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Our last quilting tip explained how to audition your quilting threads. Today I am going to discuss how to audition quilting designs.

Finding the designs

Let’s start with ideas on where you can find quilting designs. For me this  part of the process is the most exciting and inspiring. With all the resources at our finger tips, it is no wonder we get overwhelmed. Here are a few ideas for collecting you quilting designs.

• Start by looking through your quilting books & magazines. If you don’t own any books yet you can find plenty of inspiration at your local library. Many quilt guilds have libraries for their members to use as well for free.
• Mark pages you like with sticky notes. Write what you like about the design, or how you think it could work within your quilt. Example in the borders or within the blocks etc.
• If you have “how to books” with actual traceable patterns get those out too and mark the pages with ideas that could work on your own quilt project.
• Look at your quilt for common themes or repeats in designs that could be used as a quilt pattern. Then look for patterns that follow that theme. Example hearts, flowers or circles etc.

Now it’s time to narrow down your choices

Okay if you are like me you probably have way more pages marked than unmarked! So it’s time to pull out the real winners. This step may take you some time to do so don’t rush it. If you take a couple of days to do it that’s okay too. After all you spent a lot of time auditioning fabrics and creating the quilt top why would you want to rush this step?

Your goal is to eliminate patterns or designs that are just not right for your particular quilt. Here are some things to think about as you start to narrow down your choices.

• What are my overall goals with my quilting? Am I just looking for functional quilting stitches, or do I want to add another layer of design?
• Will the design fit my quilt blocks?
• If it is an overall design does it fit the theme of my quilt?
• What is my skill level? Is the design too advanced or complicated?
• Do I prefer all over designs? If so then eliminate those that aren’t all over designs.
• Do I prefer to do individual designs within the blocks? If so than eliminate the all over designs.

Getting prepared for auditioning your quilting designs

We have our winners! You found the designs that you want to try out. But before you just start marking that quilt top I want you to dig out a few supplies first. Here is what you’ll need:

• Tracing paper – Get the biggest size tablet you can afford!
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Markers
• Ruler (for straight line designs)
• If you have a dry erase board and markers this is useful for practicing the designs

How to Audition Quilting Designs

Here is the fun part, and the part you have all been waiting for. “How to audition quilting desgins”.  It is time to draw the actual design you want to try out onto the tracing paper.

• I like to draw out the design using a pencil first, then go over it with the marker. That way if I make a mistake I can erase it carefully.
• The benefit of the colored markers is it allows me to try out different colors on the quilt. 1) to see what shows up over my fabrics best. 2) It gives me an idea of what color thread might also be a good choice to use.
• Once you have several ideas traced out, you can now cut the tracing paper to fit the quilting space if needed. (Cut to fit borders, or blocks etc.) Hang your quilt up on the design wall and begin pinning your samples up on the quilt. Step back, and give yourself time to decide what you like or don’t like. Remove or add new drawings until you have what you like best.

Practicing the wining design

Before you run and start marking your quilt, you might want to take a few minutes to practice.

• If this is a free motion design you need to “Train the brain” before trying this on your quilt. This may sound silly, but trust me when I say it is an important step for all free motion quilting patterns.  To do this all you need to do is draw out the design multiple times, over and over until you have it committed to memory. I like using a dry erase board for this step, but paper works just fine too.
• Make a few quilt sandwiches and test out your thread choices. Make adjustments to tension if needed so that this is all set before going to the actual quilt.
• If you are new to free motion quilting, you may want to pin the tracing paper design onto the quilt and stitch right through the paper. This eliminates the need for marking and the paper is easily removed. Just be sure that you have it secured well and that the pins are not in the way of the needle.

I hope after reading this, that you now can say “I know how to audition quilting designs,”and say it with confidence. This step may seem overwhelming at first, but in time you will begin to look forward to it just as you do with starting a new quilt. It is all about learning your likes and dislikes as well as knowing your own skill level. But don’t limit yourself or be afraid to try something new once in awhile. It is good to step outside of the box! In fact it can be totally liberating.

If you have any tips on how you audition quilting designs, please be sure to share them in the comments. Remember sharing is caring! 

I hope you enjoyed this useful quilting tip brought to you by Learn 2 Quilt Online. Please come back again for more helpful quilting tips designed to save you time & money. Learning to quilt just got easier!

How do I audition my quilting threads? This is a common question asked by many quilters. With so many thread choices available today, it is no wonder we get confused.

My answer: Take your time and experiment with a variety of thread colors, weights and brands if you have them available.

Here’s how:

To audition your quilting threads unwind a foot or more of the thread you are considering using; lay this across your quilt top. Repeat this process with several more spools of thread to compare your choices. This will give you a much better visual of how these threads will actually look when stitched onto the quilt. If you were to simply lay multiple spools of thread on the top, you may get a false visual as the colors are much more concentrated on the spool.

When you audition your quilting  threads it is important to take your time. Don’t rush this step, as it can make or break your finished project. I like to leave these threads on the quilt for several hours and sometimes days before deciding.

Other things to consider:

• Thread weight – thicker threads will show more easily than standard weight
• Skill level – If you are new to quilting, you might prefer to find threads that blend in with the fabrics. This way your piecing stands out and not the quilting stitches (or your mistakes)
• Not all threads are created equal – Even threads that claim to be the same weight may actually be different. Read this article from Superior Threads about thread weight standards. 
• Use quality threads – Using quality threads will definitely pay off in the end.  The quilting thread has to pass through 3 layers of fabric/batting which can put a lot of stress on the thread. Using poor quality threads may lead to more breaking, and will definitely leave behind much more fibers in your machine. Requiring more frequent cleanings.

You have invested so much time into making your quilt top, don’t rush this process. I know it gets exciting to think about finishing your quilt, but if you take your time to audition the threads properly, and take your time with your quilting designs and stitches you will be much happier with the results.

 I hope you enjoyed this useful quilting tip brought to you by Learn 2 Quilt Online. Please come back again for more helpful quilting tips designed to save you time & money. Learning to quilt just got easier!

 Next tip: Find out how to audition quilting designs!

The debate over whether or not you should prewash your quilting fabrics has been going on for years, and probably will continue indefinitely. There are strong points on both sides of this debate and the only one who can truly decide if it’s right is you.

Reasons to prewash your fabrics:

• Not all fabrics shrink at the same rate. Therefore if you don’t prewash prior to sewing, you may find some strange puckering in your quilt after that first washing
• There  may be excess dye left on the fabric. If this isn’t washed out prior to sewing, you may find colors bleeding or running onto other fabrics within your quilt. This can happen during the first and in some cases multiple washings! Although “Color Catchers” by Shout can help to capture some of these dyes in the wash cycle. (Or so they claim). But do you really want to risk it?
• Your fabric may shrink at a different rate than your batting. Read your labels on the batting, as some of them recommend you prewash prior to using.
• New fabric can still have chemicals in them from the manufacturing process. If you are allergic or have sensitivities to these chemicals you must prewash your fabrics to avoid any health risks.

Reasons why some people don’t prewash their fabrics

• The puckering that can occur “adds character and gives the quilt an old world feel.”
• They like the “stiffer” feeling of the new fabrics (which contain a bit of starch) as it makes the fabric easier to cut or work with.
• Art quilts never get washed, therefore why go through all that trouble.
• Spot testing. Some quilters only spot test fabrics that they feel would run. Example: hand dyes, or high contrast fabrics like red and white.

How to spot test your fabrics to see if they will run:

Take a small snipping off the corner of the fabric and place it in a clear bowl, jar or glass with warm soapy water. Stir the fabric for a few minutes and then look at the water. Is it clear? or Did it change color? If it remains clear you are probably safe from having the fabrics run.

If you plan on prewashing all your quilting fabrics:

Clip the corners of the fabric prior to placing them in the washing machine. This will help slow down the fraying of the edges.

Many quilting swear by prewashing, and will often come home with their newly purchased fabrics; take them straight to the washing machine. After washing and drying them, they get to iron, fold and finally put them away. Seems like a lot of work to do prior to sewing…….if you ask me.

I am not one to prewash my fabrics, however I do spot check some of my special fabrics if I feel it is needed. I like the stiff feeling of the fabrics as I find them easier to cut and work with.

So the question still remains “do you prewash your fabrics?”

The answer is up to you. You know the risks and what can happen when you don’t prewash your quilting fabrics so where to you weigh in on this debate? Share your stories with us in the comments section so that we can all learn together what the benefits are to prewashing quilting fabrics.

I hope you enjoyed this useful quilting tip brought to you by Learn 2 Quilt Online. Please come back again for more helpful quilting tips designed to save you time & money. Learning to quilt just got easier!