Have you ever been frustrated because. . .
your quilting stitches are uneven, fibers of batting are popping out between every thread in your quilt top, some of the fabric in the quilt shriveled up while other fabric stayed the same size after you washed the quilt, and besides all of that, when you were quilting it, every stitch felt like the needle was going through a piece of Styrofoam?

Did you know that those problems could be caused by the fabric in your quilt, and can actually prevent your hand quilting from being its very best?

Date:

From: Penny Halgren

Even the most accomplished quilter can be hampered by one of many stumbling blocks. Combine them, and the resulting quilt can look like it was the first quilt made by a 7 year old.

Like they say "A little knowledge can be dangerous. A lot of knowledge can be powerful."

When I was new to quilting, I kept hearing about Pima cotton. It was supposed to be the most fabulous cotton to work with. The colors were rich, the texture of the fabric was luscious, and surely it would make a beautiful quilt.

Then one day, I stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall fabric store. As I wandered the aisles, you can imagine my delight when I found an entire table full of gorgeous Pima cottons!

There they were - scores of bolts. So many rich colors, I had a difficult time choosing which ones to buy. At the time, I had just discovered Amish quilts, and these fabrics seemed perfect for an Amish quilt. I invested in a few small pieces of this beautiful fabric, at a very high price, and gleefully carried my treasures home.

Quilting through the Pima cotton this quilt is made from was the most challenging quilting task I had taken on to that point.

Those were the days before rotary cutters, strip piecing, and any other kind of short cuts. So, I spent hours marking the fabric and cutting each little triangle. I was very thankful for my razor-sharp scissors, because just cutting the fabric was a challenge.

That should have been clue enough for me to stop. But I was determined to make a beautiful quilt from Pima cotton. Since lots of quilters were raving about Pima cotton, surely the final result will be worth all of the struggle with the fabric.

Weeks later when the quilt top was finished, it was time for layering, basting and quilting. Frankly I don't remember what kind of batting I used, but it was a very low loft, and should have been easy to quilt through.

But as I poked my needle into the fabric to make a quilting stitch, I vividly remember thinking "This is a real pain. Quilting through this fabric is like quilting through paper." It was not the wonderful quilting experience I had looked forward to.

Every stitch was a new adventure. In my previous quilts, it seemed like I could just decide where my needle would go through the fabric, and it would follow my lead. With this Pima cotton, I would poke, and the needle would go through the fabric in a completely different place.

Talk about uneven stitches. Some were longer than others, yet try as I might, I couldn't control the spacing. While I was able to get some short stitches, they were right next to some much longer stitches.

The back of the Ocean Waves quilt revealed very uneven hand quilting stitches. Plus after I washed it, the quilt became all puckered - not the look I wanted. Click on the image for a large view.

Then when I turned the quilt over, an even more distressing picture showed up.

Not only were the stitches far apart, but some of the stitches were so tiny they were almost not there - maybe catching 1 strand of thread in the fabric.

And then I washed the quilt. To my amazement, it got all puckered. And only around the quilting stitches.

Oh, it's not a disaster. I still like the colors and think it is an interesting quilt, but it is not the beauty I had hoped it would be.

And it definitely was a learning experience.

Armed with Information from Dierdra, Your Quilt Can Be the Beauty of Your Dreams

Dierdra McElroy's mother was an accomplished quilter, specializing in beautiful hand appliquéd Tahitian quilts. If you have seen these types of quilts, you know that tiny stitches separate the accomplished quilters from the beginner quilters.

The perfect thimble - at least in my opinion.

Dierdre's mom was looking for a thimble to make her quilting easier. That simple request sent Dierdra on a years-long study. In the process, Dierdra studied fabric, thread, batting, needles and quilting hoops and frames, in addition to thimbles.

One result was the design of the perfect thimble. At least a few quilters believe it is the perfect thimble design.

Along the way, Dierdra also discovered that there are many hidden things about the materials we use in our quilts that can affect how the finished quilt looks.

During this Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation interview, Dierdra revealed:

how to choose a good quality thread
why the type of thread you use may affect your quilting stitches
why the thread count of fabric is so important in hand quilting and appliqué and how to determine what the thread count is
which brands of fabric are better to use for hand quilting and appliqué (thread count matters . . . )
why you should or shouldn't wash your fabric before you cut it up for your quilt (are you going to use the quilt, or hang it up?)
what type of batting to use depending on what the purpose of your quilt is (high loft or low loft - puffy or not?)
what to look for in a quilting needle (don't let it break and fly into your eye!)
whether you really need to use the tiniest quilting needle in order to get tiny quilting stitches (somtimes bigger is better)
how to choose a great thimble (invest in a great thimble and your hand quilting will be beautiful and fun)
how to put your quilt in a frame or hoop for hand quilting (tight or loose, that is the question - and I had been doing it wrong for years!)
and much, much more

Listen to Dierdra
tell how to see what the thread count of a fabric is

And that's not all, Dierdra shared this video with us before the call, so we could completely understand thread count:

Dierdre would like us to watch a short video about thread count. Her discussion will make more sense once we have all seen this short clip. This is taken from The Perfect Stitch Video, and is used with her permission:

Hear Deirdre McElroy tell how thread count can affect your quilting. Click on the above image to see a short video clip. Click here for a Quicktime Movie.

I wish I had heard all of this before I bought all the fabric in my stash. Even so, now I have knowledge and resources to determine which fabrics will be difficult to work with and which I should maybe give away because they will cause my quilt to fall apart in a few years.

Plus now I know how to choose needles and thread. Knowing the results of Dierdra's tests on these quilting resources, I will no longer be tempted to buy the least expensive or something recommended in a magazine without finding out more about it.

This is a fabulous opportunity to hear some valuable information that can make your quilts beautiful and your quilting journey much less frustrating.

This was one of the most interesting and jam-packed-with-a-variety-of-information calls. Most of our calls focus around one topic, but Dierdre is full of a wide range of knowledge, and we didn't want to leave anything out, so you get it all!

You can get this valuable information that will make your quilting easier and more fun - and it will make it much easier to choose fabric and thread, because you will know what fabric will make your quilts beautiful and will survive for generations.

Yes! Send me a recording for a tiny investment of $24.97.