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Reader Challenges

2012-06-28T19:45:00Z

Reader Challenges

Hand Sewing

2012-01-23T23:12:00Z


"Work Quilt" by Victoria Gertenbach

Quilters and embroiders alike share a common passion for cloth, stitch, and color! For centuries, people around the world have used hand sewing not just to stitch two pieces of fabric together, but to add interest to their projects.

Placements of stitches are dictated by the shapes on your quilt top. Start with easy stitches you know, such as cross stitch or whipstitch, and use them separately or in combination with other stitches. Ladder stitch is perfect for couching unusual materials or to fill long, narrow spaces. Back stitches or stem stitches outline and define fabric shapes. Or use cross stitch to add texture to your designs. Add French knots for dynamic hints of color and texture that attract the eye and are often mistaken for beads. With a balance of mastering the running stitch and picking gorgeous colors to work with, you will have a breathtaking masterpiece before you know it!

7 Tips on Combining Hand and Machine Stitching


Artwork by Natalya Aikens

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1. If you have identified your design lines with bold machine strokes, don't take away from them by adding contrasting-thread hand stitches. Try a coordinating color or a soft variegated color thread to achieve the needed texture without excess boldness.

2. If sections of your piece have puckered and gathered between the machine-stitched sections, 'smooth' them out with your hand stitches. The beauty of hand stitching is that you can pull and gather your fabric with your stitches as you see fit. Gathering a puckering section into a smooth but textured plane is one useful technique.

3. To avoid gathering and puckering during machine stitching, use tear-away stabilizer, especially with sheers. Just don't forget to tear it away before adding hand stitching. Instead of using tear-away stabilizer, you can use an embroidery hoop.

4. When adding hand stitching to large areas that you want to make sure don't pucker, work on a flat surface, such as a foam core board or a stretched canvas. They are lightweight and portable, and you can pin your work to them.

5. Don't be afraid to overlap stitches, whether created by hand or machine. Lots of overlapped stitches add great texture and boldness.

6. When hand stitching, don't cut the thread longer than the length from your fingertips to your elbow. You may have to thread your needle more often than if you use a longer thread, but you'll spend less time untangling thread and feeling frustrated.

7. If you're working your hand stitches in a straight path, consider using a long needle. It will make life easier for your fingers because you can get more stitches on it in one swoop.

Source: Quilting Arts In Stitches, Vol. 3, by Natalya Aikens, Interweave, 2011

Stitch As Mark


Sea urchin texture emulated with hand sewing, by Victoria Gertenbach.

There are literally hundreds of different stitches at your disposal, yet mastering just a few may be all you need to successfully portray your image on fabric with hand sewing. I tend to use mostly straight stitch and its variations, as well as couching. These basic stitches can easily emulate the drawn line and can also be used to draw directly onto cloth and paper, with anything from the finest of threads to simple raffia and string. In these examples I worked out of a frame, with fabric in my hand, to feel how the stitch moves the cloth.

Spotty dotty marks: The surface of the sea urchin is rough with a fine gritty texture and protuberances in high relief. While the straight stitches give shading and tonal changes, it is French knots, padding, and appliqué that give the physically raised forms that reflect the surface and its marks.

Dyed linen upon muslin formed the ground, which was then textured and shaded with lines of thread in simple straight stitch. The stitches were worked in a manner similar to how I use cross-hatching with a pencil on paper.

Circles (with holes like donuts) were cut in three different sizes, from an old blanket covered in gauze, and stitched on with a blanket stitch. Circles of fine cotton were stuffed with batting and drawn up to form balls. These were then fitted into the "donut holes" and sewn from the reverse. Additional small raised dots of blanket were applied with cross stitches, and even smaller dots were formed with French knots.

Source: Drawn to Stitch: Line, Drawing, and Mark-Making in Textile Art by Gwen Headley, Interweave, 2010

The Multi-purpose French Knot


Artwork by Jane LaFazio.

Why do we love the hand sewing with the French Knot? Let us count the ways.

First, the French knot gives you a lot of textural bang for your buck. French knots literally rise above the other basic embroidery stitches, popping right off the fabric.

Second, you've heard the term "connect the dots"? Well, you can make a series of French knots close together to form a line or map out a shape, like a constellation.

Third, French knots stitched close together will fill in a shape and provide shading, especially if you vary the thread colors.

Fourth, French knots are very organic. Depending on the color, size, and placement, this embroidery stitch can serve as a lone blossom, a scattered field of flowers, or the honeycombed center of sunflower.

Fifth, they're just so much fun to make. Winding the fiber around the needle, piercing the fabric, and then pulling the thread through to create that perfect little knot is so relaxing and satisfying.

Here are some tips for making a French knot.

1. The general rule is, don't wind the thread or fiber around the needle more than twice. If you want a bigger knot, use a thicker thread.

2. After wrapping the thread, place the point of the needle right next to the place it came up from, rather than back in the same hole. That way, the knot will stay anchored on top and not slip right through to the back of the fabric.

3. To add dimension to your French knots, use a variegated thread.

Source: Quilting Arts Magazine, October/November 2009, artwork by Jane LaFazio, Interweave

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Machine Quilting

2011-09-20T14:12:00Z


Free-motion quilting by Heather Thomas

Free-Motion Machine Quilting

Free-motion quilting is more than just a way to hold the pieces of your quilt together. Stitching lines, swirls, and motifs onto your quilt can add dimension, depth, meaning, and interest.

You can use free-motion quilting to accent parts of a quilt or as an overall texture. And you can change the look of the stitches simply by changing the color of the thread.

You can use free-motion machine quilting to write words on your quilt or to sketch an image. Just think of the needle and thread as you pencil and the quilt as your paper.

But you've heard the old adage about drawing, right? Practice makes perfect! The same goes for machine quilting. It takes time, patience, and commitment to get those stitches smooth and even, and your motifs to look impeccable.

In this video, expert machine quilting guru Susan Brubaker Knapp shows you how to machine stitch continuous motifs. Note how she explains how the sound of your machine can tell you if you are stitching at the right speed. Remember, it takes practice!

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Free-Motion Machine Quilting Basics
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Machines
You don't need a top-of-the-line machine to do free-motion quilting. The only thing necessary is a lockstitch machine (a sewing machine that has a top and bottom thread), and either a hoop or a darning foot, which is used to stabilize your stitching. A wider range of possibilities is opened up to quilters with machines that have a built-in zigzag stitch.

Feed Dogs
To begin, you need to either "drop" or "quiet" your feed dogs, so that you, not the machine, are guiding your fabric. Many machines have a switch or button that allows you to easily drop the feed dogs. If your machine does not, it may have a special plate designed to cover the feed dogs. You may need to check your manual. If you cannot drop or cover the feed dogs, simply move the stitch length to zero - this basically stops the feed dogs from moving.

Needles
For free-motion quilting, the best needle is typically a topstitching needle. It has a sharp point that ensures a straight drawing line (unlike a universal needle, which has a ball point, causing it to wheedle its way into the fabric and never create a straight line), and a large eye, that helps to reduce thread breakage as well as making it easier to thread.

Feet
A darning foot provides the ideal surface support for free-motion techniques, and the one made specifically for your machine is your best bet.

Hoops
Even if you can't find a darning foot, you can free-motion quilt with a machine quilting frame or hoop to stabilize your surface. My favorite hoops are designed for machine embroidery, made of hardwood, and have a screw on the side that you can tighten with a screwdriver.

Stabilizers
A quilt sandwich is already stabilized due to the batting, but if you intend to use your zigzag stitch, you may want to stabilize it further with either interfacing or stabilizers. A stabilizer is made to be removed once you are finished stitching.

Stitches
The three basic types are:

Drawing: Drawing free-motion is a bit like drawing by moving your paper while someone else holds the pencil. While it seems a bit awkward at first, it's a wonderful way to sketch.

Stippling: While stippling quilting originally referred to a very specific machine quilting pattern, it has come to mean any free-motion fill-in stitch.

Signatures: Free-motion is one of the best machine quilting techniques for signing your name. It takes practice, but you can sign your name right into the piece!

Source: Defining the Line: Free-motion Embroidery Skills by Ellen Anne Eddy, Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine, Summer 2002

Free-Motion Machine Quilting Tips


Lyric Kinard

1. Don't be afraid to adjust your bobbin tension. You can check to see if the tension is right by placing the loaded bobbin case in your hand and lifting the thread. The case should lift but if you give the thread a little jerk it should come back down to your hand. Use the tiny screw driver that came with your machine to turn the screw a quarter turn at a time until it is adjusted to whatever thread you are using.

2. Practice on a charity quilt. Throw together a bunch of scraps or pull out that quilt you started 10 years ago and can't stand the sight of any more. There is someone in a nursing home right now that will greatly appreciate a nice warm lap quilt.

3. Have a small fabric and batting sandwich by your machine at all times to use as a warm-up and testing cloth. Use it every time you begin to quilt to test your thread tension and to get into the flow of movements that you will be using for your quilt.

4. Doodle on paper as often as you can. Set your pen down and don't pick it up until the page is filled with a single line of pseudo-stitching. It is a great way to get your mind in gear for machine quilting and to come up with new designs.

5. Pause the quilt's movement, but not the needle whenever you change direction. Corners and other directional changes are where tension problems often show up. Just slow down and pause for a heartbeat before you head off in the next direction. The close stitches will relieve some of your tension difficulties.

Source: Using Stitch as a Design Element by Lyric Kinard, Quilting Arts in Stitches Vol. II, 2011

Machine Quilting Stitch Tension Tips (Or, What to Do When Stitches Go Bad)


Outline zigzag stitching by Ellen Anne Eddy

Stitches can go bad, and tension is usually the culprit, though not always. Sometimes there is a problem with the needle, the thread, or even lax quilting machine maintenance. Here are some trouble-shooting tips that can help ease your tension.

Regardless of what the instruction books recommend for your machine say, you will almost certainly have to adjust your tension for free-motion machine quilting.
It is impossible to say exactly what tension you should use, as it is dependent on the thickness of the thread, the needles you are using, the thickness and density of the batting you are using, and the backing fabric.
It is best to keep a small sampler piece of the materials you are working with so that you can check that the tension is right for the materials you are working with.
If you are having problems with the top of your work, such as threads breaking or stitches skipping, first check your needle; you may need to change it.
If you have changed the needle and the problem continues, there is usually something going on with your bobbin. Give it a good cleaning and then rethread it, making sure that your bobbin is properly wound.
If there are problems underneath your work such as tension or bunching of threads, it usually means there is a problem with the top of your machine. Rethread the top of your machine completely. With free-motion machine quilting it is possible for the threads to slip out of the tension plates, and tension is needed to make good stitches.

Source: The Liveliness of the Stitch by Dijanne Cevaal, Quilting Arts in Stitches Vol. IV, 2011

How to Pull Up the Bobbin Thread

You'll be in the zone, moving your latest creation under the needle in a steady rhythm until . . . the thread breaks; you notice the stitches are skipping; or a little tug tells you there is a problem underneath the fabric, like an unsightly nest of bobbin thread. In this video, Pokey Bolton shows you how to pull up the bobbin thread to avoid these issues and keep on stitching.

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Quilt Patterns

2010-01-20T14:51:00Z

Quilt patterns are typically used by traditional quilters to create pieces based on a specific design, but contemporary quilt artists may also use patterns as guides to creating their work. Some quilt patterns are very precise, while others can be used as flexible guides to creating a work of art. Many art quilters also use patterns to create small projects, bags, wearable art, and other accessories.

Surface Design Techniques

2010-01-19T19:10:00Z

Surface design techniques can be used to create unique, original fabrics for your art quilts. Common techniques include fabric dyeing, painting, and printing, as well as digital image transfer. There are many different approaches within each of these categories: screen printing, immersion dyeing, stamping, and more. For inspiration and ideas, visit the Quilting Arts Surface Design Forum.

Sewing Techniques

2010-01-19T18:42:00Z

Sewing is an integral component of the artistic process for nearly all quilt artists. There are many different types of sewing techniques that can be used, including hand stitching, hand embroidery, free motion machine embroidery, free motion machine stitching, thread painting, thread sketching, and more. Many artists use some or all of these techniques construct, embellish, and create imagery on their quilts. For inspiration and help with your sewing, visit the Quilting Arts Stitching Forum.

Quilting Designs

2009-11-20T14:58:00Z


*'Lollipop Series #4' by Melody Johnson*

Conceiving of a design for your art quilt can be one of the most difficult but rewarding aspects of the artistic process. Considerations include fabrics and other materials, color, size, and composition. Inspiration for design can stem from a wide variety of sources, from nature to the work of other artists.

Some fiber artists like to plan their quilt designs out on paper or on the computer. Others prefer a more improvisational approach. There is no right or wrong way, as long as the end result is pleasing to you.

In this video, self-described "rebel quilter" Jamie Fingal shows how she designs her fused appliqué quilts, combining her own sense of color and design with standard design principles.

Source: Quilting Arts Workshop^TM video "Rebel Quilting: Thinking Outside the Block" with Jamie Fingal, Interweave, 2011

The Importance of Keeping a Sketchbook


Doodles by Melody Johnson

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Great quilt design ideas rarely spring forth full blown from our heads at the moment we are ready to start a quilt. More often they come to us as hints and ideas we're going about our day. That's why it's so important to keep a sketchbook. It's a place where you can keep these random bits of inspiration to play with at another time.

Quilt artist Melody Johnson takes her sketchbook everywhere, in the car, on the plane, on vacation, or to work, for whenever she has waiting time. One never knows when an idea will reveal itself. If you have a sleepless night, get up and draw. When you visit museums, galleries, or art shows, be sure to collect postcards and brochures, or take photos, if allowed; keep these in your sketchbook for future reference. Analyze the art and grow your own ideas.

Here are some of Melody's tips for using your sketchbook to create the basis for a quilt design.

Make yourself doodle

Your subconscious holds ideas that you are unaware of in your conscious mind, and doodling brings them to the surface. Try this, for example: Draw a shape and then divide the space within that shape. Make all your lines uneven or curved, breaking free from rigid thoughts. Don't be concerned with the difficulties of construction. Simplify, and solutions will be found.

In my sketchbook, my un-square block is composed of a distorted rectangle cut in half, with an oval shape in the middle (Figure 1). In Figure 2, my rectangle-with-oval is paired with simple strips of multiple colors. The center line is thickened into a shape.

Draw variations

Variations in size and repeated shapes offer more possibilities. I refer to this as a compound block set.

Vary the size, direction, and number of blocks.

Add a simple connecting element or trace a mirror image. Make a big major block and support it with related shapes or mini versions of the same block.

Shade for value

Using your pencil, darken the shapes that need definition. The lines in your drawing can be strengthened and turned into shapes themselves. Trace your original sketch and try alternate versions. Remember that contrast can bring out the best in your quilt. Try to use at least five values, from very light to very dark. Create drama with contrast.

Choose your color scheme

Break out of your routine and use that fabric that you have been saving for something important. Delicious fabric makes the quilt much more exciting. Let the fabric do the work for you.

Source: The Best of Quilting Arts by Pokey Bolton, Interweave, 2011

Design Details That Bring Landscape Quilts to Life


Detail of 'Sunflower' quilt, by Judith Trager

Fiber artist Judith Trager is well known as an expert on quilt design, especially when it comes to landscapes. She often bases her designs on simplified versions of photos she has taken. Her final step is to bring the landscape to life by adding details. Thread, stitch, and fabric choice are key to making the quilt design jump off the wall. Here are some of her tips.

When stitching over dark shapes, like leaves, use a slightly lighter shade of thread to add definition.

Know which way the sun is shining. When placing your foreground motifs, be sure to position them so that the light source is coming from the same direction on all. For example, sunflowers literally turn toward the sun as the day progresses, so they would all be facing the same way.

Use a variegated thread and stipple quilt the motifs, such as in the center of a flower, to yield a lot of variation in a small area. This will lend realism and depth to your design.

Stipple quilt on the background around the foreground motifs to push the former down and make the latter stand out.

Attract light and create movement on your piece with a little shimmer. Judith prints squares of gold metallic paint here and there on her quilt using the square end of a makeup sponge. She also fuses slivers of glistening sheer organza, emulating grass, to the foreground.

Source: Quilting Arts Workshop^TM video Designing Landscape Quilts: Quilt Art Techniques Simplified, with Judith Trager, Interweave, 2011

Make Your Own Quilt Design Wall


*Pokey Bolton's Design Wall*

If there was just one tip I could give a designer of wall art looking to improve her compositions, it would be: use a design wall. Experienced art quilters wouldn't live without one.

I can't explain exactly how it works, but there's something about seeing your design up on the wall that makes what's working (or not working) jump out. A yellow fabric that looks fine on your worktable suddenly seems jarring when you put your design up on the wall. Or you notice how the embellishing that appears subtle when you're looking down on it completely disappears when the piece is vertical and viewed from a few feet away.

In practical terms, a design wall can save you time and money. Because you can audition fabrics and their placement, you won't waste fabric or have to rip out stitches.

Some quilters like to simply cover a piece of foam core with felt to make a basic design wall, but I wanted to add a little patchwork interest to mine to decorate my quilt studio. When I'm not using it as a design wall, it can serve double duty as a bulletin board!

Materials

Large frame without the glass (I went to the frame section of my craft store and bought the biggest one they had.)
White and light-colored fabric (Patterned fabric adds interest, but make sure the patterns are low contrast.)
Piece of foam core cut to size to fit inside the frame
Gesso
Black rubber-stamping ink
Rubber stamps with bold, chunky designs
Brayer
PVA glue (such as Aleene's Tacky Glue® or Sobo® glue)

Directions

1. Cut 2 1/2"-wide by the width of your fabric strips.

2. Strip piece the long pieces together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Continue to piece until your finished piece is larger than your foam core piece. Press the seam allowances open.

3. Lay your strip-pieced fabric onto your cutting mat so that the lengths are horizontally oriented and rotary cut crosswise into new 2-1/2" strips.

4. Reposition the newly cut strips so different fabrics are next to each other.

5. Piece these new long strips together.

6. Stamp randomly all over.

7. Saturate your brayer with gesso and roll the brayer over various parts of the pieced fabric. Do not cover it entirely, but do roll over the stamped areas to tone down the black ink. Allow to dry.

8. Cover the foam core with the finished patchwork and glue into place so it is taut. Allow the glue to dry.

9. Insert into frame and hang.

That's all there is to it!

Source: 101 Patchwork Projects + Quilts, by Pokey Bolton, Interweave, 2011

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Download Art Quilt Design or order the DVD now to enhance your design skills.

How to Make a Quilt

2009-09-28T19:05:00Z

There is no one way to make a quilt. Quilt artists use a vast range of techniques, from fabric dyeing and painting to machine and hand stitching. Many choose to experiment with different methods and approaches to their work. The Quilting Arts online community offers ideas, inspiration, and advice to help you along the way.

Handmade Quilt

2009-09-28T19:04:00Z

Handmade quilts come in a variety of forms, from small works of art to large, functional pieces. The exact definition of "handmade" is also quite broad and includes quilt that are constructed with machine stitching. No matter the kind of handmade quilt you are creating, the Quilting Arts blogs, forums, and reader galleries offer inspiration and guidance.

Art Quilt

2009-09-28T19:01:00Z

Art quilt is a broad term referring to contemporary textile art which has some or all of the basic structural characteristics of a traditional quilt, but incorporates a myriad of contemporary techniques and materials. Surface design, embellishment, hand stitching, and machine stitching are often used to create art quilts. Materials range from fabric and fibers, such as paper, to other mixed media, such as beads, buttons, and yarn.

Topics

Reader Challenges

Hand Sewing

7 Tips on Combining Hand and Machine Stitching

Shop Hand Sewing Products

Stitch As Mark

The Multi-purpose French Knot

Featured Product:

Machine Quilting

Free-motion quilting by Heather Thomas

Free-Motion Machine Quilting

Free-Motion Machine Quilting BasicsAn overview of machine quilting supplies and stitches

Free-Motion Machine Quilting Tips

Machine Quilting Stitch Tension Tips (Or, What to Do When Stitches Go Bad)

How to Pull Up the Bobbin Thread

Quilt Patterns

Surface Design Techniques

Sewing Techniques

Quilting Designs

The Importance of Keeping a Sketchbook

Shop Quilting Designs Products

Design Details That Bring Landscape Quilts to Life

Make Your Own Quilt Design Wall

How to Make a Quilt

Handmade Quilt

Art Quilt

Shop Hand
Sewing Products

Free-Motion Machine Quilting Basics
An overview of machine quilting supplies and stitches

Shop Quilting
Designs Products