I Applaud Plaiders
01-09-2015, 08:42 AM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,664
I agree. I go NUTS when the plaids are crooked but they do seem to blend in since plaids are normally very busy prints. This was in a F&P Love of Quilting magazine. They did a TV show on this pattern and Liz Porter did her sample in flannel plaids which inspired me to make this one.
01-10-2015, 03:43 AM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Midwest
Posts: 5,051
Griege goods (base fabric) is stretched on a frame during the printing process. There is no way stripes or plaids etc will ever be perfectly straight. The minds' eye corrects this when looking at the patterns from a distance. I love plaids in a quilt esp as inner borders and sections of blocks. Cut them on grain and enjoy using them.
Love the quilt posted!
sandy
Love the quilt posted!
sandy
01-10-2015, 06:26 AM
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Central Virginia
Posts: 1,120
I make simple charity quilts for Project Linus. Got the idea online to look for good shirts from thrift stores to make cozy, mostly plaid or simple shirting, quilts. I don't worry about perfectly lining up the plaids. I have found wonderful, high quality shirts with maybe a spot on the sleeve. The quilts come out homey and charming and I hope are a comfort to the children who receive them. I have a tendency when using new fabric to make them suitable for little kids with cutesy fabric, but there is a need for quilts for adolescent and teenage boys, too. I enjoy the challenge of making something useful out of discards.
01-10-2015, 07:29 AM
#37
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Blue Springs, Missouri
Posts: 2,481
[ATTACH=CONFIG]505136[/ATTACH] Heavy weight tartan is not too bad to keep in line. This is all kilt weight but the last time I used tartan in a quilt it was a lighter weight wool and it was a nightmare to work with. As far as that's concerned its definitely in the never again camp, but the heavy stuff is fine. I opted for tartan accessories for the house to see me through to spring. I didn't take any great care with making these, just wanted the practice of working with this kind of fabric before tackling larger projects and to make stuff without recourse to patterns etc. I'm not a sewer so this is fairly new to me but is definitely the way I learn most effectively. I'm still trying to pluck up the courage to tackle zips. I've watched the clips but still feel a need to watch more and more and ......
01-10-2015, 11:54 AM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Tri-Cities, Washington
Posts: 757
I took this "plaid place" as a class a few years back and I remember the instructor saying we do plaids "slightly off-grain" intentionally or you'll make yourself neurotic trying to get them all straight. I agree. And honestly I don't even notice now.
01-13-2015, 03:30 AM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Posts: 635
Do people treat gingham the same as a plaid? I'm asking because one of the projects I have on the go just now is a little red gingham baby quilt. I love the freshness of gingham but it drives me nuts when It goes off grid, especially when I'm doing my best to keep it perfectly in line. The centre of the quilt is now finished but I'm wondering if it might have been easier if I'd cut it diagonally across the grain so that the wonky bits are less noticeable.
