Skip to main content

The Cheater’s Guide to Quilting

 

Hi all

Quilting looks complicated. There’s no denying that. From the intricate designs to the dictionary full of terms, anagrams, and techniques. Starting to quilt as a beginner, can feel daunting. Particularly, when you hit the brick wall known as the Quilt Police.

 


If you’ve never heard of the Quilt Police, it is a band of experienced quilters who will tell you there is a set way to quilt. With rules to follow. And woe betide you if you break any.

From how to quilt, what fabric to use, to something as silly as the size of your stitches. Then there are the traditionalists who believe that a real quilt can’t be made on a sewing machine. To qualify as a quilt they must be hand-pieced and hand-quilted.

Talk about sapping any enthusiasm you ever had for being creative. It can leave you feeling more than a little discouraged.

Now, before I go any further, sometimes, the rules are there for a reason. Pressing your seams to the dark side is one. By that I mean pressing the seam allowance so it falls behind a dark color… so it doesn’t show up on the front of your quilt. But, it isn’t compulsory to do that. It’s personal preference.

When I first started quilting, the Quilt Police were a force to be reckoned with. They were everywhere. Thankfully, these days, they are less prolific. Which is good news for us modern quilters.

With modern quilting anything goes. I openly encourage you to embrace your creativity and have fun. So much so, that’s how I sign off on all my YouTube videos. If you want to follow the traditional rules then that’s great! If you want to do your own thing, that’s even better.

I’m not here to tell you how you must quilt. My aim is to show you a possible way to quilt. Simply and easily. With my Cheater’s Guide to Quilting video series, you’ll discover hints, tips, and “cheats” along the way.

All designed to make your quilting a breeze. So join me as I sew a quilt from scratch. Using cheat number 1, a quilt kit. Follow the link below to the first installment in my Cheating With Quilting video series.



Looking forward to seeing you there!

Bye for now!

Olly

For more sewing tips and adventures, follow me:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How To Keep The Original Hem When Turning Up Jeans

Hi all, You’ve found the perfect pair of jeans but as always, they are 3 miles too long. I’m going to show you how to fix them so they fit your leg length perfectly.  Better still, I’ll show you how this technique will work with any pants or trousers with an original jean-like hem. Like these 511 trousers. You will need : Pair of jeans or trousers that need turning up Sewing machine Zipper foot Thread to match your jeans/trousers Tape measure or ruler Safety pins or plastic clips Iron and ironing board Pressing cloth Step 1 Stand up and try on your jeans. With the shoes you usually wear or the pair you intend to wear with them. This is important as the shoes you wear will make a difference to the size of the turn up you need. Turn up the bottom of each leg so the wrong side of the hem is showing. Then move it up or down until you are happy with how they sit on the tops of your shoes. Fiddle with them, turning them up a bit more or do

The Charity Shop Find & the Headache from Hell!

 Hi all I've always been a fan of charity shops. Even before they became a fashionable way to reuse or  repurpose other people's unwanted clutter.  To me, they have always been a gateway for feeding my addiction to vintage and antique sewing machines.  Like this one.  Isn't she a beauty? According to the markings, She is a New Home machine made in West Germany so I'm guessing she's a post war... maybe 1950s... electric sewing machine.    She has a bolt-on motor and the shortest electric cable I have ever seen on a sewing machine! Look at it! It's tiny! That's never going to reach any of my electrical outlets. I'm thinking that this vintage sewing machine was made to be in a cabinet... or a previous owner cut the cable for some reason.  Maybe their outlets were mounted on a desk and they didn't want long cables cluttering the workspace?  Who knows? One thing I do know, is this sewing machine is going to give me a little bit of a headache!    Why? Beca

Quilt Show Trekking Across the USA

Hi all I've been quilting for a while now but last year, 2022, was the first time I attended a quilt show. Well, it turned out to be three quilt shows. All in the same month pretty much. The first was a relatively new outdoor quilt show in a town about two hours away from me. I wasn't sure what to expect but the talent on show, even in the basic quilts, was simply amazing.  I even managed to find a new friend for my sewing area. A Singer 99 from 1926. In need of a little TLC, she has become a welcome addition to my vintage sewing machine collection.     I thought this quilt was adorable. The little cat reminded me so much of my own two little monsters.    As a fan of the Sunbonnet Sue block, this quilt made me smile too! The next was in the closest metropolis to me. It was a lot bigger and was held in a convention center. I didn't think it was possible to get so many quilts all in one area. I found this humerus is a fitting title for the cat with a bone! I was chuckling a