howtoquilt5002

2007-05-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

A Brief Stroll Through History as Fabric is Dyed Red

When folks became interested in creating different colors of fabric, processes were developed for yarn dying and vat dying.

Yarn dying is when the yarn or thread is dyed before it is woven into a fabric. Using two or three different colors of thread can produce a pattern in the fabric, such as a plaid or stripe. Today, we call fabric woven in that manner “homespun.”

Vat dying is when an entire bolt of fabric is dunked into a big tub (or vat) full of dye.

The first dyes were made from natural materials – insects, plants, shellfish, and minerals. The most important red dyes used in the 18th and 19th centuries in the US were made from madder and cochineal.

As amazing as it is, madder is a beautiful green plant with a yellow flower, whose root causes fabric to become red.

Cochineal is a bug that infests cactus. The bug itself is white and looks kind of fluffy on the flat leaves of cactus in Mexico and evergreen trees in the Mediterranean.

Just after the female has given birth to her tiny nymphs, she secrets a mass of red fluids to protect her young.

Cochineal dye is extremely expensive, as 70,000 insects yield just 1 pound of dye. And it produces beautiful crimsons, pinks and scarlets. Try as they might, European dyers could not produce a red as bright and colorfast as the dyers in the Middle East.

Because the process for dying Turkey red was so long and complicated, separate dying factories were set up just for dying Turkey red fabric. Still today, nobody knows exactly how the Turks accomplished the original process.

Gradually natural dyes were replaced with synthetic dyes, beginning in 1810.

Interestingly while a German scientist named, Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf developed a synthetic green dye, a French chemist named Daniel Koechlin-Schouch developed a synthetic Turkey red.

Even until 1910, cochineal was used commercially because the synthetic substitute, alizarin, was not as colorfast. Eventually, though the cost and predictability of supply caused alizarin to replace cochineal and madder.

Other natural dyestuffs that produced red included: brazilwood, pokeberry, alkanet, annatto, lac and safflower. However none of these were colorfast (they washed out or faded with time).

Happy Quilting!

Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

This article courtesy of http://www.How-to-Quilt.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

2007-01-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Color - Some Basic Definitions

Color and fabric selection seem to be among the most frequently asked questions relating to quilting. "How do I pick the right fabric for my quilt?" "How do I know which colors go together?" "What about all of those multi-colored print fabrics - how do they fit in?"

This is a series of articles about color and how to make ordinary quilts become extraordinary just by your color selection.

To begin, let's define some terms.

Color - is the general term that applies to the entire subject. Whether you are talking about red, yellow, blue, or any combination of those, you are talking about color. As you read below, you will learn some of the complexities of color, and why it is so confusing to us quilters.

Hue - refers to the name of the colors - "blue" "green" "violet" "yellow-green" etc.

Read the rest of the article

Happy Quilting!

Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

2006-12-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

Secrets to Successful Sewing on the Bias

It's amazing how many different tips and shortcuts there are for various steps in making a quilt. It's as if there were a constant contest running for developing a new way to do the same old thing.

Or maybe it's just that quilters are always looking for a different way just to be different.

Whether you are a beginning quilter or an intermediate or advanced quilter, sewing bias edges can be challenging.

It's always a challenge for me. I can't even begin to count the number of seams I have ripped out because when I got to the end of the strip, either the bias strip was longer than the straight edge strip or the whole piece was longer than the rest of the quilt I was going to sew it on to. Akkk!

Then, every time I rip, it stretches even more.

Oh, what to do?

A few years ago, a friend of mine told be that if you sew a straight running stitch on the bias edges BEFORE you do any piecing, it would prevent the bias sides from stretching. I tried it, and it was pretty slick. But I'm pretty lazy and cheap, and all of that extra sewing and thread didn't seem worth it. After all, it wasn't EVERY seam that got messed up!

When I have just a few small pieces, I do a lot of pinning - so I don't need to do all of that extra stitching. I pin each end, and several places along the side, lining up the center and all parts between. Then when I sew, I watch pretty carefully and gently pull and line up the fabric between the pins. That method seems to help keep the bias from stretching too much, and making puckers.

Just the other day, I ran across another possibility. A quilter in Missouri said that she places the bias fabric on the bottom when she sews, next to the feed dogs. The feed dogs help pull the fabric in and keep it even. I haven't had a chance to try that one yet, but it sounds
pretty good.

For more ideas, click through to the rest of the article about sewing on the bias.

Happy Quilting!

Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

2006-11-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

Freezer Paper on Quilts? Why and Where do you Get it?

Q: I live in the UK and have found the use of freezer paper mentioned in many articles on the web about quilting. What is it? Next time I am on holiday in the states I will get some if it will be useful. I do not think it is available in the UK or is sold under a different name / use.

A: Thanks for asking! I admit it's a bit strange, but it is the paper we wrap our meat in before we put it in the freezer. It is plain on one side, and has a waxy coating on the other. (That would be the side you put next to your meat. It prevents the juices from leaking through the paper.)

When you put the waxy side of the paper next to the fabric, and then iron it, it kind of melts the wax (but not too much), and makes the paper stick to the fabric, yet it is easy to peel off.

I would think there might be something comparable in the UK. If not, when you get to the states, it is available in the grocery store (Reynolds is the brand I buy) with the plastic wraps. Also some quilt shops carry it.

Helpful Quilters then responded:

I know that you can buy freezer paper in the UK from Hobbycraft that have shops through out Briton; My mum sends it to me out on my South Pacific island that has two material shops.
Annette

To answer the lady who asked what freezer paper is, in the UK it is called "grease proof paper".
Jenn

hi. Thanks for your answers so far! freezer paper is available in the UK. I have not seen it in grocery shops or supermarkets bit it is available from quilt shops, exhibitions etc.
Jennie

Hi Penny,
Thanks for the Q&A.....I love knowing what others are having problems with because that's generally the problems I have.

About the freezer paper..
I live in South Africa and we have it for sale at our quilt shop, Sew Many Things, in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal. It sells for R5-00 per metre which is about US.68cents
and it is the same brand you use, Reynolds. I thought we could use Wax Wrap which we use for wrapping sandwiches, but the fabric does not stick to it.

Thank you for all your interesting news.
Kind regards
Theresa

And what would you use freezer paper for in quilting, anyway?

For one - Cut freezer paper templates the size of your finished patch. Iron them onto the back of the patch, and then sew the patches together - with the freezer paper still attached. Read more about this

A second idea - Sewing circles and curves will be a breeze using this freezer paper secret. Just iron the freezer paper onto the back of the circle or curved piece you are attaching to your quilt top.

Merrily stitch around the curve, and then cut a little slice in the fabric behind the freezer paper to remove it.

And yet another idea- For applique, cut out the freezer paper in the shapes you want for your quilt. Trace your pattern on the buff side of the freezer paper (not the waxy side) right side facing you. Do not include a seam allowance as you trace - this will be the finished size of your piece.

Cut out the freezer paper pattern and pin it onto the fabric you will use. Pin it so the waxy side faces away from the fabric. Cut out the fabric 1/4" away around the freezer paper pattern.

Now, carry the freezer paper and fabric to your ironing table or board. Fold the seam allowance down around the sides of the freezer paper pattern, and iron the seam allowance to the freezer paper. This takes a fairly hot iron, and I even use steam. You want the wax to melt slightly so the fabric sticks to the freezer paper.

Now you can take the prepared shape and place it on your quilt top or background. Again, using a hot iron, press the piece where you will sew it. I usually will also put one pin in the center of the piece, to be sure it stays put.

Your shape is now ready to be appliqued. Once that sewing is complete, turn the quilt top over to the wrong side, cut a slice in the background fabric and then remove the freezer paper. Or, you can cut the background fabric to a 1/4" seam allowance.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

This article courtesy of http://www.How-to-Quilt.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

2006-11-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

A Question from a Frantic Quilter:

Do My strips have to be absolutely straight Is there any room for forgiveness ??
Having problems cutting perfect strips !!!!!!!!

Any ideas ???????? Got a new Rotery cutter and I'm wasting more material ..Can Any one help me ?????

And an Answer from a Formerly-Frantic Quilter:

Greetings -

Thank you for contacting me. Yes, there is room for imperfections and not straight strips.

I have found that lots of practice makes perfect. It took me years to master the rotary cutter, and I still waste fabric if I'm not paying attention.

You might want to check out the article about using the rotary cutter:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/6105-rotary-cut-fabric.shtml

There are several other articles about using a rotary cutter:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/index.shtml

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

2006-11-13T22:57:00.000-08:00

Hoop or Quilt Frame, is that the Question?

Quilters ask - Which is better for quilting? A hoop or a quilt frame?

Like so many other things in the quilting world, it depends. And what it depends on is mostly your personal preference.

First let's look at the purpose of a quilt frame or hoop. You have finished your quilt top, laid it out on the batting and backing, and you are going to secure all of those layers together by hand quilting.

As amazing as it is, when you begin hand stitching the layers, there is some slack in each of the layers, and generally the slack is different for each layer. Your quilt top has seams in it, and some of the pieces are on the bias. Both of those factors cause different stretchy-ness in the quilt top.

Batting is easily pulled apart, whether it is polyester, cotton, wool, silk, or a blend of those. As the quilt top and backing move around in your layers, the batting can sometimes get pulled and stretch, especially the polyester battings.

And often, backing is a piece of fabric with no seams, and may be subject to very little stretch.

All of those variables cause the layers to move around as you quilt. Basting your quilt helps stabilize the layers, but since basting typically is done with safety pins or large stitches, it only helps, but isn't a complete answer.

Which leads us to the main purpose of a hoop or frame - and that is to create an equal amount of stretch, or tension, on all of the layers of the quilt so that as you quilt, the layers remain lined up and there are no puckers or pleats created with your quilting.

As a side, one of the reasons I prefer hand quilting over machine quilting is that I haven't figured out how to totally eliminate the puckers and folds in the quilting.

Over the quilting years, a few solutions have been developed to create the proper amount of tension to the layers of the quilt as it is quilted.

The Quilting Frame

My guess is that because quilting started as a group project, the quilting frame preceeded the hoop. A quilting frame is typically made from wood, and you attach the quilt on all sides of the frame. With many quilting frames, the quilt rolls up on the wooden slats on the ends of the quilt. That way, as sections of the quilt are finished, the unfinished sections are made more accessible to the quilters.

The benefit is that many quilters can surround the quilt at the same time, and accomplish the quilting in less time than it would take for an individual quilter.

In the early days of quilting, ladies would gather and work on quilting one quilt at a time as a community project so a family would have a finished quilt relatively soon. The needs of the families in the quilting group were measured, and the most needy would get the next quilt - need being defined as: new baby, new marriage, loss of goods by a family due to fire, etc.

Usually the quilting was done at one family's home, since owning a quilting frame was not so ordinary. At the end of the quilting day, the frame, with its quilt still attached, would be raised up to the ceiling where it would stay until the next quilting bee, making it all very handy.

The Quilting Hoop

When quilters wanted to work on their own quilt in their home, in between quilting bees, they might use a hoop. A hoop is typically wooden, and has two pieces. Although it is somewhat difficult to see in the pictures below, there is an outside "ring" with a screw and nut, and an inside "ring" that is solid wood (or possibly plastic).

The two pieces are separated, and the quilt is laid between. As the outside ring is placed over the quilt, it stretches the layers of the quilt. After pulling to be sure that the section of the quilt has an equal amount of tension, the screw on the outside ring is tightened to ensure that the tension is maintained as you quilt.

As I have quilted using each of these shapes, I have discovered that, for me, each has its own purpose. I use the round hoop when I am quilting in the center of my quilt. It allows large areas to be quilted.

The oval one is great for borders and areas that are near the edge of a quilt. My oval hoop is quite large, so I can have a 10" block entirely inside the hoop, if I want.

The square hoop is the one I use when I am quilting borders. I can secure three sides of my quilt equally, and have the edge of the border running through the center of the hoop, and quilt all the way to the edge.

What's are the considerations?

The quilting frame is great for building community, and when you have many quilters working on the same quilt. Several people can sit around the outside of the quilt and work at the same time. The drawback is that the quilt is stationery in terms of being able to turn it around to fit the direction of your quilting.

For example, I like to quilt running my needle toward me, and I will turn my hoop around when I get to the end of a line of quilting and need to change direction. Using a frame, the quilter would need to move or change direction of her hand as it quilts.

The hoop is small and can be easily turned around in order to accomodate the direction of your stitching. In addition, the tension put in a smaller area tends to be more equal. As you can imagine, the center of a large quilt on a frame will have less tension than the outside - just as a trampoline is more bouncy in the center than where the springs are attached.

In the final analysis, it's mainly a matter of personal preference and your quilting style!

Happy Quilting!

Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

P.S. Do you have a quilting question? Email your questions to us at:
questions@How-To-Quilt.com
and we'll post them here to help all quilters!