Attaching binding to a tote

or quilt for that matter.

As I started the Title for this post I'm singing "Putting on the Ritz!" That's what I always feel like I'm doing when I'm binding a tote bag or quilt. Just that little extra bit of flair that just completes the piece. Sometimes the binding fades into the background, because that's what it's supposed to do. Sometimes the binding can be as much of a show piece as the rest of the quilt. Either way binding is so important!

When I'm binding a tote bag I pin, pin, pin and then pin some more. I need to make sure that all of the pieces are lined up well enough that when I stitch them together there is as little shift as possible.

I have a Bernina 1080. Do I ever love that little machine. Berni's feisty and will work right along even when she doesn't feel well (unlike her owner, but that's a story for another day!) .

I work from the back of the quilt or the sides of the tote. I like the folded edge to be on the front of the quilt. To me, it looks so neat.





Here I'm rounding one of the corners on the messenger bag I'm working on. You can see I've shaped the binding to match the arc of the curve and I'm holding the binding up so I can see where I'm working





I'm getting closer to ending the binding here. A quilt has three layers. I'm stitching 2 to 4 layers of quilts here. Thank goodness Bernina's have amazing motors!







Here you get a much better idea of how many layers of fabric & batting I'm working through.
In a couple of days I'll show the next step of folding over the binding, pinning it in place, working with either the zipper foot or the walking foot.

Happy Quilting!
Teri

As an aside, I can't sing for beans, but once a song starts running through my head it can be days, and I do mean days before I stop thinking about it. The other day I was chatting with a friend and she made some comment that got the song "I'm not Dead yet" from Monty Python's SpamALot running through my head. And it's the only line from the silly song that I can remember. I'm not dead yet! oh for Pete's sake, now I've gone & done it!

More Bias binding directions

Dawn Marie reminded me that I have been neglectful in getting the rest of the bias binding directions complete.

I press the seam open (which I didn't mention on the previous blog post). I do this for two reasons: 1) bulk is not a quilters friend and 2) the fabric will lay flat on the mat when I'm drawing lines and cutting later.


I use three things when marking the lines on the back of the fabric

a) the grid on my cutting mat
b) a sharpie (yes, you read that correctly)
c) a 6 x 24" gridded ruler






I make my bias binding either 1 7/8" or 2". Yeah, it's just about the same thing but sometimes that extra 1/8th inch makes all the difference in the binding laying flat.





Using the ruler as both a measuring tool and a straight edge, I draw lines every two inches. This particular binding will be used for a messenger bag and a baby quilt so two inches works great for me. I'm not quite sure if you can see, but the little dots on the half inch line are on the seam line here. This is one of the ways I know that I'm keeping the binding and my lines straight.

The other check I have is the 45 degree mark on my ruler. I check this frequently for straight lines and to make sure I'm not twisting or stretching the fabric. Once I finish drawing all the lines up and down I draw one line on the diagonal.


Once I have the entire piece marked I pin. Keeping the drawn diagonal line closest to me I take one of the 45 degree points near me. I hold the second line that I've drawn and bring that up to the first line on the same side so that the there is about 2 inches off to the side. I pin every 2 inches. I use the line that I drew on the diagonal to make sure that I'm pinning at 1/4 inch and that the lines are meeting up correctly so when I cut the long, long, long strip of binding it's straight. There's nothing worse than wonky binding. Well, there are worse things, even in the amazing world of quilting. When you want to get a quilt or something out the door and the binding is just a wee bit off...pictures of walls and heads meeting is just not quite a pretty site.

Next the machine and I meet for the second time in the process. Stitch slowly and carefully, on the drawn line (diagonal line) . Check between pins to make sure the fabric hasn't shifted underneath...Every once in a while the fabric and the presser foot will look like this:



this is fine, this is good. Just keep moving slowly and you'll get there. This seam is one long curve and if you do it right when the tube is folded in half later the seam will look like this:






Now for the cutting. This takes patience and care. There will be one spot that sticks out:

Take the good fabric scissors and start cutting on the line that goes around
and around
and around
and around
and around
and around
and around again.

And you'll end up with a pile that
looks something like this, except it's a lot longer. When you get to the end (or perhaps at the beginning depending on how you pinned) there will be a stretch of binding that isn't as wide as the rest. People who applique love this kind of thing, put it in a box, when the box gets full....or find an old Mason Jar and put the scraps in there, for something pretty in your sewing space.



Happy Quilting!

Teri

I'm so excited! Can you tell? In April I get to bake and decorate a cake. I'm about beside myself happy with the prospect. I really enjoy decorating cakes. It's nearly as much fun as quilting. Baking and decorating cakes was just as much of a passion for me as quilting is now. Finding just the right recipe, figuring out the perfect colors, watching the design develop as I worked.

About 12 years ago I found a book called Great Cakes by Carole Walters that just changed my baking life! Her recipes are simple and Carole explains the process so well. Like the King Arthur Flour Cookbook she explains what's happening and why this temperature or that fat or chocolate should be used in this particular recipe. The first cake I made from the book just threw me for a loop! The batter was thick and rich and I was freaking out. I'd used cake mixes to make cakes all my life and just though all cake batter should be a runny sloppy mess.

Her basic yellow cake and Devils Food became two of my absolute favorites. I'm not sure which one I'll need however I might choose both and offer a choice, since some folks are allergic to chocolate and some just prefer vanilla. The Devils Food Cake recipe is great for making whoopie pies and devil dogs! Oh man, do they remind me of Maine.

The neat thing is that this cake is for a woman in our guild who is turning 90. Every month she makes and presents a quilt to the guild for one of our charities. She's just amazing and I'm honored to make this cake for her. If I can find the photos I'll scan them in and show off some of my cake decorating later today or tomorrow.

Happy Quilting!
Teri

Baby Crackers - DONE

Baby Crackers has been delivered. Now I can show you a photo of the whole thing. I really love this quilt, it's so sweet! The quilting on the white squares is similar to what Alex Anderson did in her book. I took a spool of thread and made an overlapping five petal flower and quilted that in white.




For the border I designed my own flower and used a pink variegated thread and then for the vine leaves I used a green variegated thread. The border fabric has all the colors from the "crackers" blocks in it.

This would be a great baby shower signature quilt. Each one of the white rectangles could have a persons signature or brief note.

Teri

of cleaning hazards and inspiration

So, yesterday I go to my dmils apartment to clean. A once a week or so ritual for the last five years or so. This day begins like so many others, clean the bathroom, vacuum the carpet, a bit of dusting and so it goes.

I needed a new sponge. Dmil keeps these in the kitchen. I go under the sink to find the new sponges and I notice somethings off. It's off, but I can't quite put my finger on it and then it hits me. Memories of blue goo (the cat shampoo episode) but this is worse, if you can at all imagine.

The drain under the sink has been dripping water for a period of time. How long? I haven't a clue. Kinda feel a bit dumb because I'm the cleaning lady and I hadn't noticed this before. I really don't get under the sink unless I have to, I should have noticed.

Change gears, go from whatever I was thinking I was going to do to cleaning out underneath the sink. Get the bucket. Whoops gotta empty said bucket first. Pull all of the cleaning stuff and whatnot out from the sink , now where do I put it? (Dmil's apartment is small! Did I mention this before?) Find someplace to put said stuff.

Get the bucket under there to catch the drips. Now to get the pans out. Look at the time, drat! I've got to be in the shower in just a little bit because dmil has an appointment at 1:30 with the doctor, and I need to get a decent parking spot. Slide the pans toward the cabinet door and, UGH! slosh, water drips. . . look at clock again. Need to stop that clock watching it's making me crazy.

Pans are too wide to slide out, now what do I do. Oh the bucket! I try my best to get the water in the bucket, more sloshing, more clock watching, I'm on a time limit here! I get the pans out and into the back yard. Thankfully we have some place to put them. They will be going into the trash for Monday as they're not in good enough shape for recycle.

Dump the pan water into the toilet, flush, flush. Bleach, I need the bleach to sanitize the cabinet and bucket and floor. I forgot to mention that in my haste to get the pans out the back door, I dripped some on my socks (threw them right in the garbage). I get the cabinet cleaned out, the floor washed, the bucket clean and just as I'm finishing up dmil comes home. Usually I'm cleaning the house by the time she gets back. Still have to shower. Can't go out looking like this. Yuck!

I get showered and tidied up just in time to head out the door. Whew. I washed my dirty clothes when I got home. I just realized I had the same shirt on yesterday as I had on the day I had to clean up the blue goo from under my cabinet! Thankfully I didn't hit my head, scrape my arm or any other physical damage. I did want to bang my head against the wall, but it's cinder block and that would hurt with a capital H.

Earlier in the week dh and I went to have dinner with friends of ours. Great dinner.



Before we arrived at their home we had a couple of errands to run. We picked up two packages of sharpie markers. These are some of the best markers ever.


I have a few pictures of how fun and inspiring they are. Last night I took them out of their package and put them in this jam jar I've had for years. Took them over to the couch, straightened out the quilts and snapped away!



Happy Quilting!
Teri

binding

I really enjoy making bias binding. I think of all of the parts of the processes in quilting this one is my absolute favorite. I've found that each part of the process is essential. Ironing and pressing well is so vital to making good bias binding. I use the linen (highest heat setting) on my iron and I use steam. "Why," you might ask yourself, "would she risk burning her fingers for bias binding?"

First, I like the facial aspect. What woman doesn't want a good steam facial? And it's free to boot! If there is any room for shrinkage, the fabric shrinks here and now. Not later when it's on the quilt.
Rulers, mats and a newish rotary blade are essential for getting those great cuts on the fabric. I start with anywhere from an 18" square to a 40" square. There are times when an 18" square will yield all the binding I need. Some times I need two 40" squares. Just depends on the size of the project.

And I'm of the mind that you can never have too much bias binding. Here I'm "squaring up" to make sure the square is just the right size.


Getting the 45 degree angle just right is so important. So is taking really good pictures. I'm seeing I need to do this on a day where the light is great and I don't need my flash. I fiddle, fiddle until I get this angle just right. Cutting accurately is essential for the next several steps (not showing photo's here today.)







Oh that quarter inch is so so necessary and I need to be so accurate with it while I'm stitching.








lining up the fabric to cut the strips or mark the back of the fabric with lines (if I need continuous binding) takes a few extra minutes, however in the end it's all worth it. I can get miles of binding in just a few minutes. This batch will be used for a couple of tote bags!

Happy almost new year!

My friend Fr. Bob is stationed at Our Lady of the Angels on Chicago's West side where on December 1, 1958 a horrific fire ripped through a full school building killing three sisters and 50+ children. On December 8th was the blessing and dedication of a memorial that Fr. Bob was able to have installed. Cardinal George attended and from Fr. Bob's description it was an incredible day. I'm linking to photos of the day here.

Going through the photo's and having visited the neighborhood, it's a beautiful thing. With the aid of so many generous people Fr. Bob is now able to reach out to so many people.


Not much in the area of sewing in the last few days. Oh, I've thought about sewing and quilting but the room is, well, the room needs help. That will be my focus right after the new year and the mattresses and bed frames are out of there and I can move the sewing space to the other wall with a dedicated outlet for the machine and a light.

I also have a second old singer I'm moving in there (from the hallway) and putting it in as well, hopefully to serve as a desk type of space.

Have a great quilting day!

Teri