If you can sew simple projects using straight stitching, you can quilt! The pleasure of quilting potholders is the size of the project; one block is all it takes. Time is your friend.
So let's begin to step a bit out of the box, stretch our comfort zone and bring triangles into the house of potholders. The magic is...we're making an itty, bitty potholder with an itty bitty amount of fabric. So, if you make a mistake, very little fabric is lost and the quilting experience you will gain is priceless.
Triangles and quilting are a combination that have always caused me stress and sent me running back to the safe, easy, simple square...and its unlimited variations. But learning how to quilt can depend as much on the ease and simplicity of a tutorial as it does on the ability to sew. This video below explains the creation of a hollow cube pattern using six triangles. Presented in an easy, step by step process, this tutorial will ensure the success of your project. Your finished potholder will be creative and pretty and will demonstrate your new-found quilting finesse!
Yes, you CAN quilt!
http://www.5min.com/Video/Hollow-Cube-Quilt-Block-91186943
Showing posts with label quilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilt. Show all posts
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Easy Quilted Potholders: You CAN Quilt!
Are you are a frustrated quilter? Do you spend envious hours browsing expensive quilt magazines? Do you marvel at Eleanor Burns or Sewing with Nancy as they breezily run their quilt squares through their sewing machines, thinking that you will never be able to quilt? Well, do not dismay; think small...the lowly potholder to your rescue!
Do you have some old cotton skirts or blouses taking space in the back of your closet? Does your husband or your teenage children have cotton shirts they never wear? Any old washcloths, towels or blankets ready to be replaced? Can you sew a straight line with your old sewing machine? Presto! You have some potential holiday gifts ready for creation. Your friends will welcome some nice looking, new potholders to brighten their kitchens. And real friends, truly enjoy a gift that is handcrafted with care and thoughtfulness, no matter how small.
How you proceed from here, is totally up to your ingenuity, imagination, time and patience. I've surfed the net and found some quilted potholder sites that may appeal to your artistic, creative side.
http://www.lovetosew.com/quiltedpotholders.htm has easy, simple instructions, completer with clear pictures. You might want to 'stitch in the ditch' along some of the lines where the different fabrics meet. It's easy to do, just place some pins along the seams to keep the fabric from 'walking' which may end in a pucker at the end of your seam. Either use a 'walking' foot or just lower the pressure on the pressure foot to minimize puckers.
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/04/craft_project_simple_quilted_p.html gives detailed directions, also with clear, large pictures so you cannot go wrong. They do interesting quilting lines across the rail fence lines for a double-quilted look; quite nice.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/593629/how_to_make_quilted_pot_holders_with.html?cat=24 uses bias tape to finish the edges, which is a bit easier I think, than turning them inside out. Your particular sewing skill and comfort level will lead your way.
Have fun. Take your time. If you have 'mistakes', they can always keep company with your other potholders at home. Someone said to me at a craft show, "You can never have too many potholders!"
Don't forget to share your projects with us. Even a small tip from your experience, might give someone else the necessary confidence to finish their own project.
Happy sewing! Enjoy your trick-or-treaters.
Do you have some old cotton skirts or blouses taking space in the back of your closet? Does your husband or your teenage children have cotton shirts they never wear? Any old washcloths, towels or blankets ready to be replaced? Can you sew a straight line with your old sewing machine? Presto! You have some potential holiday gifts ready for creation. Your friends will welcome some nice looking, new potholders to brighten their kitchens. And real friends, truly enjoy a gift that is handcrafted with care and thoughtfulness, no matter how small.
How you proceed from here, is totally up to your ingenuity, imagination, time and patience. I've surfed the net and found some quilted potholder sites that may appeal to your artistic, creative side.
http://www.lovetosew.com/quiltedpotholders.htm has easy, simple instructions, completer with clear pictures. You might want to 'stitch in the ditch' along some of the lines where the different fabrics meet. It's easy to do, just place some pins along the seams to keep the fabric from 'walking' which may end in a pucker at the end of your seam. Either use a 'walking' foot or just lower the pressure on the pressure foot to minimize puckers.
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/04/craft_project_simple_quilted_p.html gives detailed directions, also with clear, large pictures so you cannot go wrong. They do interesting quilting lines across the rail fence lines for a double-quilted look; quite nice.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/593629/how_to_make_quilted_pot_holders_with.html?cat=24 uses bias tape to finish the edges, which is a bit easier I think, than turning them inside out. Your particular sewing skill and comfort level will lead your way.
Have fun. Take your time. If you have 'mistakes', they can always keep company with your other potholders at home. Someone said to me at a craft show, "You can never have too many potholders!"
Don't forget to share your projects with us. Even a small tip from your experience, might give someone else the necessary confidence to finish their own project.
Happy sewing! Enjoy your trick-or-treaters.
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