap quilt. Enjoy!
This series will help to expand your color skills so you can make more beautiful, more interesting and more successful quilts.
If there were a Patchwork Bible, it would contain a book on color, and one of the unshakeable truths would be this:
I wish I’d been the first to say it.
I don’t know who was the first to say it, but if there were a Patchwork Bible, this statement would equate to Genesis 1:1.
The most creative quilts evolve through experimentation. My most recent “I Spy” quilt is a good example.
Can You Find It? by Diane Harris. Photo by Mellisa Karlin Mahoney. Used with permission.
My idea was simple: Use a novelty print at the center of a Churn Dash quilt block. I made a test block to begin.
1. Shorten your stitch length to 2.0 mm, or about 13 stitches per inch. The default stitch length on computerized machines is usually too long for piecing. Learn more about stitch length.
Stitch length of 2.0 or 13 stitches per inch is preferable for piecing.
2. Instead of focusing on the width of your quarter-inch seam allowance, focus on the finished size of your patches, which is what really matters. Learn more about piecing accurately.
Look near the top: The strip section on the right doesn’t match the pinwheel section on the left. If I had measured the sections instead of the seam allowance, I’d have had better results.
3. Use a presser foot with visibility. Check with your sewing machine dealer to see all the options. If you sew on an older machine, there may be add-ons from other brands that will fit.
Use a presser foot that gives you plenty of visibility like these.
4. Keep your rotary cutter blade sharp. If you’re missing threads, it’s time to change. Keep the cost down by buying multi-packs. Some people report good luck with rotary carpet blades from places like Harbor Freight.
A sharp blade means accurate cuts.
5. Use only one brand of ruler. Using several different brands of rulers means decreased accuracy because their cuts can vary.
Use only one brand of ruler. Different brands make different cuts, which means decreased accuracy.
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How is it possible to sew an accurate quarter-inch seam allowance and still have patches and units that don’t match up as they should? It’s the quilter’s eternal question, her 99-bottles-of-beer-on-the-wall refrain.
It’s frustrating to measure, cut, sew and press carefully, only to have edges that disagree like Republicans and Democrats. What happens? What goes wrong? Let’s take it apart and see.