Small Quilted Items &Gift Ideas


A summary of ideas from the Quiltnet &rec.craft.quilting

Quilted Placemats

Date: Tue, 19 Jul 1994 13:27:51
From: Laura

Thanks to you wonderful women (and men) I have received many great ideas for making placemats for family members for Christmas. I'm glad that I have to make several sets - that way I get to try out several different methods. Now I just need to find a high paying part-time job so I can spend more time working on them!
Here are the ideas I received:

for batting:

quilt square suggestions:

Helpful resources:

"The Quilter's Kitchen" and "Dining Dazzle" found in the Keepsake Quilting catalog.

Helpful hints:

Make sets of 6 or more rather than the traditional 4 to allow for use with larger groups.

Great idea:

Forget the placemats and make mini-block ornaments/sachets. They are small and work up fast. Pier 1 offers many nice placemats that are easier, quicker, and less expensive to replace as needed.

Block Piecing Holder

Date: Sat, 23 Jul 1994 07:23:41
From: Peggy
Subject: Re: Fax rolls &Hanging projects

I like your idea of paint stirrers for hangers. Your idea of using hard rolled up cardboard reminded me of something I saw the otherday. A friend of mine had received from her secret friend a really neat thing.

It was a fabric covered, long - about 18 inches long, cardboard roll. Extending from this roll was a 20 inch long lined piece of fabric with string in the center. when working on a block, you rolled the block up around the roll, and the fabric around it. It was great for carrying around anything you were working on that had little pieces, they all stayed together.

Besides being a great gift, it was very useful and pretty!


Quilted Sweatshirt

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 1994 22:49:19 MST
From: Fiona
Subject: Re: "Quilted" Sweatshirts

Yes. My mentor makes one that is stunning. She used a lone star block (unquilted and without the background portions), placing it right side on the inside of the front of the shirt. With the star side up she machine stitched in the ditch and then all the way around the perimeter of the star. From the right side out, using very sharp scissors, she cut the fleece diamonds out a short distance from the sewing line (1/8"???). The fleece kind of rolls back, framing the individual diamonds ....You may have to wash it once before this happens. I imagine you could use practically any design block with this technique.


Quilted Potholders

Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 18:13:14
From: Jean P
Subject: Re: Potholders

You can make a pot holder just like you do a quilt with one difference. DO NOT use batting as it will burn your hands. I use old terry towels and an excellent product is "table felt" not regular felt. You can buy this from a good yardage store. Then wash and dry it twice on the gentle cycle to pre- shrink it and it is wonderful for pot holders.

I specially like the book called "Lively Little Logs" for making pot holders. Its using tiny log cabin strips that are about one inch wide.

Have fun, :0}

Date: Tue, 7 Feb 1995 08:09:22
From: Laura W
Subject: Re: Busy Work

I tried this because I had some leftover pieces of batting. My only recommendation is: either insert a square cut from a leftover ironing board sleeve, or else insert a square of felt. I used the felt, and those little puppies are thick--I shall never be burnt!


What to do with Scraps and Practice Blocks

what to do with practice blocks?

I have most of the scraps in my sewing room (i.e., pieces too small to go in the drawers/closets/shelves, etc. with my stash) in the large shopping bags with handles. I have my sample blocks, blocks that "aren't quite right," blocks that I thought I'd try and didn't like, ad infinitum.

Every once in awhile (usually on a rainy, blustery Saturday afternoon) I light a fire in the fireplace and sit on my living room floor and lay them out, I try different lay outs I look through the reducing glass and then I stitch some of them together.

They then get machine quilted and put into vests, book covers, place mats, hot pads, coasters, bedside caddies, covers for my microwave heating pad, hats, jackets (if I have enough and haven't done this in awhile . . . you should see what I got finished last winter after that five year drought!) ad infinitum.

The best part is when folks say, "you mean you did all that piecing and then just cut it up!"

bon


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