Lucinda Carlstrom’s answer is excellent. I would just like to add that you should invest in the best quality tools and equipment you can afford. You are going to be using these for a long time and you will be glad that you have tools that you can rely on. For example, Olfa makes very accurate rulers for cutting fabric, as well as rotary cutters and cutting mats. I have tried others but always come back to Olfa. For scissors, I like the Gingher brand. A pair of shears of 7 or 8 inches and a pair of embroidery scissors of 3 or 4 inches will cover all your needs. A lot of quilters also keep a pair of thread snips next to their sewing machines. I wear my embroidery scissors on a cord around my neck so I always know where they are. I suggest you have someone at your local quilt store explain to you the uses of different kinds of hand and sewing machine needles—-it’s an important topic to know in the beginning. Finally, another place where you need to get the best is buying thread. It’s tempting to think you can economize here, but thread is what holds a quilt together and it needs to be the best quality. Again, have your local quilt store explain the different types, weights and brands of thread. As for most piecing, I like to use a light to medium gray thread as it tends to blend in with a multitude of colors. Buy best quality goes for fabric too. You are going to spend a lot of time planning, making and finishing your quilt. You want it to last a long time. Using good quality fabric and thread will ensure that your quilt will have a long life.Most of all, enjoy your quilt journey! The joy of quilting is just as much the process of making the quilt as it is having the finished quilt.
Ideas for making a "quilt" without actually quilting?
Get up before her in the morning and make her coffee. Put a towel in the dryer and bring it to her when she's getting out of the shower. Give her a foot massage. Read to her. Listen to her. Wash her car. Get the oil changed/maintenance. Do a chore that is typically hers. Buy a book or cd that she's mentioned. Buy some nice sheets for the bed. Make her favorite food. Set up a picnic on the living room floor as a surprise. Take her to the zoo. Get her tickets to a concert she wants to go to. Put them somewhere where she'll find them. Get in the tub and insist that you wash her hair. Write her a love letter. --All things my husband has done at one time or another..gotta love that! Good luck :)
Local boutiques. Most areas will have small stores with locally made baby clothes, or at least high end brands from elsewhere. Also, look on Etsy for handcrafted baby clothes. Just make sure to check out their reviews, and select “handmade” from the categories on the left. These ways, you can get quality, new baby clothing and support small business people.That being said, I wouldn’t waste your money on new baby clothes. You can buy second hand for way cheaper, and still get good quality items. Babies outgrow clothing so fast, that they literally might only wear the cute new fancy item you bought a couple of times before it’s too small. And, babies are messy. Whether it’s milk/food, or a poo-splosion, you don’t want to waste your time & energy being annoyed that a $75 outfit got ruined. If you go to a nice baby re-sale shop, they have high end items, in brand new condition, for 25% cost. Or, if you go to a thrift store near a nicer area of town, that’s where you can find the good stuff.
Globe Textiles (India) Ltd. has been successfully termed as the STAR Exporter of Fabrics and garments catering to global and domestic markets for the last two decades.[1]It is one of Ahmedabad’s (Gujarat State, India) top ranked and highly reputed companies in the private sector with primary business forays in exporting fabrics.Globe Textiles India Ltd. offers the assortment of Home Textile products like bed sets and sheets, bed spreads, flat in cotton and microfiber fitted sheets along side other furnishings and accessories like curtains, table linen/runner, napkins and tray cloth.Turn your house into a ‘Home Sweet Home’ by decorating it with Globe home textiles and furnishings.They also supply cotton knitted jersey fabric bed sheets, fitted sheets, pillow covers and duvet covers.Importing the same to Germany, Israel, and other countries.Globe fitted sheets inherit the legacy of choicest of fabric material that comes from 100% cotton, satin, polyester and other man-made fiber blends and detailed below:Cotton Fitted Sheets with round elastics (180 to 300TC)Microfiber Fitted Sheets (80 to 120 gsm)Footnotes[1] Home Textile | Manufacture | Export | Curtains | Bed sheets | Cushion | Comforters | Globe Textiles
Does anyone know where to buy satin edge baby blankets?
make one. It is soo simple. Get the fleece you want, i use fleece but you can use anything you want. They make a lot of prints, even walmart sells the satin edge for it. You just tuck and pin it down, then sew it down and it doesn't have to look perfect. If you don't have a sewing machine then you can either find a family member who will let you sit down for a minute or a friend. This way, not only do you get exactly what you want but for $20 you will get a huge blanket that fits the bed, AND a small security blanket that will match for the baby to carry on outings. I sewed the leftover sating edge into a loop on the security blanket so I could buckle it into the carseat, this way the blanket never falls on the car floor.
Does anyone know where to find a quilt pattern like this?
Also, check out these previous questions for my answers and links about doing "Trip Around the World" quilts: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100212215140AA6Qksu You'll probably want to learn to put them together in columns then sew the colums together, or to make one-quarter of the whole pattern at a time then sew together the four quarters. http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+make+quilt+%22Trip+Around+the+World%22 HTH, and have fun, Diane B.
Where can people recycle torn clothes and fabric scraps?
My nephew works at Ideal Industries in Richmond Mo. People can drop off fabric (stained, torn..ect.). They also collect cans, paper, and plastic to sell for recycling which helps the business to make money. This company was founded to have job opportunities for Handicap people. They also have it set up to print on T-shirts, hats, and things for people to buy. Big Companies donate material and items for this company to fix up to resell and then used for other purposes. It is wonderful everything that they do for their employees. I love going there for visits. I know that there are other locations in the Kanas City, MO and Excelsior Springs, Mo area that do the same thing. Unfortunately, I do not know the names of any of these businesses. I will check around and see what I can find out. I will let you know if I get the information.
Should fabric be washed before beginning quilt project?
Hehehe, looks like you've already had a lot of great answers. I think it's always beneficial to ask around, and get the opinions of many different quilters. After all, quilting is one of those artforms, where there are very few hard and fast rules. You can use any fabric you like to quilt, but most highly recommended these days is 100% cotton. I would definitely use cotton for a childs blanket, for a few reasons. One is that cotton breathes a bit more than a poly/cotton blend, and the same goes for the batting - cotton batting will breath much better than a poly or cotton/poly blend batting. Another reason I would avoid polyester for a childs quilt, is, while cotton is definitely not fire retardent, it IS less likely to melt the way polyester does. God forbid, if ever there were a fire, at least you would know that the heat from any nearby flames or heat source will not melt the blanket and burn the child before help would come. Now quilters vary on their opinions when it comes to pre-washing, but the general rule of thumb is to wash your fabric before sewing with it. If you are hand quilting, pre-washing will be a necessity, because fabric from the bolt has a chemical sizing in it, and you'll have a very difficult time getting your needle to quilt smoothly through it. I know this from experience! Lol* If you are using very bold colors I would pre-wash to eliminate excess dye, although, nowadays, if you are using good fabric (meaning from a quilt shop rather than Wal-Mart or JoAnn Fabrics), your chances are less likely that your dyes will run or fade much. I think for a baby, it is a nice gesture to wash your fabric in Dreft, even if it makes little difference in your fabric itself. I would appreciate it if I were the mother who is recieving the blanket for my child. One more thing - there is also a group of quilters out there who don't like to pre-wash, because they like to finish their quilt and THEN wash it! Lol* Cotton fabric WILL shrink a bit, but it can give your quilt a very nice aged antique look. Good luck! :)
Original Question: “Do people still sew or like sewing?”I am probably the wrong person to ask. I have been sewing for 50 years. I’ve been designing industrial sewing patterns (a pattern maker) for nearly 40 years. I own a sewing factory. I don’t do as much sewing these days, bogged down with engineering, planning and administrative work as I am but occasionally, I take a “day off” and work the sewing line with my stitchers (who also like to sew; a job requirement).Sewing is still fun for me. I know that a lot of hobby sewers say they love sewing too much to do it for money but I think I’m the luckiest person I know because I don’t have to work a passionless day job, and instead, get to do this all day. To get really good at sewing, to become an expert, you have to do things that you don’t necessarily like or like for yourself. Doing stellar work in spite of how one feels about it personally, is a matter of integrity, discipline and dedication. In short, craftsmanship. I’m proud of what I can do and take pride in being able to support my family with my passion and craftsmanship.Not only do I like to sew, I like for others to sew too, and invest quite a lot of my time, at no pay, to encourage others to take it up with the idea of encouraging young people to enter the business or start their own companies. Twice a year, I close down production and open my factory to volunteers who want to learn industrial sewing. We make coats and pants that we donate to needy kids (video here: Video of Fall 2017 Boot Camp)I like sewing enough that I will never stop -anymore than I'd ever quit reading.
There are many websites who selling best quality 3d bedding sets. All things glamarous is one of them. They have one-stop online store selling excellent quality 3D bedding sets. The prices will surprise as you select your favorite 3D bedding sets from Anna store. They strive to keep the prices down and to satisfy customers with the best quality 3D bedding sets. The 3D bedding sets products are brand new, modern, trendy and stylish, so be sure that next item you order from the store sets the pace in today’s high standard living lifestyle.They have an established online business and the strive to supply only the highest quality 3D bedding sets and designs possible , they have various suppliers to research new designs, the purchase all 3D bedding sets and inspect the quality and condition , so the customers can be assured they are buying the best.They provide hundreds of 3D bedding sets designs for buyers. In addition, there customers can also enjoy original and somewhat quirky 3D bedding sets designs , which may be more suitable to taste and need.All the products have a 300 to 800 TC unless stated otherwise and are made from 100% Reactive Dye Egyptian Cotton, Brushed Fabric top quality material and go through rigorous inspection and quality control. Most 3D bedding sets have the standard quilt cover , the flat sheet can either be tucked in or let loose to hang over for that extra finish, the pillows are more of a pillow sham style , all size are listed on the products pages and any other variant.