New Year Block swap

[FeyRaine]

Is it that expensive to buy it online? Like directly from a fabric shop?

Some other less expensive sources I like are garage sales, if it looks like an "older persons" garage sale I always stop and look for fabric. And used or thrift stores I look through their home wares section at the bedding and curtain areas, sometimes you can find real gems of yardage that someone has made into curtains or the like that isn't "curtain" fabric but cotton. I don't use those sources for swapping fabric, but for my own quilting fabric. For my own use I have also been known to use other then "quilters cotton" for my own quilts.

Here is a tip. When my sister what moving to Alaska, I wanted to make her an all wool quilt, then I saw wool was $30/yd.
So a friend of mine volunteers at a thrift shop & they get lots of clothing donated w/ bad stains or rips which they normally put in the trash, turns out this includes lots of 100% pure wool suits/pants/skirts, well my friend was happy to divert these items from the dumpster (which they have to pay to have hauled to the landfill) to me. I cut all the good parts out of each article and in a couple months I had enough for both sides almost queen sized all wool quilt, all it cost was my time , thread & batting. Like ya'll I'm only using new yardage for the swaps, but I do lots of re-use recycle for my own projects

 

[cathiesue]

Here is a tip. When my sister what moving to Alaska, I wanted to make her an all wool quilt, then I saw wool was $30/yd.
So a friend of mine volunteers at a thrift shop & they get lots of clothing donated w/ bad stains or rips which they normally put in the trash, turns out this includes lots of 100% pure wool suits/pants/skirts, well my friend was happy to divert these items from the dumpster (which they have to pay to have hauled to the landfill) to me. I cut all the good parts out of each article and in a couple months I had enough for both sides almost queen sized all wool quilt, all it cost was my time , thread & batting. Like ya'll I'm only using new yardage for the swaps, but I do lots of re-use recycle for my own projects

Absolutely! I use recycled wool when I make rugs. Is anyone else a rug hooker?

 

[RustyHen]

I have tried hooking rugs but they always endup shaped like a bowl!! I guess with UTube I could give it another try sometime.

 

[keepmumsane]

I buy specials, and save bits, online tends notcto be cheaper, I buy plains at the fabric warehouse but tyey dont do quilters prints. It is what it is.. liie the thrift shop idea too!

 

[katsdar]

My latest rag jean quilt is from yard sales and give a ways.



Ok ladies I need your fast help, I have not finished too many quilts the usual way I finish them is stitch in the ditch but this quilt I don't want to stitch in the ditch, so would you recommend stitching around each square a 1/4 inch on the inside or do the diagonal lines that intersect and make the diamonds you know what I mean I hope,

 

[RustyHen]

katsdar do the 1/4" inside the square, it might take longer but I don't think you will be able to get the diamond through all of the squares corrners to match up. Have you tried laying a long straight edge on the top to see what you would get?

Beautiful quilt by the way

 

[keepmumsane]

Katsdar, thats lovely!
If the points arn't perfect it will stick out if you do diagonals. My points are always questionable, you could do an all over grid pattern. ? Possibly less fiddly than internal grids on each square. Might recede and allow the pattern to shine.
Just a really unhelpful thought .

 

[katsdar]

@RustyHen no I have not tried to lay a line, I was looking at it and I really didn't think it would work, but still being new I wanted ya'lls opinions. I think I will do the 1/4 inch inside the squares, thanks for the compliment, this was a fast quilt that I decided to do for our present swap this Sunday at church, nothing like deciding at the last minute.


@ keepmumsane Yeah I noticed one point off, you can see it in the lower right hand corner the white and blue doesn't quite match up with the green, nope not taking it apart, I have decided to pretend I'm Amish they always make a mistake somewhere in their quilts to keep them humble. Least that is the biggie that I noticed and I have not done anything but stitch in the ditch. Not sure how to use the stencils and what to put the pattern on the fabric with. I'm still a little green around the gills, but it is fading fast. Making the blocks is the easy part now the real talent is in the putting it all together. I used to sew clothes and in some respects I still think that is easier than quilting.
Thank you for the compliment.

 

[katsdar]

Oh what color thread? I was thinking red

 

[keepmumsane]

ooo red would be fun!
i believe quilts are a hand craft..they dont need to look perfect to be perfectly charming.. of course thats probably because mine never are as i dont have the skill or the patience to be so exact..I do try though ..