NQC LIVE! September 2016

In this month’s NQC LIVE, Heather Thomas discussed how to make landscape quilts proportional and how to sew fun, creative embellishments onto a quilt. Heather also answered questions about thread breakage while quilting, how to position and maneuver a large quilt while quilting, and how to work with and care for vintage fabrics.

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77 Responses to “NQC LIVE! September 2016”

  1. Joanna

    Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Heather Thomas in an informal setting with plenty of smiles that light up her face. Her tutorials are sometimes very serious.

    Reply
  2. Mona

    How much do you lengthen your stitch when machine quilting? I usually set on 3. Do you stick to 2 1/2 inch binding? Last question, if entering your quilt in a contest, do you always hand stitch your binding? Which is the preference for judging?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Mona. I personally lengthen mine to 3 when I machine quilt as I tend to do a lot of straight line quilting or stitch in the ditch and I find this helps me. If you are doing free motion quilting however, you will not be setting your stitch length at all, so you should practice and see what length of stitch you like the look of and then try to keep your stitches consistent. I also prefer a 1 1/2″ to 2″ binding, as I want my finished binding to be as close to 1/4″ as I can. And yes, if you plan to enter a quilt into a contest I would recommend hand stitching the binding as that will give you the cleanest look. You can also search out whatever contest/show you are wanting to enter your quilt in and see what specifications they may have.

      Reply
  3. Dolores Nunez

    What kind of quilt you make if you are first time make maker a jelly roll or a block one?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Dolores. As a beginner, I believe you could tackle either one! It would come down to whether you want to cut fabric to sew blocks or whether you want to use a pre-cut fabric strip like the jelly roll. If you can’t decide between the two you can always combine blocks and jelly rolls together into a fun quilt.

      Reply
  4. Mary

    If making quilt with sashing of the full rainbow of bright colored batiks, what would you use for the accent color for contrast interest?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Mary. Black is probably your best bet. You could also use a crisp white are true gray.

      Reply
  5. Brenda

    I have inherited some hand piecing work from my mom. They were probably pieced during the 1920s or 30s. I’m thinking of making borders from new fabric (with an older, heirloom look), but I am a little concerned about incorporating old and new, because of strength, durability, etc. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Brenda. Depending on what condition the fabrics are in now, they should be ok to sew together with newer fabric. Adding the newer fabrics as borders may also help add stability to the older pieces. As far as durability goes, I probably wouldn’t use the older fabrics on anything other than a wall hanging though, as repeated use may just break down the fabric.

      Reply
  6. joyce

    how often do you replace your rulers? with frequent cutting, does this alter the accurate edge of the ruler for measurements.

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Joyce. I do not tend to replace my rulers unless then have broken, chipped or I have accidentally cut into the edge of one. You should be able to tell if there are any cuts or indentations along the edge of your rulers by either running your finger along the edge or by placing the edge of the ruler along another straight edge. Currently I am still using one of the first quilting rulers I ever bought almost ten years ago and I have had no issues with it.

      Reply
  7. Susan

    1/4 inch seam vs. scant 1/4 in… I am making a double Irish Chain and have been told to do a scant 1/4 because when block is pressed (i.e.) to the dark that that will equal a true 1/4 inch..I don’t understand this..Could you please explalin

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Susan. I have to admit that I do not understand what they mean by ‘when the block is pressed it will be 1/4″ ‘. This only usually happens if you ‘stretch’ the block when pressing. When it comes to piecing you want to try and always stitch with as accurate of a 1/4″ seam allowance as you can. They only time I would use a scant 1/4″ (less that 1/4″) or a chunky 1/4″ (more than 1/4″) is if I am trying to fit several blocks together or rows of blocks together and I need to make sure my seams align. If you find that you are always needing to make these kinds of adjustments you may want to go back and test stitch and measure to ensure you are stitching an accurate 1/4″ seam.

      Reply
  8. Denise McIntosh

    Thank you so much for the time she and you took to do this online Q & A. It was very helpful. I would like to know how to spell the fabric wash…is it retain? I could not find on the internet search engine.

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Denise. It is spelled Retayne and is available at most quilt stores or google it. I’m sure Amazon has it-they have everything!

      Reply
  9. Dianne

    Ni am having trouble viewing hte premium video on NQC. They start, play a few seconds and cut off and toss me on the site. I tried watching the cheese cloth video 6 times and finally gave up. What is the problem?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Dianne. We are sorry to hear you are having trouble viewing our videos. We have tested our videos successfully. In order to view the Premium content, you need to make sure that you are logged into your Premium Membership account. We highly recommend using the latest version of Firefox or Safari as your internet browser. Recent versions of Internet Explorer will work, as well. You will need Adobe Flash Player in order to view the videos. Please let us know if you continue to have trouble with accessing the video content and we will perform additional troubleshooting with you by contacting us at 1-855-706-3538.

      Reply
  10. Audrey

    a crumbs quilt is made with small scraps of fabric which are chain sewn onto a strip scrap. then these are cut apart forming 2 piec scraps and the process repeats. eventually, the scrap blocks are squared up to the desired size

    Reply
  11. Cecile

    Would you suggest soaking fat quarters in soapy water and then drying them on a rack? Would this help with shrinkage and bleeding?

    Reply
  12. Linda

    Prepared for dying fabric, is it necessary or can you use another kind of fabric for dying or painting

    Reply
  13. jmarylastone

    a crumb quilt is when you use small “scraps” and you sew them into strips instead of doing the scraps crazy quilt style

    Reply
  14. Marlys

    The crumb quilt, from what I understand, is one that is done with very small pieces of scraps.

    Reply
    • raewyn

      I spread my small pieces of fabrics between two layers of Dissolve and stitch heavily, then soak.

      Reply
    • Sam Kirchoff

      Hi there! We’ve answered your question but the ladies aren’t sure what a “crumb quilt” is – could you explain further so we could give some relevant tips? Thanks!

      SRK

      Reply
  15. Denise

    Do you have suggestions on using batiks? If using yardage, is prewashing recommended? What do you do if using precuts?

    Reply
  16. Brinda

    How do I mend a very old quit where one part of a block has deteriorated? Do I find an older piece of fabric to blend in and appliqué it over torn PC? Secondly I’ve read several ways to wash older quilts that are frail or worn, what do you recommended? Thanks!

    Reply
  17. Connie McMurray

    I hand quilt all my quilts, I have been seeing that just about every quilt is heavy quilted. Does all quilts need that much quilting?

    Reply
  18. cquilter

    I was just given two pieces of beautiful silk fabric about 24 inches long and maybe 14 inches wide. Do you ever put silk into a quilt? and Is it difficult to sew with or do you use a special needle and thread for it….thank you again……Claudia

    Reply
  19. Jaqi Briggs

    I’ve been playing with paper piecing. I trim and press after sewing each piece, but I’m having a problem with wrinkles. I’ve tried steam, without steam, misting…any suggestions?

    Reply
  20. Grace

    How to you deal with making mistakes on your quilt. I have gotten discouraged and wanted to give up.

    Reply
  21. Denise

    We’d like to make some baby quilts for the local hospital for preemies. Any special tips for making these small quilts?

    Reply
    • Sam Kirchoff

      Yes, they’re all available on the NQC YouTube page. This live Q&A will be uploaded to YouTube as soon as we’re done streaming this evening!

      SRK

      Reply
  22. Betty

    Where can I find acid free boxes and tissue paper for storing quilts?

    Do you recommend using spray quilt adhesives to adhere batting to a quilt top and back?

    Reply
  23. Carol Clemens

    I know a group of seasoned hand-quilters but I just started machine quitting. I was taught to always wash/shrink my fabric before using it particularly quilting cotton. What is your take on the subject? And does the cotton batting shrink?

    Reply
  24. Linda

    Is there a clear plastic that you can use on a quilt to make eye glass lens? that will hold up during washing? Any suggestions?

    Reply
  25. cquilter

    Do you suggest sewing the edge of the quilt with a large basting stitch before you start quilting it or not? I have heard some do to help stop the edge of the quilt top from distorting. Thanks…..Claudia

    Reply
  26. Suzanne Logan

    Embellishments: when applying heavier, non-stitchable goodies to an art quilt, would you use a glue? If not, what are some options?

    Reply
  27. Denise

    Do you recommend using black batting instead of white when the quilt top & backing are very dark or black?

    Reply
    • Linda Cowburn

      thank you for your answer and explanation. My quilt was 90×90 and I will try the cardboard grid.

      Reply
  28. cquilter

    Our group just finished a denim quilt top from jeans that were donated for charity. It is 60 x 48. It is all squares of 3 1/2 and some are 5 1/2. We were thinking of putting flannel on the back and avoid batting since it is rather heavy. We are thinking of tying it to hold the two layers together. Since we have never done that before, what should we use for tying it, yarn, embroidery thread, what do you suggest. Thank you and lots of hugs to you….Claudia

    Reply
  29. JILL

    I found your videos on embellishments and mini art quilts here on National Quilters Circle quite by accident recently, (I’m a traditional ‘bed quilt’ maker) and my 8 year old daughter just loves watching you create a different type of quilt art. Where can we see more of your work? She has started trying to experiment with techniques you’ve shown but there’s nothing else I can find like it online. We’ve just spent about a week watching your videos here and I don’t even know where to begin with encouraging her interest in this. You do things with fabric that would never have occurred to me and it’s just amazing. Do you still teach here in Colorado, or even online?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi, Jill. No, I’m no longer teaching except for the classes I’m doing for nationalquilterscircle.com. I would suggest that you purchase my first book; Fabric Embellishing, the basics & beyond. If none of your local stores carries it, try Amazon. They had it last time I checked. The book has instructions for making your own Fabric Embellishing Book using the more than 50 different techniques it included. Most of all, encourage your daughter to have fun with each technique and discover ways to make each technique her own.

      Reply
      • JILL

        Thanks so much! She’s well past the construction paper and glitter stage and loves watching videos and trying to do her own mixed media type things, now we’ve found something that combines what we both love to do.

        Reply