Plan B

Well folks, I'm still hurtin', but not as bad. Surgery is out, thank goodness. I may do some physical therapy, but I'm still basically trying to avoid spending any more money on my injuries.
The short of it however, is that I'm still not up to cutting more than a little at a time and Cappuccino requires a massive amount of cutting. So, plan B is to work on a quilt called Bloom Creek Blossoms, by Atkinson, using a Swanky Jelly Roll by Moda. I'd already cut up my jelly roll and the cream for the background and the center squares that you can see on the pattern (theirs are black, mine are fairy frost brown) pre-injury, so it was a good candidate.


Jelly rolls and their ilk (bali pops, charm packs, layer cakes, etc...) are all excellent ways to avoid having to think too hard about your fabric choice. If you don't mind that part, they're still fun because they're already cut and you get a great variety of fabric for a "scrappy" but coordinated look. That's why I like them. In general picking fabric is my favorite part (I pick out way more fabric for quilts than I have quilt tops), but I do like the pre-cuts for the fun variety.

As we begin sewing, I'd like to remind you that sewing, particularly straight lines and such, is not difficult. Like all things, it might take a little getting used to, but it's not hard. Do not be scared. The first simple rule to remember as it will be the case any time you're piecing (not applique) anything: RIGHT sides together. When we refer to right sides, we mean the pretty side of the fabric that was actually printed. You will find that many batiks don't have a right and wrong side, which can be great, but you also need to be careful that you don't end up with seams going every which way. Another rule to remember about QUILTING, not all sewing, is that in 99% of all patterns, you use a 1/4" seam. This is very important. If you've sewn garments, you're probably used to a 5/8" seam. Obviously this is a huge difference. Many machines have what is called a quarter inch foot (it usually has a little flap that keeps your fabric from drifting too far to the right).

If you've never used your sewing machine, get out your manual and play a little. I dare not try to cover everything about a sewing machine in this blog because machines vary wildly by model and brand and it's best to just get down and dirty and get acquainted by sewing. Thread it up with your chosen piecing thread. I personally like Superior's So Fine. It's actually a spun polyester, but please remember that all polyesters are NOT created equal. Do not piece your quilt with cheap, bargain bin thread. You've invested in a machine, in fabric, a pattern or book and you're about to invest a whole lot of time, pretty please don't ruin the experience with crappy thread. Some other nice options are Aurifil, Masterpiece (by superior), Mettler's 100% cotton. I do not like Coats and Clark Dual Duty, it is made for garment sewing and mending and it just isn't nice to work with, but it is cheap. If you get cheap polyester, you run the risk of having it tear your quilt. So Fine and other quality polyesters will not tear your quilt. Obviously you make the choice, but I really do recommend investing in good thread. Get a nice neutral cream color to start (unless you're doing all dark fabrics, then get black or gray).

So let's get started. Look at your instructions and after the cutting it will undoubtedly say something about putting, sewing, piecing, etc...two fabrics together. Lay those two pieces together (you may be pairing two pieces up 20 times or more) with their right sides together and line them up. Fabric likes to cuddle itself, so it should stick fairly well. Make sure the edges you're seaming together (that's the one that counts) are lined up. Also make sure you're sewing along the appropriate side. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but often it does. Pay attention to pictures and diagrams for the placement.
I'm peeling it back to show you the edges are lined up (the pinked (those little mountains and valleys are called pinking in sewing, who knows why) edges are a little obnoxious to line up, but it's the peaks, not the valleys that you should line up.

Put it under the foot of your sewing machine, lower the foot, gently depress the pedal and the feed dogs (the little teeth that move underneath the foot when you sew) will pull the fabric through. Let the feed dogs do the work: do not push, do not pull. Simply gently guide the fabric so it stays straight. Remember how stretchy our fabric can be and don't get too tuggy with it. If you do need to adjust and realign, stop sewing and gently "scratch" the top fabric to line up with the bottom. Gentle is the key word here, don't maul it.

Note that the right edge is lined up with that little black flap on my foot. That's the advantage of the quarter-inch foot. Also note that my hand is just gently resting on the fabric, not pushing or pulling.


Now, lots of quilters pin everything before sewing. I do not do this, I think it's a waste of time, so if you feel the need to pin, that's your business, I'm not even going to cover it here, but I will say, for the sake of your sewing machine, pull the pins out before you stitch over them. 90% of the time, you can stitch right over the pin, but man, that 10% when you hit the pin dead on is really hard on the ol' machine.

The only situation I pin is if I'm setting in a circle. Since we're not there yet, I suggest you set aside your pins and learn to piece without. I may not be a traditional quilter, and I'm sure I regularly piss off the quilt police, but damn, I'm an efficient quilter with pretty good accuracy. I know that in this day and age, we're all very busy, so you have to make the most of your time. Value your time: don't pin :)

Okay, so you've sent your first piece through the machine and you're getting ready to lift your foot, cut your threads and do the next. STOP! Don't do it! Here's another tip on efficiency: chain piece everything you can. Chain piece? You ask, head cocked to the side. Chaining or chain piecing is when you sew one unit after another without cutting the thread or even lifting the foot. The front part of a foot is curved up just slightly, and if you tuck your next unit underneath the foot as shown in the picture below, when you hit the gas again, the feed dogs will grab it and pull it under the needle and VOILA! You've now chained two things together. Some machines (mine included) also have what's called a knee lift which is a bar that sits by your leg that you can push to the side (with your leg, I've seen people use their hand, that defeats the purpose) to lift your sewing machine foot. This is especially handy when chaining because I can lift the foot a little and tuck the the fabric under there without ever using my hands. Another handy thing to have on your machine is a needle down function which makes the needle drop completely any time you stop. You can see in the picture below that my needle is down. It just prevents the previous unit from trying to get in your way by sliding back forward. (This becomes more of a problem as your pile of chained units grows).

Another thing that you may read and may choose to do which I do not, especially if I'm strip piecing (more on that next time), is back or lock stitch. Your machine may have a u-turn button, or an R button, or something of that nature that you press to make your machine sew backwards. Now, there is a time and a place for reversing, but it is not while you're chaining. Ultimately, everything in your quilt will be secured by the overlap of seams, but more importantly by quilting or tying. So, seriously, don't bother unless it's expressly indicated by the pattern. Back stitching is typically used to secure seams that you're going to be manipulating or not enclosed, like Y-seams or miters. We'll cover miters when we do borders, so you'll get some back stitching under your belt. Until then, once again, I recommend not wasting your precious time.

Okay, chain your way on through the pile of pieces that step one of your pattern calls for. And if step two is also sewing some other units together, sew those together too. Chain until you can chain no more. Then snip the little buggers apart.

My little pile of chained units, which will grow into a BIG pile as I have sixty four things to sew together for the first two steps.

Now comes the part that is the bane of my quilting existence: pressing. Okay, it's not actually that bad, it can just be a little time consuming and I would rather be piecing or cutting or quilting.

Most patterns will indicate which way you should press using a little arrow. Some will say something like "Press toward the focus fabric". Pressing is your friend (even if it is a little boring). Pressing can fix all manner of errors, but it can also create them, so press like you mean it. In my pattern the arrow indicates that I should press toward the "main" fabric in each block (as opposed to the contrast fabric). So, I put a picture below showing how the seam should lay, it should "point" like the arrow toward the main fabric (the green in this case).
This is shot from the back, obviously, as that is where your seam allowance should be. If you make a mistake, fear not, next time I will cover ripping, aka unsewing.

In order to press well, first lay your unit with the fabric that the seam is supposed to be pressed toward up. Pressing means that you set your iron on it, pick it up and set. Do not rub around any more than necessary because it distorts the fabric. This is call setting the seam.
Above is how it should look while you set it.

Then pick up the open edge of the top fabric, lift and push it back. Use your iron to carefully push that one back onto the seam allowance. You shouldn't push so hard that your thread starts peeking through, but don't be so gentle that you're left with a little fat roll of fabric hanging out there. It should lay flat.

In the rare case that the pattern doesn't indicate, the general rule is that you press toward the darker fabric, that way there's no risk of the darker part of the seam showing through the lighter fabric.

On Tuesday we'll move on to subcutting, until then, happy chaining, pressing, quilting, etc!