Tag: Tuesday thread how to quilt

Quilter’s and 100% Cotton Fabric

Tuesday Thread – Why Cotton Fabric

Learn how to quilt with The Quilt LadiesOne of the best things about quilting is the Wonderful Fabric’s you get to purchase, lots and lots of fabric. 
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And with that I have to add,
This is the way I do my fabric, you do you !
a Quilt Ladies quiltPurchasing fabric is fun, please, always buy the best fabric you can afford and what you like. For quilts you will use 100% cotton fabric. Fabric will cost between $6 and $17 per yard. If you are just purchasing for a maybe project, I do mostly cuts 1 to 2 yards. If you have a quilt pattern, follow the recommendations, but as I say in my books, “Please think of purchasing more fabric than needed, as a pattern designer I have no idea how you will cut and use your fabric.”

Purchased cotton yardage, I wash, dry and iron my fabric before starting any project. Please think of purchasing more fabric than needed, a pattern designer has no idea how you will cut and use your fabric.

When talking about fabric it always brings up the conversation of washing fabric. Here is what I do, 

I wash and dry all my fabric BEFORE sewing cutting and piecing a quilt. You only have to pull out one finished quilt from the washer and see bleeding to know you must/should wash all fabric. 

Cotton fabrics bleeding means, the dyes used on the fabric will become loose when washing. It’s said that it’s common is cottons, but all fabrics can bleed. Dyes will/can stain other fabrics in a prewashing, the biggest problem is the dye transfer after a quilt is finished.
Last weeks Tuesday’s Thread HERE

When cotton fabric is made it is stretched on a loom, pulling the fibers straight. A stabilizer is applied to keep fabric straight and that is what you are washing off. Washing allows the fabric to relax and return to a more natural state. A dryer lets the fabric relax or shrink. All cotton fabrics are different you cannot know the amount any fabric will shrink.

Knowing a cotton fabric will not bleed and not shrink is worth a bit of time for the perfect quilt in the end.

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PDF download quilt patterns on Etsy

When prewashing quilt fabric, I use my daily machine washer detergent, the same type that will be used when the complete quilt is washed. Same with the dryer, use the setting that will be used when the quilt is completed.

With 100% cotton fabric after washing and drying you will need to clip away all the threads that have twisted. If fabric is wrinkles you can shake it to smooth out more wrinkles, or press the fabric with a dry iron. 

It’s a habit for me to wash/dry as soon as I purchase fabric. You will develop YOUR way of caring for your quilt fabrics.

When using/cutting the fabric I will press and starch it BEFORE any cutting and square up the fabric so that all cuts with a rotary cutter are straight. I use what I use for clothing as my starch just plain old Niagara brand, it makes it just a bit stiff and will washed very easily.

All this being said,
 “I do not EVER wash contest quilt fabric before sewing, or quilting the quilt.” That is just me, you do YOU !

Last weeks Tuesday’s Thread HERE 
Thank you for asking, yes this all should be a book…but…

learn to quilt with The Quilt Ladies
Beth Ann’s The Quilt Ladies

SEE Beth Ann’s BOOKS on Amazon and
PDF download quilt patterns on Etsy

Beth Ann and as always, Thank you for making my dream a reality ! !

Tuesday Thread – How to Press Quilt Block Seams

Quilt How-To with The Quilt Ladies

Welcome to my Tuesday Threads: Quilt How-To with The Quilt Ladies! Every Tuesday, I’m sharing simple, step-by-step quilting techniques straight from my sewing room to yours.

how to quilt Tuesday Thread

I have so many brand new to quilting or if you just want a quick refresher, these posts are here to help. Grab your fabric, pour a cup of something cozy, and let’s get stitching, one technique at a time!

I am starting with pressing because I see SO many new quilters pressing as they would IF you were sewing a dress, with quilt blocks you do NOT press the seam open, you press to the darker fabric and here is why. NO Steam, a hot, dry iron. 

press to darker fabric
press your quilt block to the darker fabric, here the red
make a table topper
seam opened and how the nest into each other

When you press both layers of fabric and the seam allowance all to one side, you’re giving that seam more fabric layers to support it. This extra layer of fabric over the stitching line helps protect your thread from wear and tear over time.how to press quilt seams to on side

As your quilt gets used, loved, washed, and tugged on, the seams take a lot of stress. By pressing to one side, you’re wrapping that stitching line in a little fabric shield. The thread sits just under the fold, with fabric on top of it and underneath it. This extra cushion means the thread is less likely to snap or break down over the years.

Press to the Dark Side… Always (Well, Almost Always)

I HOPE you have heard this rule a hundred times: “Press your seams to the dark side.” But why?

It’s not just some old quilting superstition. There’s a real reason for it!

When you sew two fabrics together—especially a light fabric next to a dark one—the seam allowance can show through the lighter fabric if it’s pressed the wrong way. This is called “shadowing.” Nobody wants to finish a quilt top, hold it up to the light, and suddenly see dark seam lines peeking through those lovely light fabrics.

By pressing your seam allowance toward the darker fabric, you’re tucking that extra bulk safely under the dark side—where it stays hidden.

Press, Don’t Iron: Up and Down, Not Side to Side

Now let’s talk about the motion of pressing.
When you’re at your ironing board, it’s tempting to treat your quilt block like a wrinkled shirt and slide the iron back and forth. But don’t!

In quilting, you want to “press,” not “iron.”
That means setting your iron down straight onto the fabric, holding for a few seconds, then lifting it up and moving it to the next spot.

Why?
Dragging your iron side to side can stretch the fabric, especially along diagonal seams (the bias). This leads to wonky blocks, wavy edges, and points that don’t quite match later.

This a little thing, but the pressing of the quilt block the right way can make your quilt pop just a little more, and last a bit longer.

Beth Ann is The Quilt Lades

SEE Beth Ann’s BOOKS on Amazon and
PDF download quilt patterns on Etsy