several questions

I wash them when I get them home.

I've never noticed oil, but that's probably because I don't notice things like that. ;)

I iron fabric that has been washed and dried. I press fabric that I have pieced (sewn) together.

I iron toward the darker side, unless it's a scrappy top where just ironing toward the darker side makes no sense because it's every which way.

This is EXACTLY why I have spent so much money on rulers of every size square! If your dad can make some for you, all the better. The advantage of see-through rulers is that I can use my 6.5" square ruler, for example, to make smaller cuts of stuff or I can see what I'm cutting if I want a picture centered (called "fussy cutting").

I never cut more than 2 because I am uncoordinated.

Keep the questions coming!

-- Anita --

Anita,

What is the difference between ironing and pressing? Thanks for all the answers.

Jacqueline

and other fun things

Oh, you had described it exactly. When ironing, you move the iron around. When pressing, you lift the iron so that you do not stretch the fabric. You don't have to lift very high, though. I don't know if people press after washing/drying, but I know you should press seams (instead of ironing them).

-- Anita --

See below - and good luck!

Cheryl & the Cats _ _ _ _ _ _ ( > Y < ) ( > Y < ) ( > Y < ) ~ ~ ~ Enness Boofhead Donut Now in hibernation with a wake-up call for Spring!

This is ausually a cause for great debate between quilters - to pre-wash or not to pre-wash, that is the question.

I have got to the point where the feel and texture give me a pretty good idea about the quality of manufacture (and likely quality of dye) and I go by that. But if I was making a red and white quilt I would wash everything - the reds twice! Colours I find run the worst - red, brown, purple (all have red component). If the quilt is high contrast lights and darks I might consider it. If the fabric is cheaper I probably would too.

As a beginner you are safer to wash everything. You will learn what is safe (or you will get lazy like me LOL and become prepared to take more risks). I wash pieces sorted into similar colours in lingerie bags. If you have some old pillocases they will do. They will also show if a colour has run. The bags prevent the fabric fraying away to pulp in the bottom of the machine.

: : 2. I bought a pair of, is it fiskars, rotary cutters, one is the one : size recommended I think it was 45 is that MM, but I just opened them : and noticed they both have oil on the blades, is this normal? Oh, the : reason I got two is one came with a cutting pad I wanted and the pad : was the same price with the rotary cutter as without. The other one : is interchangeable, can be either 60-65 or 40-45, if I could remember : my numbers it would help, it too has oil on it. As far as scissors, I : got a small pair by Fiskars to clip threads with and I inherited my : mother's good sewing scissors and pinking shears, no paper has ever : been cut with these, plus I have a decent pair of scissors and we have : one fairly good pair that we do use when cutting paper, but being my : mother sewed all the time, when we were growing up we learned at a : very early age you do not cut paper with her good scissors.

Standard size cutters are 18mm, 28mm, 45mm, and 60mm. The oil is a protective lubricant. I usually wipe the new blades with a tissue (watch those razor sharp edges!) to avoid the possibility of staining fabric.

: : 3. When ironing material that has just been washed and dried, I read : that you do not iron it like clothes (not that I iron clothes, shoot I : hate that job so if I buy something wear it and it turns out needing : ironing it goes in the yard sale bag for the church) that you press : the iron down, then pick it up and press it down again, is this true? : If so it appears do me you would never get a piece of cloth ironed. : Oh, gosh I have to learn to iron.

Ironing (swiping the iron across) is for fabric pieces. Pressing is for pieced blocks or sections of blocks, and avoids the possibility of stretching / distorting the pieces.

Warning - if you cut a lot of pieces and they get creased before you get to assembling your blocks - DO NOT press them unless you cannot avoid this, and then be very careful not to distort the cut shape and size. Beginners are often tempted to iron their patchwork to death.

: : 4. When you are ironing your seams together do you iron both seams to : the same side? I figured you ironed the one seam to one side the : other to the other side, then thinking of this I think that would : weaken the tread. Now I have been reading all the treads seems I can : respond to the off topic ones best. Esp, if it has to do with cooking : and c-pap. But when ironing seams do you not need steam? I have : noticed some of the travel irons you all have mentioned have steam and : some do not. I want to get me a small iron because I am not running : down to the basement every time I need to iron a seam. Which brings : up another question, I am sewing, well I am not, but let's pretend I : am, two squares together, do I iron after I get two together or can I : wait until I get the entire row sewn together to do the ironing?

Think pressing instead of ironing.

To press seam allowances to one side or open is another debatable point. I generally prefer open seams but this is not possible on some blocks. It is also not possible with anything that is sewn onto a foundation. However, the traditional "rule" is press to one side, usually to the darker fabric. This started from the days of handsewn seams when finger pressing seams to one side minimised the pressure put on seams / threads. With modern quality threads and sewing machines I do not find it necessary to do this.

When I teach beginners I have them make one set of four-patch blocks with seams pressed to one side, and another set with seams pressed open. This shows them the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Then they can make an informed decision on which way to go. But normally you would treat all seams in a quilt in a similar manner.

: : 5. I have yet to figure out how to cut a square, using the ruler, now : you all may laugh at this but I am wondering if it would work if I got : my dad to take some good wood like maybe black walnut and cut me a 4", : 5", 6" square, sand it good, making sure he leaves enough that when he : is finished it is the right size, maybe putting some kind of protector : on it and using these to cut the squares. Would this work? If so I : will probably get him to make me a 1", 2", 2.5 and 3 inch one also.

Trust me - a sharp cutter will slice bits of even hardwood rulers, thereby ruining the ruler and the blade. Steel rulers are also not suitable as they wear blades. And you can't see thru wood or steel. The great advantage to the perspex rulers you see in shops is that you can see through them to line up edges correctly. You don't need a lot of rulers to begin with. For years I had only one - 6 1/2" X

24". I now have a vast array of specialty rulers and templates (all perspex) but the basic ruler is still the most used item. A good second ruler is a 6 1/2" X 12" ruler.

: : 6. I also read somewhere that you never cut more than 4 squares at a : time, is this also true?

I start beginners cutting folded fabric (two layers at a time). You need to get used to handling your cutter and ruler before you go stacking up layers of fabric. If I am doing something basic (say - 4" squares) I have been known to cut up to 8 layers at once. But the more layers the greater the chance for fabric slippage and error, and each error is multiplied by the number of layers of fabric.

Most cutting is done on fabric folded with the selvages together. Your fabric is about 45" wide so the folded fabric will be about 22-23" - hence the popularity of the

24" ruler for cutting. It is just wider then the folded fabric.

Remember when cutting folded fabric to align your ruler against the fold of fabric. If you don't cut perpendicular (90deg) to the fold, when you open the strip you will have a V shape instead of a long straight strip. You may need to trim your fabric to get a straight perpendicular edge before cutting your strips too.

Always put your ruler on the piece of fabric you want to keep. So to get a straight edge, put the ruler on the big piece you want to cut from, and have just the bit you want to trim off extended out from the edge of the ruler. This is so that if your blade "wanders" you are not cutting further into your fabric.

When you want to cut strips, you put your ruler onto the strip you want to keep and have the rest of your fabric extending beyond the ruler. Then if your blade slips by

1/4" you still have your strip (say, 4" wide) intact, and you only have to trim the 1/4" mistake off the rest of the fabric to get another straight edge to cut from. If you "slipped" into your strip of fabric, you would have to cut another 4" strip.

Keep the ruler between you and the blade is also a good "rule". Try cutting strips across (side to side) and away from you to see which is more comfortable, and cut in long steady stroke. DO NOT saw your fabric or push down so hard that your knuckles glow white and you arms feel as if they are being dislocated. If your wrist is straight, and you apply moderate pressure with a sharp blade on a bench that is the right height for you - you should not find cutting hard work.

Cutting lots of layers will also wear your blade and make you arms/shoulders ache so . . . . . . stick to single fold / two layers for now.

: : I act like I am going to start cutting tomorrow, but I am first going : to try some pre-cut quilt tops before I get into any big time cutting, : because I just am not sure I can do it.

Get some high contrast cheap material and cut strips about

2-3" wide. Cross cut these into squares and practise sewing small pieces together. This is NOT a waste of time. You will learn how to handle your cutter and ruler as well.

Then sew two contrasting strips together and cross cut them the same width as the original strips. Sew pairs together to get four-patch blocks. This will teach you about matching seams. Measure your finished four-patch blocks to check the accuracy of your seams. This is also a good time to compare pressing seams open or to one side.

: : I have to start PT Friday, which is going to be 3 days a week and also : is a 60 mile round trip so I am not so sure I am going to get into any : sewing other than practicing for a while. This has caused my : excitement to dwindle just a little. : : I also need a new pair of glasses so will get those, too before I : start any kind of project.

Definitely get your glasses before starting LOL Much safer for fingers, and definitely will give more accurate results

Try to get hold of a little book called Rx for Quilters. It is a paper back written by a doctor who happens to also be a quilter. Easy to read in one sitting, it has lots of tips for painless quilting.

: : I am sorry I have so many questions at one time, but I actually have a : few more but these are just the ones that came to my mind tonight as I : was putting up my quilting purchases. : : Thanks for all your time and effort in answering these questions, I am : sure you all are put out with me, but this is something I really, : really want to do. : : : Jacqueline : Recipes and other fun things

I'll give you some answers for numbers 3 and 4. Jacqueline >g<

When ironing a piece of cloth you have bought and washed/dried, I iron that just like clothes, though I try to move the iron along the grain. (Sounds like your father is a woodworker, you can ask him about planing

*with* the grain). You are trying all the time not to distort the straightness of the grain. Iron along the selvage and then keep to that direction as nearly as you can. If you have no selvage, then just go with the grain as best you can see it. Use steam for the large pieces.

However, pressing your piecing - seams etc - does mean pressing: down and then up with no sideways motion. If you take a straight piece of scrap fabric and press and then move around and sideways, you will show yourself what the iron can do. Steam will do it much more than a dry iron, of course.

I press with a dry iron while I am piecing. If you make a mistake with pressing, a dry iron press can be corrected more easily than a steam iron press. When I have finished a section, I will go to my big iron and board and press with steam. Still no moving around, but the steam will finalise the pressing.

Before you press any seam, press the seam as you take it from the machine , i.e. with the pieces still together. This reduces the bulk of that seam, and sets the thread slightly more into the fabric.

General advice is to press seams to one side - to the dark side where possible, so that you don't get shadowing. However this is not always practicable. You can press to either side. You can also press the seams open. You will be using a machine, so pressing open will be fine. Eventually, I think you will find that there will be some situations where side pressing is better, and some where 'open' suits better. When you are pressing the seam open, start it off with your fingers. When pressing to the side, you will get a better result if you press from the right side. If you press from the back, it is very possible that you will get a tiny 'pleat' alongside the seam - try it and see! Pressing from the top avoids this.

When you are sewing your squares together, sew pairs together first, then those pairs to fours, and those fours to eights etc. It is better not to go from one to two to three to four to five etc. Wouldn't matter with your simple squares, but it will later on when you are making blocks. When you are sewing your rows, press the seams of one row in one direction and the seams of the next row in the opposite direction. When you then come to put the rows together, you will find that the seams 'nest' nicely together and help you match your corners.

I'm quite sure that's enough for now!! .

In message , Jacqueline writes

Yes, the oil on the blades keeps them from rusting before use. You might find that replacement blades have the same thing. I just wipe mine, *carefully* with a damp cloth. :)

Nancy in NS

Hello Jacqueline,

Jacquel> I have a few questions I would like to ask, I hope someone will > answer me :)

I never wash fabrics first unless I buy them from a garage sale or something like that.

The oil is normal to separate blades in the package

You may as well bring your ironing board and iron upstairs. Pressing seams is one of the most important parts of making any quilt. You will become best friends with your iron as you go along. Each part as it is sewn together will need pressed then squared up using your ruler to be as exact in measurement as possible to be sewn to the next pieces.

In most instances your seams are pressed together. Seams are only 1/4" so when they are put together against another seam one set will go one way and the other the other way. Generally speaking you should always press to the darker fabrics.

Making any type of template, especially what you are talking about will defeat the purpose of you acrylic ruler. Your ruler is marked so that you can get perfect alignment of your pieces then finished blocks. Try not to over think this one.

If I only cut 4 squares at a time I would never get a quilt done. Strip cutting is the only way to go and depending on how many layers of fabric you have in your strip pile will determine just how many squares you cut at a time.

Quilting questions are always fun. julia

I wash all new fabrics before using them. I quickly hand wash all the fat quarters separately by putting them each into a container with a tight fitting lid, add some water and a drop or two of soap, put on lid and shake container. Repeat the process without soap for rinsing. Drying them is quick too because they dry while I press them.

Yes, just press down lightly, lift the iron and move it to the next spot. Moving the iron while applying downward pressure can stretch the fabric out of shape and you don't want to distort your quilting fabric that way because it will make your blocks all wonky.

Most of the time it is best to press your seams to one side only.

Some people prefer steam, some do not. Some people even use a small piece of wood dowel or a fingernail to finger press short seams down quickly.

If you are sewing squares in one long row you could wait until the end of the row and press all seams at once, but if you are making pieced blocks it is better to press each seam right after you sew it.

You can buy plastic template material and make square templates.

Cut through 4 thicknesses of fabric at one time only. The more thickness of material you have, the more likely the stack will slip while you are cutting resulting in pieces that are not square or not the proper size.

First square up the end of your fabric from one selvage to the other one. Next measure the width of one block, let's say 6". Start at one selvage, measure from the cut edge of the fabric 6" and mark it. Move to another spot, about the middle of the fabric, and measure 6" from the cut edge and mark again, repeat near the other selvage. (You may have to make more than three markings depending on the length of your ruler.) Now lay the ruler so the edge connects 2 or more markings and rotary cut one very long 6" wide strip. (You may have to slide your ruler to cut completely across the whole piece of fabric.) Now take the 6" wide strip and measure 6" down the length and cut across the strip to make one 6" square. Repeat measuring and cutting until you get to the other end of the strip and you will have many 6" squares. The same process works for all sizes of squares.

Note: I've tried to fold the fabric and rotary cut strips, but I just end up with a bend at the middle no matter how careful I am, so I prefer to cut through only one layer of fabric at a time. Debra in VA See my quilts at

I tried to answer your questions one at a time- see below

Jane in NE Ohio

You don't HAVE to prewash your fabric. A lot of us like to- you find out if the color will run, you preshrink the cloth, and if you will be storing it getting the sizing out makes it less attractive to bugs and mice.

Stores don't prewash their fabric. Fat quarters and smaller are easier to wash in the machine if you put each one into a net bag like the bags for bras or sweaters, unfolded as much as you can & still fit it in the bag. Wash with similar colors (reds oranges pinks reddish-purples) (blues greens blueish -purples) (yellow cream white beige light pastels) (brown black or black navy is how I group them. For the darker colors I use a color catcher sheet also. If I am washing mostly fabric I use the delicate cycle with about 1/4 the usual detergent and an extra rinse. Dry the fabric (in the bag if you used one) until damp. Take it out and fold the large pieces as smoothly as you can, I lay them out on my bed. They are a lot easier to iron if they are mostly smooth already-If I will be storing them I just let them air dry like this, since I'll have to iron it when I am ready to cut anyway. I start ironing the smallest pieces first. If the pieces are out of square you can pull them into straight (the threads crossing at 90 degree angles, not always the way they were cut) easiest at this point. It is not essential to have little pieces straight, but it really helps with the long pieces like sashing and borders.

The blades come with oil on them to protect the metal. Cut through a few scraps to get the excess off.

If you are ironing yardage, just iron it. The smaller the piece the easier it is to stretch it out of shape, so you need to press them more carefully.

You need to iron before you cross a line of sewing with another line of sewing, or you will end up sewing in little puckers.

Try this website for basic rotary cutting instructions. They have a lot of help on other topics also.

You'll get other answers, and maybe different ones since there are no Quilt Police. But here are my answers:

"Jacqueline" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

I wash all fabric as soon as I bring it in the door.

Well done getting 2 cutters. I keep one on my cutting table and another next to the sewing machine, along with a small cutting mat, so I can trim squares to size as I go along. The ironing board lives next to the machine too. Sew, press, trim to size. Oil is no problem, wipe off excess with a tissue. Watch your fingers!

I press new fabric while it's still damp. Go ahead and iron , it will tend to relax as you fold it up to put on the shelf. Try to iron with the grain, not on the bias. You need to be more careful when pressing your pieced blocks.

I mostly press to one side, the darker side if possible. Finger press the seam first (I use a little wooden butter knife for this), then press nice and flat with the iron.

Which brings

Press all seams before you cross them with another seam. So yes, you could sew a whole row of squares together and then press. If the squares are small-ish though, it might be easier to handle one seam at a time. Try and see.

No idea! Try one and see. I'd be worried about accuracy. 3.999" is close but not the same as 4". Also, lots of times you'll want to cut odd sizes, much easier with a real ruler.

I have been known to cut 6 or even 8 with a sharp new blade. But very carefully! It didn't save me any time. And 4 squares tend to be a good unit to count with -you need 4 corners for an Ohio star block for example.

I, too, will do all I can to have to cut only one layer at a time, Debra. But, I did find out quite by chance, in a class, about one thing I was doing that contributed to the 'fold kink'. The solution was to have the fold closest to you, i.e. parallel to the edge you are cutting from, and begin cutting from the fold. You might already do that, of course; but I was tending to put the fold furthest from me. Odd but true! . In message , Debra writes snipped

This is the stuff of religious wars, my dear! Beware!

Actually, when you buy them they are NOT washed. If you want to wash them, do. We tend always to wash fabric that is going into swap blocks or squishies since so many of us suffer from allergies. Beyond that, was as and when you please! (I know, I'm a heretic! ;P )

Oil on the blades IS normal as they are NOT stainless. Just wipe over with a tissue or soft cloth before use.

And good on the scissor thoughts! :)

You can iron any way you please so long as you get the flatness you want! Pressing (the lift and press way) is great for some construction details in piecing, but for squashing the wrinkles out of FQ's I steam iron (the only ironing I do other than during garment construction. DH does the family ironing!).

Depends... If I have LOADS of seams coming together in the middle of a star, I'll press whatever way gives me the flattest outcome! Other than the, I press to the dark side... I.e. press the seam together towards the darker fabric. Helps to hide the seam allowances! And I steam all the time!

Oh, and I wait until I have a whole pile of rows before running off to the iron! I have a small iron (not as small as a travel iron) and table top board in the sewing room, but for major piles I pop down and fill up the mad 3.15 from Paddington steam generator iron in the conservatory. For tiny details I have a Clover Mini iron, also useful for welding jewels on wedding frocks...

For something like a 6" finished square, I'll cut a 6.5" strip, using the ruler lines as a guide, then use those lines to help cut it into squares. Here's a more detailed explanation:

Possibly no more than 4 layers of fabric at a time is wise when you are new to the method. I've cut up to 8 with the bigger cutter, but you run the risk of the layers slipping so the squares are distorted.

Ge some gash fabric and practice! I used sheeting offcuts and spent an afternoon getting the technique sorted.

Don't let it! Once you start practising, you'll soon get all mad for it again! :)

Good move! But don't let the not quite right ones stop you doing some trial cutting on any ole bits of cloth! ;)

Hehehehe... An important part of the process, that stowing of the kit, petting each thing as you put it in its allotted space, stoking the fabric, sniffing it...

And helping you do it is something WE really want to do, so don't worry about it! Better to ask the questions first than make the mistakes first!

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Just thought of the Golden Rule from my LQS - the very first thing we were taught - when you have cut a strip of fabric with your Rotary Cutter, SHUT THE CUTTER!! every time (unless, of course you have one of those self shutting ones). So, Cut, Shut, Cut, Shut!

Teacher used to really be cross with us if we forgot, and now its sec>Jacquel>

I for one know that rule very well. Ask my right fore finger and the 12 stitches it had from my rotary cutter shortly after I first started using a rotary some 12 years ago. julia

After reading through all the responses, I don't think I can add anything useful. Seems like everything has been covered very well. It was interesting to see how many people do what I do!

Again, I would like to thank all of you for personally taking time out from your day and every day duties to answer my questions. I have a lot to digest and as soon as I find out what days I will be going to PT I will start to sew. I am just too excited about this and I know one day I will have a quilt to show for this excitement. When I start it I will probably post pictures daily so you all can critique me on what I am doing right and wrong. I want it to work out right.

Thanks with all my heart,

Jacqueline Jacqueline

and other fun things

I just love this group. There are so many wonderful and talented people on this group to reply to questions. I enjoy reading the answers. Thanks to all you new quilters, a refresher is good. ;o)