Ruler Quilting

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Quilting- Making your own quilts

 

Fabric for quilts

 

For most quilts, it is best to use pure cotton fabrics. These wash and iron well, are easy to sew, take a crease well and do not fray excessively. Generally, all fabrics used for a quilt should be of a similar weight and weave. Using fabrics of different weights may result in some areas of the quilt wearing more quickly than others.

 

It is possible to use other fabrics, such as velvets, silks and satins, for a more luxurious effect. If using such fabrics, do not wash them before use. If they need ironing, do so at a low heat setting on the wrong side of the fabric. Quilts made from such fabrics should be dry cleaned, not washed.

 

Fabric can be solid (a uniform colour, without a print or pattern); printed; tone- on-tone (having a background printed with a design of the same colour); or checked. Printed fabrics are divided into four categories: small, medium, large and directional.

Small prints may look almost like solid fabrics from a distance. Medium prints are more distinct and are often used to add visual texture. Large prints have very distinct patterns that stand out from the background. These are often used in quilts as borders or feature prints. Directional prints have a very distinct pattern that runs on one direction. Large directional prints, such as stripes, can be very effective when used in a border.

 

When choosing fabrics, give thought to both the balance of prints and plains as well as the tonal values of the fabrics; that is, the mixture of light, medium and dark fabrics. You will also find that the effect of a fabric may change according to the other fabrics surrounding it, with often surprising results. Experimenting with colour, tone and pattern is one of the pleasures of quilting.

 

Preparing Fabrics
Many quilters prefer to wash, dry and iron cotton quilt fabrics before use. Wash each fabric separately in warm water with a scrap of white cotton fabric to test if the colour runs. If it does, the fabric should be discarded or used for another purpose. Otherwise, when the quilt is washed, the colour may run and ruin the quilt.

 

Washing pre-shrinks fabric and removes all finishes added by the manufacturer. Such finishes can make the fabric stiffer and easier to sew; if you wish to restore the stiffness, spray the fabric lightly with spray starch before sewing.
Before sewing, remove the tightly woven edges (selvages) from all fabrics; if left on and included in seams, these may cause the fabric to pucker and bunch.

 

Fabric grain
Fabric has three grains. The lengthwise grain runs the length of the fabric from top to bottom. The cross grain runs the width of the fabric, from selvage to selvage. The bias grain runs at a 45-degree angle to the straight of the grain.

 

Both the lengthwise and cross grains are straight grains. When cutting fabrics, most instructions and templates will tell you to cut on the straight of the grain. For borders, this is usually the lengthwise grain, to allow for greater length. Rotary-cut strips are usually cut on the cross grain. An arrow on the template or pattern piece shows you the direction in which the grain should run when cutting out the fabric.
Cutting fabric on the bias will cause the cut edges to stretch; this is undesirable when piecing but can be useful if you need to make the fabric curve, as when making bindings for a quilt with a curved border or when making bias strips for curved sections of appliqué.

 

Equipment

 

Not all of the items listed below are essential; some simply make the work easier. The quilts in this book are pieced by machine, but can be adapted for hand-piecing.

 

Sewing machine and accessories

 

For the projects in this book, you will need a sewing machine in good working order that is capable of straight stitch. Before you start sewing, clean out the machine's bobbin with a brush or a lint-free cloth, and oil the machine, if it needs it. Insert a new needle; a dull needle can prevent stitches from forming properly.

 

Sewing machine feet and needles

 

For piecing, you need a foot that gives you an accurate ¼ in (6 mm) seam. Most patchwork uses the imperial system rather than metric (see page 15), but most sewing machine dealers will be able to provide an accurate ¼ in (6 mm) foot. For older machines, there are feet that can be adapted. If you cannot acquire a ¼ in (6 mm) foot, place a ruler under the machine's needle and mark ¼ in (6 mm) from the needle to the right, then draw a vertical line at this point with a pen or with masking tape. Make sure the seam is accurate by sewing pieces together and then measuring the seam before starting a project.

 

For machine quilting, you will need a walking foot and a darning foot. A walking foot is used for all straight-line quilting. It allows layers of fabric to move through the machine without shifting. A darning foot is used to do free-motion quilting by dropping the feed dogs so that you can manoeuvre the quilt in any direction.

 

For general piecing, the best needle sizes to use for cotton fabrics are sizes 70/10 and 80/12. For machine quilting, use a size 75/11 quilting needle for thin and/or natural batting quilts and a size 90/14 quilting needle for quilts with high loft and/or polyester batting.
Sewing machine threads

 

Match the thread to the fabric when piecing; for example, when using 100 per cent cotton fabric, use 100 per cent cotton thread. If using a multicoloured fabric, use a neutral thread, such as grey or beige, to match the tone of the background. Don't use a polyester thread for a cotton fabric; over time it will cut through the fibres of the cotton. The same rule applies when choosing thread for machine quilting.

 

 

 

Monofilament thread, which is transparent, is the most appropriate thread for quilt tops, as it takes on the colour of any fabric that it is stitched or quilted over. Although made of nylon, monofilament thread has the elastic quality of cotton. Monofilament thread should be used as the top thread in the machine. A quilting thread that matches the backing fabric should be used in the bobbin. The top tension in the machine should be eased off so that the heavier quilting thread will anchor quilting stitches in the batting, or anchor appliqué stitches to the back.

 

When machine-piecing, the best stitch length is about 2.0; this should produce
12—14 stitches per inch (2.5 cm). For hand-piecing (see page 18), aim to make
10—12 stitches per inch (2.5 cm).

 

Rotary cutting

 

Rotary cutting makes it easy to cut fabrics quickly and accurately. Several layers of fabric can be cut at once.

 

Rotary  cutters

 

A rotary cutter is a round, razor-sharp blade attached to a handle, protected
by a sheath. Many styles of cutter are available. The standard size blade is
1¾ in (45 mm). This is suitable for most cutting tasks, but for cutting templates
the most suitable blade size is 11/8in (28 mm). For cutting through multiple layers, a
2% in (60 mm) or 2½ in (65 mm) blade gives best results. A cutter with a blade this
size is also easier to hold.

 

Rotary cutters are held in the hand in much the same way as a knife. The handle should rest comfortably in the palm and the index finger should be placed on the top edge of the cutter handle. There is usually a ridged section in this area to help provide grip. The blade side of the cutter should face the body and cuts should be made away from the body, using a smooth, firm motion, to provide control and prevent cuts to the body.

 

Safety should be a priority when using the rotary cutter. The blade should be exposed only when a cut is to be made (this can be done with the thumb) and the protective sheath should be replaced as soon as the cut is finished to protect you and to prevent the blade from being damaged. Never leave rotary cutters lying about where they can be found by children or pets. A rotary cutter is essentially a circular razor blade, so treat it accordingly.

 

Rotary cutting mats

 

A cutting mat should be used with a rotary cutter to protect both the blade of the rotary cutter and the work surface. Rotary cutting mats are made from self-healing plastic that allows cuts to mend. The size of the cutting mat depends on the size of the work area, but the mat should be able to accommodate a quarter of the width of the fabric (approximately 11 in/28 cm). The bigger the mat, the longer the cut you will be able to make. Rotary cutting mats should be placed on a firm surface, stored flat and kept away from heat, which causes them to warp.

 

Rotary cutting rulers

 

Rotary cutting rulers (sometimes called quilters' rulers) are made of acrylic and are transparent. Designed to be used in conjunction with rotary cutters and mats, they have markings at 1/8 in (3 mm) intervals. To make the quilts in this book, you will need a 6½ x 24 in (16.5 x 60 cm) and a 6½ x 12 in (16.5 x 30 cm) ruler. The first ruler is for squaring up the fabric and cutting long lengths of fabric for borders. The smaller ruler is for cutting smaller strips of fabric.

 

Always measure and cut using the lines on the ruler rather than those on the cutting mat; if you cut too many times along the same lines on the mat, you will both damage the mat and erase or blur the lines, making them inaccurate.

 

Square rulers, which come in various sizes, are handy but not essential. The larger sizes make it possible to cut large squares in one movement. The smaller square rulers are good for cutting small pieces of fabric and for trimming up.

 

Accessories

 

Various types of pins, scissors and other accessories will make your quilt-making easier and more efficient.

 

Pins

 

Long, fine pins with heads that lie flat against the fabric are recommended, as they will go through layers of fabric easily, and allow you to sew up to and over them without the stitching puckering. Fine pins are preferable, as thick, large pins cause the fabric to bunch up and the piecing to be inaccurate. Pins should be placed at right angles to seams. For appliqué, special appliqué and sequin pins are available; they are very short (½ in/8 mm) to prevent the thread becoming caught around the appliqué pieces as you sew them down.

 

Scissors

 

You will need three types of scissors for quilt-making: a pair of fabric shears or a large pair of scissors to use exclusively to cut fabric; a pair of thread clips or small scissors to clip threads when sewing; and a pair of scissors to cut templates from plastic and paper. Don't use the same scissors for fabric and paper, as the paper will make them too blunt to cut fabric easily.
Templates and template plastic
Transparent template plastic is used to trace shapes onto fabric in much the same way as cardboard templates. The advantage of template plastic is that it is much more durable than cardboard, so it can be drawn around numerous times without the shape becoming distorted. It comes in a plain version (for freeform shapes) and a grid version (for geometric shapes).
To use template plastic to create a fabric block, trace the block template onto the plastic then, using a craft knife or paper scissors, cut it out. Template plastic can also be used for appliqué.
Commercial templates are also available. These are made of rigid plastic and come in various shapes and sizes. Their advantages are that they are durable, so they can be used over and over again, and very precisely cut for greater accuracy.

 

 

 

Useful bits and pieces

 

There are many small accessories to make patchwork and quilting easier, such as:
Erasable pencils: Used for tracing quilting designs onto the quilt top that can later be erased. Some pencils are also water soluble.

 

Fabric markers: Fine-tipped felt pens with an ink that vanishes automatically over time, or that can be rinsed out in cold water; test them on a scrap of fabric before using.

 

Quilter's quarter: A perspex rod ¼ in (6 mm) square and about 12 in (30 mm) long, used for tracing precise V4 in (6 mm) seams along the straight edge of a template.

 

Seam tracers: Two connected pencils with their tips ¼ in (6 mm) apart; one is held against the edge of a template and the other is used to trace a precise1/4in (6 mm) seam around the template.

 

Another type of seam tracer is a small metal disk with a hole in the centre and a groove around the outside. You put a pencil into the hole and the edge of the disk against the edge of the template, and trace around it to produce a precise ¼ in (6 mm) seam. Both types of seam tracer are particularly useful for tracing around curves.

 

Thimbles: There are two types, leather and metal. Leather ones are used on the fingers of the underneath hand when quilting, to prevent the needle constantly pricking the fInger when it is pushed to the underside of the quilt. A metal thimble is used on the middle finger of the upper hand to push the needle through all the layers of the quilt.

 

Fusible interfacing: Useful for stabilizing fine or slippery fabrics, or those that fray easily, before piecing.

To source all of this equipment you'll need to find a local haberdashery shop, or an online equivalent.

 

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