Author: renegadequilter

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · spray baste

Spray Baste Tutorial

renegadequilter3 Comments
i have never done a tutorial before (that i know of) on my blog. however, when i showed a pic of us spray basting quilts in this post i had a few people ask how i do it? and, how i do it & don’t get any wrinkles in it.
so here i go. i am going to try & cover it step by step.
first, & usually the most challenging part of this is finding a space big enough for the quilt that you want to spray baste. i have a large table at work that i sometimes use. however, in this case we used my driveway. its large & its flat so it worked.
i have a tarp that i use just for spray basting. you want to protect the surface that you are spraying on. now in the driveway it was more to keep the quilts clean then anything. i rinse off my tarp with a garden hose after i am done spray basting so that when i put the tarp away it doesn’t stick to itself.
so once you have the tarp spread out i then lay out my batting. i make sure that it is smooth and wrinkle free. my blogland friend Sarah who blogs over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict told me that she will tape the corners of her batting down.
as you can see in the pic below my tarp is silver on one side & blue on the other. so you can see the silver of the tarp, a little bit of the batting & then the backing fabric.

once you have the batting ready i then lay the backing fabric over the batting. smoothing it out as needed. both the batting & the backing fabric have been already cut to the correct size that is needed for the quilt top. i try & leave 2 1/2″ to 3″ of batting & backing all the way around the quilt. that way i am not fighting the quilt top to get it to fit just right on the batting. i have some room to work with.

just a close up shot of the tarp, batting & backing fabric.

at the time i took theses pics i didn’t know i would be doing a tutorial on it. i don’t have pics of us folding back the backing fabric. but, the process is the same for the back as it is for the front of the quilt.

once you have the batting and backing fabric ready i then visually notate where the center of the quilt is – roughly. you don’t have to be exact. i then start on one end & fold the backing fabric or the quilt top (depending upon which side you are working on) back onto itself about 6″. i continue to fold 6″ sections until i am roughly to the center of the quilt.

as you can see in this picture below we have folded back the quilt top to the halfway mark & we have begun to spray.

there are several different types of spray baste on the market but i just use whatever Joann’s carries. at Joann’s its considered a quilting notion so when those go 50% off i stock up.
when you are spraying the adhesive i always spray the batting & never the fabric. doesn’t matter if you are working or the front or the back of the quilt. always spray the batting.
i have found that shaking the can well before beginning helps & keeping the can roughly 12″to 15″ away from the batting as you are spraying. if this is new to you or you have done it before & not had good luck with it my one tip would be to go lightly with the spray. don’t over spray your batting that will just cause problems for you. i typically do a very light spray over the half that i am working on. then i touch the batting to feel for my coverage. if there is a spot that needs a little more i will spray some more there. its sort of like cooking. you can always add a little more but its hard to take out the extra.
once that half of the batting is sprayed i then get down on my hands & knees & begin to unfold those 6″ sections back onto the batting. going slow & making sure not to create any wrinkles. if a wrinkle does occur you can easily pull back the fabric and reset it. its sort of like hand pressing the fabric into the adhesive. take your time & you will be pleased with the outcome.

once one half is finished we fold back the other half. when you get towards the center of the quilt you will be able to tell where you have already spray basted. the fabric will be married to the batting. once you have the backing fabric basted to the batting then flip it over. if you have 2 people its much easier. repeat the same process with the quilt top. smooth out the batting that has the backing already attached. layout your quilt top on the batting making sure its smooth. begin at one end & fold the quilt onto itself every 6″ until you reach the center. spray & unfold the quilt onto the batting. repeat for the other half.

once you have a quilt completely spray basted i like to do 1 of 2 things. either take the quilt & lay it on a flat surface for awhile. like a bed or something. or i like to roll it on a cardboard tube to store until i am ready to quilt it. i do not recommend quilting the quilt right away. in my opinion it needs a little dry time before the quilting begins.

that weekend that we spray basted in my driveway i think we did about 6 or 7 quilts. it goes pretty quick when you have 2 or 3 people doing it.

so get your quilting buddies together & start spray basting those quilts.

let me know if you have any questions about the process. i will do my best to answer them.

H2H · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday

renegadequilter4 Comments
first some finishes from this past weekend of my mini quilt camp that i had at my house.

this was an i.o.u. quilt from this past Christmas for my dad. he is very happy to have it & he loves it. i was going to make it for a baby boy but since no one i know is having a boy my dad got it since he loves trucks & tractors as well.

i quilted & bound my 1st Hands 2 Help quilt.
this is a funny. Denise sewed right through the top of a flower pin. didn’t even break the needle.
this is the back of my 2nd Hands 2 Help quilt.
this one i sewed the top together, quilted it & bound it all in this past weekend. i also quilted & bound this quilt that i showed in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival over at Amy’s Creative Side.

i also worked on my flying geese. whew they are done now.

i laid them all out in rows.

now i am working on sewing those rows together.

i also laid out my tumblers for a quilt top to be sewin together.

but, at the top of the list is this project.

my block for the quilt block challenge at Sister’s.

“Would you not like to be sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free”

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Blogger’s Quilt Festival

renegadequilter7 Comments
last fall i put a quilt in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival over at Amy’s Creative Side. it was so much fun looking at all of the different quilts that people entered into the show. i was afraid that i missed it this year but i just jumped onto Amy’s blog & see that i still have time to enter. the next question was – which quilt? i sewed a lot this past weekend and decided to show you all my oldest wip that i finished. so without further ado…… here it is.

sort of a wonky picture of it but its pouring down rain & i can’t get out to get a better pic of it. i got the fabric 2 years ago (i think) in a great quilt shop in Florida. it was a fat quarter stack that the shop put together. i ended up finding some yardage somewhere along the way & i ended up with this quilt. i know that i had started out with a pattern but i messed it up in the middle of it & so i just renegaded it & ended up with this. i quilted it myself with all over swirls in a green thread and i am pleased with how it turned out. one of the most fun things about this quilt isn’t the front of it.

its the back.

i used absolutely every scrap of fabric i had left over from the front to piece the back. i ended up having to add some brown kona just to get it big enough. the back is almost like a 2nd quilt. i love it.

so, there you have it. my spring 2011 Blogger’s Quilt Festival entry. no long story behind it. it just took me awhile to get it finished. now that its finished i am wondering why i waited to long to finish it. wonders never cease.
fabric purchases · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday

renegadequilter1 Comment
happy, happy, happy

thats me today. why you ask? because i am having a mini quilt camp at my house starting tomorrow. yep, 2 of my best quilting buds are coming over & camping out. well only one is staying at my place but the other will be here to sew & just go home to sleep in her own bed. i don’t blame her there. so we have our food all planned out & i have been rearranging the sewing cave to accommodate the 3 of us.

enough of that onto what i worked on this past week. i finally finished the applique on this truck & tractor quilt for my dad. i appliqued 16 wheels on & some of them were the nubby kind. but i got it done. it has been basted & is ready for quilting.

i am continuing to making progress on the flying geese.


i might get that top together over the next 4 days.

something else that i hope to get done is my block for the Sister’s quilt block challenge. for some insane reason i am drawing a blank on what to do with the fabric above. i am hoping that my quilting buddies will have some ideas.

i have my fabric all cut & ready for my 2nd H2H top. i will get that sewed up & ready to be quilted by this weekend. i have my 1st H2H top ready to be quilted as well.

i have to also share my latest & greatest purchase. its some of Ty’s fabric. need i say more? when i 1st saw it – it was love at 1st sight. but, i hadn’t bought any of it. until the Fat Quarter Shop put it on sale. can i just say that i love that place. like the majority of my fabric purchases lately i have no idea what i am going to do with it but i finally got some.

i will post some updates on our mini quilt camp. it will probably resemble a sweat shop instead of a camp but the end result will be the same.

“When I step into the light my eyes searching wildly”

general · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

The List

renegadequilter2 Comments
i am always cutting stuff out of magazines. quotes, exercises, quilt patterns, recipes, etc. back what seems like a bazillion years ago i cut this out of a Glamour magazine. i think i was either in junior high or high school. i must have really liked it at the time because i paid to have it laminated. it has traveled with me since through the various stages of my life.

i dug it out of my file of magazine clippings last week. it came to mind during an email conversation i was having with a good friend. at various points in my life either some or all of this list has applied & after looking at it again i still think its worth keeping. i also think its worth sharing. like me maybe not everything on this list applies to you at this moment but i bet that you can find at least one thing that does.

i got to thinking about what that means. how something from a magazine that is 20 or so years old can still have meaning. for me it comes down to being honest with ourselves and being happy with who we are. that is why this list still has some value for me today.

the conversation with my friend has continued via email & just the other day my friend sent me the following…. “You are responsible for your own happiness. No one, even the most dedicated friend, the most devoted love, the most attentive parent, can provide that for you. People close to you want you to be happy, they would help create the environment for that, but ultimately it will be you that decides it, chooses it, makes it happen.”

i hope that this finds each of you happy in whatever it is that you are doing.

WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday

renegadequilter2 Comments
in the area of productivity this past week i was not up to par. i went to bed early last Thursday night & got up at 1am to watch the Royal Wedding. yep, i admit it. i was one of those crazy people that just had to watch it live. for me it was worth it. for my body….. not so much. hence the lack of productivity this week.
i did finish putting blackout fabric on my bedroom curtains so that was a good thing. with my need for sleep increasing & it staying light outside longer i had to do something & this was the answer. i am working on a tutorial to show you how i did it. it was easy.
since i already had my serger out to work on my curtains i decided to sew up a couple of pairs of pj pants. i got this fabric back at the beginning of the year & now that they are finished i find myself wondering why i waited to sew them up. the green ones are my fav. if i could i would wear them to work. that is how much i love them.

i have also started the next flying geese phase of my Opening Day quilt. only 128 of them to make & sew together & i will have the 1st boarder ready to go.

i am planning on a busy sewing week ahead. fingers crossed for great success!!!!

“when i step into the light my arms are open wide”
http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

A couple new things

renegadequilter3 Comments
i had a couple of new items show up on my door step this past week.

i picked up some Fandango fat quarters at a screamin deal from 1 Choice 4 Quilting & i also got 2 charm packs of Sherbet Pips at a great deal as well. the package arrived & it had some extras in it. i got a nail file as well as a package of quilting needles along with a thank you card. very impressive service & again a screamin deal.

the next package that arrived at my door step this week was this. 9 yards of Parisville by Tula Pink. i found this fabric at a great price through Twitter. i was on Twitter & VenezieDesigns posted a tweet about 9 yards of Parisville at such & such percentage off to 1st buyer. i clicked & bought it & it showed up very quickly.

i love finding great fabric deals online thanks to all the AWESOME online fabric shops!!!
charity · H2H · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday

renegadequilter9 Comments
its nice to finally (sort of) be back into the swing of things with regards to sewing. i have gotten a few things done this past week.


i wanted/needed (what the difference?) an instant gratification project. so i made this nice large tote. its an Atkinson Designs pattern from their Big Bags, Little Bags book. i am not sure how to describe the fabric that i made it out of but i found it at Joann’s & it was only $2.99/yard. it the type of material that the reusable grocery bags are made out of only tougher.

this really isn’t a WIP item. it might be someday but as of now i prefer to call it a weak moment. i randomly check the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Daily Deal page to see what they have on special. needless to say one day it was a Sherbet Pips jelly roll & of course it was on sale so it found its way to my house.

not sure what i will make with it but it is yummy.
i finished my 1st quilt top for the H2H Challenge. i didn’t follow a pattern. my goal was to use any much of the fat quarter’s that i was given as possible. i have 2 small pieces left & they will be pieced into the back of the quilt.
my other sewing accomplishment this past week was finishing up these star blocks for my Opening Day quilt. i got the last few finished last night & laid them out on the floor. i still have some tweaking to do with the layout but overall i am pleased.

what project are you sewing on? i would love to hear about it

“It soars inside my soul because of you. All that innocence that you inspire”