How I cut for my quilts.

My last post you saw that I have my own 2 1/2 inch strips and I talked about precut kits and I said that I had to get the 5 inch squares cut and packaged. So today I thought that I would show you all how I get my things cut.

 

 

Well I use the accuquilt studio die cutter. I have had this for some years now. I really have been making use of it for my own projects, but now I am putting it too good use with my fabrics that I am selling. Making my own precut kits, putting together 2 1/2 inch strip packages and cutting my own 5 inch squares packages.

 

 

See how fast you can cut your fabric with the accuquilt studio die cutter.

 

 

These are just a small sample of what I can cut with the studio die cutter.

 

 

All cut with the studio die cutter. I did this up as a precut kit.

 

 

This die I had made to my size that I would like. This is a Dresdon Plat die. It makes a 6 inch plate that will sit on an 8 inch block. On this die you have a choice of two different styles of Dresdon Plats.

 

 

These are the blocks made up.

 

 

This is another small die that I had made to the size that I wanted. These are small the smallest end is going to be finished at 3/4 of an inch the other end will be finished at 2 inchs and they are finished at 3 inch long.

 

 

This is the quilt top that was made using the die above.

 

 

They have applique dies too. I have many of there applique dies I have also had some applique shape made up into dies I do a lot of applique.

 

I did this with the die above. I like to do needle turn applique.

 

 

This was all cut using different dies for the back ground and for the applique I cut the pieces out of freezer paper and did needle turn applique.

 

 

close ups of the applique flowers.

 

I could go on and show more but I think that I will save some for another day.

 

Happy Quilting!

 

 

 

 

 

 



My new fabrics and what I'm doing with them

 

I have been getting a lot of fabric and notions arriving everyday.

I have been busy with designing  quilt kits with all the new fabrics.

so I thought that I will post picture of all the fabric and kits that I have put together.

 

 

 

I am going to have to buy some more shelving I do not have any more room for the  bolts of fabric still to come in.

 

All my tone on tone white and off white fabrics. Have packaged them up into 2 1/2 inch strips bundles. I still have to do the 5 inch squares. Will get to that this week. 

 

My poppy fabric. Have designed a quilt top with this fabric.

 

New batiks fabrics, love these fabrics I have a lot of batiks fabrics

My Hello Sunshine fabric. This fabric I have made some kits out of it.

 

 

My corner of patterns, kits, notions, jelly rolls, charm packs, and fat 1/4 bundles.

This is a quilt that is all precut pieces so all you have to do is sew it.

 

This is a kit that I have made with my civil war fabric all precut pieces.

I have made this bag into a kit with instrutions.

 

My Poppy quilt all made with the Poppy fabrics.

 

All Kited up and ready for sale.

This quilt top is going to be a precut kit still have to write the pattern for it.

 

The Hello Sunshine kit all ready to go.

 

My 2 1/2 inch strips all cut and packaged ready for sale.

 

Some of the fat 1/4 bundles all done up and ready.

 

My quilt pattern some of you may have seen this quilt all done up it hangs behind me in my profile picture. This quilt makes up to 89 1/2 by 89 1/2 inchs it is very big.

 

Well you have seen what I have been up to this last month.

 I am off this week to pick up more fabrics. I also have notions coming in at the end of this week too. I will have my work cut out for me this coming weekend.

 

Happy Quilting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Making curtains

Today I thought that I would talk about how I do curtains for my clients. I get a lot of work from decorators.

Sometimes the decorator will ask me to go to the clients house and take the measurements of the windows. Sometimes not. In this case the client is mine so I did all the measurements and calculated what the client will have to buy in fabric.

For this client I am making french pleated curtains. There are two window in the room. One set of curtains will be going to the floor. The other window has built in shelving so this window the curtains will only be going to the top of the shelving.  For each window I need three widths ( of 54 inch wide fabric) of fabric.  I call them panels. She has asked them to be able to open in the middle. I will be cutting one width of fabric in half. Will be sewing a half width to a full width of fabric.

 

Here I am measuring the length of the fabric.

 When I make french pleated curtains I always do double hems not smaller then 4 inchs on the bottom and not smaller then 3.5 inchs at the top. If the clients has tall window and tall ceiling I may do the top hem 6 inches and if this is the case make your bottom hem the same. This really can make the curtains look rich.

 

To calculate your cut length you take your window measurement ( this is the measurement of what you would like the curtains to cover.) and add 15 inches onto that if you are doing the standard hems. ( 4 inch at bottom and 3.5 inchs at top)

 

 

 

 

Here I am marking my cutting line.

 

The first panel I always cut to size. If I have to match the pattern then all other panels will be cut longer and I will cut them down after the seam has been match and sewn.

 

 

 

Here I have put my first panel ( that is cut to sizes) on top of the fabric. I match up the pattern and then I will cut at the top of the panel using the first panel as my pattern guide. I do not cut off the extra at the bottom. Like I said before I will match my seams and sew them before I cut off that fabric. The next thing I will cut is the linning fabric I will cut the linning to the same length as the curtain fabric.

 

 

I am Ironing in the bottom hem of the curtains. When you make french pleated curtains or any other kind ( like tab curtains) you will always do the bottom hem first. on both the deco fabric and linning fabric. The standard size of a hem is Four inches finished. I always do double hems. This means that you will have measured eight inches for the hem and then....

 

 

open it up and fold the hem in half to the ironed edge, and iron.

 

 

 

fold back to  your first ironed fold tucking in raw edges. Pin the hem down so it will not move as you sew.

 

 

 

I like to sew a blind hem on the deco fabrics this way you will have a nice finished look to your curtains. Test your blind hem foot and settings to make sure that the stitches are not showing on the outside of curtains. Ajust your settings and take note of them for the next time.

 

 

 

 

 

Do the same for the lining but you will not be making a four inch double hem you will make a 3 inch double hem and I will just do a straight stitch not the blind hem stitch. Put the lining a side you have a lot of ironing to do before you need it again.

 

Now you need to iron the top hem in and all the side hems on the deco fabrics. We start with the top hem. The top hem needs to be the size of your pellon ( pellon is a stiffener that you will buy to put into the top hem) width. In my case I used 3.5 inch pellon ( you can get 4 and 6 inches, just make sure that you cut your fabric to accommodate the extra width) Again I like to do double hems.

pin down the hem but do not sew.

 

Next do the side hems.

 

 

You can see that I am doing the same thing for the side hems as I do for the bottom and top hems. I like to have 1.5 inch double hem for the side hems. Iron and pin do not sew yet.

 

 

You now are ready to put the lining in or on. ( I like to say in because we are tucking the lining into the side and top hem.) Lay out the hemmed panel cutian flat on the floor with the wrong side facing up. Take your linning and place it onto the cutain panel wrong side down ( in other words wrong side together). please line up the bottom hem of the lining with the bottom hem of the paneled curtains. You should have about one inch longer on the paneled curtain. Pin the hems together so that they will not move as you work. You will note that the lining is bigger then the panel curtain cut the panel curtain to fit making sure that you have enough to tuck into the side and top hem. ( we do not tuck or attach together the bottom hems.) . I unpin the side and top hem and tuck in the lining and repin the side and top back . Before you pin the top hem you need to open it up all the way and put your pellon in ( if you are doing french pleated curtains if not you do not need to put pellon in.) cut it to fit and put it in. Folding the top hem over twice to encase the pellon. Pin down everything. You will sew the side hems with a Blind Hem stitch but you will not sew the top hem.

 

At this stage all there is left to do is put your french pleats in. I will lay the two panels on top of each other. Leave the top  of the bottom panel exposed so that you can measure out the  french pleat and do the two panels together. This way they will be identical.

 

 

I pin and sew in the pleats and I hand sewed the three fingers of the pleat. All finished.

 

Happy sewing.