Christine Mann's Blog

Posted by Christine Mann

Here's how to determine how much binding fabric you need cut for your quilt binding.

1. Decide on a Binding Width

If your quilt is made of blocks with no borders, you should use a binding with ¼” finished width. That way, the binding will match the ¼” seam allowance on the blocks. Anything wider would cover up part of the quilt blocks. If your quilt has borders, you can use a wider binding that makes a bigger visual impact. Here’s how wide the binding strips need to be for finished binding widths from ¼” to ¾”:

• ¼” finished width: cut fabric strips 1½ wide
• ½” finished width: cut fabric strips 2½” wide
• ¾” finished width: cut fabric strips 3½” wide

These widths are based on the following formula:

(Finished binding width x 2 + ¼” seam allowance) x 2

2. Figure How Many Binding Strips to Cut

You can calculate how much yardage you will need to cut for the quilt binding with this formula:

(Quilt perimeter + 12”)/42 = Number of binding strips to cut

Calculating the correct amount is easier than it sounds. Here’s how to do it:

1. Measure all 4 sides of the quilt.
2. Add up the measurements, then add 12” (31 cm) for making mitered corners and starting and ending the binding.
3. Divide the total number by 42 (107 cm), which represents the number of usable inches in a strip of quilt fabric cut from selvage to selvage. If the fabric you're using is wider or narrower, adjust your measurements accordingly.
4. Round up the result to the nearest whole number. This is the number of strips you need to cut.
5. See the chart at the bottom of the article to see how much yardage you need for that many fabric strips. The chart provides yardage for 1½”, 2½”, and 3½” strips.

Posted by Christine Mann

Here are some tips on ruler storage from members of the Your Sewing Room Yahoo group.

• Hang rulers on a melamine board
• Hang rulers on peg board behind the sewing room door.
• Hang them from a ring hanger made for hanging belts.
• Take an unfinished wood shelf (Michael's craft stores have these), or 2x4 piece of wood, and cut channels in the top so the rulers can stand up in the grooves. Add cup hooks under the shelf for scissors and rotary cutters, then mount the shelf on the wall.
• Stand rulers upright in a standing file folder organizer found at office supply stores
• Keep smaller rulers lying flat in a drawer.
• Store them in an artist’s portfolio that has a handle and zipper closure. This is a good solution for people who need to take rulers to classes or retreats. The portfolio can also hold patterns or quilt blocks.

You'll find more tips on organizing your sewing room in these articles:

Choose the right chair for sewing or quilting

How to organize your quilting fabric

Setting up your quilting space.

Posted by Christine Mann

Supplies needed

• Iron-on transfer pencil. This is a specially formulated pencil that will leave a line on the fabric when ironed with a medium-hot iron. General, Dritz, or Aunt Martha’s Hot Iron Transfer brands are available at fabric and crafts stores.
• Tracing paper
• Iron

Step by Step Instructions

1. Lay a piece of tracing paper over the image. Trace the image with the transfer pencil, pressing firmly to make solid marks.
2. Lay the tracing paper over the fabric with the pencil side down.
3. Press the paper with a medium-hot iron. The lines of the drawing will transfer onto the fabric.

Two Important Notes

1. The lines you trace will be permanently visible on the fabric.

2. The image ironed onto the fabric will be the reverse (mirror image) of the original image. To transfer images with words or images which need to be oriented in a certain direction, you will need to use a printer to print a reverse copy of the image before you trace it. Many printers have printing reverse images as an option on the printer settings menu. If your printer doesn’t have that setting, you can use an image editing program to flip the image before printing it. That way, the image transferred to fabric will be oriented in the right direction.

Posted by Christine Mann

This recipe comes from Bonnie on the Stashbuster Yahoo quilting group. She calls it Sisters Brew in honor of the friend who developed it with her. Compare it to commercial solutions that cost much, much more!

Sisters Brew Pressing Solution

• 2 cups distilled water
• 2 ounces cheap vodka
• 6-12 drops of essential oil (choose a scent you like, or eliminate if you want an unscented solution)
• 1/3 cup liquid starch.

Shake well before using.

Posted by Christine Mann

1. Put the batting in the dryer with a damp washcloth and run it on low heat for 10 minutes.

2. Unfold the batting and lay it on a large flat surface such as a dining room table for a couple of days. Then put it in the dryer on air fluff (no heat) for about 10 minutes.

Remember not to use heat or dampness on wool or alpca batting, because it could felt the batting and distort its shape.

To join the Stashuster quilting group, visit www.groups.yahoo.com and search for the term Stashbuster.

Learn more about quilt batting and the pros and cons of the types of batting available today.

Posted by Christine Mann

How do you know when it's time to declutter your work room? For me, it's when I just can't stand the mess any more. I reached the breaking point when my husband installed a new bathroom next to my sewing room. The new piles of boxes from the renovation and the old piles of fabric from our move four years ago made it hard to walk from my sewing machine to my cutting and ironing table. Some serious decluttering was overdue.

Here are some insights I've gained over the years about decluttering and organizing.

Pick One Place to Start

I started decluttering by sorting and folding all the fabric that had been taking up floor space ever since I moved to this house. I folded the half-quarters and larger yardage around plastic acid-free sheets from Polar Notions so I could store it upright in my bookshelves, where I can look at it. (I love to look at my fabric.) Smaller scrap pieces went into a large plastic scrap bin. Fabric I don't like any more went into a giveaway pile. Clearing the floor of all that fabric I had been tripping over for years was very satisfying. The next step for me will be organizing my shelved fabric by color.

Declutter for the Person You are Now, Not the Person You Used to Be

If you've been holding on to projects you haven't finished in years, clothes that haven't fit you since the last millennium, broken tools you've been meaning to fix for a long time, and books and magazines you've never read, it's time to let them go. They were part of the old you, but they no longer fit the you of today. (If they did, you would be finishing them, wearing them, fixing them, or reading them.) Keeping old unused things actually hinders you from being your best self right now. Old unfinished business takes up physical space and mental energy that you really need for the person you want to be today.

Make a Decision Now—Put it Away, Give it Away, Sell it, or Throw it Away

As you sort through your clutter, try to make a final decision about each item you come across. As professional organizer Kathy Waddill likes to say, "Decide to decide." Don't wait until tomorrow to make up your mind. Do you have room for it? Will you use it? Then put it away. If you don't need it any more, but it's still useful to someone, give it away. If it has cash value, sell it. If it's no good to anyone, throw it out! The worst thing you can do is think to yourself that you'll decide what to do about this bit of clutter tomorrow. The decision won't be any easier tomorrow than it is today. Decide to decide! There, don't you feel better?

If you'd like to learn more about getting organized, you can find some ideas in these articles:

Setting Up Your Quilting Space

How to Organize Your Quilting Fabric

Posted by Christine Mann

Supply List

• Quilting fabric
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Marking pen

Step by Step Instructions

See the photo labeled Step by Step Instructions below for a visual guide.

1. Cut two equal-size fabric squares, one light and one dark. The squares should be 1" larger than the finished size of the half-square triangle block.
2. Put the squares with right sides together.
3. Use a ruler to draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. (The Quick Quarter ruler from Quilter’s Rule or the Omnigrid Clear Marking Rulers can help make the marking go faster.)
4. Sew two seams 1/4" on either side of the diagonal center line.
5. Cut the blocks apart along the central line.
6. Square up the blocks and trim off the little tails from the corners.

You will end up with two identical half-square triangles.

Learn more ways to make half-square triangle quilt blocks.