One of my goals this year is to make a quilt. I decided it'd be fun to make a quilt for our little one (who will be here in a couple months!). I've been collecting little girl clothes from consignment shops, Goodwill, thrift stores, etc. to put into the quilt. Gently used clothes, fabric pieces, etc. that are too worn in some places, or have a stain here or there, but still perfectly great for using the rest of the fabric.
I've made a few quilts in the past (including this one for my hubby when we were then dating :)), but am by no means an expert, or expert sewer for that matter. So basically I'm just cutting out rectangular strips -- some 3" wide, some 4" wide, but all are varying lengths. It definitely takes awhile to cut the pieces apart, to work around buttons, seams and such, so I'm doing a little at a time, here and there. We'll see how long it takes :)
Good luck!
ReplyDeletea rotary wheel cutter is well worth the investment. you can replace the blade when it's dull. and you can use it for other crafts. i've used mine on layers or material for quilts, on stacks of cardstock for small scrapbooks, on posterboard for school projects, on several layers of chipboard for art journals - it's a great investment made primarily for sewing, but useful in so many other ways, here's a link to the fiskars page - i use the 60 mm, last one before the blades - http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Sewing-and-Quilting/Sewing-and-Quilting-Tools/Rotary-Cutters-and-Blades
ReplyDeleteMy next door neighbor uses electric scissors, and she is 80 years old still sewing up a storm! I like the idea of using little girls clothing from the thrift place. Perhaps this winter when I am more inside. Can't wait to see your progress!
ReplyDeleteHi! I work part time at a quilt shop. You may be done with the quilt already...but here are some suggestions (though in the end it just comes down to your own preference)
ReplyDeleteGingher scissors are a bit pricey, but they are excellent and long-lasting! Usually fiskar scissors work quite well, but if you are finding that they have dulled, you can easily purchase scissor sharpeners at Jo-annes or Michaels or other general craft supply stores.
I'd recommend OLFA rotary cutters. They have a couple different handle styles, but my favorite is the squeeze handle. It pops the blade forward only when you need to cut. There's also an easy lock/unlock button. The others are a manually slide-with-your-thumb lock/unlock. The reason I'd recommend 45mm blades is because they are cheaper and easier to maneuver if you need to cut curves. The 60mm is great if you want to go easier on your wrists and are cutting a lot of strips/big cuts.
Happy quilting!