Missing In Action

I’ve been officially declared missing in action! Leah Day is no longer in the building!

Okay, now that I can stop being a dork, I’ll explain my lack of posting on this terrific quilting blog. I’ve recently:

• Lost my mind.
• Stopped buying fabric.
• Started quilting with one hand tied behind my back.
• and gotten thoroughly distracted by life’s many distractions.

Truth is, I’m a pretty busy person! I mostly work online on my main website: Leah Day Online. This is a site mostly devoted to L’Bri Pure n’ Natural skin care products and information on proper skin care. I really enjoy writing about skin care and helping people look beautiful, even though it took me to the age of 23 to wash my face regularly.

So when I’m not selling samples or writing articles or answering emails, then I’m playing with my son, James. He’s around 16 months right now and just tall enough to reach most tables and pull things off the edge. I’ve had to seriously watch my habit of leaving scissors, rotary cutters, and pins all over the house because everything James touches goes straight into his mouth!

I’ve also realized recently that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew when it comes to the internet. I’ve finally purchased the domain name www.daystyledesigns.com and have my most of my quilts up on that site. Of course I haven’t had time to photograph the other 6 quilts I’ve made since then, so it’s not the best example of everything I’ve been working on lately (or in the last year)!

When I’m not beating myself up about maintaining this site, I’m feeling guilty about my other sites: www.skincarecookbook.com and www.lbrinaturalskincare.com, and my blogs: Simple Happiness for Complex Women, Natural Skin, Natural Body, and How to Sell Skin Care Products.

If you’re into internet marketing, please learn from my mistakes! You don’t need 5 websites and 3 blogs in order to work successfully on the internet! Only do what you can maintain!

So if I’m declared MIA again, maybe you’ll understand why…

To busy times,

Leah Day

Quilting Without Fear

I’ve been quilting for nearly three years and never once been able to let go and allow myself to be creative.

Sure, I’ve created some pretty artistic wall hangings, but I’ve never been able to just cut loose and really play.  Looking back on my knitting, crocheting, sewing, and jewelry making I see the same pattern over and over.  I never feel “right” experimenting with something new until I’ve seen someone else try it first.

It’s really silly and very limiting too.  Sort of like only being able to jump into the deep end of the pool only after you’ve watched your big sister do it first.  I love to buy new fabrics, books, paints, feet for my sewing machine, but when it comes to actually using these items, most of the time I’m just not brave enough.

But I’ve decided to change.  I’m putting aside my fears in quilting.  My fears of making a quilt that’s ugly, a failure, or trying a technique that doesn’t work and turns my quilt top into a ball of fabric, not a glorious flat wall hanging.

I’ve been letting my inner negative voice limit my ability to create something terrific.  Who cares if the back of my quilt has knots and puckers and lint sewed in?  Who’s judging it as “wrong” except for me?  Why the hell do I have to make corners match up on an art quilt and who ever said that to be a quilt you should only use 3 layers?

No, I’m not going to become one of those “everything goes” quilters that just gob on a whole lot of stuff and hope it makes sense at the end.  But I do want to look at my quilting studio with more hope and inspiration than I’ve experienced in the past years.

Most of this is due to a quilt I made recently.  This titanic monster quilt was the bear in my studio for a whole year (which is a really long time for me).  Mixing precision piecing and appliqué, this should be my favorite quilt of all time, but it isn’t.

In fact I hate this quilt because I feel that I made it for all the wrong reasons.  I made it to prove that I was a good quilter.  Satisfying your inferiority complex is no reason to make a quilt.  Right now it rests on my dining room wall and I really hate it more every day.

I don’t need a big, impressive quilt to prove that I’m good.  I don’t need to piece 1 1/2″ squares precisely just to prove that I’m worth looking at.  And you don’t either.

Next time you step into your studio, pay attention to how you feel.  Listen for that negative voice to wake up and start telling you you shouldn’t try anything new.  Listen for it to limit you and hold you back to whatever “safe” place you’ve been sitting in for awhile.  Then tell that voice to stick it in its ear.

Go make a quilt and check fear at the door.

Simple Upholstered Bench

Don’t you just love those front window benches in houses with all the matching pillows? I always loved the look of those cozy little nooks. I guess I just like the idea of having another place to sit in the sun and read a book.

I really wanted to create a window bench, but I didn’t want it actually built into the wall. I wanted a bench that could be moved around and used as extra seating at the table for instance. To take these desires into consideration, I decided to create an upholstered bench that would sit at normal chair height, but be very deep so it would have that desired window bench feel.

These were my materials for creating the bench:

• 1 - 4 ft x 8 ft piece of OSB plywood 1/2″ thick
• 2 - 2 x 2 boards 8 ft long
• Four 6″ legs
• Four sets of leg mounting hardware
• Nails or screws
• Wood glue

Fortunately, I had some left over plywood paneling from our basement remodeling project. If you wanted to make this from scratch though, just use the 1/2″ OSB plywood I listed.

To get started, I cut the plywood to the desired length and width. I’ve included my measurements so you can see how it all went together:

Top and Bottom - 20″ x 48″
Front and Back - 11″ x 48″
Sides - 21″ x 12″

Then I cut the 2 x 2 boards into 48″ lengths (your basically cutting the 8 ft boards in half to make four corner supports).

I then took the top and bottom boards and nailed the 2 by 2s to each long side. You can use wood glue to get a better hold, but I forgot that step until halfway through so try to remember it at the beginning! I fastened the front and back in place next by nailing into those 2 by 2 boards I just fastened to the top and bottom. The plywood should overlap at the corners. At this point my bench just looked like a rectangular box. You can see what the side view of the box would look like in the diagram below.

I nailed both sides in last into the place where the boards overlap and I double checked that the box was sturdy and could support a couple peoples weight. It wouldn’t be fun to get the job done and then it all fall apart!

I fastened the hardware to the box corners and screwed in the legs. I spaced mine about 1 1/2″ from the edge so that it would take a good deal of the weight and also give me room to upholster without having to take the legs back off.

It was now ready to upholster! To do this part I collected:

2 - twin size pieces of 1″ foam

1 - Full to Queen sized polyester batting (the bigger the loft the more cushy your seat, but also the more difficult to staple)

4 yards thick muslin

Heavy duty Staple gun and Staples

I cut my pieces of foam so that they would overlap nicely:

Front and Back - 11″ x 48″
Sides - 11″ - 22″
Top - 22″ x 50″

I didn’t cut a piece for the bottom as it didn’t need to be upholstered. I started with the front and back and laid the foam in place and then stapled it in place. I tried using quilting basting spray to glue it in place, but that didn’t work too well so I just stuck with the staples. I then did the sides and finished with the top. You can see how it looks in this picture. To capture the size of my bench I threw a paperback book on top.

Now it was ready for batting. I laid the batting out like wrapping paper and basically wrapped the bench in it. I wanted it nice and smooth across the top and sides so I took a good bit of time smoothing and stretching the batting into place. I folded the ends in just like a gift and then stapled it all into place on the bottom. I didn’t put any staples on the top or sides over the batting because they might come through the fabric later on (besides it’s not too comfortable to sit on staples!)

At this point I could have upholstered the bench with any fabric. I decided to go with cheap, durable muslin and then use slip covers to give the bench a different look. I cut my fabric to the following dimensions:

Front and Back - 15″ x 51″
Sides - 15″ - 23″
Top - 23″ x 51″

I was calculating a 1/2″ seam allowance and then sewed the cover together using a poly/cotton blend thread. I sewed each seam twice so they would be very strong. I made the sides and front and back so long so that the fabric could stretch down underneath the box and be stapled underneath.

So I slipped on the cover, stretched it into place and then stapled away. When I’m ready to change the look I’ll just create slipcovers using the same dimensions I used for the main cover. Overall I think the project was very fun and really worth the time and energy it takes to create. It took me about three hours to put together my bench and upholster it. Now you could save time by getting the cut wood for you. Most home improvement stores will charge after the second cut, so this is a good way to save time and cost, especially if you didn’t have the proper tools. The bench really turned out great and has made a wonderful window seat for my house.

Sewing Room Compromises

This past year, my husband and I moved to Shelby, North Carolina. Our new house had plenty of room to grow into, but needed a lot of work for the basement to be a usable space. Over the past year we have scrubbed, sawed, nailed, and painted our way to a new office, den, and sewing room.

I admit it, I love projects. I love to start something completely new with a big giant step towards the finish line. Unfortunately with this basement, the finish line has become more and more distant the longer we work on it. Remodeling an entire basement (about 1400 sq. feet) is a huge ordeal, and sometimes you just have to call it quits and make do with what ya got.

My sewing room was left to last, as sewing rooms typically are in the grand scheme of things, but I still want to have that perfect room. Since I just don’t have the energy, time, or money to put into finishing it off completely I’ve decided to work with what I have and make do. The nice thing about this space is the ample room. I’ve got plenty of space for large tables, storage shelves and my ironing board. I know that most crafter’s don’t have this kind of space usually so check out my other article on working with small spaces.

Despite the large space, kitchens are awkward and funky by nature. Here’s a photo of the horrible tile floor that serves no purpose except to hide dirt, and it doesn’t even do a good job at that! Eventually I will scrape all this up and install a floating laminate wood floor. For now I’m just going to wing it with a green rug.

As my sewing room is going to reside in a former basement kitchen I’ve decided to keep the sink and stove (as they might come in handy for painting or dying fabric later!), but the cabinets have seen better days. I’ve compromised by pulling off all the old contact paper the former owners put on and giving them a good scrub. I’ll keep my extra sewing machines and batting in the cabinets while the counter will be used for books and a new cutting surface.

For my sewing station, I use two 3 x 6 ft plastic banquet tables that I bought at Lowes. I’m eventually going to get a third one so I can put them all together and baste anything I want. I think there about $50 a piece, but transporting them is tricky. Make sure you have a big enough car BEFORE you go shopping! I set them up perpendicular to each other for general use (piecing), but will set them up parallel for quilting so I have more space off the back of my machine for the quilt to rest on.

For storage close at hand (like scissors and feet and what not) I use plastic drawers that I bought at Kmart. I don’t really like them at all, but they get the job done. Eventually I will replace them with something nicer that maybe works better, but for now this is okay.

I use this cubbyhole book case to house my fat quarters, miscellaneous fabric, and magazines. During the next remodel I will install a shelving system along one wall for my fabric. I also use plastic storage boxes to house more fabric in another room. I wouldn’t put unprotected fabric into the kitchen cabinets. It just seems wrong….

So there you have it. No, my sewing room is not exactly what I want, but when will it ever be anyway? We quilters are a resourceful lot and can make do anywhere. I love my space and will fix it up nice when I have the chance, but for now I’m just going to go with it like it is.

Happy Quilting,

Leah Day

Machine Stitched Binding

Binding is the last step, the final hurdle to finishing any quilting project. The way you choose to do it is completely up to you, but this is my method for binding a quilt using machine stitching to finish it off.

First cut your strips. I cut mine 2 1/4 inches wide. I like a nice tight fitting binding so that the edges of my quilt are plump and rounded. This also is important if you plan on entering a quilt into a show. Some judges look at binding in particular because a nice plump binding means that the edge won’t form a sharp crease and wear out faster from being drug around.

So how many strips should you cut? Well, I employ the very scientific and mathematical process of hold it up and guess. I cut a strip or two and hold them against the side of the quilt. If you can pretty much eye ball how many strips you need to cover two sides (ex: 2 strips along the top and 1 strip along the side) then just double that number and add one and you have the amount of strips to cut (7 strips). I always like to add one so that way I’m sure to have a lot of room at the end to play with.

So once the strips are cut, they need to be sewn together. Honestly I seam my binding together with a mitered seam, but I don’t see what is wrong with a straight seam if that’s what you’re comfortable with. I’m not sure that they will wear any different at least. Fold the binding in half lengthwise and press so that the seams are to the inside.

Here’s the fun part. Put on a walking foot and let’s stitch on this binding. Now for hand stitched binding you need to attach the raw sides of the binding to the right side of the quilt. This way, when you fold over the fabric it will be on the back of the quilt. This way you will have a nice smooth look on the front and the hand stitches will face the back. When you start, leave about a 10 - 12 inch tail of binding above your starting place. Also try to start in the middle of the quilt. You want to try to avoid having a seam fall right over a corner.

Stitch on the binding, sewing through all layers to 1/4″ before the corner. Take the quilt off the machine and finger press the binding up into a 45 degree angle.

Now fold the binding strip down along the next side. It took so long for me to get my brain around all this folding! You want these edges to match up perfectly, with the fabric straight and crisp. If the miter is sewn sloppy then it will only come out crooked.

Start stitching again 1/4″ from the edge. Repeat again for each corner. You are going to have a triangular flap of fabric that seams to wave in the wind after you sew each corner. This is correct! The folded triangle will open up and fold over the rough edges to form the mitered binding. When you get 10″ from the binding tail you left at the beginning stop sewing and reverse to lock. Take the quilt off the machine.

Now this is the tricky part and I still get a bit turned around with it sometimes. Lay the two ends of binding over each other and smooth it flat so that they are straight with the edge and even. Gently take the right hand piece and open it up on top of the left hand side so that the two pieces are open and right sides together. Run a pin through the middle where these two pieces cross. Now hold this carefully in place and move the right hand piece so that it is perpendicular to the left hand piece (like and upside-down ‘L’). Stitch a miter seam across this binding. Finger press the seam open and then fold binding back into place along side.

Reattach your walking foot and sew through all layers to finish.

At this point you would ordinarily take the quilt off the machine and hand stitch on the binding. I like to machine stitch it sometimes though if I’m in a hurry or can’t find my needles or there isn’t anything good on TV to watch while I stitch. To get started you need to fold over the binding to encase the raw quilt edge. I finger press and pin the binding down so that when I stitch over it the seam will be straight and clean looking.

Set up your walking foot and a zigzag stitch. For normal thread I have the width set at 2.0 mm and the length at 0.25 mm or whatever width you use for making buttonholes. Sometimes I use invisible thread and in that case I use a normal stitch length. Start stitching in the middle of the side of the quilt. As you stitch you want to make sure your needle is falling right along the edge of the binding. Go slow and maintain an even stitch all the way to the corner.

At the corner, fold the miter and stitch right up to where the fabric overlaps. Reverse to lock and cut your threads. Reposition your quilt so that the next side is ready to go and start stitching over the previous end. Stitch all around the quilt in this way slowly and carefully. If you make any mistakes or start to get off then just cut the threads and pick it back out. Machine stitched binding takes skill to look good, but with practice and patience you can achieve the look you want. If you ever get frustrated with using the machine you can always try hand stitching the binding on. It’s slower, but safer!

Leah Day

Chain Piecing with Accuracy

I know, I know - every article on piecing has something to do with accuracy and precision. Stop yawning! Sewing each piece together perfectly is the only way to achieve superior quilt tops.

Perfection takes time and can get a bit tedious. I don’t like the idea of spending years on one quilt just to get it perfect.

Now, chain piecing is so speedy, it really cuts piecing time in half. Unfortunately, the time you gain is sometimes spent struggling with pieces that aren’t very accurate. Let’s see if we can’t combine the best of both worlds to achieve accurate seams in a speedy fashion.

Here’s a couple tips for chain piecing with accuracy:

• 1/4″ Piecing Foot - Whether you choose to invest in a piecing foot or not, make sure your machine stitches a very accurate 1/4″ seam. Take two 3″ squares and stitch them together, then measure the seam allowance. Put the 1/4″ mark of an invisible ruler right on top of the stitching line. If there is any fabric extending past the edge of the ruler then your machine is not stitching accurately enough. Even 1/16″ can make a huge difference over the surface of a quilt! Try moving your needle, changing feet, or taping a guide to your machine. Once you have an exact 1/4″ seam then automatically your pieces will start coming out more accurate.

• Go slow - yes, chain piecing is fast, but that doesn’t mean you have to be Speedy Gonzales. Take your time and your pieces will definitely benefit from it.

• Use a scrap charger - Take a scrap of fabric (about 2.5” x 2.5” works great) and fold it in half. This will be your charger before every chain. First, sew through the scrap to one stitch past the edge, stopping with your needle down. Take the first pieces of your chain and using your knee lifter, lift the presser foot very slightly to slip the piecing in as close to the needle as possible. Now sew through your first chain set, stopping again one stitch past the fabric edge. Lift and position your next piece, then sew. Using the charger as the first piece you sew through makes starting the chain easier and more accurate.

• Inspect your work - Look over your work and double check your seams. Is the stitching straight and accurate? Set a ruler over the seam and check that it is exactly ¼”. If it’s crooked or inaccurate, rip it out and sew it again. Doing this small amount of quality control over your pieces will ensure the greatest accuracy for every seam within every block.

Chain piecing should be fast and fun, not a sacrifice! Don’t waste your time fighting with quilts that aren’t pieced accurately! Don’t spend three years piecing something really complicated either. Find a balance and always strive to do your best.

Happy Quilting,

Leah Day

Fabric Cutting Tools

So we are ready to start cutting! I really love the beginning of every project. I just like that time of pulling out all my new (or old) fabric, setting up the design, and of course ironing and cutting the material into shape.

Now fabric cutting has come a long way in a very short space of time. Fifty years ago we would still be using scissors and paper templates and accuracy was pretty much wishful thinking. Not that you can’t be accurate with those methods, I’m sure with healthy overdose of practice and patience you could produce good results.

The wonderful thing is that accurate fabric cutting is much easier now than ever before. With the use of rotary cutters, transparent rulers, and self-healing cutting mats our fabric stash won’t stand a chance. Unfortunately picking which tools to go with can be tricky. I detail my purchasing tips below so you know what to look for what you’re ready to go shopping.

Consider Purchasing a Kit - I go back and forth on this point actually. I personally started rotary cutting with a small fabric kit from Walmart. It came with the basic materials to get started, but it was not really for long term use. The ruler and rotary cutter were great, but the mat was an odd shape (6″ x 12″) and very soon I had to replace it. I also replaced the ruler very soon too because I couldn’t find any other ruler sizes in that brand (more on that later). I did keep the rotary cutter and still use it now two years later. It was a cheap off brand so I can use pretty much any brand blade in it. So basically I would purchase a kit if you are really unsure about getting into quilting, but if you are ready to get started with tools you won’t have to replace later then I would suggest purchasing each item separately.

What to look for in a mat - Look for a mat that is larger than the typical blocks you wish to make. If you like to stick with 12″ blocks maybe go for a 18″ x 24″ mat. Try also to buy a mat that is as large as the table you will be cutting on. This way when you cut you aren’t in danger of running off the mat or having to reposition your fabric. Look for a mat in the colors you don’t typically use. I personally use a lot of dark green so those dark green Olfa mats are pretty much useless for me as the mat color is blending in with my fabric color. You want a sharp contrast between your fabric and the mat so that finding the edges of the fabric will be very easy. Also I don’t see that expensive is better with self-healing mats. I like the cheap ones better because the colors are usually uglier (and therefore a better contrast) and they don’t seem to collect lint as bad.

What to look for in rulers - Picking your rulers is a very personal thing. You want to find a set that are easy for you to read, come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, and are easy to find. I don’t know why, but I cannot use the yellow marked rulers. I cannot see the yellow marks and spend half my time staring at the thing hoping for divine intervention. I use Optima rulers because they have a black marked side (and a yellow marked side for you freaks that like it!). They come in a good range of sizes and are fairly easy to find. Now you should actually pick a brand with rulers and stick with just that brand. Each brand marks their rulers differently and you can find discrepancies between them. Going with one brand also makes it easier for you to quickly and accurately make your cuts as you aren’t spending any time double checking that you’re reading the ruler right. You will develop a relationship with your rulers so really look and find a set you like and can get close to.

What to look for in a rotary cutter - This is also a very personal choice. Mostly it depends on how much you want to spend. If you go with a name brand look to see how much the blades are. You will want to change your blade with every project (and sometimes more often than that!) and some brands like to charge more for replacement blades. They get away with it because they fashion their cutters to only fit their brand blades. I’m not all that into all the bells and whistles companies try to put on cutters either. Yes, a self-retracting blade will help with safety, but I think that having to grip a button might throw off my accuracy. I really hate the ergonomic blades too because you can’t really see the actual blade for all the safety junk on the handle. You will pretty much be out of luck if you want to do any free form cutting where you need to see the blade. Personally, I like a cheap, durable, and simple design. Again, you will develop a relationship with this tool so make sure it fits in your hand nice too.

With these tips I’m sure you can brave the quilting section with confidence. Plan to spend anywhere from $20 to $100 on your basic cutting tools. I know this can seem expensive, but these materials should last you for many years and may never have to be replaced. Starting out with the right tools now will also set you off on the right track to becoming an excellent quilter!

Leah Day

How to Draw Goddesses, Women, Witches, and Crones

Goddesses are a terrific image to design. Think about the figure of a woman. What better pallet for creativity than the many forms a woman’s body can take, from youthful sprite to aged crone? Our bodies too present a plethora of shapes and angles just dying to be captured in art.

The thing I love most about drawing women is the beauty in each one. No matter the apparent flaws the goddess may have, the female figure is simply beautiful. It’s wonderful to start with a subject so easy from the very start!

For most of my designs I begin with an idea. It can be from anything or anywhere, but usually an idea will just pop in my head fully formed. It’s good to have a solid image in your mind to work with so you close your eyes and “see” the design as you draw it out.

The picture above is the very first goddess I ever designed. I had been thinking a lot at the time about the earth and pollution and what mother earth would feel if she could see what we’ve done to her world. Out of that brooding came this design.

She is meant to represent elemental things with the colors I chose for her different body parts: her hair is fire, her arms water and plants, her rough face is the earth, and her tail is cycle of life. In her arms is a potted plant that represents the earth that is withered and dead. She is crying over it, mourning for her lost child.

Sometimes I feel silly for making up such a story about a design, but it really helps in the design process to have a story like that. Stories give meaning, but can also help with design issues like color, texture, and scale. As you can see “Mother Earth” was created as a cross-stitch design, but never completed. Eventually I will take this goddess and capture her again in a quilt. I think in fabric she will truly come to life!

Leah Day

Starting Your First Quilt

Starting your first quilting project can be a daunting task. There are so many questions, and many of them can’t be answered until you have just sat down and gotten started. My biggest ones were:

How do I baste a quilt top without getting the back all bunched up?

How do I piece so that the blocks are the same size and the corners match up?

What the heck is a miter?

Can I machine stitch my binding?

Why do I have to pick a simple design?

Is there any way to make this go faster?

The list went on and on. Before I knew it, I was spending more time worrying about the next step than actually doing it. My first quilt is a testament to how limited we can be by our own head. First I decided that basting a whole big quilt top was just too difficult so I quilted each block separately.

Unfortunately I didn’t think too much about what I was going to do to put them together. After much tedious playing around with the blocks I ended up satin stitching them together. The result is a quilt that is not very durable or well put together. I also didn’t prewash my fabric and the darker colors bled into the white sashing.

I learned a bunch from that experience and thought I would share the things I wish I could have done differently:

• Find a quilting friend - they don’t have to have all the answers, but having a mentor really helps with your first quilting project. If you don’t like that idea, then do your research. Read, read, and read some more about any aspect of the quilt making process that is keeping you up at night. You might even consider taking a class on beginning quiltmaking. This is a great way to meet new people and learn a lot at the same time.

• Start small - I know you might not like this, but making a Gargantuan Monster Quilt is very hard and the experience will be anything but fun. I think 50″ x 50″ is a good starting size. It’s just big enough to cozy up with on the couch, but not so large that you’ll be working on it for a year.

• Design it yourself - I know this might strike some people as crazy, but I’m serious. I think designing your first project is a great way to see just how big the world of quilting is. I designed the block layout of my first quilt and am still very happy with how it visually turned out.

• Quality control - This is your very first quilt. You want it to last right? Work hard then to make sure it won’t fall apart the first time you wash it. This is where I feel I messed up the most. My first quilt is still in one piece, but eventually I will have to sandwich and baste it again with a new batting and backing so that it all stays together. Also if you don’t wish to prewash your fabric (and I completely empathize with you), make sure you use a dye-grabber so that your white areas stay white.

• Be Okay with Simple - Quilting is a challenging hobby to get into. Most people assume wrongly that if they can sew, then they can quilt. Quilting is not sewing, there are many more rules involved, so do yourself a favor and be okay with a simple first quilt. These first few quilts will really teach you a lot so that later you can create the more technically challenging designs with ease.

Quilting is so much fun and it really is a wonderfully rewarding hobby. It can be intimidating to get into, but as long as you take the time, and maybe even a few classes, your first quilt will be a big success!

Happy Quilting,

Leah Day

Speedy Quilted Gift Tips

Quilts are terrific gifts. Our friends and family love to receive something that we’ve made just for them. We love the creative process and knowing that our gift really says “I love you” like nothing else.

There is always a catch however and with gift quilts there are several. The first and most important is time. Depending on the design, you could be working for a whole year just to make one quilt. This is fine if that is what you want to be spending your time on, but for those of us who want more bang for our buck we need to be a little faster.

And this leads directly into another downside - a quilted gift shouldn’t be cheap. What I mean here is you cannot sacrifice your workmanship, design, or quality of the quilt just because you need to get it done fast. Would you feel good to receive a quilt with loose binding or god awful fabric? Please remember: we can always pick up a nice candle or picture frame and give it as a gift instead. A quilt should be special - it doesn’t have to be the next ark of the covenant, but it should be something we would feel touched to receive.

So here are some tips for simplifying without sacrificing:

Budget your Time - From the very beginning of the project decide how much time you want to spend. Use this estimate to determine several decisions such as: quilt top design, hand or machine stitched binding, hanging sleeve, thread color, and quilting design. Keep in mind what overall look you want to achieve, but make sure that you’re not biting off more than you can chew.

Divide the Design - Decide on a design that is either very simply pieced or very simply quilted. I find that the simpler the piecing designs are better as the quilt top doesn’t take much time to get together and then it can all be punched up a notch with the quilting. Remember - the quilt HAS to be quilted, but it doesn’t have to be pieced. You might even consider doing a very simple whole cloth quilt. It will give you nice practice on quilting techniques you might be wanting to master.

Fabric Choice - You can take a beautiful fabric and do almost nothing to it and it will still make a fantastic quilt. The same holds true for ugly fabric. There is some cheap, ugly crap out there in the quilting world, but no matter what you add to it, no matter how small you cut the pieces, it’s still going to be ugly. Well, I take that back, you could thread paint over it and maybe it wouldn’t be ugly anymore!

Think Big Strips - Okay, so maybe you just have to create that log cabin quilt for you mother. Yep, I committed this sin too. Log cabins are gorgeous, but that’s quite a few pieces to be cutting out and then stitching all back together. The solution is to think big. Making your blocks 10″ with 2″ strips (9 pieces) will piece together a lot faster than 10″ blocks with 1″ strips (19 pieces). You do the math. Trust me, the look will be the same, and the quilt will go together so much quicker. Unless of course you are hoping to get a medal for Most Ridiculously Pieced Quilt Ever, but you wouldn’t be reading this article if you were, would you?

Size Does Matter - You can follow all of the guidelines above and still spend a year in the making if you haven’t taken overall size into account. Most everyone will be thrilled to receive a cozy lap quilt to cuddle with on the couch. Yes, they would also love to get the Gargantuan Monster Quilt for their king sized bed, but is it really necessary? I actually think that I get more bang for my buck with wall hangings than anything else. They may be small, but they can still bring warmth and love into any room.

There you have it! Keep these simple rules in mind and you will never find yourself running out of time to create that special gift.

Happy Quilting,

Leah Day