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From – June 29, 2010

So many quilting fabrics, so many designs, how does one choose? My first cut comes in the area of quality. I have a typical quilter’s husband. He dutifully lugs my sewing machine out to the car for me for my classes when he is here. He loads his trunk with my containers of fabric, quilt patterns, and accessories for our trips to the cabin. He patiently oohs and aaws at all of my projects.

AND…he thinks I have more quilting fabric than anyone on earth and I spend much too much on it. He really has no idea the capacity a quilter has for collecting fabric and really, really no idea how much I do spend. But, he now understands about why my fabric cost the amount I spend.

My stash is neatly (well fairly neatly) displayed and my daughter Liza came by to request a quilt and chose some fabric. She picked out a collection I particularly liked and which suited her well that I purchased on vacation a few years ago. It was beautiful, soft, very good quality cotton. But, she also happened upon a piece of JoAnn’s sandpaper cotton that she insisted she wanted included and I didn’t even realize I still had.

I thought that this would be the perfect illustration for my husband. I took 2 swatches out to the living room and had him feel them. “This is what I purchased in Healdsburg for $10 a yard,” I said, “And this I bought at JoAnn’s for $2.97 a yard. Please feel them. Liza wants both in her quilt.”
He looked at me and said, “Why do you even have that cheap material?” Voila! He has never said another word to me about the cost of a piece of fabric. He still complains about the cost of the volume of my stash, but, one step at a time.

Quality material not only feels better, but it lasts longer, sews easier, and produces a much more satisfying sewing experience and result. It is always worth the extra expense.

And I refused to include the cheap stuff in Liza’s quilt.

You aren’t going to find this anywhere, but, isn’t it interesting?

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

Fom – June 28, 2010

Choosing fabric for your quilt pattern is sometimes a challenge. The first problem is that there are so many beautiful fabrics to select from. I spend so much time just perusing the rows and rows of bolts at any quilt shop.

If you have already chosen a quilt pattern the choices are narrowed. But if not, this is how I pick my next quilt fabric.

I see something that I want to work with, just one piece that will be my focal fabric. I know that the choices are extensive, but for now, just pick one. Then I need to choose a pattern. That decision will be decided by the purpose of the quilt project but it must be able to show off the focal fabric well.

With quilt pattern in hand, I see what coordinating fabric is needed. Noting how many other fabrics are necessary, I look over the other fabrics made by the manufacturer in that particular line. I pick out what I want to use from them but don’t limit myself to just those options.

I look at the colors in the focal fabric and pick a few out. If there is fabric with a similar style and theme in one of those colors, it gets considered. The color dots along the selvage are also a great guide. It gives you a sample of the colors used that are separated out and easy to see. There are sometimes surprising colors on the selvage that I had not noticed in the patterns.

A coordinating fabric does not have to match one of the colors used in the focal fabric perfectly. A color that is the same tone but maybe lighter or darker might set off the focal fabric very well.

Practice experimenting with fabrics and colors will give you a good experience, confidence and courage to reach out beyond what is presented as coordinating choices and often results in a much more beautiful outcome.

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

June 27, 2010
Cleaning My Sewing Room
I am not now, nor will I ever be a good (or even adequate) housekeeper. I would rather be creating a quilt design. I would rather be rummaging through beautiful fabric. And I would much rather be sewing up a gorgeous new quilt pattern.

But, when the corners, where I have containers or bolts of fabric or whatever start creeping out towards the middle of the room, it is time to focus for a few minutes on where to put everything so that there is some sanity.

If one were to look at my stash, they would be impressed with the organization. An inspection of my threads (quilting, tatting, embroidery) you will find them neat, organized, well protected and accessible. My finished quilt tops are nicely folded and stored under my quilting frame. My rulers are where they are supposed to be. So, on a micro level, I rock. On a macro level, however, OMG!!!

This post comes with no actual pictures and no video of my space. Why? Because I would never show anyone what I am talking about. So part of today will be straightening up my work space.
Today is about sorting through it all and determining how to fit (__________________) this much stuff into (_____) this much space.

Wish me luck.

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

From – June 26, 2010

I was editing videos for the 9 Patch Stepping Stones Quilt Top Pattern and Lesson yesterday. I pulled up the second to last video which was the lesson on mitered corners and thought I would share. This is my method for mitered corners and it results in perfect corners every time.

It takes some care, a good fine marking implement and most importantly – finding that exact point that all of the stitches radiate from. Finding that point and sewing a straight line are the only skills required and they are easily learned.

The corners go pretty fast and before you know it, you have all four corners mitered and finished and looking great.

And mitered corners always look so much fancier on your beautifully finished quilt top design. (smile!)

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

From – June 24, 2010

In any discipline, learning the basics is the first step towards mastery of a skill set. Quilting making is no different. There are so many tricks and short cuts and more appear every day. There are tons and tons of gadgets that make our work faster. Because of all of these advancements in techniques, materials and tools, we can now make quilts that were not possible before.

The quilt designs that were only achievable by highly skilled artists are now available to all of us. Following pretty simple instructions now rewards us with masterpieces. Techniques, materials and tools have taken a millennia old art form and completely transformed it.

However, these wonders work so much better if there is a fundamental core knowledge base. Being able to sew straight seams, understanding the importance of pressing seams, cutting carefully and accurately are qualities that are best appreciated when coupled with the experience of having to redo project where these basics were not done correctly. That results in practice and an investment of time and effort.

If there is a problem with the outcome of a particular project, a well seasoned quilter can identify where the difficulty arose and even possibly repair it. Steam a seam is wonderful but the ability to hand appliqué allows you to determine this tool’s appropriate usage. Thangles can make perfect corners, but so can old fashion straight pins and a great deal of care. I absolutely love my embroidery machine but it can’t compare to a beautifully executed hand done project.

Experience only comes with time. And practice is only valuable if it has been applied to basic quilt making skills. We will never do it perfectly but we can take the big goofs out and redo (re-practice) and when we do, we appreciate our results so much more. That effort doesn’t take that much time and it takes your whole life. Results will very quickly improve having done relatively few projects but practicing is a lifelong journey.

Gather those experiences and practice those basics and develop the knowledge base that allows you to truly and fully express yourself in your art.

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

From – June 24, 2010

The folks at the Missouri Star Quilt Company have come up with a fast and easy way to make Pinwheel quilt blocks. It utilizes charm squares. Sewing the outsides all the way around with a 1/4 inch seam. Then cutting the square diagonally twice ending up with four half square triangles. Arrange the half square triangles into a Pinwheel pattern and sew together. Everything matches up perfectly and it truly is very fast and easy.

The concern that many have had is that this technique leaves the Pinwheel with all biased edges around the outside but Jennie says that she has never had any problems with this technique. She suggests that if you are concerned just spray some Best Press on the block and that should stablize everything nicely.
If you are planning to do something with pinwheels give this trick a try. You may not like it but you may just love it!

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

From – June 18, 2010

For the series of articles on Fabric storage I saved my system for the last as the best suggested awesome way to store all of your quilting fabric. For a few magazine storage articles, my storage solution come in the beginning because I think that as a system it leaves much to be desired.

I have a row of those plastic (even designer ones that cost more) magazine holders. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Even in the beginning my collection of information overwhelmed the row of racks. A year and a half into gathering more magazines, you can’t even see the original containers with the stacks of magazines in front of them.

When I was gathering pictures and idea for a home remodel (which I still plan to do someday) I cut out lots of pictures and placed them into notebooks. I could see that applying this technique to my quilting magazines would result in my never being able to ever access the information again as it would be lost in the myriad of notebooks that take up even more space.

I think that the solution I am looking for will end up being a digital one that provides an answer to the space issue and solves the search-ability problem I have. And it will hopefully allow me to donate a lot of expense subscriptions to a school or other place where quilters are learning our art.

In the mean time, here is kind of what I am doing now.

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

From – June 17, 2010

Oh, do I have stacks and stacks of quilting magazines and there they sit in piles. I have quilt design magazines, magazines with lots of quilting patterns I will one day want to use. I have quilting magazines with beautiful art quilts and every day bed quilts. And what a wonderful way to see all of those new fabrics! Do you think that I can access any of the wonderful information in them? Not a chance!!!

So during a discussion with other quilters this dilemma presented itself. I will spend a couple of days trying out different solutions and attempt to come up with one that I can live with.

The first solution comes from YouTube. In this video Grace Brook suggests Rubbermaid Plastic Edge Magazine Holder. You slip your magazine over the piece of plastic and then insert it into a binder. This looks like a really good idea to start so maybe I will try it.

Cost effective and seems to answer some of the problems. Only thing is – What to do with all of the binders?

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

From – June 16, 2010

My husband and I are confirmed bookaholics. Our garage is filled with boxes of books and I have a really hard time getting rid of any of them. I don’t know about Bob, but I absolutely blame my parents. They instilled a reverence for books from an early age. So I not only save them but I buy them at every opportunity.

Now I am collecting quilting books, quilting instructions, quilting techniques, interesting quilt designs, quilting patterns that I would like to make, or quilt designs that inspire me to strike out on my own and develop an original pattern.

My fabric stash is considerable as it takes up lots of shelving space. Unfortunately, my quilting books take up almost as much space as the material. I have my shelf of books and I have some on the work table and I have some in the night stand next to my bed and I have some next to my easy chair in the living room and (well you get the idea).

But I don’t just sit and stare at the collection on the shelves. I take a pile of 5 or 6 and regularly browse through them. It is amazing how I see new things and new inspiration comes to me as I see those patterns I have seen dozens of times but now with a new perspective.

So I decided to share my addiction.

Online Quilting Classes has put together a list of “Books I Have and Books I Want”.

Look it over and suggest more.

‘Cause I can never have enough books.

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Karen Dennison
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!