Quilt-Patterned Scrapbooking Pages

Even when I scrapbook, I quilt :)

Check out my Quilting-Patterned Scrapbooking on Flickr

Drunkard's Path

Royal Oak

No-Reply Blogger - Not Anymore !

I found out recently that I was a no reply blogger (thank you M-R).  I couldn't understand why I was getting no replies.  I just figured I didn't have this blogging thing down pat despite many telling me that they saw my blog.  I was about to give up.  Glad I didn't.

If you have a new blog or have had a blog and are no longer getting posts on your blog, check out M-R's Quilt Matters blog where you'll find out how to fix it here.

Now to get on with blogging again...

365 Days of Quilting - Day 19 ~ Making Piped Binding Using Zipper Foot

 Today I prepared piped binding for my next quilt to be bound.

HERE'S HOW I DO IT

As a an heirloom dress and wedding gown maker over the years, I have made A LOT of piping and can do it in my sleep, lol.  Many years ago, when the only other foot I had on my machine was a zipper foot, I perfected my way of doing piping and binding that works for me.

Sandwiching the cording to make the piping

Using 2" inch strips in this case due to the large 1/4" cording....

 I first, sandwich my cording with the raw edges of the fabric perfectly even.  In this case, because I used a fairly large  cording at 1/4" I did pin my edges together.  I normally don't, but I do not have a foot that can ride over the cording and this cording was pretty big.    That's where the zipper foot comes in.

I butt the left edge of the zipper foot tight against the cording.  This works for all size cording.  Both passes of the cording through the machine, first to sandwich and then to attach to the binding, the foot will be in the very same position....riding tight along the cording.

I then move the needle position towards the cording to approximately 1/8 ".  The distance between the tip of my screw driver here and the needle.  I then just sew right down the length.  I usually use a basting length stitch, but in this case I used regular stitching.

Attaching the Piping to the Binding

I cut 3" strips for the binding.  I iron them in half in order to have a "line" to follow for the center.  I line the piping with the stitching just slightly to the right of the center about a 1/16".  That way when I move my needle closer to the piping I will be stitching exactly on the center line.

Making sure the Piping it nice and snug

Notice the zipper foot is butting up against the cording exactly as it was during the first pass of stitching.  What I do now is move my needle to towards the cording.  It will both tighten up the cording to make it nice and round and hide the first row of stitching.

A look at the stitching

Here is what the stitching looks like behind the foot as the piping is attached to the binding.

Here you can see the stitching in front and back of the foot.

Unpressed piped binding

This is how the piped binding naturally wants to lay before pressing.  Notice the raw edges are not even.

This is how I press...

I force the raw edges together with the piping right side up. I then tip my iron using the edge to hold the edges together.  I then drop my iron flat on top of the piping.  It's that easy.  Everything wants to fall into place naturally.

I don't press against the piping or run my iron along the edge of the piping.  The piping will be flatten but only for a moment.  Once you pick it up everything stays in place and the piping naturally lies along the edge.

Pressed piped binding

This is what it should look like after pressing.   FRONT
It looks flat but will round out once you pick it up.

BACK

Finished piped binding ready to attach to the quilt

See how naturally the piping lays on top.  The edges naturally stay together.  There's no need to pin it to stay.

AND MY PIPED BINDING IS READY TO APPLY TO MY QUILT....
TOMORROW :)

365 Days of Quilting ~ Days 17 & 18 - Ricky Tims' Piped Binding

Auditioning Piping and Binding Fabrics 

Recently, I spent a day with Ricky Tims. I was actually with hundreds of others, but boy Ricky sure knew how to make it seems it was "all about me". Though I have done piping a bazillion times over the years for everything from clothing to curtains by machine, any time I did piping for quilting there was usually handwork involved. I have never really been happy with my machine results for my quilts.

 Yesterday, I spent time watching his video (again) and a few others' techniques just to compare and have decided to try Ricky's method on my granddaughter's I Spy quilt.

Today I auditioned several fabrics for the piping and binding. Wouldn't you know it, I had to go buy the perfect fabric! Her quilt is sashed in pinks and purples.

I have decided to go with a pink patterned binding and deep purple striped piping.

365 DAYS of QUILTING - Days 1-16

365 DAYS of QUILTING

On 14 Aug 2013 I decided that I was going to do something quilting related for 365 days.  Or rather document what I do as there is never a day that goes by that I don't 'do' quilting.  I started doing documenting on my fb, but have decided that a blog would be easier to keep track and watch as everything gets lost and embedded deep down in fb.

So my quilting activity today to create this page and upload all that I've done so far.  Phew, good thing I am not too far into at this point.

DAY 1 - 14 August 2013

Time to repair young's son juvenile quilt.  The grandchildren love playing with it.  Need to make it last.   My son loved that he picked the backing for his quilt.  So appropriate.  I'm amazing the fabric still looks new.  I can't tell how many times this quilt has been washed over the years.

Since I had whipped stitched the binding way back when I did the same for the repairs.  Phew, so glad I don't do bindings this way anymore.

Way back then I had no idea how to attached bindings.  It seemed like a good idea to do this way, lol.

DAY 2 - 15 August 2013

A 40th Anniversary quilt I made in 1997 for my in-laws. My MIL chose the fabrics. I machine pieced it and hand quilted it and hand drew the label. I had never taken photos of it until today. 

Took the time today. I need to better record the quilts I've made. At least the ones that can be found!

DAY 3 - 16 August 2013

Started drawing some ideas for quilting the pink panther quilt.

DAY 4 - 18 August 2013

Finished repairing the bug quilt.  I was nice to sit quiet and do some hand work.  

DAY 5 - 19 August 2013

Finished up grandson's I Spy quilt by getting it bound.

DAYS 6 & 7 & 8  - 20-22 August 2013

Making labels for grandchildren's I Spy quilts.  I can't show the finished pics as it has private info written on them.

It was frustrating as a lot of my pigment pens were dried up.  I had to colour in layer over layer to get them brillant enough.  Was determined to use what I had.

DAYS 9-15 ~ 23-29 August 2013

Struck down with influenza, but that didn't stop me from looking at books and thinking about quilting whenever I was awake.  I got a lot of planning done, especially for future machine quilting.

DAY 16 - 30 August 2013

Updating my blog with my 365 days of quilting.

Networking with other quilters.

Cameron's I Spy Quilt

Finally finished Cam's I Spy Quilt

Scrappy {Pink Panther} Quilt

This a quilt that I am working on.  It's part of my mission to use up my scraps.  I used a "new fabric" charm pack for the colourful centers and scrap fabric for the rest.

I tend to {build} quilts as I go.  I have a lot of neutral coloured strips in my stash.  I added some of these strips to two sides of each of the coloured squares Log Cabin style.

I then looked in my stash for sashing fabric.  I ended up chosing pink which had nothing in common with the pieced center blocks, but I think it turned out quite cute.  It's amazing what we can put together when {forced} to by using what we have.

I have it prepared for quiting.  I found a pink Eiffel tower fabric that I saw sitting on a sale shelf.  As soon as I laid eyes on the fabric I knew it was perfect to showcase Inspector Clouseau's {Pink Panther}.