Cutting and basting: the Cafe Comforts Cozy Quilt takes shape by Nancy Devine October 14, 2015 written by Nancy Devine October 14, 2015 725 No, wait! Change that needle. I used two needles in creating this throw. Today, we’re cutting the sashing and the dividing rows for the Cafe Comforts Cozy Quilt, a collaborative effort featuring blocks from lovely friends from all over the world. First off, change the needle on your machine. A dull or damaged needle can create a lot of trouble. A fresh, sharp one means no skipped stitches, accurate seams, no thread bunching and much happiness. Also, it’s about the least expensive route to true stitching happiness — so go ahead, change the needle. You’re investing about $1 for each change. I actually changed the needle twice during the creation of the Cafe Comforts Cozy Quilt. Bliss! Use Clever Clips to keep all the sashing and dividing strips organized before you begin sewing the quilt top together. I like to use Clever Clips keep all the parts together. These quilting clips are strong and come in two sizes. The large ones are great for keeping pieces organized once they have been cut. The small ones are fantastic for holding binding to the quilt when it comes time to hand stitch the binding to the back of the quilt — zero scratches from pins. Yay! For this project, I also used the large clips to “baste” the rows together, to ensure I’d cut enough strips off and to double check the width. I’m quite a fan of Clever Clips. Once I was happy with the sashing and the dividing strips, I began putting them together — carefully — that fabric is directional and not quite as neutral as one might think. It would be screamingly obvious if I sewed a strip upside down. That’s one lovely quilt top, right? The finished quilt top is making me very happy. Come back tomorrow and as we play around with a fun pieced back, a delicious quilt sandwich, and all the fun of quilting a cozy quilt on a regular home sewing machine. Print this page or save as a PDF bastingclever clipscutting and bastingneedlessashingsewing sashes FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsappTelegramEmail Nancy Devine Nancy Devine is a self-confessed craft-crazed blogger. She is a regular contributor to A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine, one of the administrators for The Craft Café, a Facebook page devoted to the international sharing of the creative life, and a curator of an impressive collection of fabrics, notions and seam rippers. In her spare time, she wrangles dust bunnies and writes a blog called Nancy Dee Needleworks. Understandably, her house is a mess. previous post Layout and design begins on the cozy quilt next post When quilting give pieced backings a chance YOU MAY ALSO LIKE... Make your quilted tote water resistant with Odif... How to make sturdy tote handles with BOSAL... Make a tote bag with orphan quilt blocks... Mastering Sulky Heat-Away Clear Film Stabilizer for embroidery... Your guide to using Sulky Water-Soluble Stabilizers for... How to choose and use SULKY Cut-Away stabilizers... Choosing & Using Tear-Away Stabilizers for Sewing &... Mastering Sulky and UNIQUE stabilizers for sewing &... 7 essential things to do after trimming your... 1 comment Barbara Sindlinger October 14, 2015 - 6:55 pm I picked up some of the Klasse needles on a shop hop and my sewing machine loves them. I can’t find them locally so I have to order them through Amazon. And you are right, when I’m having trouble stitching (seams or machine quilting) I always change the needle first. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
