tate_elliott

Yes, thank you, that's exactly how I feel. I don't go around telling others that they HAVE to use a machine to bind, so why do they feel they must tell us the "correct" way?

What drives me nuts is when (usually for joining Quilt As You Go blocks) someone explains the lengths they go to so no seams show. What about all those seams on the quilting! (I wanted to put that in all caps, but restrained myself.) Don't quilting seams count?

Tate

phranny

If the tension isn't perfect on my quilting, and it looks "loopy" on the back in places, I have just thrown the quilt into hot water and a hot dryer. The shrinking of the quilt kinda makes it disappear.

My mother had a saying growing up,' a blind man would be happy to see that ', and so I am very relaxed in my creative endeavors. I do wish I was more "meticulous" .

mooshie

Haha, love this thread.
I almost never iron fabric b-4 cutting it, stretch things to make them match up, usually don't squar up blocks unless they REALLY need it, don't usually care if my points match up perfectly (if they do great! if not, it's not the end of the world) usually don't measure for my borders, and I always sew my binging on by hand.

If there were a quilting police I'd be in prison. hehe

QuiltnLady1

I don't know how I missed this thread -- it is great.

I start out obsessing about the fabrics -- for some reason I am very picky about the color, value and hue. My sewing room is a disaster -- even if all I am doing is trying to find fabric to make a practice sampler. For a quilt, I could spend a week or more choosing fabric (or trying to find where I put a piece of fabric).

After that, all bets are off. I try to cut pieces the right size, but if the ruler slips I make it work. I try to sew straight seams, but hey I'm human and not perfect. I give my points one chance to match (and I do glue them), but if something happens then that's the way it is. My mitered corners are a bit rounded sometimes -- oh well.

I tear my borders and long sashing on the lenghtwise grain. I rarely will use either the fabric or color used in a pattern -- I want to make my quilt not someone elses. I have made an all blue quilt and an all purple table runner -- the differences are subtle with the purple, but I love them. My quilts talk to me and tell me how big they want to be (I have been arguing with a Halloween quilt for a couple of years now so it is sleeping).

I change my machine needle when it makes noise, I use my rotary blades until I can barely cut and I machine sew my binding. I prefer poly thread for quilting, but I like cotton for piecing. My TV set is on when I am quilting or piecing, though I normally only use it as a radio.

I have only entered one quilt in a show -- DH loved it, used a lot of metalic thread and the judges really reamed me (If they sell metalic thread -- shouldn't we use it? I sure wouldn't piece with it.)

I like simple piecing -- my attention span is short since if it takes more than a couple of weeks to finish a top it won't get done. My fabric has to do the work (hence my obsession with getting the fabric choice right).

SlightlyOffQuilter

I live by the rule that if you could not see it from the back of a galloping horse, it does not exist. I made a quilt for our family physician recently and she was so in love with it she gushed about how she was going to take it home and hang it right up on her wall, and I told her to give it back then, because I do not make quilts for hanging on walls, or keeping in closets, and that if she was not going to use it and abuse it, I was taking it back ! She has since promised that it is getting an exuberant amount of use !

ILoveToQuilt

I sometimes "recolor" faded fabrics with sharpies. (Light bulbs can really strip color from darker fabrics, so be careful where you display your quilts).

Anita

omacookie

I use every scrap that's over 3 threads wide. Colors all go together. Sew bindings on by machine but the turn under by hand. I sew on the label by hand. I am happy and so are the receivers of my creations !!!! Hugs

ManiacQuilter2

I have done a few of the things that are listed above, but I don't believe in the quilt police. Another scare tactic!! I have NEVER had a knock on the door in the middle of the night !! I never believed in the tooth fairy either.....

cricket_iscute

If it is a quilt for a homeless family, I don't measure the quilted quilt through center and both ends and square it. I don't have a big table and I can't get on the floor. It's seldom off more than a fraction of an inch anyhow, so I just bind it - nicely. I will have to remind myself to measure on quilts for myself or competition.

For homeless family quilts, I often do string quilts, flip and sew, and this means every seam does not have to be exactly 1/4 inch until it comes time to sew the blocks together to make the top.

Annaquilts

Great tip!