Quilting For Dummies E-Book

Cheryl Fall

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 415

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Quilting is a fun hobby -- but where do you begin? Get the know-how you need to create beautiful quilts and decorative quilted items If you're interested in taking up quilting as a hobby or simply looking for new project ideas, Quilting For Dummies is for you. From selecting fabrics and designing a quilt to stitching by hand or machine, this friendly guide shows you how to put all the pieces together -- and create a wide variety of quilted keepsakes for your home. You may think you need some sewing experience before you can start cutting and piecing, but that's simply not the case. You can use this book even if your sewing expertise stops after threading a needle. Quilting For Dummies starts at the beginning, helping you to gather the right quilting tools, fabrics, and thread. From there, you'll design your quilts and sharpen your sewing skills. Finally, you'll see how to piece your quilt together and add all the finishing touches. The book contains illustrated examples, step-by-step instructions, plenty of projects and patterns, plus helpful advice on * Performing simple stitching maneuvers * Selecting the right quilting fabrics and threads * Creating new templates to produce original patterns * Designing your masterpiece * Learning new sewing techniques and quilting fundamentals * Making sense of quilting software * Saving time with rotary cutters and other cool tools * Quilting by hand or machine * Getting creative with applique * Choosing new sewing machines and materials Quilting For Dummies also features more than a dozen patterns for projects to get you started and information on quilting software and internet resources. Discover quilting timesavers, ideas for displaying your creations, how judges of quilting contests review the quilted art, and so much more!

Leseprobe

Quilting For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

by Cheryl Fall

Quilting For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005927617

ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-9799-2

ISBN-10: 0-7645-9799-X

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5

2O/QY/QS/QW/IN

About the Author

Cheryl Fall, a professional designer since 1986, is the author of 12 how-to books and over 2,500 how-to articles in various publications. Magazines featuring her work over the last 19 years have included The Quilter,Quilt World,Quick and Easy Quilting,Family Circle,Woman’s Day,Country Living,Craftworks, and Sewing Savvy.

Cheryl is also the host of The Creative Life with Cheryl Fall, a nationally distributed PBS ‘Plus’ program that features lifestyle-enhancing projects, ideas, and useful information for women. She has also spent years creating quilting and sewing projects and teaching for various manufacturers, including Coats & Clark and Singer. As an accomplished fine artist, Cheryl has created and licensed designs for use in the textile, giftware, table top, and home furnishings markets.

Quilting can be an all-consuming occupation, but Cheryl still finds the time to goof around. Residing near Portland, Oregon, she’s been happily married for more than 20 years to husband Tony and has two college-age daughters and one spoiled-rotten cocker spaniel named Buster, who thinks he rules the roost.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to would-be quilters the world over and to those who are learning this art. May all your quilts be terrific!

Author’s Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my wonderful family because without their support, this book may have never made it to press. I can’t thank my hubby and daughters enough for all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry they did while I was putting this book together (okay, sometimes I milked it, but it sure was fun!).

My deepest gratitude to Stedman Mays, agent extraordinaire; Chrissy Guthrie, Stacy Kennedy, and Elizabeth Rea at Wiley; and Carol Owens. These wonderful people helped make the revision of this book possible, and their help has been very much appreciated. You’re all absolutely outstanding in your profession and pleasures to work with.

Originally, much of the art for this book was done by the late Phyllis Barbieri, whose help was invaluable and whose loss is deeply felt. She and technical reviewer Laurette Koserowski, both from Traditional Quilter magazine, made a great team. For the new edition of the book, I must thank artist Connie Rand for her illustrations. Many thanks, too, to all the companies and individuals who contributed time or product for this book, including:

Coats & Clark for the use of some past projects that I’d done for them as well as their terrific assortment of threads and bias tape. (Thanks for the occasional pep talk, Meta and Lynn!)

P&B Textiles, VIP Fabrics, Springs, RJR Fabrics, and Marcus Brothers for the delectable fabrics used in these quilts. Your catalogs offer such temptation to a fabric-phile like myself!

Handler Textile Corporation and Pellon for their fusible products and stabilizers, which make machine appliqué a joy.

Nolting Manufacturing for professionally machine quilting several of the larger projects in this book, saving me tons of time. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

Fairfield Processing for the batting, pillow forms, and stuffing used in the projects.

I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my assistant and photographer, Mary Nevius. No matter how daunting the task, she always stepped up to the plate and got it done.

Last but not least, I want to thank an inanimate object that I just know has a soul hidden somewhere in its gears — my trusty sewing machine. It has seen its share of quilts pass over its throat plate; it takes a lickin’ but keeps on stitchin’!

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Christina Guthrie

Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy

Senior Copy Editor: Elizabeth Rea

Editorial Program Assistant: Courtney Allen

Technical Editor: Carol Owens

Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck

Editorial Assistants: Hanna Scott, Nadine Bell, David Lutton

Cover Photo: © Abbie Enneking, 2005; Quilt Designed by: Shirley Shedron

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Jennifer Theriot

Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Andrea Dahl, Lauren Goddard, Joyce Haughey, Melanee Prendergast, Heather Ryan

Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer,Aptara

Indexer: Aptara

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Gathering Your Tools and Getting Ready

Chapter 1: The Art of Quilting

Following the Recipe for a Fabric Sandwich

“Quilt-thropology:” A Brief History of Quilt Making

A Persistent Pastime: Quilting Today

Chapter 2: Threads, Needles, and Gadgets — And All That Jazz

A Thread for Every Occasion

Stocking Up on Sewing Basket Essentials

More Basics and Nice-to-Haves

Chapter 3: The Pièce de Résistance: Fabric

Quilting in Tall Cotton

Hitting a Homer with Your Batting

Backing Up Your Quilt with the Proper Fabric

Part II : Planning Your Masterpiece

Chapter 4: A Patch in the Fabric of Time: Designing Quilt Blocks

Would a Quilt Block By Any Other Name Feel as Cozy?

Choosing Your Quilt Block System: Four-patch or Nine-patch

Mapping Out Your Designs

Chapter 5: Creating and Using Templates

Paper or Plastic?

Going with the Grain

Making Templates

Putting Pencil to Fabric

Chapter 6: Playing with Blocks and Borders: Which Way Should They Go?

Set ’Em Up, Sally!

Making a Run for the Border

Chapter 7: Using Your Computer as a Crystal Ball

Software for Soft Quilts: Checking Out What’s Available

Beginning Your Quilt Design: Building Blocks

Glimpsing Your Quilt’s Future

Part III : Sharpening Your Sewing Skills

Chapter 8: Cuts and Creases: Pressing Matters

Creating a Cutting Game Plan

Slicing through Rotary Cutting Basics

Addressing Pressing

Chapter 9: Positively Perfect Piecing

Perfect Machine Piecing for the Impatient Quilter

Hand Piecing for the Purist

Piecing Blocks with Set-in Seams

Standing on a Firm Foundation

Chapter 10: Do You Know the Way to Appliqué?

Appliqué: Stylistic Versatility

Appliqué Basics for Hand and Machine

Doing Seams: Appliqués with Seam Allowances

Look, Ma, No Seam Allowances! Fusible Machine Appliqué

Part IV : Ahead to the Finish: Quilting the Pieces in Place

Chapter 11: The Plan of Attack: Deciding How to Quilt Your Quilt

Machine versus Hand Quilting

Considering Spacing

Choosing a Stitching Pattern

Chapter 12: Assembling the Quilt Sandwich

Marking Your Quilting Stitch Designs

Pulling Together Top, Batt, and Back Layers

Taming the Bed-size Beast

Chapter 13: Ready, Set . . . Quilt! The Ins and Outs of Quilting Your Masterpiece

Introducing the Quilting Stage and Your Options

Hooping It Up with Hand Quilting

Making Fast Progress with Machine Quilting

Taking the Tie Road

Chapter 14: Finishing Touches: Bindings and More

Calculating Your Binding Needs

In a Bias Bind

Using What You Already Have: Self-Binding

Keeping It All Inside: Pillow-style Finishing

Part V : Completing the Circle: Projects to Try

Chapter 15: Fabulous Skill Builders

Hand-Quilted Starburst Pillow

Half-Size Starburst Quilting Pattern

Trapunto Mini-Pillow

Full-Size Trapunto Pattern

Dancing Blossoms Wall Hanging

Blossom Spray Pattern

Center Leaf Spray Pattern

Traditional Basket Wall Hanging

Half-Size Quilting Pattern and Full-Size Appliqué Templates

Half-Size Basket Template

Chicken Scratch Foundation-Pieced Quilt

Chicken Scratch Foundation Block Pattern

Chapter 16: Mixed-Technique Projects

Rosy Wreath Quilt

Stem Diagram and Leaf Template

Scrappy Bloomers Wall Hanging or Lap Quilt

Scrappy Bloomers Template

Snow Crystals Lap Quilt

Snowflake Template

Winter Holly Lap Quilt or Wall Hanging

Leaf Template and Half-Size Appliqué Pattern

Chapter 17: Projects for the Machine Queen

Pieced Flower Pots Wall Hanging

Pieced Blossoms Lap Quilt

Americana Appliqués Banner

Americana Star Template

Scrappy Pines Lap or Nap Quilt

Pine Tree Template

Chapter 18: Small-Scale Projects

Appliquéd Bluebirds Breakfast Set

Bluebird Template

Pink Tulips Breakfast Set

Pink Tulips Patterns

Blue Star Place Mat and Hot Pad

Pastel Nine-Patch Wall Hanging

Part VI : The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Quilting Timesavers

Go For a Wash and Spin

Keep Your Machine Tiptop

Set Up an Efficient Workspace

Stick to Neutral Thread

Divide Your Work into Mini-Projects

Forego the Iron in Favor of the Finger

Work Assembly Line–Style

Stitch on the Run

Keep Several Needles Threaded

Spring for Prepackaged Binding

Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Displaying Your Art

Pin Your Quilt to the Wall

Use Wooden Quilt Hangers

Hang Around with Dowel Sleeves and Rods

Use a Café Curtain Rod

Cover a Table

Drape the Quilt over Furniture

Fold and Stack

Artfully Arrange

Fold and Place

Drape It over the Stair Railing

Chapter 21: Top Ten Criteria Quilting Judges Use

Design

Unity

Balance and Layout

Neatness

Construction

Craftsmanship

Quilting

Finishing

Special Features

Overall Appearance

Appendix: Resources for Quilters

Shopping for Quilting Supplies

Recommended Reading

Quilting Magazines to Inspire You

Fun Reads Based on Quilting

: Color Insert

Introduction

Everybody loves quilts. They’re soft, cozy, and comforting, and they’ve been around since man decided layers were the way to go. What more and more people have been realizing over the years, though, is that making quilts is fun and a wonderful way to express one’s creativity with a practical bent.

Quilt making provides a wonderful opportunity to experiment with color, design, texture, and shape even if you’re convinced you don’t have an artistic bone in your body. Let your imagination guide you in choosing your fabrics and projects. Making quilts today is easier than you may have ever imagined; what’s more, quilt making doesn’t require any special skills, just a general knowledge of sewing and the desire to try! If you can sew a button or mend a hem, you can make a quilt. With just a few basic tools, a small amount of fabric, and a little time, you can create your own piece of comfort. This book shows you how. (And don’t worry about mistakes — they add to the charm of your finished project.)

And speaking of projects! The range of quilted objects you can create is limitless! Think beyond the traditional bed quilt, and consider making quilted place mats, hot pads, or a table runner for your kitchen or to give as a host or hostess gift. You can even create quilted wall hangings as art for your home.

About This Book

This book guides even the beginningest-beginner through all the steps necessary for creating a first quilt. Although most people interested in quilting have sewn a bit, you can use this book even if your sewing experience is limited to threading a needle. If you’re in the shallow end of the experience pool, you can simply start small, build experience and confidence, and eventually move on to tackling your grand design.

I show you how to select fabrics and materials, create a design, and then cut, piece, quilt, and finish your creation — all within the covers of this book. And to kick-start you in putting the skills covered in the book to actual use, I include 17 projects to fit any skill level. All are easy to create when you follow the illustrated and detailed step-by-step instructions.

Conventions Used in This Book

I used a few conventions when writing this book. Here they are:

Each time I introduce a new quilting term, I italicize it.

Step instructions and keywords that you should pay attention to in lists appear in boldface.

Web sites and e-mail addresses appear in monofont to make them stand out.

What You’re Not to Read

Of course, I’d love for you to read this book from cover to cover. After all, I’ve worked pretty hard on it, and it includes some great tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years! However, I do live in the real world, and I realize that you may be pressed for time and just want the bare-bones facts. If that’s you, you can safely skip the sidebars, which appear in gray boxes, and any paragraphs that have the Technical Stuff icon attached. Reading these tidbits will enhance your quilting knowledge, but you can get by just fine without them.

Foolish Assumptions

I hate to assume anything about anyone I’ve never met, but when writing this book, I did have to make a few assumptions about who may be reading it. If you fit into any of the following categories, this book is for you:

You’re someone who has admired the art of quilt making from afar, but until now, you’ve been too skittish to try it.

You’re already in the process of learning to quilt and want a good, basic guide to help you build your skills.

You’ve discovered that you’re a fabric junkie and want to figure out what to do with all the great fabrics you’ve accumulated.

Your favorite auntie is insisting you learn to quilt so that when you inherit her fabric stash, you can actually do something with it.

How This Book Is Organized

For logic and ease of use, this book is organized into six parts, the chapters of which progress from the most basic definition of a quilt and its parts through various skills and techniques that will help you create your quilt. This section gives you a brief description of each of these parts.

Part I: Gathering Your Tools and Getting Ready

A quilt may be made up of fabric, batting, and thread, but those aren’t the only things you need to produce the final product. In this part, I go over all the basics of a quilt’s components and talk a lot about the necessary supplies and tools you need to get started. I also share my hints about fabric selection and choosing the right batting for your project.

Part II: Planning Your Masterpiece

Quilts break down into a variety of elements, from blocks and strips to borders and appliqués. In this part, I introduce you to all these design elements and guide you through the general processes of creating quilt blocks and using templates. Here, you find out how to make templates, transfer markings to your fabrics, and design your own quilts either from your doodles or using your computer.

Part III: Sharpening Your Sewing Skills

Quilting gives you lots of creative flexibility, but it’s important to remember that creativity doesn’t trump precision. Careful measuring, cutting, and pressing are crucial if you want your quilt to lay crisp and flat. This part tells you what you need to know to stay on the straight and narrow with your quilting skills. I also give you a primer on appliqué, a potentially challenging technique that really pays off by giving you even more decorative and creative options.

Part IV: Ahead to the Finish: Quilting the Pieces in Place

Ultimately, your quilt is a creatively stitched-together sandwich of fabric (the bread) and batting (the filling). This part helps you build the coziest of quilt sandwiches, getting all your creative juices flowing. When you’ve read through these chapters, you should know enough to get started on a project of your own (if you haven’t already). Basting, stitching, and binding are all covered here, so you’re sure to finish your masterpiece in style.

Part V: Completing the Circle: Projects to Try

If you’re anxious to start quilting but don’t have any of your own projects or designs in mind, this part provides 17 projects to get you started. These projects are all suitable for rank beginners and cover a wide range of styles and techniques, so you’re sure to find something that gets your quilting fingers twitching.

I provide patterns for the appliqué projects, but for some you need to run to your trusty copy center and enlarge them to full-size. (They’re reproduced here at 50 percent; my ideas are clearly bigger than this book.)

Part VI: The Part of Tens

In the grand For Dummies tradition, the Part of Tens is a patchwork part — a little of this, a little of that, and lots of information and inspiration as you become absorbed into the quilting world. Practice timesaving techniques that give you time for more quilts, try out some suggestions for displaying your works of fabric art, and find out what judges look for in a prizewinning quilt show entry. I also created an Appendix to the book, which is full of ways you can meet fellow quilters and shop for quilting supplies and such in cyberspace.

Icons Used in This Book

Sprinkled throughout this book are cute little pictures called icons that highlight important information. Here’s the decoder key:

This icon highlights important quilting basics. Whenever you quilt, whether by hand or machine, you need to remember and apply this information — these are the eternal truths of the craft.

This icon indicates information that you don’t absolutely have to know in order to work on a quilting project — but it can be helpful.

This icon points out time-tested great ways to do things regardless of how you’re quilting or how long you’ve been doing it.

Whatever you do, don’t skip information that has this icon attached to it. It points out things that could wreck your project and maybe even put your love affair with quilting on the rocks.

Where to Go from Here

Use this book in the way that makes the most sense for your situation: You can read it cover to cover or just skip around to specific chapters that interest you. If you already wield some sewing abilities, you’ll probably progress through this book somewhat faster than true novices, adding new skills and developing new techniques. Think of this book as your own little quilting bee, with me as your friendly, down-to-earth mentor who presents the information you need in a way that’s easy to understand and inspiring to try.

As soon as you piece your first block, I have no doubt you’ll be hooked on quilting, as thousands of people all around the world are. You’ll suddenly find yourself unconsciously setting aside time from your own busy schedule to collect fabric (most quilters are true fabri-holics), cut, and stitch. Pieces of fabric will unexpectedly appear in your hands each time you sit down, whether you’re watching television, riding the bus, or taking some time for yourself. You’ll find that quilting somehow helps you relax after a hard day. Oh, to shut yourself off in your own wonderful, colorful world of fabric and thread!

Although I’ve attempted to include everything a beginner could want in a quilt book, keep in mind that there are as many ways of making a quilt as there are quilters and far more additional techniques, hints, and tidbits than this book’s space allows. So in addition to gathering a nice stash of fabric, I encourage you to start building a library of quilting reference materials; I include some of my favorite reference works and supply sources in the Appendix to nudge you along. Happy quilting!

Part I

Gathering Your Tools and Getting Ready

In this part . . .

This part explains what makes a quilt a quilt and tempts you with the wonders of fabric. Every quilt is made from the same basic ingredients: fabric, thread, and a filler. In this part, I tell you everything you need to have on hand to make a quilt from beginning to end. I also share with you the must-have gadgets and tools and offer advice on how to select materials — including batting — appropriate for your project. By the time you get through this part, you’ll be on your way to becoming a true fabric-holic, greedily stuffing fabrics into every spare nook and cranny in your home in anticipation of the next project.

Chapter 1

The Art of Quilting

In This Chapter

Deconstructing the quilt

Exploring the history of quilt making

Appreciating quilting today

For centuries, quilts have played an important role in people’s lives, providing their makers and recipients not only with warmth and comfort but also with colorful, attractive works of art. Traditionally, quilts also have been showcases for the talents and skills of their creators.

Throughout history, most households, regardless of income level, had certain quilts used only for special occasions or when honored guests visited. Quilt makers put their greatest efforts into these quilts, using the best quality fabric they could afford and covering them with miles and miles of beautiful quilting stitches. Many of these rarely used “best quilts” survive today as a testament to the history of quilting and the talents of their makers and are highly coveted by quilt collectors.