Binding with Charlotte's Fusible Web Thread

I've been working for the past few weeks on some samples for the Bobbin Quilting class I will be presenting in Houston at International Quilt Festival. One of the samples uses a very interesting fabric I bought in Honolulu just before we left on our Hawaii Quilt Cruise in April. It is a white fabric with heavy white overpainting with tropical flowers and leaves. I thought it would be perfect for bobbin quilting.













I used Superior's Razzle Dazzle for the bobbin work and then decided to use a cotton/metallic fabric for the binding. I have been wanting to see how I could use another of Superior's interesting threads so I could apply my binding completely by machine and still have a product that I like. I have tried to stitch the binding down by machine but was never happy with the look on the back of my projects. Of course, you can't see the back if you stitch in the ditch of the binding seam on the front and sometimes I would miss the binding edge completely.

So, here is what I did. I am using two Superior threads: Charlotte's Fusible Web (yes, it's a fusible thread) and Monopoly (polyester thread, clear, can take high heat). I prepared my binding strips as I usually do. I cut 2 1/4" strips, join them with 45-degree seams and then press the binding in half with the right side out. I also fold under a 1/4" at the beginning of the binding.

The next step is to thread my machine with the fusible thread in the bobbin and monopoly on the top and stitch 1/8" from the folded edge. I stitch so the monopoly is on the outside edge and the fusible thread is on the edge that will be against the back of the quilt when I turn it to the back.

Then I stitch the binding to the quilt just as I normally do with a 1/4" seam allowance and my walking foot.

This is what it looks like after I have sewed the binding all around the quilt.

Next step is turn the binding to the wrong side, hold it in place with the fold over the stitching line and press it in place. Hold the iron on long enough to fuse the edge to the quilt. Mitre the corners and iron them in place.

When the entire binding is pressed in place you will see that the monopoly thread is a bit loose - in fact it just comes right off when you pull it gently! How cool is that - you don't have that thread showing at all on the binding!

For added security, I stitched in the ditch all around the quilt on the right side, with monopoly in the top of my machine and a thread to match the binding in the bobbin.

Hope you'll give this a try. It's great to be able to sew the binding down completely by machine!

New Pattern - Medals & Mountains

I've just put the finishing touches on a new pattern just in time for the upcoming cold weather. It's a flannel lap quilt using Northcott's Winter Sports Flannel fabric. The fabric includes pictures of athletes competing in Olympic Winter Games sports so it's just in time to celebrate the Games being held in Vancouver in February 2010. Technique is easy - a great quilt for confident beginners. And it's quite large (52" x 72") - perfect for snuggling under when you watch the Games!

The pattern is available for ordering now and we'll begin shipping after September 20th. Fabrics should be arriving in your local quilt shops in early October.

McCall's Qulting - America Makes Fast Quilts

Patchworks Studio is published again! This time in a special McCall's Quilting publication, America Makes Fast Quilts. And those of you who have joined us in classes or bought our patterns or our book know that Too Easy Stained Glass is THE simplest and fastest way to make a Stained Glass Quilt!

You will want to make our design called Stained Glass View. We have fabrics that are suitable on our website (not the exact one in the pattern - unfortunately that's long gone). I will be looking for more of these types of landscape prints when I'm in Houston for International Quilt Market in a few weeks. So, stay tuned to our website to see what I find.

Here's the project that you can make with our easy instructions and pattern in the magazine.

Sneak Peak - Victoria Guild Raffle Quilt

I belong to a weekly quilt group (Loose Threads Sew-ciety). We volunteered to design and make the main raffle quilt for the Victoria Quilters' Guild quilt show to be held in May 2010. We gathered the main fabrics to use in our design, distributed background fabrics and instructions to guild members and they made the pieced blocks for the quilt (half square triangles, quarter squares and Ohio stars). Our group appliqued the centre medallion for the quilt (designed by one of our members, Peggy Farries).

We met this week to put the quilt together. Here are some pictures of the 'action'.

Getting started:

Moving on - hurray! for Rose - she's TALL:A break for lunch:
and dessert! Peggy (in the orange shirt) also cooks!Lots of sewing:A bit of un-sewing :(

Photo Op:
The main design:Auditioning the outer border size:
We had a great time designing and making this special quilt. We'll be gathering batting and backing and then it's off to the quilters to make it even more beautiful!

80th Birthday Celebration

My mother celebrated her 80th birthday last Saturday. We had a family celebration at our house complete with a wonderful fruit flan that was a two-person effort between myself and my son's girlfriend Melissa. She is a professional baker so I was a bit worried that my task was to make the sponge cake! She made a wonderful pastry cream with real vanilla bean to fill the flan. I just had to slice the fruit and she decorated it beautifully!

Here's mom blowing out a few candles - no, we didn't try to get 80 candles into it! My son Scott is beside her.

And here are the other 'grandchildren': my daughter Lindsay and her beau, Paul, and Melissa, the baker! I'm on the left, just taking the flan for slicing.

My husband, Alan, barbecued salmon for our main course. It was a great dinner and a lovely celebration!