Sending comfort patches

A call from Beth over at Love, Laugh, Quilt sent out a call for quilt blocks for quilts for Japan to provide warmth and comfort.  I couldn't resist the chance to use up some of my scraps so this is what I did, and it only took about an hour.

 You can check out how many she has received so far here.    Our national quilting association also received a request from Naomi Ichikawa editor of Patchwork Quilt Tsushin for quilts.  It is heartwarming to see the help that quilters are so willing to offer.

Come to think of it, our local guild has some scraps that can also be put to good use....hmmm that gives me an idea.  Stay tuned...

A binding "tail"

I spent a few minutes yesterday morning reviewing my list of UFOs and decided it was time to reduce the size of the list.  I tackled two quilts that needed binding and a label; a good place to start.  While sewing the binding on the first one, a friend commented that the tip I had shown her was one that she continues to use.  Just in case some of you could use a binding tip, here is what I showed her.

I attach the binding to my quilts by leaving a loose "tail" at the beginning and end, sewing around the entire quilt till I reach about 12 inches (30 cm) from where I started.  Here's a simple diagram.

Take the two loose ends and fold them along the edge of the quilt till they meet within 1/8 of an inch like this picture.

Now press the folds.  Open both ends of the binding out so that the left side is facing right-side up and the right side is facing right-side down.  Line up the pressed fold lines so that they form a + .  Like this:

Pin the binding together and now sew diagonally through the + like this, keeping the loose ends of the binding to your right and the quilt to the left.

Once you have sewn the ends together, it's a good idea to check to make sure that you have sewn the diagonal correctly before cutting off the extra tails left over.

TA DA!  it will fit every time.  So now I have two quilts bound...just the label and hand stitching to do.   Till the next time!!

Just unwinding

Thinking about what the first post should be made me think about the concept of starting.  There's a thought.  Starting your first quilt...starting a new project...starting to design...just starting.  So here is a start to my blog.  How many of you still have the first quilt that started you on the road of becoming a quilting aficionado?  I only have a picture.  Here it is!

I wish I had kept it.   The book Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes was my "teacher".  It was constructed from left over dress fabrics, tied and not exactly square.  That was in 1993.

After a few more "starts" and some encouragement from family and friends I started to show some progress.

Now some 18 years later I think I have the hang of this quilting thing.  Here is one of my more recent "starts" that I finished.

Well this post is a start.  Till the next time...