Stress-Free Quilt Piecing with Machine Embroidery

Stress-Free Quilt Piecing with Machine Embroidery
Do you love quilting and not love quilting at the same time? Quilting for non-quilters, that’s what this Sewing
With Nancy program is all about. Let my guest Denise Abel and I show you how to turn your computerized
embroidery machine into a quilting machine. Denise is the embroidery and quilting expert on the Sewing With
Nancy team.
Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn on TV!
The piecing of the Simple Shadow Block was stitched on a stabilizer, assuring precise piecing without precise
cutting of strips. You can piece a quilt without being a quilter! Denise and I developed a book with 30 embroideries,
some of the embroideries are for piecing, the others for quilting! The embroideries are found on the companion CD
that is included with the Stress-Free Quilting with Machine Embroidery book. Here are the specifics—it’s
quite a deal!
Four piecing quilt block designs: Simple Shadow blocks, Quilt Charm blocks, Fancy Squares blocks, and Crazy
Quilting blocks.
Six quilting designs: Leaves block, Leaves border, Flower block, Flower half, Modern Star block, and Modern
Star half.
Includes 10 designs in three sizes each for a total of 30 designs:
30 designs: 10 (5″ x 7″), 10 (6″ x 10″), 10 (8″ x 8″).
Includes:
Thread color sequence charts for each design.
10 embroidery formats: ART, BLF, DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, SHV, VIP, VP3
Amazing Designs Edit Xpress software to re-size, re-color, preview and print Amazing Designs collections.
How to piece a quilt block in an embroidery hoop
Listed below is an overview of the technique. There’s more detail shown on the TV show and in the book. Each
quilt block design is available in three sizes. Obviously, the larger the block, the larger the embroidery hoop size is
needed:
8″ block requires an 8″ x 8″ or larger hoop
6″ block requires a 6″ x 10″ or larger hoop
5″ block requires a 5″ x 7″ hoop or larger
Hoop a Fusible Mesh Cut-Away Stabilizer, fusible side up. (The photos feature a 5″ block.)
Select three fabrics: a light, medium, and dark. Cut 6-1/2″ squares of the light (white) color; then cut them in half,
point to point, to create 1/2-square triangles.
Set up the sewing machine with the embroidery unit and appropriate foot.
Import and select the embroidery design for the Simple Shadow Blocks. (There are four other blocks to choose
from!)
Select all-purpose poly or poly/cotton thread; wind the bobbin with the same thread as used in the needle. A
slightly contrasting color works best. (Now this is different! Rayon thread is usually used for embroidery but we’re
piecing quilt blocks!)
Stitch the first thread color directly on the stabilizer, the outline of the quilt block plus the numbers 1–3.
Place the ½-square triangle of color #1 over the section marked #1—right side up. The fabric must extend
beyond the stitching lines.
Stitch the second thread color, which bastes down fabric #1.
Align fabric strip #2 along the diagonally stitched line, right sides together. Make certain that the fabric is
extending ½″ beyond the outline on the stabilizer at the upper left corner.
Stitch the third thread color.
Trim away the excess fabric along the previously stitched line.
Fold up Color #2.
Press from the folded edge and work to the opposite corner so there are no wrinkles. (Watch how we press while
the hoop is still attached to the machine. Learn how to make a portable pressing surface. (Click here to view.)
Align fabric strip #3 along the previously stitched diagonal line, right sides together. Make certain that the fabric
is extending ½″ beyond the outline on the stabilizer at the upper left corner.
Stitch the next thread color, which attaches the fabric to the stabilizer
Trim away the excess fabric along the previously stitched line.
Fold up fabric #3. Press from the folded edge, and work to the opposite corner.
Then stitch the next thread color, which attaches the fabric to the stabilizer along the outer edges.
Stitch the final thread color. This stitching gives a cutting guideline.
Trim the block. It’s the perfect size!
There are more design options to piece with your embroidery unit. The best part is that each block is perfect in
size!
Watch Stress Free Quilting with Machine Embroidery Part One on Sewing With
Nancy online.
To watch Sewing With Nancy on your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, download the app.
Leave us a comment sharing the most stressful step in the
quilting process to be entered to win a copy of Stress-Free
Quilting with Machine Embroidery. A winner will be chosen
randomly and announced on May 14.
The random winner of Handbags 2—Designer Knockoffs is Bonnie. She said: I love them all, but my favorite is
the red bag. Thanks for sharing your wonderful designer tips for sewing the bags.
Bye for now,
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