Sew in the Know Newsletter!

It's been a busy end of summer and the "SAVE when you send 2 quilts for E2E" was a great success! And yes - there will be more savings for members. I have one more pick up day scheduled. (more info to the right)

In my down time (what is that?) I've been organizing and finding good uses for my bits and pieces of fabric and batting so I have a couple of great ides for you below.

Mostly, I have been sad to see the days getting shorter. That being said my most favourite season is fall with the gorgeous colours, sounds and smells. It's a great time to hang those quilts on the line to air them out. I do this every season and they smell sooo good when bringing them in - especially in the fall!

STUDIO Tuesdays - starting Sept 24th

My studio is OPEN for all from 10 am to 3 pm every Tuesday. Come to sit and sew, learn new techniques AND use the GO cutter, serger, professional iron special rulers and any other tools I have that you may need to borrow! Register here or read more info below....

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?

Have a disaster or an unforseen boo-boo? You are not alone! Quite often when longarming - I am looking sew closely that I notice little boo-boos! Over the next few months I am going to bring a few mistakes or mini disasters to light and offer some solutions for you. If you have an issue or solution - go ahead and send them to me and I will highlight them in one of the next newsletters. Today I have a solution for blocks that are twisted, turmed or damaged.

Also this month I will address "Bearding"... more below.

CONTEST Results

Well, did I have a great surprise! I did get a couple contest entries with quilters sending me some great block ideas for the quilt I wanted to design that represented:

• Long journey
• Justice
• Truth
• Integrity

Then I got a pick up request from Anne-Louise, for a quilt she needed quilting that she mentioned was "very special". I was intrigues and then shocked when I arrived to pick it up to find that the quilt was for me - and that she had designed it to represent my journey. I will tell you more next newsletter after I have quilted it so stay tuned - and thank you Anne-Louise!

And finally - I am doing one more "Save When You Send 2" quilt pick ups this coming Thursday and Friday. More infor to the right.

As I have said before and will say again......keep on quilting!

Mandie (the quilter)

Located in Limerick (Near Bancroft) Ontario, she travels hither, thither and yon to spread quilting merriment!

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Join me for some quilting merriment in October!

Region of York Quilter's Guild - October 19th

Other resources:

Longarm Quilting Services

Backings and Battings

Videos and tutorials

Kits and Patterns

PDQ club info

Other resources

A little bragging....

Here is a custom projects I have completed that was a very large white space quilt. It took me a while to decide what to do - but if you look closely I centered the heart on a square and superimposed it over a diamond. ( the bubbling of the quilt is before it is blocked)

Sept. 17th 2024

SUCCESS!

"SAVE when you send 2" was a great success - and you still have time to get in on the savings!

Late in August I sent out a special offer for all PDQ members. In addition to discounted rates members receive - I offered a further 10% discount for any member who sent 2 or more quilts to be quilted. And since then I have been quiting like CRAZEEE! ( and having a blast!)

PDQ Memberships have SOLD OUT ......

BUT WAIT _ THERE'S MORE (have you heard that before lol?)

The savings members got was popular because each person who sent 2 quilts for E2E quilting - in addition to saving on average $20 a quilt with the membership - they saved on average $15 more dollars for each quilt they sent to have quilted. (average size was 55 x65)

SO.... I have sharpened my pencil...

I am offering only 5 (FIVE) more PDQ memberships and will continue the "send 2 quilts and save 10%" until the end of September. (and there may be more later this year!)

See Membership details and apply here.

Last "Save in September" pick up will be Thursday September 19th 2024.

Request pick up here

Thursday September 19th:

• 10:00 am Toronto area
• 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. Newmarket, King, Aurora area
• 1:00 - 2:00 pm Burlington, Hamilton area

Friday August 19th:

• TBD Peterborough, Apsley areas

ANYTIME: Bancroft to Belleville!

Have a quilt ready but do not see your area mentioned?

Let me know so I can arrange pick up!

Pick up and Delivery Request

As you know, when I trim your quilts - I always send back the left over scraps of batting and backing. Over time we all end up with bits and pieces - some bigger than others. What in the world do we do with that?

So I have a couple ideas for you. Some folks donate their scraps to make dog beds for shelters. (What a nice idea) I take an afternoon where I have an audio or video that I want to watch or listen to and gather all my scraps. I pull them out of the bags ( that are usually stuffed full ) and sort them into bigger and smaller scraps.

Large scraps

• Trim the longest sides or larger pieces using a rotary cutter
• Butt two long sides together mailng sure the same sides are up
• Keeping them butted together, join them using a 3 stitch zig-zag set at the widest setting and stitch length at between 3 - 4

Be sure not to pull or stretch when joining. You can join as many pieces together as you want. Once you get to the size you like - take a few minutes to steam or light heat press to block it into a flat piece. This method saves buying special batting tape that can be almost as costly as the batting itself!

Small Scraps (especially good with wool)

• Using 2 smaller pieces of batting, create a 'bag' with 3 sides sewn shut - up to 21 inches square.
• Tear batting into mini pieces not worrying if they are evenly sized
• Stuff the bag with all the torn pieces. (placing them in a batting bag softens the pillow and makes it more uniform)
• Once the bag is bulging and full - hand stitch the bag closed using a large whip stitch
• Create a muslin bag the same saize as your batting pillow form and slip the form inside the muslin bag.
• Press the edge flat and sew shut with your machine or hand whip stitch it closed.

Pillow forms can be as much as $20 for a 18 inch pillow form. This is a great way to use up your scraps and create the start of a new project!

EXTRA BACKING?

If you use good backing the extra you have left over from widebacks can be used in quilt tops later. I often cut all my leftover side pieces from backing into 2 1/2 inch strips to use for binding on another quilt or add to a growing set of hand cut jellyrolls!

I almost don't tell my customers when a block is turned the wrong way. If I am doing E2E (edge to edge) it may never show up. But when doing custom work where I am often highlighting the blocks, a block or piece turned the wrong way may stick out like a sore thumb. This is when I begin un-sewing!

Turning a block may take as little as 10 minutes. That's a heck of a lot less time than a lifetime of regret! (I should have fixed that!)

To fix or turn a mis-laid block, I only un-sew around the block and press all the seams flat. Once it is out of the quilt it is pretty easy to see what order to sew the seams to get it back in place - the right way. And it is much easier to do before the quilt has been quilted.

Sometimes however - a part of the quilt may become damaged. You can send it to me to repair - but it is also something you can do yourself. I stumbled across a video from Jordan Fabrics that shows exactly how to do it - so instead of re-inventing the wheel - I am going to share it with you.

You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/DYYqhf3YFV8?si=I4Ay3sZagKGeAlo_

If you need a repair done and you do not want to do it yourself - let me know - and I can help you with that! Let me know by using my contact form here

What the heck is "Bearding".

Every once in a while I hear someone tell me that the fiber of the batting is migrating outside the back of the quilt. ( the quilt back has a fuzzy white look that when pulled brings more batting through the fabric) This usually happens when the backing is of poorer quality or wears poorly after washing. The answer to this problem is making sure to invest in good backing. When you spend so much time working on the front of the quilt - invest in the backing too!

Pokies

Pokies is mini bearding. These are small pin dots of batting that poke through the backing. Think of it as an adolescent beard! This can occur for several reasons but most often again it is poor backing fabric. It can also be caused by burrs on the longarm needle or thread that is too heavy for the needle. Pokies will often dissappear after a wash.

20 Wideback backings in stock

I now have 20 backings in stock that are all high quality 108 inch wide. (Fireside is 60 or 80 inches)

You can view them here - and there is more coming

What batting should I use? (I have all these in stock - you can see them here)

I often get asked about battings and which is better. The short answer is that most batting by the meter is very good quality. Bagged battings are often made from end of run batting at the manufacturer level - and in most cases are more expensive than by the meter - even when it is on sale! (Often the quality at end of run is uneven in thickness or stretched and wonky) The most economical and easiest way to identify the quality is to buy your batting by the meter!

• WOOL Batting: I use this when I want a nice loft for my quilting - it is also quite light in wieght when in a quilt. 100% wool is great for any custom quilting and washes very well.
• Wool/Cotton blend: This has a bit heavier weight and has a lighter loft than wool. It drapes very well. It is also washable.
• 80/20 Cotton/polyester is the most commonly used as it is a little more affordable and is definitley heavier than wool. It can be combined with wool (yes you can use 2 layers of battng!) to add a nicer drape.
• 80/20 Cotton/polyester Bleached - I use this when I have a mostly white background quilt or a full white backing. For some whites that are digital this is not necessary - but for a white muslin background or backing it is more desireable.
• Silk Batting - nice cool batting - although it can be costly in compaison to other battings. Low loft. very light, fluffy and drapes like no other batting.
• Bamboo Batting - more sustainable than a man made fiber -warmer than cotton, breathable, light weight

Since moving here last July - I have had several sit and sews (unscripted) and two individualized workshops.

Sew in the spirit of continuing with these great get togethers, I will start them Tuesday September 24th and every Tuesday until November 19th.

The cost will be free for PDQ members and $10 a day for non members.

Arrive at 10 and stay until 3 pm. Bring a project or problem and have access to tools and teaching/support. I will even make coffee or tea.

I have expanded the classroom so we can accommodate up to 6 people.

At the end of each session or at lunch - take a wander along the trails or around the gardens or just sit outdide and enjoy the day!

It's a great opportunity to meet new folks and get a project started or finished without home style interruptions!

Occasionally life gets in the way of our hobbies, addictions and compulsions! If quilting is your therapy and life has gotten in the way of your ability to pay immediately - please let me know!

SHORT ON FUNDS?

Please do not let a temporary 'shortage of funds' delay you from getting your quilt longarmed! Contact me - and we can work out a payment plan. (yes - we can!) And I can also offer Visa and Mastercard options. Contact me here to learn more.

Thanks for reading to the end!

Please pardon any typos... I am a quilter and still brushing up on my editing skills!

Do you know someone who would like to read it - have them sign up here.

Have questions or comments - please be sure to let me know. Email me at info@janestreetquilts.com