I hope you all enjoy this chatty episode! I've had so many questions pop up multiple times, so I wanted to answer them all in one place! If I missed a question, leave it here in the comments and I'll do my best to answer it :) I'll be back next week with the next Block Study video!
That is the same starch I use. I make my own, I can make it a thick or as thin as I want! love, love, love, my own homemade starch ❣️ Love your show. I’m a new member. I love that you don’t try to have me buy everything under the sun…. that you just teach! thank you so much for all you do🥰
Thanks for the tip about a large pattern design maybe not being on a fat quarter ! I’ve never heard that before. It makes so much sense! Love your videos!
I love that starch. I make my own. I can make it as thick or as thin as I want. I love your show because you don’t try to make me buy everything under the sun, and I appreciate that you are very informative, Great ideas thanks for all you do
I always wash my fabric as I am very sensitive to chemicals. And I wash ready-made clothes before I wear them for the first time so my skin won't break out. Some quilters wash and then soak their fabrics in starch and then press before cutting them. I press before cutting and use some Best Press if I am having trouble with the creases, but I haven't done the starch soaking. That seems like a lot of work
Hi Megan I just found your channel last week & I am so glad I did. I am fairly new to quilting & you have taught me so much & given me so great ideas. Your adorable & you explain things so clearly & are easy to follow. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise & experiences with us.
Thank you so much!! I'm so glad I could help you--I remember being new and being able to see other people quilt was a huge help over just reading instructions :)
I wash most of my fabrics before using them in a quilt to remove the chemicals (including formaldehyde) used to finish the fabrics. I don't do it sooner because I don't wash anything smaller than a fat quarter and I don't want the uneven shrinkage if I pull from my stash. If you cough when sewing and there isn't a good reason for it, try washing your fabric. You might be reacting to the chemicals.
I do this for the same reason because I'm very sensitive to formaldehyde. I even wash jelly rolls. For anything less than a yard, I wash by hand and hang dry to prevent loss and skewing of fabric.
I lean toward washing primarily to remove the insecticide used for shipping. If you use cotton batting, shrinkage of quilt occurs despite pre washing fabrics. Zig zag or serge edges of fat quarters and yardage helps fraying in wash. Those are my tips 😊
Those are great tips! If I ever do need to wash a small piece of fabric to combine with something, I'll definitely take the time to secure the edges--thats a great idea :)
Thank you so much for the great info. I'm a brand new quilter and I find your videos so helpful. I would love to hear your thoughts on batting...pluses and minuses on different types. Thank you again.
Thank you thank you for this video!!! I’m used to washing as I used to make skirts and such. But with quilting I had no idea do I was do I not? Lol I never see or hear anyone mention it lol but some gave me the advice that starching can help with the pre shrink also. I’ll have to check out the kind you get. Working on one quilt and half way through my best press with how much pressing I’ve done lol
Lol. I always say quilting as a hobby should be renamed "pressing with occasional sewing" 😂 I always prewash when I'm making a garment (which doesn't happen often!) as well since I made that mistake once and ended up with a dress that was waaaaay too small!
Tiny Orchard Quilts pressing with the occasional sewing, that is very accurate I am finding doing my first quilt lol thank you for also pointing out to not mix pre washed not washed fabrics. I probably never would’ve thought of that. Oh no!! I’m sorry about your dress! My mom has instilled to me since the beginning “always wash before you do anything” but I do agree when it comes to quilting there are already so many steps do you really want to be washing and pressing before you even get to start? Thank you for all of your help tip videos :) I am finding them very helpful as I learn about quilting.
Thank you for watching! :). I really appreciate all the feedback and comments from everyone. I'm so grateful to know I'm helping you out in some small way :)
This video is amazing. I've picked up some great tips. I'm sharing your video with both my guilds and new quilting friends because seasoned and newbies can both get something out of it. P.s. I'm going to get a misting bottle for water too. Oh, and I use the Sta-Flo too.
Thank you so much! I tried to include all my little tips :) And another sta flo fan!! I almost feel like I'm cheating by using it--but it works so well!!
Hi Megan! Thank you for the wonderful informations. I've learnt so much from you. By the way, I am curious. What did you do with all the quilts that you made? I would love to know. 🥰😘
I keep meaning to order those misters but keep forgetting. Thanks for the reminder! While at it, I "may have" tossed in a couple more items from your curated lists! I have a cricut light pad and was hoping your cutting mat would fit but it's a little too big. However I have some dollartree clear chopping mats to use for making templates and they are only slightly too long. I tried cutting on it and it leaves a mark but didn't cut through - though I wouldn't try using it for cutting fabric. I want it more for protection of the light pad surface and maybe some block trimming.
I really like having a little cutting mat right by my machine for trimming! It makes it so much easier :) I'm like you--I love little sewing notions :)
Trying to activate links 0:00: Introduction 0:19: Prewashing 3:53: Patterns for Precuts 5:35: Selecting Precuts 7:52: Starch! 9:37: Fabric Storage 10:29: How Much I Buy 13:10: Bias, Grain, and Cutting Fabric 15:08: Mixing Fabric Types 16:14: Where to Buy Fabric
I'm happy you picked up some tips! I'm never quite sure how these chatty videos will be received but I love watching other people's rapid fire tips videos, so I'm glad everyone is enjoying them here :)
Curious to know if you are a spinner as well? I think I see a hackle and a drum carder on your shelves. I am a potter, spinner, weaver, knitter and have recently gotten into quilting. Thanks for making such informative videos
Yes! I am! I have two spinning wheels. 😂 I don’t spend nearly as much with it but spinning and knitting in the evening in front of the tv is sooo relaxing!
@@TinyOrchardQuilts I have 5 spinning wheel 🤣. I am working on my third quilt now and doing some big stitch quilting to put it together. Love your organization of all your stash
Thank you for this great video I have a question concerning your comment about ripping 108 inch fabric could you expand on that? I find it difficult to handle so I’m guessing you mean to terret into 44 inch wide pieces which would make cutting easier.
I only use 108" for quilt backs, so I meant ripping it to size for loading it on the longarm or basting. I do use the leftovers as yardage for quilts but by then they are small enough that I just cut them as I would regular yardage.
Great information! Thank you! I am thinking of doing a "guy" quilt and adding just a little flannel to the normal quilting cotton in the piecing. Any tips for this? I'm a little nervous about it.
I would definitely make a little sample of the two fabrics together and wash them. Some flannels are notorious for shrinking a lot in the wash. Flannel and cotton is a really lovely combination though, so I'm sure it will be worth it :). I've seen a few quilts backed in flannel and they are ammmmmazing!
How much fabric would you buy that would equal a layer cake? For instance my pattern calls for a pack of white layer cake as background. I have 2 1/2 yd of white Moda. I should get 9 (10" sqs) {90"} down the length and 4 (10" sqs) WOF OR 36 (10" squares) -If cut carefully and all is square. Are there 40/42 10 " squares in the layer cakes? And do you recommend saving the bolt cut fabric and just buy the layer cake to do the pattern?
a 40 square layer cake is the equivalent to 100" of fabric or just over 2.75 yards. It looks like Kona layer cakes have 42 squares, so you would need even more yardage to get enough 10" squares. Do you need all of the squares for the pattern? If you do, then you'll either need to buy more yardage or take the easier route and buy the layer cake. You do pay a bit of a premium if you buy the layer cake. Since it is the equivalent of about 3 yards of fabric at around $30, you are paying $10 a yard instead of $5-7 a yard if you bought the yardage and cut it yourself.
I dont :). I did ages ago when I used a different spray bottle but now that I use these fine misting bottles, I find the undiluted starch gives me better results. I thought it would clog the nozzle but I haven't had any problems with that!
Love your videos, you are very personable, clear, and enjoyable. Curious, did or do you have another career? Teaching or perhaps something where you had to do a number of presentations. Or film editing? If none of the above you are a natural.
Thank you!! I briefly taught online college classes for a while but it was just writing/text--I've never been on camera until now! Its been quite the learning curve! 😂
Def have to get one of those misting bottles! Great compilation...super helpful. Also...thank you for taking the time to answer our questions....it's very meaningful. I kinda skimmed through and didn't see what I was about to ask. What about 60"? rip it or leave it? lol
I'm glad you found it helpful! As for 60", it would probably depend what I was using it for. I keep it with most of my widebacks by my longarm, so if I was using it to longarm, I would probably rip it instead of carrying it all the way upstairs to cut it on my big table. :)
Another reason to pre-wash...I personally do not want to handle fabric drenched in chemicals. Cutting and sewing releases fibers into the air and we breathe those in..I prefer to do that sans chemicals to the best of my ability. I HAVE hada project ruined by bleeding. Once was enough tolearn my lesson.
Where can I find tge "MISTING BOTTLES' my roof just collapsed, so, I need to replace basically everything in my sewing room. 1 fortunate thing I was able to pull out a lot of items that would not easily replacable (i.e. sewing machine attachments) My sewing machine itself was too heavy for me (being in a wheelchair) & 7 yr old granddaughter. In the end, the Contractors insurance company was grateful we were able to move so, much out. Until my husband comes back from deployment & can bring my sewing machine in too be checked out - won't know if it was spared. PS my granddaughter went to a neighbor (she liked lol) asked him to move my sewing machine - he put under the sewing machine table - then place a 4'x8' piece of "white oak" and when the roof did finally collapse it broke through the white oak, and my koala sewing cabinet.
I have the misting bottles as well as all my other favorite sewing things on lists here on my amazon page: www.amazon.com/shop/tinyorchardquilts I'm so sorry to hear about your sewing space!! How awful!
@@TinyOrchardQuilts Thank you, I will check it out later today. As for my sewing room, everyone wishes they can make over there sewing room. Well I get to & it isn't costing me a dime... lol 😁
I'm not--mostly because my sewing room windows face north, so there isn't ever direct sun on my shelves. I suppose there could still be some fading over the years even without direct sunlight but I haven't noticed any yet. :)
Tiny Orchard Quilts I guess I just hoard my fabrics for a long time, as I have definitely had some fading issues. Now I fold it so that a small fold of the raw edge is exposed, and I keep them in drawers and closed cupboards. Thanks for your videos!
Swoon sucks! Individual flying geese and HST. Buy more and do 4x flying geese and 8x HST. Also, no ripping fabric. It’s ripped because the cutting table is covered with the detritus of hoarding.
