Explaining Quilting to Non-Quilters

I've been working hard getting class listings ready for Pink Castle. (By the way, if you're near Ann Arbor, sign up for the local newsletter to get class lists and in-store coupons here: http://tinyurl.com/pinkcastleLOCAL).

As part of this, I've been talking with a wide variety of people about what they'd like to teach. Karen LePage (One Girl Circus) is going to be teaching garment sewing classes (she's so good, I'm so excited!!!) and she had the brilliant proposal to have a "Garment Sewing for Quilters" class. Which is so cool, because a quilter is going to know some things really well and other things will be complete mysteries. 

The idea of "Garment Sewing for Quilters" of course suggests a counterpart..."Quilting for Garment Sewists." Which had me thinking about what I would teach...the scant-1/4-inch seam, pressing properly, rotary cutting...

But then I was also thinking about the class listings overall and how "quilting" classes might look to a non-quilter. Like, it would be really easy to have no idea what the heck the difference between "Introduction to Improv Piecing" and "Introduction to Free Motion Quilting" might be. Don't they both sound like "make a quilt in some sort of hippy dippy way!"

I came up with this list of basic facts and terms in quilting:

1. The word “patchwork” refers to the top of a quilt, which is made by sewing together different pieces of fabric to form a cohesive whole.  

Here, for example, is a large piece of patchwork.  

It’s not a quilt yet because there is just the single layer.  If the top of a quilt is made from a single piece of fabric (uncut and unsewn) then it is not “patchwork” it is “whole cloth.”  

2. Most quilters make patchwork from cotton fabric.  The cotton fabric that quilters use is fairly lightweight, durable, and comes in a wide variety of patterns and colors. This fabric is typically called “quilter’s cotton” and savvy quilters know to seek out dedicated quilt shops to find the highest quality fabric.

I use Yelp! and the Yellow Pages to find quilt shops. And of course, online fabric shops for quilters are fabulous.

3.  The middle layer of a quilt is called batting (or, in some parts of the world, “wadding.”) Batting is most commonly made from cotton (sometimes blended with polyester or bamboo) and is sold as a single fleecey layer.

Here’s piece of batting fresh out of it’s package.  

This will be unfolded and smoothed out before it is used.

4.  The bottom layer of a quilt is usually referred to a “the back” or “backing.” It is usually a single piece of fabric (or maybe two large pieces).  But, sometimes the back of a quilt will have as much patchwork as the front!  Like the front, the back of a quilt is most commonly made of quilter’s cotton.

5. The joining of the three layers (top, batting, and back) is what makes a quilt a quilt!  This part of the process is called “quilting.”  Quilting can be done by hand or on a machine.

What do you think?
I've already started thinking of the next 5 facts.
6.  Binding is...
7. Applique can be used...
8.  Types of machines used for quilting...
9.  Some machine quilting is "free motion" and some is...
10.  Alternatives to quilter's cotton...

Cranky Pants

Sometimes I'm a morning person.  Sometimes I'm not. And when I'm having a bad morning I can only handle routines--shower, coffee, drive to the studio.  I find it very difficult to dive into creative work.

And if I'm having a hard time waking up, I really shouldn't do office work--bills will make it worse, no one wants an email from that version of me, I definately can't work on a blog or tutorial--but, I've got to do something, DOING wakes me up.  What to do?   I recently settled on a solution to this problem: make pants for babies.  Actually, it solves two problems.

Problem 1: Sometimes I'm not a morning person and I can't dive into my normal work.
Problem 2: My stash contains a lot of fabric that I like, but am highly unlikely to use in a quilt--too bright, too juvenile, too novelty.

The solution:
Make Quick Change Trousers.  Or, as I like to call them, Cranky Pants.

This is a pattern in Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.
I have always thought these pants were adorable, but seeing various versions made by Ashley (Film in the Fridge) and Amanda (Soule Mama) actually convinced me that I would very much like to make them.  Soooooo cute and perfect for brights and novelties!

Plus, it also solves Problem 3: My friends are starting to have babies en masse and I can't/won't make quilts for them all, the pattern is really simple and now takes me no more than 45 minutes per pair.  Perfect for a little wake-up exercise.

The pants are reversible! I have been trying to make them all gender neutral to add to the challenge.  

Some details on making:  on a friends recommendation I bought Sewable Swedish Tracing Paper and traced the pattern onto it.  This stuff is really see-through and durable.  Great for tons of uses!  I've cut out the three smallest sizes so far (3 months, 6 months, and 9 months) and used them several times.

Because there are a lot of straight edges on the pattern, I use my rotary cutter for most of the fabric cutting.  This saves time, but after doing it a few times, I started worrying that I'll slowly shrink the pattern by cutting little slivers off here and there.  So, when I traced the pattern for new sizes, I added a line 1/4" inside the edge.  That way, I'll know if I've shunk the pattern down (as a quilter, 1/4" is a magic thing I recognize on sight.)

Also, while the book says you need 5/8 yard of two fabrics for the 3-month and 6-month sizes, it's not true.  1/2-yard of each does it.   Which is great.  So much of my stash is 1/2-yard cuts.

Picking out the fabrics is pretty fun.  I've really been digging through my stash.  The little bits for the back yoke are quite small, so even some tiny pieces have found their way into pants!  I had exactly that much of the seahorse fabric.  Perfect!

Speaking of the stash, I've posted a very tiny destash on ebay.  It's stuff that might be too valuable for cranky pants, but that I'm unlikely to use in a quilt.  If you are interested, the listings are up on ebay, username FreshModernQuiltsLLC.  They end on Friday, June 14th.

Pants!

Quilt Market and Beyond

Portland was great. I know Quilt Market looks like a ton of fun on Instagram, but i find it exhausting and a lot of work (probably because I arrive as an introvert with a long to do list).

Graphic from Dr. Carmella's Guide to Understanding the Introverted.

I loved being in Portland again.  I used to live in Seattle and during that time some very good friends lived in Portland, so I visited often. It's a great town. My younger brother moved from Wisconsin to Portland last year and Quilt Market provided an opportunity to spend time with him. There are few people I love more than my baby brother (here he is with his lady on a lovely hike).

And there are few dogs I love more than his dog Mabel!  So cute!

Mabel is a border collie / australian cattle dog mix; crazy; around 50 pounds.

I just soaked up the brother and doggy and quilty love out in Portland.  And when I came home, my boyfriend had some more love for me! We went for a short birthday trip (my 36th) out to Lake Huron, and on the first night, as we strolled along the beach, he proposed!

I said yes! The ring is a lovely thing, opals and pearls because I am not a diamonds girl. It belonged to his Tata (mother's mother).  It's on my right-hand for now as it feels just a little loose on the left.

We've started making plans for a tiny ceremony and a big dance party.  Don't worry that this blog will transform into a wedding blog...we're going very minimalist.
Yes: Food, music, a photographer.
No: floofy dress, sparkely veil, fancy flowers, bridesmaids, groomsmen, churches, or name changes.  Though I did tell Jon, since he once told me that it is 'confusing' when married couples don't have the same last name that he's welcome to take my name. Dr. & Mr. Rossie Hutchinson has a certain ring to it. I love that he smiled when I said that to him.  

I love that when I tell him that I have no interest in doing all these things that 90% of the population does (in fact, seems hard-wired to do and to love doing) that it's okay.  Usually he either already knows that was likely to be my preference or it immediately makes sense to him that I'm going to be an oddball about something.  That's the thing about us: it's a big love, but its not dramatic, we are always working on our relationship, but we also find each other really easy to understand and accept.  What more could a person ask for?