Welcome to the the Running Stitch Quilts Color Inspiration blog series! In this new series, I'll be diving into the world of color and bringing you practical color palettes. Every month, I'll pick a set of 3 or 4 foundational colors to use in building out fun and expressive color palettes that you can apply to my quilt patterns or any future quilts. Keeping reading for some quilty inspiration!
For June - since it is the month when summer starts - I almost had to feature the Summer Garden Quilt pattern as my Pattern of the Month! How could I not, right? When I took a look back at this quilt pattern, I knew it would be the perfect fit for June's Color Inspo challenge!
Before we get into the fun color palettes, I wanted to let you know that my June Pattern of the Month, Summer Garden, is on sale through the end of June 2024! You can save $3 on the printed and digital patterns.
Okay back to colors!
The colors used in my Summer Garden cover quilt are Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids in the colors Celestial, Nite, Mosaic, Lagoon, Isle, Luna, Sun, Melon, Geranium, and Peach for the Flowers. The Center accent color is Iris, and the background color is Soft White to make everything POP!
I loved how bright these fabrics were and how well they played together. Mixing and matching them in the making process gave me so many new favorite color combinations! If you want to read more about how this quilt came to be, you can read about it here.
It was honestly hard to narrow down the colors from my Summer Garden cover quilt into just 4 colors to use for this Color Inspo challenge, because I just love them all so much. After some color auditioning, I decided to go with Turquoise, Luna, Geranium, and Marigold. I felt like those 4 colors embodied the feel of summer perfectly!
In this first color palette, I wanted to expand on the yellow and coral gradient to give the full color palette a more vibrant summer feel. I'm not going to lie - this color palette has been one of my favorite to create! It's giving a "strawberry lemonade" vibe that I am so here for!
The addition of Bubble Gum, Girl, and Lava, makes this color palette transform into a beautiful youthful palette that can be used in a variety of project types! I love the pops of Marigold sticking out in the Summer Garden quilt mockup below. The vibrant Lava and Lipstick throughout the Rivermill quilt mockup packs a punch!
In my second color palette, I wanted to tie in the feel of a summer beach by adding in some browns and tans. Whether you frequent the beach of a pond, lake, or ocean, I bet the earthy feel of the colors Bamboo, Toffee, and Tan in this color palette make you feel the warmth in your toes and the smell of sunscreen in the air!
While I love the mix of colors in the Summer Garden quilt mockup, I can't get over how great these colors look in the Hurrication quilt mockup! The deep tones of Lavendar and and Toffee balance out the bright colors like Cameo, Geranium, and Marigold nicely.
I my last color palette, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create a summer sunset color palette. I envision this sunset happening over the water after a long day of fun in the sun. The darker colors of Teal and Lagoon represent the depths of the water and the colors Nite and Jam represent the darkness of the night sky.
In the Summer Garden quilt mockup below, I paired these colors with a classic white background fabric. I always love how colors pop against a white background. But the magic comes when you take a look at the Mountain Valley quilt mockup below! Using those deep tones as the background and star colors in this quilt give it a lovely dusk sky look.
Playing with color is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Being able to blend colors together to create such dynamic color palettes for my handmade quilts makes my creative soul so happy. I invite you to try out one of my June Color Inspiration color palettes in your next quilt! Whether you use the exact fabrics or use them as a jumping-off point for your own palette, I'd love to see! Share your quilts made with my color palettes on Instagram using the hashtag #RSQColorInspo or tag me in your photo. :)
Stay tuned for next month's Color Inspiration. Until then, happy sewing!
Welcome to the the Running Stitch Quilts Color Inspiration blog series! In this new series, I'll be diving into the world of color and bringing you practical color palettes. Every month, I'll pick a set of 3 or 4 foundational colors to use in building out fun and expressive color palettes that you can apply to my quilt patterns or any future quilts. Keeping reading for some quilty inspiration!
My May color inspiration came from the cover quilt colors of my May Pattern of the Month - Weavers Cottage. (In case you missed it, all Pattern of the Month items are on sale through the end of May!)
The colors of my Weavers Cottage cover quilt are all from the Michael Miller Cotton Couture collection. If you've been around here for a little bit, you'll know that I absolutely love using Cotton Couture fabrics! I talked all about this cover quilt on my blog if you want to read more about it.
These deep jewel tones have been so inspiring recently. And in the spirit of Weavers Cottage being the Pattern of the Month, I wanted to expand upon these four colors (Blue, Boy, Peony, and Rose) and show you how you can turn them into three different full and dynamic color palettes!
For the first color palette, I wanted to squeeze in as many colors as I could to achieve a nice pink to blue gradient. If you've noticed my past color inspiration blogs, you'll see that I kind of love working with color gradients. So you'll probably be seeing a lot more in the future too!
This color palette has a well-balanced feel to it with the deep colors like Royal, Midnight, and Jewel and the lighter colors like Breeze, Flower, and Blossom included. You can see in both Weavers Cottage and Mod Top (quilt pattern coming soon!) that the distribution of these colors plays well with each other in this scattered form and in the true gradient shown above!
In this next color palette, I added purples and teals into the mix to give it an ocean-y, mermaid vibe that my daughter would LOVE. This color palette still has some deeper colors like Sweet Lily and Lagoon in it, but overall, it feels a lot lighter and breezier. This palette does a great job of lending itself to a scrappy feel like in the Weavers Cottage and Square Burst quilt pattern mock-ups below.
In the final color palette, I added in various shades of purple that really gives it a true jewel tone look! Having Opal and Lilac included here brings in the pink side of this palette while the Grape and Hyacinth brings in the blue side. These deeper colors pop again the white background in the Weavers Cottage and Autumn Garden quilt pattern mock-ups below!
Playing with color is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Being able to blend colors together to create such dynamic color palettes for my handmade quilts makes my creative soul so happy. I invite you to try out one of my May Color Inspiration color palettes in your next quilt! Whether you use the exact fabrics or use them as a jumping-off point for your own palette, I'd love to see! Share your quilts made with my color palettes on Instagram using the hashtag #RSQColorInspo or tag me in your photo. :)
Stay tuned for next month's Color Inspiration. Until then, happy sewing!
Welcome to the the Running Stitch Quilts Color Inspiration blog series! In this new series, I'll be diving into the world of color and bringing you practical color palettes. Every month, I'll pick a set of 3 or 4 foundational colors to use in building out fun and expressive color palettes that you can apply to my quilt patterns or any future quilts. Keeping reading for some quilty inspiration!
My April color inspiration came from the cover quilt colors of my April Pattern of the Month - Desert Charm. (In case you missed it, all Pattern of the Month items are on sale through the end of April!)
The cover quilt of Desert Charm featured colors pulled from my baby size Desert Charm quilt in the Modern Solids layout. I used fabrics from the Mayfair fabric collection designed by Amy Sinibaldi for Art Gallery Fabrics for this quilt sample.
I loved this color palette so much that I used these colors throughout the pattern in the diagrams! I knew I had to revisit this palette again for this April Color Inspiration. Turns out I love this palette ever more now! Keep reading to watch how I turn these four colors into three different full and dynamic color palettes!
In the first color palette, I took us to a moody place by adding in grays like Charcoal and Pewter and some dark purples like Aubergine and Eggplant. Adding in these darker colors really helps balance out the inclusion of Burgandy in this color palette - having one dark tone can make it feel a little out of place. These dark colors give the quilts some good depth while allowing the lighter colors like Love and Honey POP! Just look at those yellow tones in the Desert Charm quilt mock-up below!
For color palette number two, I went against the current season and channeled my favorite autumn colors! The addition of the orange colors like Pumpkin and Brick with a bit of peachy goodness like Peach and Geranium makes this color palette almost pumpkin-scented, huh? But in all seriousness, these warm tones ground out this color palette to feel balanced and welcoming. Plus look how good it looks in a gradient in the Deltille quilt mock-up!
For the third color palette, I figured I would play around with colors that are more reflective of the spring season since we are well on our way into the heart of it! I played around with more yellows and greens, because I've been dreaming of spring gardening recently. Adding in Marigold and Candlelight for the yellows and Evergreen and Asparagus for the greens makes this the perfect garden color palette. I saved this one for last, because it looks sooo good in the mock-up of my upcoming quilt pattern, Mod Tops!
Playing with color is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Being able to blend colors together to create such dynamic color palettes for my handmade quilts makes my creative soul so happy. I invite you to try out one of my April Color Inspiration color palettes in your next quilt! Whether you use the exact fabrics or use them as a jumping-off point for your own palette, I'd love to see! Share your quilts made with my color palettes on Instagram using the hashtag #RSQColorInspo or tag me in your photo. :)
Stay tuned for next month's Color Inspiration. Until then, happy sewing!
Welcome to the first ever Color Inspiration blog! In this new series, I'll be diving into the world of color and bringing you practical color palettes. Every month, I'll pick a set of 3 or 4 foundational colors to use in building out fun and expressive color palettes that you can apply to my quilt patterns or any future quilts. Keeping reading for some quilty inspiration!
For this month's color inspiration, I wanted to start with colors pulled from the cover quilt of this month's Pattern of the Month - Spring Garden.
The cover quilt of Spring Garden featured a fabric selection of these beautiful blues and pinks from the Michael Miller Cotton Couture line. Honestly, I think about this quilt often and have to talk myself out of using them in all quilts forever.
Of course, I didn't want to use this full fabric pull as a jumping-off point, so I had to narrow it down. I picked these four colors called Spa, Lagoon, Celestial, and Orchid from the Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids fabric collection. I felt like this was a good place to start since it had a good mixture of light, medium, and darks colors. Gotta love color theory!
In the first color palette, I wanted to show you all how I originally built out this full palette for the Spring Garden cover quilt. All fabric colors included in this fabric pull are used in my original Spring Garden quilt sample. My design inspiration for this was very much the Spring season. I wanted to make it my own spin on Spring colors! I typically lean more towards blues and purples in my quilting life, so it only felt natural to do the same for this! I threw in some mints and pinks like Mist, Seafoam, Iris, and Pink to give this palette a well balanced feel. I just love how well these colors distribute out in the Hurrication quilt mockup!
In this second color palette, I went with more jewel tones in saturated purples and oranges. I saw the original four colors as part of a sunset and ran with it! You can see how the addition of Raspberry, Shell, Coral, and Orange really brings the sun aspect into the color palette and gives it a lot of warmth. You can see that especially in my Deltille quilt mockup!
In this final third color palette, I kept to the softer, pastel tones but leaned more into purple instead of the teals/blues of the original Spring Garden cover quilt palette seen in the first section. For the purples, I knew I had to include Twilight, Blackberry, Jam, and Jewel - they are just such good colors! I love how they play off of each other in the Chevron Points quilt mockup.
Playing with color is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Being able to blend colors together to create such dynamic color palettes for my handmade quilts makes my creative soul so happy. I invite you to try out one of my March Color Inspiration color palettes in your next quilt! Whether you use the exact fabrics or use them as a jumping-off point for your own palette, I'd love to see! Share your quilts made with my color palettes on Instagram using the hashtag #RSQColorInspo or tag me in your photo. :)
Stay tuned for next month's Color Inspiration. Until then, happy sewing!
When I designed this years Spooky Season Sampler block, Hallowpop (it's a Halloween Lollipop...get it!?), I originally planned to use traditional piecing methods to make it. After a few attempts and some frustration at my less than perfect points, I finally admitted defeat. I was going to have to use Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) to get this block to work.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against FPP, but it is one of those skills that I don't use very often and I forget about it. Which is a shame because FPP gives you increased accuracy when working with smaller pieces. I made a few test blocks when writing Hallowpop and I had perfect, pretty points every time!
If you are new to FPP or just need a quick refresher before starting your next project, here is a my quick run down of how to make the Hallowpop block!
1. The very center of my Hallowpop block is a four-patch square. This part isn't FPP'd, so you'll need to traditionally piece it first. Press open!
2. To start the FPP part of the block, you first need to place the four-patch on the WRONG SIDE of the template. I use a pin in the very center of the four-patch to line it up perfectly with the very center of the template. Then I use two additional pins to keep it in place.
3. Following the number order on the template, place the next piece of fabric (in this case, A2) on top of the four patch RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. You want to make sure that you have at least 1/4" over the template line because that is your seam allowance. Holding the block up to the light can help confirm. When you are sure of the fabric placement, pin in place.
4. Flip the block over, and sew directly ON the solid black template line being sure to start and end a few stitches on either side of the line. Helpful tip: shorten your stitch length to 1.2 - 1.5mm. This makes it easier to rip the papers out at the end!
5. Fold fabric over and press seam!
6. Repeat the process following the number order on the template.
7. After sewing a seam, fold the template back at the line you just sewed. Line up the 1/4" mark on the ruler with the folded edge, and cut any off any excess fabric.
8. Continue following the numbered steps on the template until complete.
9. Trim block making sure to leave the 1/4" seam allowance on the outside edges. In this template (and most templates), the dashed line is the seam allowance.
That's it! Repeat the process with two make two lollipops, then follow the pattern to complete the block!
Leaders and enders are one of those things in quilting that everyone seems to do, but no one seems to talk about. A leader/ender is that little piece of scrap fabric that you use to start and end a line of chain piecing.
I usually have a few of these laying next to my machine. I like to have several on hand because sometimes I forget to clip the leader and it gets lost in a sea of chain piecing, or they fall on the floor behind my machine and bending over to pick it up isn’t worth the effort. Either way, I never start piecing without them!
Pros of leaders and enders:
Instead of using a piece of scrap fabric, I also like to use it as an opportunity to piece a second quilt or project. I made these three projects (a pillow, a pouch, and a journal cover) by using the leader/ender method to sew the leftover triangles together from each of the Hurrication quilts I’ve made. You can read more about those projects here!
With the projects above, I had two stacks next to my machine (one for background triangles and one for the prints) ready to go. That seemed to be the easiest way to stay organized and also to remember to use these versus my scrap leader.
This is also the method I used to make my Scrappy Valley quilt (if you haven't gotten your free copy yet, you can do so here!). I had a stack of yellow squares and a stack of pink strips and I sewed them together as leaders and enders until I ran out of yellow squares. Then I pressed the entire batch, cut a new set of strips to the right size, and repeated the process until I had a set of complete blocks.
The key to using leaders and enders to make a second quilt is to have a plan and to stay organized. You might need to set your current project aside for a day to cut more fabric or plan your blocks out. But once all the blocks you need are done, it’s fun to take a day and put that quilt top together!
Deciding to cut your fabric scraps down into usable sizes can be a daunting task. Especially if you are just getting started and have a mountain of fabric to tackle! In this post, I break down my strategy for cutting into my fabric scraps.
I cut my scraps into: 2.5” strips, 1.5” strips, 10” squares, 5” squares, 3.5” squares, and 2.5” squares. I chose these because they are common pre-cut sizes so there are many quilt patterns already written to use these sizes (with the exception of the 3.5” squares). Also, I like that you can combine these sizes in many different combinations to make a 6” block.
These sizes work for me, but when choosing what sizes to cut your scraps into, choose what works for you! If you are planning a string quilt, 1.5” strips might be the best use of your scraps. If you are thinking a postage stamp quilt sounds fun, cut your scraps into 2” squares. If you don’t have a specific quilt in mind, cut your scraps into a variety of sizes like I do until inspiration strikes!
After I finish cutting the fabric for a new quilt project, I put all of the leftover fabric into a bin (it’s actually a flower pot)! When the flower pot gets too full, I cut my scraps down into the usable sizes and sort them by color into storage boxes. You could also sort the scraps by size depending on how you plan to use them (for example, if you are making a postage stamp quilt or string quilt).
I used to cut these scraps after I finished each project or quilt, but now I throw them into my flower pot and save them for the days I just want to do something mindless while I watch TV. When my flower pot gets too full, but I don’t want to stop what I’m working on, I’ll spend 5 or so minutes a day cutting up scraps until that fabric mountain is more manageable.
Scrap Cutting Strategy:
Last thought: Anything larger than a FQ or ¼ yard, I will consider saving for a fabric destash instead of cutting up. I don’t keep a big fabric stash (read here to find out why), so honestly, if I saved it, it probably wouldn’t get used. That is the main reason why this fabric scrap management strategy works for me. I am more likely to use fabric that has been cut down into usable sizes than I am larger pieces stashed away.
If you choose to cut your scraps into the same sizes that I do, I have a FREE quilt pattern written specifically for those cuts. Download my Scrappy Valley quilt pattern here!
When I first started quilting, I really wanted to make a specific quilt for our bed. Except it was a throw size. Unsure of how to proceed, I emailed the designer and asked for her help. She suggested I add borders to the quilt to make it the size I wanted.
While that was great advice, I took it a step further by resizing the block and adding two borders. (In hindsight, this might have been the exercise that starting me down the quilt pattern design path.) Funnily enough, that quilt never got made. I made a few of the blocks, and packed it up to move across the country, and never got it back out again. It has been in my WIP pile for 5 years. Oops!
All that to say, adding borders IS the easiest way to increase the size of your quilt. Other reasons to add borders to your quilt? Borders can help square up your quilt if it has gotten a bit wonky, and add a nice frame to your quilt top.
First, lay out your quilt top on a flat surface.
Measure the length of your top in three places: the left edge, the middle, and the right edge. Take the average of the three measurements. That is what you will cut (and/or piece) your strip of fabric to.
When you have the appropriate length of fabric for your border, fold it in half and finger press to find the center. Do the same with your quilt top. Line up the two creases and pin in place.
Line up the end of the fabric strip with the end of the quilt, and pin in place. I use as many pins as I can to pin the entire length of the border in place. If you have a smidge extra fabric on one side, that's okay! As long as you pin the center and the edges, you can work the rest in. This is what will help square up your quilt top.
Do the same to the opposite side. Sew down both strips and press.
Repeat the exact same process for the remaining two sides of the quilt.
And done!
Now your quilt is nicely framed, a little bit bigger, and square!
Taking the extra time to line up the centers of your border strip with the center of the quilt top is worth it. It's faster to just start at one edge and sew the strip of fabric down, but that increases the likelihood of having wavy edges and a less than square shape.
Last year, I cleaned out and got rid of most of my fabric stash. (Read about that here).
I didn't touch my scraps though.
I can't bring myself to get rid of them because someday I'll make a postage stamp quilt or a string quilt or a scrappy something! (Maybe I'll design a quilt meant to use scraps...hmm...) In the back of my mind, I think I'll use the 'leader/ender' method to work on a scrap quilt in the background of my other projects. I just haven't found that perfect project that has made me want to start.
But, the beauty of my scrap storage method, is that when I find that perfect project my scraps will be ready to go with (hopefully) minimal prep.
So, for right now, they are safely tucked away on my shelf until the inspiration for a scrappy quilt strikes. I'm pretty proud of my system so I thought I'd take you through how I sort and store my scraps.
I have a small bin for each color group: neutrals, red/oranges/yellows, greens, blues, purples, and Kona Snow.
The fabric in these bins is cut into commonly used sizes (squares: 2.5", 3.5", 5", and 10" + strips: 1.5" and 2.5"). I wish I could remember where I saw the suggestion to cut scraps into usable sizes, but that was several years ago, and I don't know where I saw the idea. I know Bonnie Hunter teaches the Scrap User's Method, and come to think of it, this may be where I first saw the idea all those years ago.
If you wanted to implement something similar, consider what sizes you use most often in your quilts. Personally, I chose 5" and 2.5" because there are tons of patterns out there for charm packs and jelly rolls. I chose 1.5" for the potential string quilt, and 2.5" and 3.5" because those are pretty common sizes that I use when I make quilts.
I used to cut my scraps into these units before starting the next project. I wish I could say I still had that kind of discipline! There is currently a huge pile of scraps waiting to be cut and sorted. Oops. I really should set aside a day to knock out the whole pile so it is no longer taking up space on my To Do list. If you want to come help, I'll provide pizza and wine. Let me know.
The only exception to this method is the Kona Snow bin. Those scraps get tossed in at whatever size is left over. This is the white background fabric I use in all my quilts so WOF cuts and larger cuts are nice to have on hand.
Anything larger than a fat eighth, gets folded and stacked on the shelf. In an effort to keep my fabric stash to a minimum, I am currently only keeping solids, and the occasional stripes. Anything else gets listed on my destash account for someone else to enjoy. My goal is for my entire fabric stash (scraps included) to fit on this IKEA bookshelf. If it starts to overflow, I know I need to do a better job of USING what I have before buying more.
Lastly, I have two large ziplock bags. One contains orphan blocks and the other contains leftover HSTs. I will eventually work the HSTs into a scrappy quilt. The orphan blocks would be good for small projects like zipper pouches, pillows, or FMQ practice.
I should also mention my batting scraps! After seeing how large this pile is getting, I should probably start using my batting scraps in my quilts this year. I have the size pinned to the top of the folded batting scrap. That way I can easily grab the piece (or pieces if I will need to attach them together) I need.
Do you have a scrap storage system, and what are you planning on doing with your scraps? If you have a scrappy project you are working on, let me know! I need inspiration.
If you are looking for ways to use up your scraps, look no further! My FREE Scrappy Valley Quilt pattern is perfect for this! You can download the pattern here!
Free Scrappy Valley Quilt Pattern
When I first started quilting, I eagerly jumped in with both feet. I almost immediately signed up for a "color of the month" stash builder club. Each month, 12 beautiful 1/2 yard cuts would arrive in my mailbox that I would lovingly fold and place on a shelf to admire.
I imagined having one of those beautiful sewing studios with a wall of perfectly stacked FQs arranged in rainbow order to pull from whenever I wanted to make a new quilt. Makes sense, right?
Wrong.
There were several things wrong with this approach (for me).
The fabrics I was getting in the stash builder boxes were full of novelty prints that I don't use. They are cute and fun, and I held on to them because I might have the "perfect project someday". But, I've come to realize, unless specifically requested by a client, I'm never going to reach for those kinds of fabrics. It's just not my style.
My style is still evolving and changing. The fabrics or colors I'm choosing right now will probably be different next year. Even though it is fun to look at, my small stash is taking up space we don't have a ton of and will just have to pack up and move again (thanks, Army).
The "stash builder" buys new fabric collections as they are released, buys basics and blenders to have a variety of fabrics to mix and match for any project, and (probably) has the wall of beautifully stacked FQs.
The "project purchaser" buys a pattern (or creates one), determines how much fabric is needed, and purchases that amount. This quilter may have a small stash of basics and blenders and/or a scrap fabric system, but generally buys what she needs when she needs it.
I'm the second.
It didn't make sense for me to have a stash (however small) of fabrics I was probably never going to use because I was buying what I wanted when I needed it.
I'm using more solids than prints these days.
With pattern writing, I've found that it's better to make the cover quilts with solids so the pattern stays relevant. Using a fabric line that won't be available in 6 months could make the pattern look outdated, or frustrate a quilter who wanted to make the cover quilt but can't because that fabric is no longer available.
In the scenario where I pictured a wall of beautifully stacked FQs arranged in rainbow order, I'm imagining a forever house. One that won't be packed up, moved across the country, and then rearranged into a new house that may or may not have the same space or layout.
My husband is in the Army so we get to move every 1 to 3 years. Someday we will have a forever house, but until then, I need to part with the fabric I know I won't use so it is one less thing to pack, move, or store.
I created a destash page.
These fabrics are fun and beautiful and someone who will actually use them should have them! I'm getting rid of almost everything at ridiculously low prices, so feel free to take a look around and see if there is anything you want or need for your next project! There are also some good stash builders in there if that's more your style too. ;)
Tell me, are you a stash builder or a project purchaser?
Read more: Click here to read about my fabric scrap storage system
Pressing is one of the unsung heroes of quilting. A nicely pressed seam improves the accuracy of the quilt block and helps the whole quilt top lay flatter. Many of the quilters I am friends with on Instagram started raving about a wool pressing mat recently. So I bought one to try for myself.
Ive been using it for a couple of weeks now, and I have to say, I love it. I can’t imagine going back to pressing HSTs or flying geese without it.
Last week, I asked my IG stories what questions you had about the wool pressing mats. Here are the most common questions I got:
- Yes. Without question. Below is an example of an HST pressed on my ironing board and my wool pressing mat only pressed on one side for a few seconds.
- Again, yes. Due to the way the wool traps the heat, it’s like the seam gets pressed from both sides at once. So, I no longer need to take the extra time/step to flip the block and press from the other side.
- The only time I thought I detected a faint odor was during a marathon pressing session when the heat/moisture from the iron kind of built up in the mat. As soon as as the mat cooled off, the faint odor went away. It also didn't affect my fabric in any way. I have had more marathon pressing sessions since then, and haven't noticed any more weird smells after that first time. It definitely doesn’t stink up the room or anything.
- Nope, I do not. I have not had any problems with color transfer or any adverse reactions to my fabric while using the mat. I would hesitate to cover the mat with something that would block or hinder the advantages of using a wool pressing mat in the first place.
- I currently have mine sitting on top of my pressing board or ironing board so I haven’t had to worry about that. I have noticed that the heat goes all the way through the mat so I wouldn’t use it on my dining room table or surface I cared about without something underneath just in case. Below is a picture of my current set up. Ironing board as a base and extra "table" space. My wool mat sits on top of my homemade pressing board (just because I don't have anywhere else to put that pressing board and it makes a nice carrying tray to move from room to room).
- Mine is 14"x14". In a perfect world, I would have an amazing sewing studio with a huge pressing station, but I don't have that just yet. I need something that is portable (sometimes I do my pressing upstairs where my sewing machine is and sometimes I do it downstairs hanging out with my family), yet big enough to accommodate the size of the majority of blocks that I make. This size fits the bill for that. With my mat sitting on my ironing board, I have pressed an entire throw size quilt top easily. Just scooted things along as needed.
- I teamed up with Project Wool Mats to give you a 10% off coupon code!
Any questions I didn't answer? Leave me a comment and I'll answer them for you!
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If you follow me on IG (and if you aren’t, you should) you have probably seen my latest obsession: the Pollinate Quilt. I'm obsessed with everything about this quilt. The pattern...amazing. The fabrics...so beautiful I can't stand it. The challenge of learning a new skill...I seriously can't get enough. It is all I want to talk about right now.
So, that's what a blog is for, right?
I thought it would be fun to share more about my journey into English Paper Piecing as I learn this new skill and make the Pollinate Quilt. And so, the blog series, Adventures in EPP, was born. I'll be sharing what I learn, what works (and what doesn't), and just generally talking about how much fun I'm having with it.
What is EPP? It stands for English Paper Piecing. It is a method of hand sewing that allows for incredibly accurate and intricate piecing. Starting with a paper template, fabric is wrapped around the template and secured using either glue or thread. Then the shapes are sewn together by hand. Sounds simple enough, right? Probably the most common EPP shape is the hexagon.
When I first bought the Pollinate Quilt pattern it sat in a drawer for a month. I felt really overwhelmed and I didn't have any idea where to start. So, I didn't. November rolled around and the pattern designer (Kitty Wilkin, @nightquilter) hosted a progress party on IG for everyone to share their quilts.
I can't resist a good IG party! I pulled my pattern out of it's drawer and started playing fabric choices. Once I nailed down my fabric choices for the first rosette, I was finally ready to turn off the video tutorials and get started. Buuuuuut, I realized I didn't have the necessary supplies...like hand sewing needles.
I was so busy watching videos on how to sew my shapes together, how to tie a quilters knot, and playing with various fabric options that I had completely forgotten I might need other tools and notions that I didn't already have. Oops.
I read several blogs about "must have tools and notions for EPP" and started making a list. Some things were on every list (like Sewline Glue Pens) which made it easy to add them to my Amazon cart. Other things were a little more confusing because they seemed to be personal preference of the person writing the list.
If you are like me and are wanting to start learning EPP, here are the tools and notions I went with and how I have liked them so far:
Sewline Glue Pens and refills - I think every single list I read included these. It was a no brainer to order them, and so far, they have worked beautifully. My fabric stays attached to the template, and I was able to remove the paper template easily. One last thing about the glue pens, I can't remember where I read this tip, but keeping the glue pen and refills in the fridge helps with finer application of the glue.
Millner needles - this is one I went back and forth on. Do I get a thicker needle that is sturdier or a thinner needle that pokes smaller holes in the fabric? What brand is best? I went with these. So far, I've bent both needles I've used. Maybe its something I'm doing wrong, or maybe it's the needle, but I think I will buy the next size up when I order again.
SuperBob's Bottom Line Thread - in quilting, I use 100% cotton thread. One of the comments I saw repeatedly was that cotton thread is more likely to shred as it is passed over the paper template repeatedly. Superior Threads Bottom Line thread was probably the most recommended option. I'm really happy with this purchase. I have every color I could possibly need, and the thread is really fine, but I haven't broken it once.
Thimble - several people recommended the thimble pad! Like the glue pens, it was a no brainer option for me. Now that I've used it, I have to say, I don't love it. I will be looking for a more standard thimble. When I first tried it, I had to reposition it several times. Then, after a while, the thimble pad kept siding around my finger. While it gets the job done, it is annoying. I have ordered this leather thimble, and I will report back!
Wonder clips - to hold the pieces in place as you stitch. This is more useful than you think. I didn't bother at first, and had to rip out my stitches and redo them because the pieces shifted ever so slightly. Chalk that up to a lesson learned the hard way.
Embroidery scissors - there are lot of threads to cut. This is a no brainer. I didn’t buy anything new, I used what I already had
Needle/Thread holder - I've been putting my used, still threaded needle back in the little paper envelope they come in - which has worked fine, but I do think this would be handy though.
Smaller rotary cutter - while my regular 45mm rotary cutter get the job done, I would like a smaller one that cuts around the templates easier.
I have the center of my first Pollinate Quilt rosette stitched together. One issue I've noticed is that my pieces are fitting together a tad too snug which is causing some puffiness in the center of the rosette. I suspect I'm stitching too much of the fabric together making the pieces just a hare to small which starts to add up as the quilt gets bigger.
My goal for this next row of pieces is to make sure I'm only getting the very edge of the fabric. Then we'll see how it looks! Luckily, I've caught my errors early enough on that I don't think it will negatively impact the quilt as a whole. Fingers crossed, anyway!
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