What I learned from sewing my first quilt

In creating my first quilt I learned many new things… a lot of which were just dumb mistakes in my part, but I will know better for next time!  So today I will share with you the very important things I learned.

1.  When deciding how much fabric to purchase, make sure to account for ALL of the fabrics you are thinking of using.

                I thought I was soooo smart when I was in JoAnn’s buying the fabric for the quilts.  I had decided I wanted to make a 6x6 quilt with each square being 6”x6”.  So I did some mental (and written… and calculatored) math and figured out that I needed about a yard and a quarter of fabric.  I made sure to add in the seam allowance (I guessed about ½” on each side to I would need each square to be 7”x7” before any sewing).  I was right about that part… however, I completely failed to realize that I needed a yard and a half (hey I wanted a little leeway) TOTAL between the two fabrics I wanted to use.  I bought fabric for (in my mind) two quilts, a boy one and a girl one.  Well I really ended up with (according to my new calculations) enough fabric to make at least 2 to 3 of each the boy and girl quilts.  That is a LOT of extra fabric.

2.  When deciding (and making sure you have enough fabric) how big to make the squares make sure to take into account how many other fabrics you will be using.

                Yes.  This was the moment I realized I had bought that super huge amount of fabric that I didn’t actually need.  I measured and was sad because I didn’t buy “enough” of the fabric to make the 7”x7” squares that I wanted.  So I decided I would be okay with a 6”x5” square and I started using my fabulously new cutting mat.  Shortly after the bf walked by and asked why I was cutting them at 6” when it should have been 7”.  I explained my dilemma and he slowly (not because he is dumb but because he didn’t want me to get mad at him) mentioned how I had the other set of fabric.  And Ta Da!! My ah ha moment.  So I now have a nice little pile of 6”x7” squares that I can not use for these quilts.

3.  When deciding how to cut the squares for a quilt, really think about how many you have to cut out.

                As I mentioned above I bought a self-healing cutting mat from JoAnn’s.  I watched Ellie use one when she made the bf’s quilt and I was hooked.  I am so glad I bought one too because even using the cutting mat it took FOREVER to cut out 3 yards of fabric (remember I over bought what I needed by a yard and a half.  So I suggest deciding if you want to cut out all of your fabric with scissors or use a coupon and buy the mat… I vote mat!

4.  When sewing the rows of fabric together be very careful to line up the pattern correctly when pinning.

So here are my rows of fabric laying in the order they should be sewn in (I was going for the stripes to go opposite of the row before).

Well somehow in pinning them I got two of them mixed up and ended up with this:

So I sewed the two double rows together that were correct, seam ripped the wrong one, and pinned it onto the now 4 row piece.  Well, I was not very happy with myself when I realized after sewing them on that I pinned them wrong again!

After more seam ripping and very careful pinning I finally managed to get the rows right.

5.  When sewing the quilted lines make sure not to run out of bobbin thread.

                So I was about half way through sewing the quilted lines when I realized that I ran out of bobbin thread.  So I had to restart the thread and it ended up not looking so nice.  But that was the only time I ran out of thread because I made sure to completely fill the bobbin.

6.  When sewing bias tape find a good way to end one piece and start a new one.

                I have yet to figure out how to fix this problem, but I have some ideas.  I will make sure to do some experimenting when I sew my next quilt.

Thanks for reading!

Bias Tape Sewing Tutorial

With my recently completely quilt I have learned a new skill, sewing bias tape onto a quilt!  I had watched my friend Ellie sew it onto my bf's T-shirt quilt so I kinda had an idea of how it would work.

When it finally came time to sew the bias tape on I kinda freaked out.  I was so close to having the quilt done and now I was not sure I could made the tape look good enough (yes I am a bit of a perfectionist).

I started by laying the quilt out and slowly pinning the tape.  Once I arrived at a corner I worried again.  I tried to remember exactly what Ellie had done.

I lined up the two sides and prepared to pin.

I made sure to pin all of the way though all of the fabric without pulling or making a ripple in the fabrics.  That part was a little tough.

Then comes the tricky part... folding around the corner.  Hold the fabric tightly at the corner and slowing fold down and open the bias tape.

The bias tape will have some extra fabric, don't worry about that yet.  Make sure to line up the bias tape along the second side.

Now. Fold over the extra fabric (facing either side, it is your choice).

Carefully pin the second side so that all of the fabric is caught in the pin.  I did not pin the folded part, when I sewed it I just made sure to hold it flat as it went through the machine.

Here is an example of the completed corner all sewn up.  I decided to sew the bias tape three times (twice in brown and once in blue).  Some people like to sew it up only once, very close to the inside of the bias tape to hide it as much as possible.

Next I have to figure out how to make the crossover from one stripe of bias tape to the next look seamless.

Hope you're having a great day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I am a big loser and don't have anything cute for today.

Go over to google to see a super cute video about love.

I promise I'll have a fun tutorial thing tomorrow. :)

Mentor Monday - Embroidery Madness

One of the first blogs that I found (I honestly can not remember how) is by Mollie.  She is amazingly creative and I have learned so many new embroidery skills just from reading her blog.  She creates themed embroidery pieces and items that can be purchased in her Etsy Shop.  Her signature is faces.  All of her designs have little faces on them, each and everyone.  The faces make the designs come to life.  She has a Spoonflower account where she actually makes fabric too!

I have saved many of her free printables to hopefully one day practice making them.  She helped me decide how I wanted to set up my blog schedule by sharing hers.  I hope to emulate how Mollie is able to create and develop such interesting and unique items.

Enjoy her blog here.

Pinterest Pick - Valentine's Cuties

I apologize for being late with todays post.  I have been able to see my family today and my sister is graciously letting me borrow her computer so that I can make my post while we are deciding what to do for dinner.

In thinking about the great pink holiday that is coming up that everyone knows as Valentine's Day, I thought it was appropriate to pick out something that was lovey.

So I bring you to Valentine Conversation Heart Cookies!!!  I think they are so cute!!  I wish that I could make some and eat them... I may have to find a g/f recipe for sugar cookies so that I can try my hand at making them.

Although I do have a friend Ellie who has been trying to start up a cookie/cake making business.  Maybe I will have to order some from her... :)

Well I am off to spend more time with the fam... since they won't be in town for very long.  Plus we will be having some g/f angel food cake tonight, my uncle Louie is like the best ever!!

Have a restful Sunday tomorrow!!!

Food Friday - Gluten Free

So I have shared some different meals that the bf and I have made recently and I figured I should explain why we have to use some uncommon items.

Back in high school I was breaking out really badly on my chin and we found out I was allergic to yeast.  I ate better for a while and my face cleared up.  I started eating normal again and the break outs came back and I would have a horrible stomach ache for hours after waking up.  No matter what I did it still hurt.  The pain would last until about 11 in the morning.  We went to a different doctor and found out it was actually wheat that I was allergic too.

And that is when my world turned upside down.  I quickly learned that I couldn't have a lot of different things... like bread, pizza, cakes, crackers, most candy, cereals, and more.  It was very very hard, considering that I LOVE anything with bread.

Now my allergy to the wheat is not super severe.  I can eat wheat for several days before I notice any of my symptoms.  So it is very easy for me to fall into a pattern of eating badly for a few days or so.  I mostly am able to stop eating bad before my symptoms show up.  There are people so allergic that they are not able to touch wheat or eat things that were made in the same place things with wheat were made.

Just recently my mom has been wondering if she is allergic to wheat.  She stopped eating anything white and bread to get her cholesterol under control.... which she did and lost a lot of weight too!  Anyway, she has been eating bread with sandwiches and what not every once and a while.  After she has eaten the bread she feels like her stomach gets puffy and she feels slow.  She went to the doctor and sure enough she is allergic to wheat.  So all of my troubles are my moms fault. :)

Through my many years of being forced to try to eat wheat free I have learned that most of the foods that taste the best are the ones that are also gluten free.  Now gluten is the binding that keeps all of those wonderful foods made with wheat together.  Gluten free foods normally fall apart very easily.... eating a gluten free sandwich is just not the same.

I have created a document that contains my reviews on most of the foods/brands that I have tried and my opinion of them and where you can buy the products.  I have given that to at least a handful of people because I don't want them to have to try the yucky food that I had to try to get to the good ones.

So I have decided that I will begin featuring a gluten-free/wheat-free product a few times a month.  The bf actually enjoys some of the things I have found.

And since I promised a picture:

I was at Publix the other week and this is what I parked next too...  The license tag was 1 ofakind...

Thanks for reading!!

Weekend Plans

I am very lucky to have my family coming to visit this weekend.  I don't get to visit my parents near as much as I would like.  I personally wouldn't mind one bit if they lived down the street from me.

They are bringing my aunt and uncle (who I get to see even less) with them.  I am so excited!  My plan is to spend as much time as possible with them this weekend.  AND I will get to show off my new quilt to them in person.

Between all of the visiting I would like to get some more things made.  So my goal is to focus small.  I have a pack of onesies to make ties for.  My hope is to get all five made and washed.  Hopefully seeing them completed will get me motivated to make more in different sizes for the craft fair in April.... must find UCF fabric...

I apologize that this means I don't have a picture to share with you today.  I promise I will have pictures tomorrow. :)