Thimble Pleasures ~ A full-service quilt shop

By: Diane Donovan

Reprinted from the Thimble Pleasures Newsletter

How many times have I gotten that question? Needles and thread are integral parts of what we do. It is also the only area we remain blissfully ignorant about. I was the prime offender. We started selling sewing machines and people actually asked, “What kind of needle…”. I immediately started thinking “OMG, what am I to tell this person”. I hunkered down and studied, memorized and digested anything I could about needles. Which lead me to see my woeful ignorance about not only needles, but also thread. So you’ve learned about labels and sleeves in past newsletters… ‘Here’s needles’!

GENERAL NEEDLE INFORMATION

Needles range is size from very fine 60\8 to a heavy duty needle 120/19. Most needles use the two number measuring system. The higher number relates to the metric system used in foreign counties. It defines the needle shaft diameter in fractions of a millimeter. The lower number relates to the system in the U.S. and is used to indicate needle shaft diameter.

Needle Sizes & Types recommended for different fabrics:

Standard Needle (Universal) – Used for woven synthetic & natural fibers
Sizes Available:
608 – Very, very fine needle \ sheers, chiffon, silks
70\10 – Fine needle \ blouse weight polyesters, silks, batiste
80\12 – Most used needle \ cotton, rayon, blends
90\14 – Mid-heavy needle \ bottom weight fabrics, wool, raw silks, corduroy
100\16 – Heavy needle \ denim, duck cloth
110\18 – Very heavy needle \ canvas, tapestry
120\19 – Wow! Extremely heavy needle \ boat canvas, luggage handles

Sharp Needles – These light weight needles are great for “microfibers” and silk type fabrics.
Sizes Available:

60\8 – see descriptions above

70\10
80\12
90\14

Ballpoint Needle – Used for knit fabrics
Sizes Available:
70\10 – Fine needle \ lingerie, nylon tricot, single knit
80\12 – Medium needle \ T-shirt knits, interlock, sweatshirt fleece
90\14 – Heavy needle \ fake fur, some sweater knits

Specialty Needles
Stretch Needle – This needle is a super ballpoint needle. It is coated blue with Teflon and is used for more difficult knit fabrics.
Sizes Available:
75\11 – Fine needle \ great for swimwear. Lycra, elastics, Ultrasuede
90\14 – Heavy needle \ fake fur

Denim Needle – This needle has an extra fine, sharp point that pierces dense fabrics more easily. Also, the lighter sizes are used to achieve the “perfect” straight stitch. Teflon coated.
Sizes Available:
70\10 – Fine needle \ silks
80\12 – Medium needle \ cottons
90\14 – Mid-Heavy needle \ linens
100\16 – Heavy needle \ denim, canvas

110\18 – Very heavy needle \ canvas, tapestry

Embroidery Needles – This needle is for use with metallic and Sulky threads. It minimizes the shredding of these fragile threads.
Sizes Available:
11\75 & 14\90 in one pack

Quilting Needles – This needle will not pull your batting through your quilt top, eliminating “pulling”.
Sizes 11\75 & 14\90 in one pack

Handicap Needles – This self-threading needle is great for teaching kids to sew and for the “visually challenged”

Leather Needles – This needle has a special cutting point that makes it great for leather, vinyl, and plastics.
Sizes Available:
90\14 – Mid-heavy needle \ vinyl, plastic
100\16 – Heavy needle \ most used for leather
110\18 – Very heavy needle \ heavy leathers

Double Needles - This needle has two needles on one shank and has a variety of uses including topstitching, pintucking, and decorative stitch work.
Sizes Available:
1.6\80 – Pintucking
2.0\80 – Pintucking, decorative stitching
2.5\80 – Pintucking on linen, decorative stitching, narrow topstitching.
3.0\90 – Pintucking on wool, topstitching
4.0\80 – Wide topstitching on light to medium weight fabrics
4.0\100 – Wide topstitching on denim

Stretch Double Needles
Sizes Available:
2.5\75 – Narrow topstitching on knits
4.0\75 – Wide topstitching on knits

Triple Needles – This needle has three needles on one shank. Its main use is for decorative topstitching.
Sizes Available:
2.5\80 – Narrower
3.0\80 – Wider

Wing or Hemstitch Needles – This needle is used for mainly decorative purposes. The “wings” punch a hole in stiffer woven fabrics such as cottons, linens, and organdy.
Sizes Available:
Single Wing 100\16 – Used for light to medium weight fabrics or for smaller holes.
120\19 – Used for heavy weight linens, makes bigger holes.
Double wing 100 – used for decorative hemstitching

Topstitch Needles – This needle is great for topstitching with heavier threads.
Sizes Available
80\12
90\14
100\16
110\18

Spring Needle – This great needle is used for complete freedom in machine embroidery and machine quilting.

Happy sewing, Diane!

This customer is out in Kansas, and Lisa and Karen West put together a Carolina Lightning Fast kit for her to make for her son, Tyler.  Here is a photo she sent of the finished quilt, and she said she would be honored to have it on the blog. Just another example of our amazing customer service…custom kit making!

We thought all our Tarheel fans would enjoy this posting on the day of the Carolina vs. Duke game.  As a loyal Blue Devil myself, I certainly enjoy the rivalry between our two fine schools!  Duke fans, send us photos of your Duke quilts!!

There are lots of ways to quilt the quilting pattern on your quilt top:

• Stitching In the Ditch: The tried and true method where we all start. Using a walking foot, follow the seams in your blocks and borders, stitching as close to the seam as possible on the side that does not have the seam allowance underneath it. What is a walking foot? A walking foot moves the three layers of the “quilt sandwich – the top, batting, and backing” smoothly as a unit so that tucks don’t appear on the backing fabric. Secure your stitching at the beginning and end of your quilting line by pulling the bobbin thread up to the top of the quilt. Leave enough thread exposed, so you can use a needle to pull it back under the quilt top and above the batting to hide the thread ends. This step is important if you ever plan to your quilt in a quilt show, as judges don’t like to see exposed thread ends.

• Quilter’s Tape: Quilter’s tape (1/4 – ½ inch tape), masking tape, or painter’s tape can be used to mark straight line quilting designs. The tape can be moved to reposition the design. Don’t leave the tape on the fabric for long periods of time, or a sticky residue may remain on your quilt top. Works well with machine or hand quilting.

• Tracing Method: In this technique, patterns are traced onto the quilt top to guide your hand- or machine-quilting. This method requires a light source under the quilting design. A glass top table, a window on a sunny day, or shadow box will work. Secure your pattern to the work surface and place the quilt top over the design with tape or clips to hold it in place, centering the quilting design in your block. Trace it with a non-permanent marking tool/pen/pencil. Most quilters recommend starting near the center of the quilt and working outward. Do your borders last. Try to keep the density of the quilting consistent across your quilt. This method works with machine or hand quilting.

• Stencils and Template Method: To transfer the quilting design using a template or stencil, place the pattern on the quilt top and secure it in place with tape or pins and mark the pattern on the fabric with a non-permanent marker. I often use stencils on my borders. This method works with machine or hand quilting.

• Tear-Away Patterns: Mark the quilting design on tracing paper or tear-away stabilizer. You will need to make a pattern each time it is used on the quilt. Baste or pin the pattern to the quilt top. Quilt along the design lines through both the paper and the quilt. Gently tear away the paper patterns when you are finished. Works best with machine quilting where the stitches are close enough together to make tearing the pattern away easy.

• Perforated Patterns: Mark the quilting design on sturdy paper. Sew over the paper’s design lines with a sewing machine and an unthreaded needle. Secure the perforated pattern to the quilt top and go over the perforations with chalk or stamping powder. (I have not tried this method, I’ve just read about it….)

 Notes: All the above methods rely on patterns or markings to guide your quilting. There is security for me in these approaches, as I can follow a pattern and produce predictable stitch lengths and designs. Try to select a somewhat busy backing for your quilt and a matching color thread, so that imperfections in the quilting are less obvious. Be sure your thread tension is adjusted correctly before you begin.

 I try to think about the fabric choices for the quilt design, so I can incorporate a theme from the top in my quilting design choices. For example, in a quilt that had a grape pattern in the focus fabric, I used a grape vine pattern with grapes and leaves in the borders to echo that theme. I find that selecting the quilting patterns takes some thinking, because you need to select patterns of similar quilting density to help maintain the shape of your quilt and the patterns need to fit the size of the block.

 I also discuss my quilt designs with friends before starting. I’m always amazed at how different their ideas are because they “see” different patterns emerge from the quilt top. If you are a novice quilter, like me, start with a small wall hanging or baby quilt for you first quilting project. The bulk of larger quilts can be a challenge and you will want to build you skills before managing a larger quilt. I also try to work in small sections of the quilt at a time, starting near the center and working my way out to the borders. If I focus on a block or area of the quilt that is approximately 6X6 inches or 8X8 inches, my quilting is better and I am more confident that I can control the quilting. Some quilters like to use special gloves with gripper dots to help them move the fabric.

 Don’t forget that if your sewing machine has decorative stitches, you can use them to produce quilting patterns, especially in borders. Make some quilt sandwiches from muslin or scrap fabric and practice your design before applying it to the quilt. You’ll be more confident and you will have a better understanding of the speed and accuracy you will need in sewing the design.

Barbara

We are racing through the blocks in Annie Smith’s online “Quilting 101″ class……

I was tired of always having to “assemble” the tools and accessories I would need to take a quilting class or Finish It Friday. Invariably, I forgot something and I needed a way to organize all of this stuff in my studio, too. So, I bought a “quilting tackle box”! I found one in Target and saw the possibilities immediately!

There are three shelves in the tackle box with varying size compartments. I keep several spools of thread in the bottom. I always have the color thread I need! The second shelf has needles, small screw drivers, pins, measuring tape, glue sticks, and cuticle sticks. The top shelf is saved for my scissors and rotary cutter, pens and pencils for writing, a small ruler, and marking tools for quilting. Since I have changed to the tackle box, I always have what I need in one place. It’s easy to pick up and go and saves me lots of time and I always have what I need! I keep it right next to my Bernina in my studio and I don’t have to go across the room to find a tool while I am sewing!

Speaking of my Bernina, I really use the accessory kit attachment to my machine. I keep new sewing machine needles, all the ‘feet”, and filled bobbins in this kit. I even have my walking foot in the drawer on the bottom. I like having the cleaning tools in one place. Every time I change a bobbing, I clean the inside of my Bernina with the brush. No “dust pads” inside my Bernina! I also keep this kit right next to my machine.

Please write into the Blog and tell us what organization ideas work for you!

Barbara

Tammy Triglianos was teaching a Messenger Bag class this week!  Awesome results, don’t you think?  Some quotes from students after taking the class:

• “I really learned a lot”
• “I never would have done this bag by myself, I’m so glad I took the class”
• “This class was fun!”

‘Can’t wait to make one myself!

I observed the first class of Quilt School I recently and thought you might enjoy a summary of the lesson on cutting your fabric. I have been quilting for several years and learned an entirely new technique!

To straighten the fabric edge:

• Match the selvage edges of your fabric and smooth fabric down to the fold.
• Place the fold nearest you on the cutting mat.
• Place a small acrylic ruler on the fold, aligning a grid line of the small ruler across the fold and the left edge of the ruler near the raw edge.
• Place the long ruler (at least 18 inches long) next to the small ruler, butting them closely together. The right edge of the long ruler should lie against the left edge of the small ruler.
• Position your left hand on the long ruler to hold the fabric and ruler in place and remove the small ruler.
• Make sure both edges of the fabric will be cut, and cut along the right edge of the long ruler with your rotary cutter.
• The cutter should slide along the edge of the long ruler smoothly.
• Always begin and end cutting with the cuter off the fabric to be certain of a clean edge. If you follow this technique, you won’t have an “Vs” in your strips.

 Measuring & cutting fabric strips:

• Align the small ruler as described above and slide the long ruler.
• Using the straight left edge of the fabric, align the long ruler markings across the length of the fabric to the size strip you need (e.g. 2inches). (measure #1).
• Again, use the small ruler aligned with the fold to be sure the long ruler is straight
• Check your measurement again, (measure #2) and cut.
• No “Vs”!!

 Cutting myths:

• “The grids on you mat are there to help you cut.” Nope, using markings on the mat will lead to inaccurate cutting!
• “It doesn’t matter if I cut away from me or toward me.” Wrong again, ALWAYS cut away form yourself to prevent getting cut!
• “I only need to change my rotary cutting blade once a year.” Change your rotary cutter blade when it takes more effort to push the cutter, “skips” appear in the cutting (nicks in you blade), or cuts are ragged.
• “I only need to straighten the edge of the fabric once”. Nope, you will need to straighten the edge often as you cut to be sure everything is properly aligned.

 Remember, always, ALWAYS close your rotary cutter when you are not using it, so you don’t cut yourself. If you want to read more about this techniques, it’s described fully in “First-Time Quiltmaking – Learning to quilt in six easy lessons”. Julie has it in the shop.

Barbara

Have you become a fan yet?

A quick quiz to help you understand your personality (like, dislikes, favorites) as a quilter……

1. What time did you get up this morning?

06:00 – couldn’t sleep thinking about the new log cabin quilt I am working on with Kaffe Fassett fabrics! ‘Had to get up and start working on it!

2. How do you like your steak?

Medium rare, with a side of appliqué.

3. What was the best film you saw at the cinema last year? 

Julie and Julia – got the DVD, need a flat screen TV in my studio so I can watch it while I quilt.

4. What is your favorite TV show?

The Barefoot Contessa on FoodNetwork – why doesn’t Ina Garten quilt?

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Right here – I’m blooming where I’m planted, Chapel Hill, NC.  A stones’ throw from Thimble Pleasures.

6. What did you have for breakfast?

Oatmeal with dried cranberries and coffee, while I read my latest quilt book, “Quilt Romance by Kaffe Fassett”.

7. What is your favorite cuisine?

Whole foods, it’s near Thimble Pleasures and 3 Cups!

8. What foods do you dislike?

Calves liver – why would anyone eat THAT?!

9. Favorite Place to Eat?

My house, I love to cook.

10. What kind of vehicle do you drive?

Toyota RAV4 – lots of storage room for shop hopping!

11. What are your favorite clothes?

Flannel PJ bottoms and a tee shirt with my slippers.  I quilt in these as much as possible.

12. Where would you visit if you had the chance?

New Zealand. ‘Heard they have some great quilters “down under”.

13. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?

Definitely half full.  I have a wonderful family, good job, the best quilt friends ever at Thimble Pleasures, AND I have many, many more quilts that I want to make!

14. Where would you want to retire?

Winter – Chapel Hill, NC.  Summers – the NC Smoky Mountains! I dream about quilting in the mountains and having that lush outdoors to inspire my color and designs.

15. Favorite day of the week?

Saturday = quilt day.  No work, lots of time to sew!

16. Where were you born?

Batavia, NY, between Buffalo and Rochester on Rt. 20.  ‘Some great quilt shops in the Rochester area!

17. What is your favorite sport to watch?

Duke Men’s basketball!  I finish all my bindings and hand appliqué while watching their games. March is a very productive month because of the NCAA tournament!

18. Who are you most curious about their responses to this Blog?

We enjoy reading everyone’s comments!  So far, we have had responses from as far away as Germany and Norway. Awesome!

19. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Morning, LOVE to get up before everyone else and have an hour or two of quiet to quilt or blog about quilting before the family is up.

20. Do you have any pets?

Cat, love the way he sits in the window of my studio as I quilt or sits on his kitty quilt while I do hand sewing and watch TV.

21. What did you want to be when you were little? 

A Nurse.  I became a Respiratory therapist instead, never thought I’d be a quilter, didn’t think I was “artsy”!  People tell me I should sell my quilts….. make it a business…….NO WAY!  I don’t want that pressure to ruin the fun for me.  This is my hobby and self expression. 

22. What is your best childhood memory?

For years my Dad bought me bath oils on the way home from work on my birthday (Christmas Eve).  You know, the little balls that melted in your bath water? ‘Loved that he remembered me on his own like that! He passed before I got back into quilting, I know he would love my quilts.

23. Are you married?

31 years and I still love the man!  He is my best friend and tolerates all my quilting insanity!

24. Always wear your seat belt?

YES! I have a lot to live for!

25. Favorite Flower?

Hydrangea – any color.  There is a quilt in my mind that will focus on hydrangeas….

26. Favorite ice cream?

 ‘Haven’t met an ice cream I didn’t like.

27. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

Hmmm, there are probably three stores where I could do this……Thimble Pleasures in Chapel Hill, NC; In Town Quilters in Atlanta, GA, and City Quilter in New York City.  Although, I choose to NOT max out my credit cards!

28. Do anything spontaneous lately?

‘Starting more quilts than I finish….not like me, but enjoying the freedom!

29. Broccoli?

Yup!

30. What was your favorite vacation?

‘Family trip to France 8 years ago.  We spent 5 days in Paris and then drove down the Loire River Valley and up to Omaha Beach and back to Paris.  Great fun, good stories to tell, everyone had fun!

31. What is your favorite color?

I love purples, aquas, greens, and pinks.  But, the longer I quilt, the more  I realize I love all color. Even black and brown have places of honor in my quilts.

32. Cotton or Silk?

Tough choice.  I would rather sew with cotton and wear silk….

33.  Which sewing machine?

Silly question, Bernina!

34.  Studio?

Absolutely, I have studio envy!  Read the Blog!

35. What time did you finish this quiz?

9am Saturday – had to get up and write for the Blog, had too many ideas to share! ‘Been at it for 3 hours!

Take the quiz, it’s fun!  Happy quilting!

One of the things I love most about quilting is that there is ALWAYS something new to learn. I have always considered myself a “piecer”. The challenge of building designs in cloth with color and assembly techniques really appeals to me. Over the years I have met many wonderful quilters (fabric artists, really) and taken classes with teachers who use many, many different quilting techniques. I try to learn something new from each one of them and apply it in my quilting, so that I can better understand my own tastes and build my skills and knowledge. 

Recently, I’ve started thinking more about the actual “quilting” process. I am somewhat embarassed to say that after all these years, I don’t “quilt” many of my own quilts and when I do, I am not satisfied with the end result (sort of “OK, but not great”). I have always relied on my long-arm quilter friends and colleagues to guide me in design choices and I truly enjoy the benefits of their knowledge and skill. Yet, to really become the quilter I want to be, I know I need to understand the actual quilting process. So, I have been reading more about “quilting your quilt”. I’ll try to share what I have read and learned with you across several different Blog entries.  My plan is to post a “Quilting Your Quilt” article the first Saturday of each month.  ‘Watch for this series, new bloggers will be added, as I am not confident in all aspects of quilting your quilt yet….. 

How many quilt tops do each of us have that need to be layered with batting and a backing and quilted? Answer: too many! Why do we get stalled after the top is pieced? For me, it’s because I have yet to learn that I can have as much fun planning and doing the quilting, as I experienced when I pieced the top. Some quilters say that you should plan the quilting before you piece the quilt top. That way you can plan open spaces where quilting details show prominently, instead of getting lost in the details of the piecing and fabric. 

To test my ability to plan the quilting before I pieced the quilt, I chose a very simple quilt block that used only two fabrics. That way I wouldn’t get wrapped up in fabric selection and piecing and I could focus on planning open areas for quilting. I used a free quilt pattern that Julie has in the shop called “5 ½ yard dash”. The quilt is a gift for my sister-in-law, so I chose a blue theme – her favorite color. Using two complementary fabrics with light and dark blue and cream colors, the cream fabric allowed me to plan borders where decorative quilting would stand out. Believe it or not, this was the first time I had ever planned a quilt in this fashion and it was a very different experience. 

Again, I relied on my long arm quilter colleague, Margaret Reiswig at Three Bears Quilting, to do the actual quilting while I thought out the design. (One step at a time, I’ll get to doing my own quilting next time.) We used the flowers in the fabric to inspire the overall quilting design, but note, instead of being a true “overall” quilt design where the pattern runs across blocks, we used a floral design that was limited to each individual block. Nice – another quilt design first.

Then the cream borders, to make quilting to stand out we chose variegated blue thread with high contrast that varied from light to dark blue – like the fabric. For the 1.5 inch inner border, we chose a pretty scrolling, almost rolling, quilting design that would “move” your eye across the border. I LOVE it! So delicate and pretty – just like my sister-in-law!

 The outer border is 4 inches wide, so we needed a larger and more elaborate design. This pattern reminded me of a heart design and I loved that it flipped up and down across the border. Again, it was delicate and made the blue thread really stand out!

 Planning the quilting first was a new experience and made me plan this quilt differently. It also made me think about planning “open space” in my quilt, so that the quilting design could really standout. Importantly, the quilting really made for a very special quilt! I hope Ann likes it! Part 2 of “Quilting Your Quilt” will introduce the basics of quilting your own quilt……whoa boy! This is going to be a challenge for me…..but, one that will take me closer to being the type of quilter I want to become. 

Barbara