FilmintheFridge Quilts! / Discuss

filminthefridge    says:

I get asked these questions fairly often, so it's probably best to compile a list here. This is just a start - please feel free to ask your questions here!

What do you use for white fabric?
Most often I use a Kona cotton for my sashing. I alternate between the White and Snow. Sometimes I want a really bright white, and sometimes I like the slightly creamier look of the Snow color.

What type of batting do you use?
I have always used Warm & Natural cotton batting, which I buy at Joann's. It comes in both white and natural, and I use both, depending on the quilt (I try to always use the white for quilts that have a lot of white sashing).

How do you baste your quilts?
I use a spray adhesive. My favorite is 505, which I buy at my local quilting shop. It's quick, easy, and washes out when you wash the quilt the first time.

What type of sewing machine do you use?
I have two - both Pfaffs. My regular machine is a Pfaff Expression 2036, which I love. It has a built in walking foot, so I use it for all my piecing and for most of my straight line quilting.
I also have a Pfaff Grand Quilter, which I use for all my free motion quilting.

Do you use a double needle when you do a double quilting line?
Nope. When I do a double line, I just sew the first line and then go back and sew a second line about 1/4" away from the first.

What thread do you use for quilting?
Lately I've been using the Mettler silk finish cotton thread. I tend to stick to mainly the white & cream colored ones, though they have a variety of other great colors.

Do you draw on lines for the random straight line quilting?
It depends on the quilt. I don't usually mark out lines for the smaller quilts - I just quilt a few lines, then stop to look at the whole quilt to see where else I'd like to add lines.

On some larger quilts, I've drawn on a few of the lines with a washable marker.

Do you prewash your fabrics?
Nope, not for quilting. I'd be spending way too much time doing laundry, and I'm not really a fan!

How do you attach the binding on a quilt?
I use double fold binding, and machine sew it to the front side of the quilt and then I always handstitch the binding to the back. It's actually one of my favorite parts - maybe because I get to sit and watch a bunch of mindless TV!

Is your binding straight grain or on the bias?
I always use straight grain binding, since I find it easier to make. If I ever made a quilt with curved edges, I'd use bias binding so it would go around those curves.

Do you iron your seams open or to one side?
I do both, depending on the type of block. I actually used to always press to one side, but lately I've been pressing most of my seams open because I really like how it creates a really nice, flat block.

There's a good discussion of this over on Elizabeth's blog here.

Where is a good priced place to buy Mettler thread?
I haven't found any place where it's cheap (though I haven't spent too long looking). I tend to buy mine at my local quilt shop, and I stock up whenever they're having a sale.

Do you true up your fabric before cutting?
Yes, I always make sure my fabric is straight before cutting. I usually find that I have to trim off a bit to square it up. (This is typically true when I'm cutting strips from a piece of fabric that's folded with the selvedges together. I don't worry so much when using scraps.)

Are you self-taught, or have you taken quilting classes? My mom taught me to use a sewing machine just two winters ago, back at the end of 2007, because I wanted to make a market bag.

Surprisingly, I actually liked sewing (imagine that!) and after that, I started reading a lot of blogs and became interested in the idea of making a quilt. I made several quilt tops to start, and finally finished my first quilt (a baby quilt) in October of 2008. Everything I know about quilting has been learned right from the internet - mainly from reading a lot of blogs!

I've not yet taken any quilting or sewing classes, though I keep intending on having a little lesson on how to use my sewing machine - there are a lot of features I never bothered to learn how to use! :)

How long have you been quilting?
See above!

How do you label your quilts?
I currently use small labels that have my name printed on ribbon. I think I bought them at www.namemaker.com. I'm not totally in love with them though, so soon I'll be looking for something else!

I'm sure there were more questions than just these, but I can't seem to think of them at the moment! Please feel free to add to this list and I'll periodically check in to answer them!
Originally posted at 7:45AM, 8 January 2010 PDT (permalink)
filminthefridge edited this topic 29 months ago.