How many starts and stops make a quilt ?

This is an amazing quilt. Raw edge applique with 20" blocks...truly a work of art.
The pattern is Dear William by Michele Hill.

Lynne Hartman is the talented appliquer. A true treasure Lynne calls "A Day With Dear William". And the William Morris Fabric she chose is simply beautiful. So much work and precision went into her vision, it is really an honor and I am so thankful she chose me to machine quilt it for her. 

You have heard me say many times, sometimes a quilt deserves more! Well Dear William you got it!

Dear William Pattern from Michele Hill Pieced by Lynne Hartman
Machine Quilting Design by Sally Terry

Dear William Pattern Block from Michele Hill Pieced by Lynne Hartman
Machine Quilting Design by Sally Terry

Dear William Pattern from Michele Hill Pieced by Lynne Hartman
Machine Quilting Design by Sally Terry free motion feathers between the block's applique.

Free Motion Quilting in and around all those small areas was made easier using Free Motion Feathers. In fact there was very little marking. The main design in the blocks alternated with stitched circles and squares around the center circled motif. 

Dear William Quilt Closeup from Michele Hill Machine Quilting by Sally Terry

Because Lynne wants to enter her quilt in Quilt Shows, there are many many starts and stops to accomplish the proper machine quilting to complete her vision. Couldn't even begin to count how many. Dear William was on the frame for 5 days-- starting and stopping took a lot of time. I used 5-6 tiny stitches in a row to secure the quilt threads, in tighter places I stitched over the original stitching several times. Everything was Fray Checked as well.

To make it easier, chose traditional cotton thread matchine the white background fabric that had a little bit of fuzz to it and a fine cotton bobbin thread that would grab the fabric making starts and stops less noticeable since the threads grabbed thread and fabric at the same time. Imagine how many hours it would take just to bury threads for one block....I can't even think about it.

It is a great quilt Lynne, beautifully appliqued. Watch for it at the upcoming shows, this is stunning. BRAVO!!!

Flipping Patterns Around

No doubt you love that you won't ever have to be perfect. And, you value the idea of how easy and quick design layouts would be.

Have you been mixing and matching your Terry Twist Stencils and Template sizes? 

Look what they can do... :)

If you like these patterns and have a computerized quilting machine these patterns are being digitized and will be available soon. Please check with intelligentquilting.com/sallyterry

To checkout the tools and ideas click here

Look for the new 125+ page Terry Twist Pattern Handbook coming soon.

                                                    

Terry Twist (R) is a Registered Trademark of Sally Terry(R) LLC Brand Products, All Rights Reserved and Actionable.

Adorable Binding Helpers

Thought this was the cutest idea ever for us machine quilters.

For your quilt bindings and for your baby's hair.

Just ADORABLE. It's from Moda's Bakeshop...

Been piecing like crazy, about a quilt a day and just sent out my Load It and Go Society newsletter with a must needed homemade pressing spray recipe. Be sure to sign up using the bright pink box on the right for updates if you haven't already, so you don't miss another thing.

ah...those fabulous deep blue indigo batiks, 3x8 finished block

Could not resist this child size apron and oven mitt. Fabric from Hancock's of Paducah.

Wish I could remember where this glowing blue floral came from?

Caryl and Kaffe, so quick and easy.

Just loved the fabric!!! Early rare Kaffe before he labeled his own line.

An adaptation of "Friend's Choice" Pattern from Cynthia Fueling.

I am sure you recognize all that Kaffe Fasset and Friends and some wonderful Caryl Bryer Fallert Gradations quilting fabrics.

These will be featured in Classy Stashy Etsy Store.

Now for SibbyNell and the Circle Lord Long Boards. Happy Day Quilting Everyone.

Quilt Tops That Smell Like Smoke?

A few years ago, I took in an older quilt top that smelled like smoke. My customer found this quilt top at a relatives and wanted the smoke removed, and of course washing the fabric was not an option.

Remember in an earlier post I said you had to quilt the top dirty? Smokey fabric tends to make other fabrics smokey too. Thought you may want to know what we have done to remove the smoke and freshen the fabric.

Of course the modern way would be to use Fabreze TM...but that is risky because you are wetting the fabric and colors may bleed. Also it might not get all of the smoke out of the fabric the first time.


Here is one solution I tried and this worked fairly well. The second time I tried this, there was still a hint of smoke.

1. Use a fresh bar of Dial Soap. If it is the large size cut it into thirds. Just use a kitchen knife and it cuts easily because it is fresh out of the package and still soft.
2. Wrap the soap loosely in a paper towel and secure with string or a rubber band.
3. Place the soap and the quilt top in a large plastic bag (there are even scented bags available) and close the bag air tight.
4. Let it sit for about a week.
5. Open and quilt, saving the bar of soap in a zip lock bag for next time.

The next way to remove smoke in fabric is: 

1. Hang it outside on rust proof line, PVC pipe or even a ladder that will not transfer dirt, discoloration or rust to the fabric. You can also lay the fabric on other fabric or plastic to keep the fabric from being damaged.
2. Wait for a thunder storm with lots of lightening. The ozone released during the lightening removes the smoke smell. I was amazed the first time I tried this. It worked. This is nature's ozone chamber.
3. Place the fabric in a covered area like an open garage, porch or overhang so it will not get wet.
4. Let the fabric air out for another day or so before gathering it back up.
5. Keep it away from other smokey fabric when storing.

The final way is use a commercial ozone chamber. This will remove all traces of smoke. Call your local dry cleaners. If they are large company they may have one or could send the fabric off for you. They typically charge by the pound.

Hope this helps. I have tried and experienced all three of these. I lost a home a while ago from a gas explosion and some of my clothes survived. The insurance paid to have my clothes, that weren't smoke damaged, put in an ozone chamber. They told me there was a choice, either fill  remove the smoke stain or the smell, but not both.

Please comment if you have a way that you have found successful in removing smoke from fabric.

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Tips on Shipping Quilts

Have been shipping a lot of machine quilted quilts lately. Instead of using the word "quilt" for contents of your package, you can put blanket, bedding, and the one I use..."display material". 

Remember when we went to the fabric store to by material???

That takes the emphasis off of a valuable machine quilted quilt top. Of course insure it and include a copy of the appraisal if you have one.


Next I put it in a clear bag to protect it from moisture and tape an index card with my address and the recipients address to the outside of the bag in case something happens to the box.

Here is how I like to package it. You can put small rolled up lengths of batting between the folds if you don't want the fabric crease and the batting to retain the fold "memory".

zigzag the folds to box dimensions

can overlap folds as you zigzag 

this adds a lot of perceived value to the quilt whether it is to a customer or is a gift

I use the backing side margins to tie a nice ribbon around the quilt and tuck in a thank you note.

Happy Quilting, Sally

Quilt That Has Been Folded and Stored

Well...many of my sample quilts have been stored for a long long time. They are still looking brand new except for the folds that seem permanent. 

I used a Wrinkle Release product on the folds, saturated the quilt, put weights on the quilt to the side where I did not spray in order to hold the fabric flat and when it dried...no more wrinkles. Try a little corner first.

Also you could simply hang the quilt after spraying the horizontal folds and let the weight of the quilt take out some of the folds. Then turn the quilt 90 degrees and spray again.

Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how it worked for you.

The Holidays are here....this one was quilted with giant 14" pine cones, and diagonal showers of snow flakes, and the most delicate of pieced stars were ditched.

Remember, the simpler the better. To make tops like this easier to quilt instead of feeling like you have to come up with dozens of fill patterns pick 3...then vary the sizes and angles. It will look more uniform and it goes much faster and looks well thought out. 

 __________________________

My gift to you

FREE SHIPPING IN CONTINENTAL US at  http://www.sallyterry.com

6 Step Quick Start Guide can help start and grow your Machine Quilting Business

5 Star Reviews...they are loving this

NEW Training
6 Step Quick Start Guide To Starting & Growing Your Machine Quilting Business

Every step includes Marketing Strategies.

Get Ready for Year 1- Find out what to do.

Get Prepared for Year 2- Use this strategy.

Get Loving Year 3 & Beyond- Increase profits.

44 Sections of Training & 19 PDF Downloads

Last Days with Special Pricing Available for Limited Time!

http://www.bobbintext.net/business-strategy-videos.html

• Outstanding Pricing Strategies That Work
• Where to Find New Customers
• What Services to Offer That Makes You Money
• Inexpensive Marketing That Works
• What Type of Inventory to Stock
• How to Increase Order Size and Amount
• How to Become an Authority
• How to Outsmart Your Competition

Here is what they are saying...

Exceedingly well designed and a real advance for quilting!

 Sally has advanced the process of educating and collaborating for quilters by making the process of sharing information accessible in this online course so easy and ready to use. She has stepped into the field of instructional design like a pro and made the content user friendly and fun to interact with. Accolades! -
Julie Rea - Educational Psychologist and fellow quilter

Pam Foster - I am so happy to have the opportunity to view this course and be able to go back and reference it at any time. Full of important information from a good studio set up to getting the business legally set up and much more. Sally Terry is thorough, enjoyable to listen to and gives the right information to help you become professional and have a successful longarming business.

 D.D. - Smart Businesswoman

Sally Terry is not only a great quilting teacher (I personally took classes from her), but she is also a smart businesswoman. This course explained, in detail, how to start your own longarm quilting business. She covered everything from taking in a quilt, pricing, building your business and marketing. Thanks, Sally!

P. J. - Huge Value

There's a huge amount of value in this course, way beyond people who just want to create a quilting business. It's a detailed walk through many crucial aspects of starting ANY business; very nicely structured and delivered. All sorts of solid marketing advice accompanying detailed steps on setting up your business.

Making Borders Fit & Square Up The Quilt Top At The Same Time

Have you ever had a border that rippled....dangled like a flag....had it's own personality totally different than the body of the quilt?

We are going to fix that before we quilt it.

1. Last resort, remove, re-measure, re-sew.

2. OR for straight un-mitered borders
A. Lay the border fabric under the horizontal middle of the quilt top for top and bottom borders. Be sure to cut enough raw fabric to stick out under each side of the quilt. If you are fussy cutting your border be sure allow for the pattern positioning.

B. Next cut TWO (2) horizontal border pieces following the exact outer edges using a straight edge template to keep the cut straight. Now you will have 2 borders the same length.

C. Sew to top and bottom of the quilt top and press.

D. Repeat same steps again (A & B) laying the TWO (2) vertical border pieces under the vertical middle making sure they are under the sewn top and bottom borders. Cut. Now you will have the two vertical border pieces that include the already sewn top and bottom borders length.

E. Sew vertical borders and press.

This will automatically square up your quilt top without a lot of measuring. This can work for outer sashings as well. I recommend measuring the body sashings during construction.

In case you luckily have not experienced this ;) here are some great examples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzoL7ddTEnA

Hope this helps.

Yours in the love of quilting,

Summer Time Machine Quilting and Piecing....Fabulous Combination

 

Red White & Blue Variegated Threads on a Patriotic Quilt my first year as a machine quilter 15 years ago....

Happy Happy Summer Days & Happy 4th of July!!!

If you have been following along with this one fabric quilt it is now time to sew your rows together.

First stitch your blocks together with a sashing between each one without a sashing on the ends of the rows.

Next I laid the randomly assembled rows to see what was most pleasing visually.

Finally measure one assembled row across and cut your first length wise sashing that will connect the rows.
Cut enough for top and bottom outside rows.
9 rows of blocks = 10 sashing

 

With my configuration is goes like this:

4.5" x 5 interior blocks = 22.5 + 4.75" x 2 (9.5" for 2 end blocks ) = 32" + 1" x 6 (sashings) = 38"

TIP: If you press the sashings away toward the blocks, that will make it easy to stitch-in-the-ditch throughout the entire quilt if you choose.

Quilt Happy
Yours in the love of quilting, Sally

to join our Tips, Tricks & Twists newsletter click the link  loaditandgo@getresponse.com

Red Glasses Help Piecers See Value More Clearly

Was at my new friend Lori's recently relocated quilt shop Lolipops in Fernandina Beach with Jean Lowe. Lori's sister Mary was teaching a piecing class and looked up to greet us with these oh so stylish red glasses. RED, red frames and red lenses. I immediately got it.... the red filter for seeing value.

My gosh you could piece with these things and they even come in clip-ons!!!!

So we looked at several scrappy table runners with medium greens and red florals (Christmas In July Theme) and were amazed how the green balanced the red, even tho the green was a bit lighter. I know from photography class in college that red is visually weighted to black. That is why dark rooms are lit with red lights....but green being weighted to black? I also know (being an Iowa Girl) in nature, green fields and grass absorb the sun's rays for photosynthesis and tends to act like black.

hmmmmmmm

Enuff....found the links for you from Keepsake Quilting if you are inclined...

http://www.keepsakequilting.com/productdetail/8509.htm

http://www.keepsakequilting.com/productdetail/8476.htm

If you are following along with our piecing project your dimensions are:
cut 5" blocks - 4 1/2" finished
cut 5" x 1 1/2" sashing- 4 1/2" x 1" finished

Chose a deep eggplant fabric with purple and blue color washes for interest.
This is Glacier Fields designed by Caryl Bryer Fallert and has been in my stash for years....have a feeling it is no longer available but any subtle pattern will do....or solid.

Testing to see if I like it. Yep....let's cut. Amazing how one fabric has this much color contrast. I am sure you will find that as well when you start separating them.

Cutting 1 1/2" strips salvage to salvage then cut into 5" length pieces (5" x 1 1/2" cut - 4 /12" x 1" finished) for sashing between the blocks.

The assembly begins.

Yours in the love of quilting,

join our newsletter at loaditandgo@getresponse.com for specials, fun and machine quilty thoughts from the Quilted Muse

Machine Quilting and A Hidden Eye Spy Image

Thought I would hide some fun images while machine quilting like my "Quilter's Hand" signature that goes into every quilt.

It becomes a game with my customers to find it among the feathers in a border or tucked in an open area of a meander pattern. In fact, I stitch it where ever it would fit and don't think a second thing about it not being part of the design. If the quilt is 92" x 78" then that little square inch of design is only 1/7176 of the finished quilt. And if I really mess up on the spacing then there is the perfect little pattern filling up the void.

No doubt you have seen the "quilter's hand" before, maybe in a class sample. It is on page 48 in Pathways To Better Quilting Book. Think about what you could do to tuck a little stylized design into your quilts. Your own design that represents you in thread. Could be a flower, heart, basket, bird, fish, house, star or what ever represents you.

Here is a quilt sample I did for a customer. In looking more closely I found a perfect eye...can you spy it?

Yours in the love of quilting, Sally Terry

We're Celebrating 15 Years of Machine Quilting Instruction at SallyTerry.com

For YOU after 15 Years of Professional Machine Quilting and Instruction we are Celebrating at sallyterry.com. We are so grateful to all our loyal and faithful followers who have been with us for so long. It has been a wonderful 15 years and we are planning even more for you in the next 15 years.

We know you would like to take advantage of the Celebration with 15% off your total purchase. That is over and above the coupon price of some of our products.

Click here to check out the savings now through May 31st.

Machine Quilting Patterns Should Look Good Small, Medium & Large

By now you probably have fallen in love with one special machine quilting pattern or a machine quilting technique that you use over and over again. It is no doubt easy to do, fun to stitch and you love the result, no matter what level of quilting you are.

And, maybe the overall look of your machine quilting may have a similar appearance when hung side by side, no matter what style of quilt top.

That is okay to have a style, in fact, it is important to have a style.

Ponderance....do you remember thinking you could change up your patterns a bit? Yet, you really don't want to take the time to figure it all out.

Here is a simple trick to see if the patterns and techniques you are using will work on many style of quilt tops yet have a distinctive different look when used.

1. Does it look good small, medium and large without being distorted?
2. Can the design be easily stitched quickly without re-drafting or marking?
3. Will it lend itself to adding additional little design elements such as feathers, loops, curls, ribbons or leaves to give it a more detailed and textured feel for more prominent areas?

There are machine quilting patterns that work well in many sizes, and are compatible with your feathering and smaller background fills as well.

So change it up when you feel you are getting a bit bored and want a new look to your machine quilting.

 

Don't forget to check out http://www.sallyterry.com for more pattern ideas that work like the Terry Twist Pattern System that amazingly looks different when sized differently, and totally forgiving of any "bobbles & wobbles", and loves all the little extras you can add to it.

Happy Quilting, Sally

P.S. All orders at http://www.sallyterry.com are 15% off the total, even off some special coupon offerings too. But, this won't last for long as we celebrate Sally's 15th Years of helping Machine Quilters.