A Positive Bias

As a sewer and a quilter, there is nothing that I like more than finding a gadget that saves me time and makes things easier.  Right now I'm working on a baby quilt for my newest grandchild, little Luke.  Yesterday, I was ready to make some bias tape for the edging.  I like to make my own from whatever fabric I've chosen to complement the quilt top.  It can be a tedious process.  But this little gadget has simplified life immensely.

It's a Clover Bias Tape Maker.  Clover makes these in a variety of sizes, depending on what width of bias tape you wish to make.  They are really simple little gadgets, too and inexpensive, ranging from $3 to $5 each.   You should be able to find them in any fabric/sewing store.  So how do they work?

Well, first you need to cut out your fabric strips and sew them together, end to end until you have as many connected as you wish.  I usually sew them all since I figure I can always find a use for the leftover binding I've made up.  Now to create the bias tape.  The hardest part is just getting the fabric strip started into the gadget.  To do that, I take one end of my fabric and fold it into thirds or fourths to make a firm section.  Then I push it through the widest part of this opening.  Once it pokes through on the other smaller end, I grab it and start pulling it through until I can open it up and straighten the fabric out to look like the picture.  I realize that I'll lose a few inches at the beginning before things get adjusted but I usually have yards of bias tape made before I'm done so I'm not worried.

Now just grab that little silver handle in your left hand (if you are right-handed) and start pulling it slowly to your left as you steam-iron the resulting bias tape that comes out the other end.  Try to keep the center of the colored plastic insert on the device lined up with the center of the folded edges.  You might occasionally have to straighten out your fabric on the other end to keep things moving smoothly.

It really will seem like magic and before you know it, you'll have a pile of lovely bias tape all ready to bind the edges of your quilt.  It's easy as can be.  Don't you just love it when that happens?
I'm providing a link to a review of another bias tape maker out there.  It looks interesting.  Don't know how much it costs but nice to know you have options.

Related articles

• Product Review: Simplicity Bias Tape Maker (nouveaustitch.wordpress.com)

A Stitch in Time

Where's My Quilt, Nana?

I am fast running out of time when it comes to finishing a quilt for my little pippin, Luke.  We'll be heading off to visit him soon and I want to have it in hand when we go but it isn't even pieced together yet.  Ah, over-achiever that I am, I seem to think that this is no problem.

Many Hands Make Light Work

I've collected as many family hand-prints as possible, either in person or begging via email.  I know that I'm missing some key ones but time has run out.  Therefore the quilt will be made without them and I can always add them later on pillowcases or later quilts.

Hmm, Which Fabric to Use?

I've picked out my fabrics and my pattern and now comes the fun part of matching hands to design elements and to fabric colors.

What's a quilt without a few modifications?

I've had to come up with a few modifications for this quilt.  The original design called for the hand-prints to be made from fabric paint and then accented with things like rick-rack, buttons, etc.  However, I decided that fabric paint would dry too stiff and abrasive for a baby's delicate skin and buttons would not be safe for such a young child.  I've decided to cut the hands out of fabric and to zig-zag around them by machine.  I'll make "eyes" out of felt or fabric instead of buttons and attach them the same way - via zig-zag stitch.

Time to Fire Up the Sewing Machine!

I'm just about finished cutting hands out of fabric and attaching them to my blocks.  The next step is cutting out my quilt strips and sashing.  Then I need to assemble the quilt, layer it with batting and backing, begin zig-zagging around the hands, sew the accents on the blocks,and finish quilting the whole shebang before hand-sewing the binding around the edges.

Oh, did I tell you that this all has to be done in one and a half weeks?  No problemo!  Stoke me up with some creme-filled donuts and I'm good to go.

Quilted Prayer Shawls

Well, the quilted prayer shawl is finished and has been given to it's intended recipient.  Several of you have asked what a quilted prayer shawl is so I thought I might try to explain here.  You might be familiar with prayer shawls in general and these follow along the same concept.  In case you're not, a typical prayer shawl is knitted or crocheted.  While the person is making the shawl, they are praying for the person who is to get the shawl.  They aren't necessarily praying non-stop for that person the entire time they are making the shawl but they are thinking of them and sending up prayers on their behalf.  Then, when the prayer shawl is given to the recipient, it is to serve as a tangible reminder of the prayers that are being lifted up for that person and hopefully, they will feel hugged and loved each time they wrap that shawl around themselves.

Quilted prayer shawls are a newer phenomenon.  These are small quilts designed to be wrapped around the person like a stole.  Basically, as the quilter is piecing the quilt together and doing the quilting, they are also praying for the person and so the concept is very similar to the prayer shawls.  It's a way for people who don't knit or crochet but DO sew to also be part of this caring ministry.  I happen to knit, crochet, AND sew but I just wanted to try my hand at making a quilted prayer shawl and that's why I chose this form.

I kind of made the pattern up as I went along.  I had a general idea of the proportions I was aiming for and knew that this would equate to a 2-block-wide long rectangular quilted piece.  I wanted to have several blocks that would encompass Christian symbols and thus my pieced cross.

I added several heart blocks.  In this block I freeform machine quilted dragonflies around the heart.

This heart had a simple stipple pattern of quilting around the heart.

The rest of the quilt were simple fabric squares that I used to machine quilt freehand phrases such as this square where I put the words "Be comforted."  (I made this quilt shawl for a young mother whose baby passed away)

 This one says "Peace to you."

I quilted a block with little suns  and some with Bible verse citations. The quilt sashing was just freeform stipple quilted.

This is how the back looks.

And there you have the final quilted prayer shawl.

Project 365 - June 13, 2010 (Day 17)

A closeup of the back of the quilted prayer shawl.

A Project Begun is Half Done

Are you having a good Memorial Day weekend?  I had high hopes to accomplish quite a bit this weekend but I must confess that I started several things but haven't made a lot of progress on anything.  Perhaps one good reason for that is Fresca the Wonder Dog.  You can see what she does to me, can't you?  How can I resist that pleading little face?  She is always following me around the house, trying to distract me from the task at hand.

She's also good at waking us up early.  At 6 a.m. she was outside our bedroom door whining.  I finally gave up and got up so there I was at 6:30 am., making broccoli salad while Miss Fresca cavorted around by my feet.  Yawn!  I wasn't the only one up early as I noticed our neighbor sitting out on his sunporch.  He must like to commune with nature early in the morning.  He was looking away from our house and that's why I know that he isn't inclined to commune with our weeds.

I had high hopes to cut out the prayer quilt this morning but things just weren't coming together.  I was second-guessing my fabric choices and choice of pattern.  So I was pouring over my quilt books but you know how that goes.....then you can't find the fabric in your stash that will go with the patterns that look promising.  Finally I told the Commander to just go ahead and fire up the grill because we might as well have an early supper.  I wasn't getting anything else done.

I found the "Burgermeister" sitting down on the job when I went out to check on him a half hour later but the hamburgers eventually were cooked and we had a simple but nice Memorial Day meal.  I think we might be heading over to Rita's Italian Ice to top off the meal with a little dessert later in the day.
Back to my prayer quilt story.

While we were eating (why is it that I always get good ideas when there is food involved?) I got an idea in my mind of a quilted prayer shawl design.  After I'd done the dishes, I went back upstairs to my cutting table, rummaged through my stash again, and this time I managed to find several more complimentary fabrics to go with some that I had recently purchased.  I did my rudimentary cuts and now everything is down in my sewing room where I'm hopeful that the design will come together in the stitching.  It's nothing fancy but I think it will look nice and be an encouragement to this parishioner who is hurting.  Not surprisingly after all that, my Project 365 picture for the day is related to the prayer quilt shawl.


 Project 365 - May 31, 2010 (Day 4)

The fabric has been cut and brought down to the sewing room and now we'll see if this project in my head will actually come together into a quilted prayer shawl.