Rotary Cutting Tools

April 18, 2011
rotary cutting tools

Nothing cuts strips of fabric better than rotary cutting. It’s so much easier on your hands, wrists and shoulders than using scissors! Plus, you get more accurate cuts.

In this post I’m going to take you through the basic tools, tell you what you’ll use them for and give you some recommendations on purchasing.

All of these tools are readily available at pretty much any fabric store. I also linked to Amazon for each product – those links are affiliate links.

My #1 favorite tool – and one I recommend for everyone, whether you’re going to rotary cut or mark and cut with scissors – is a clear acrylic ruler. Mine is 6″ x 24″ and that’s the size I recommend. It should have an all-over 1-inch grid, with markings down to 1/8 inch. Also look for diagonal lines that say 30, 45, and 60. Those seem mysterious at first, but they are terrific for cutting angled shapes.

I show you how to use this ruler in this post – Rotary Cutting: How to Square Up Your Fabric and Cut Strips.

I also have a 2″ x 18″ ruler, but I hardly ever use it now that I have the big one. Just buy a big one.

The only other tools you really need for rotary cutting are a rotary cutter and a cutting mat.

This my my rotary cutter and I love it. It takes a 45mm blade and it’s very easy to find replacement blades. Some people also have smaller cutters for going around curves, and larger cutters for going through more layers of fabric, but this is all I need. The blade is (and needs to remain) razor sharp – so keep it out of reach of kids until they are ready to use it safely – with instruction and supervision.

I have two different cutting mats. This is the one I use for most of my cutting. It’s big – 24″ x 36″ and I do recommend getting the biggest one you can afford and/or have room for. Most fabric is 44″ wide and it’s very nice to be able to fold it in half just once for cutting – so look for one that’s at least 24″ on one side.

I also have a 12″ x 18″ mat like this one that’s very handy for cutting quilt blocks when I want to spin them around to cut from more than one side. With this small mat I can spin the mat and not disturb the block. I’ve tried cutting mats with a lazy Susan-style base for spinning around, but for me that spins too easily. I’m happiest just using a smaller mat.

There are lots of other specialty rulers out there, with markings designed particularly for a certain kind of quilt block. Only get these if you make a lot of that kind of block. These are the only specialty rulers I have. . .

That’s it – the whole inventory of my rotary cutting tools.

Here’s a round-up of tutorials showing how I use these tools. . .

Here are handy links to all the posts about quilting tools and supplies.

Sewing Machine

Iron

Rotary Cutting Tools

Scissors

Other General Sewing Room Supplies

One More Hugely Popular Post that Seems to Fit Here Better than Anywhere Else

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the posts about choosing your quilt pattern.

Happy sewing!

How to Do Needle Turn Applique – video

March 29, 2011
How to Do Needle Turn Applique - video tutorial

So, this is the “old-fashioned” way to applique. It’s definitely a lot more work than appliqueing with fusible adhesive, but you don’t get that annoying stiffness, and you don’t have any visible stitching. This is the technique used for all those traditional Baltimore Album quilts. It’s also the technique I used for my very first quilt.

Wendi Gratz from Shiny Happy World with her first quilt

See all those letters? I hand-appliqued every one of them to the quilt top using this stitch.

Crazy, right? That was over ten years ago and now I find myself wondering where the heck I found the time for that.

But it’s also a reminder that it doesn’t take as long as you think it will. If you watch an hour of TV a night and do some handwork while you watch, it’s amazing how fast it will add up.

By the way – this quilt is over 8 feet tall. Hand appliqued and hand quilted. I don’t recommend doing a quilt this big for your first project. I just didn’t know any better. 🙂

Anyway – in the video I mention a couple of things I wanted to provide links to. This is essentially the same stitch I use to stitch up softies, so you can take a look at the ladder stitch video to get another view of the technique.

One of the weird things about this applique technique is that you draw your shapes on the top of your fabric, so you need to use a marking pen that you can remove from the fabric when you’re done. Take a look at the video on how to transfer embroidery markings to see a couple of options. I like the water soluble pens that dissolve when you spritz them with water – but you must test them on every fabric you will use.

I’m not kidding here. Test them to make sure the ink disappears when wet – and then let them dry to make sure it doesn’t come back when they dry. I’ve only had that problem with synthetics, but I test every fabric every time.

Here are links to all the posts showing how to applique with fusible adhesive – my favorite method. It’s fast and easy and (with the right materials) it holds up beautifully to rough use and repeated washing.

Here are links to special posts about eyes.

Here are links to some extra fun things you can do with your applique.

Other Applique Methods

Finished with this topic?

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons about outline stitching.

Happy stitching!

Applique and Embroidery – Together!

March 24, 2011
striped Easter chick - combining applique and embroidery for a cute effect

Want to learn the basics of hand embroidery with an easy online workshop – totally free?

Sign up for Embroidery 101 here. You’ll learn how to get started, the tools and supplies you’ll need, the four most basic stitches, how to transfer your pattern and how to display your work.

If you already know the basics – sign up for Embroidery 201. It’s also free! You’ll learn how to stitch on specialty fabrics like felt and stretchy T-shirts. Plus you’ll learn lots and lots and LOTS more stitches – all my favorites!

Last week I showed you how you could quickly add some color to your embroidery using colored pencils or crayons instead of fill stitches. Today I want to show you how you can do the same thing by combining applique and embroidery.

I have two different approaches to this technique. I think of the first one as my “color outside the lines” technique and the other as my “color inside the lines” technique. We’ll do outside the lines first.

I really like screen prints when the colors don’t exactly register. It’s usually considered a mistake, but I love it. Here’s a little elephant print I made several years ago. . .

See how the magenta elephant doesn’t exactly match up with the space I left for him in the blue background? That’s the look I’m trying to achieve with this technique. Here’s how you do it. . .

Step 1
Choose a fabric for the applique and transfer your embroidery pattern to it.

Step 2
Cut out the applique shape, leaving a little space around the edge of your stitching line. It’s ok if you cut off the legs and beak – we’re going to fix that. Fuse it to your background fabric.

Re-transfer the lines you cut off. For this step I usually trace in front of a window – it makes it easy to get everything lined up.

Step 4
Hoop it up and stitch. When I do this technique I usually stitch everything in very dark brown (DMC #3371). I think it contributes to the overall playful and cartoony effect.

Step 5
Done! See how well the applique and embroidery work together?

Striped little chick made with applique and embroidery - free Little Chick with Big Feet pattern from Shiny Happy World

I think it’s especially fun to use this technique with patterned fabric. You get stripes or dots or flowers without having to stitch them!

But maybe you’re not a color outside the lines kind of person? Maybe that extra fabric around the edge really bugs you. Then you’ll want to use the “color inside the lines” technique. Follow all the steps outlined above except. . .

  1. Use the instructions in the fusible applique video to transfer your applique shape to the paper backing of your fusible adhesive.
  2. Cut your shape out exactly on the lines.
  3. Stitch inside the edges of the shape with matching thread. I usually use a running stitch. You do not want to use contrasting thread with this technique – it will make the eye read the line instead of the shapes and you want the line to disappear.

You can see an example where I used a combination of both techniques here.

lady's face made with applique and embroidery combined in two different ways

I wanted the hat and the skin to be shapes without strong outlining, so I cut them out exactly the size I wanted and I did the stitching in a matching color. I wanted the hair to look looser, so I cut its shape out a little bit outside the lines and I stitched the curls in a darker color.

I started using this technique of combining applique and embroidery to get skin color without having my ladies look hairy from the texture of the fill stitching. Now I use it for lots of different things! You can use it on any embroidery pattern.

Have fun and happy stitching!

How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – video

March 21, 2011
Intro to applique with fusible adhesive - video tutorial

Using a fusible adhesive is the easiest way to applique. You’re essentially gluing the fabrics together, and then you have the option to stitch around the edge of the applique to add extra strength. I usually straight stitch around the edge, or do a running stitch by hand with embroidery thread, but in the video I show you how to zigzag stitch around the edges of the patch.

Update!

For a long time I hardly ever used fusible adhesive for quilts. The products were all just too stiff, and the ones that were more flexible just didn’t hold well.

No more!

There are have been a lot of improvements in this category and now this is my very favorite applique technique – which means I have a lot more videos for it.

Here’s the post where I test some of the new products on the market.

Heat & Bond Lite is the brand of fusible adhesive I settled on. You can buy it in a roll or by the yard, but I especially love the printable sheets because I’m lazy and I hate tracing.

This video shows all the details for how I use fusible adhesive for all my quilts. I demonstrate with an actual pattern. Use this method for any of my patterns that do NOT include SVG files.

In 2020 I made some changes to how I format my patterns – they now include the seam allowance for overlapping pieces. This video shows how I use fusible adhesive now, using one of my newer-formatted patterns for the demo. Use this method for any of my patterns that include SVG files.

One more note. If you use fusible adhesive, you really need to prewash your fabric. The manufacturer applies sizing to the fabric to keep it looking fresh and crisp in the shop – but that sizing can also keep the adhesive from sticking properly. It doesn’t happen all the time – but when it does it’s maddening. Liquid fabric softener can do the same thing, so don’t use any when you pre-wash. (Dryer sheets are fine.)

Here are links to all the posts showing how to applique with fusible adhesive – my favorite method. It’s fast and easy and (with the right materials) it holds up beautifully to rough use and repeated washing.

Here are links to special posts about eyes.

Here are links to some extra fun things you can do with your applique.

Other Applique Methods

Finished with this topic?

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons about outline stitching.

Happy stitching!

How To Tie a Sewing Knot – video

December 31, 2010
How to tie a sewing knot - a video showing the super easy knot I use in the tail of my thread for all hand sewing.

I know it seems silly to record a video about how to tie a sewing knot – but this knot is so awesome it’s worth teaching.

When I’m sewing in public and strangers see me tie this knot – they stop and ask me how I did that. Yes – it’s that cool.

And it’s easy. 🙂

With just a little practice you can look like a sewing superstar.

I’ve heard it called a tailor’s knot and a quilter’s knot – but I just call it my favorite knot. 🙂

I use it for any and all hand sewing that I do – sewing, embroidery, hand quilting, you name it. If it calls for a needle and thread, with a knot in the tail of the thread – this is the sewing knot I use.

Here are all my posts about knots.

Before you knot that thread you need to know how much to use, so here’s one more post that doesn’t really have a better place to live. 🙂 How Many Strands of Thread Should I Use?

Return to the Learn to Embroider main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons for the four most basic embroidery stitches.

How to Choose a Sewing Machine for Beginners – video

December 6, 2010
Choosing a Sewing Machine for Beginners - a video from Shiny Happy World

If you’re trying to choose a sewing machine for beginners you do NOT need anything fancy. Please – do not buy a $1000 (or more!) machine unless you know you’re going to use it all the time.

At the other end of the spectrum – if you’re choosing a machine for a child, do not buy a toy sewing machine. I’ve seen a lot of them, and every one has been an utter piece of junk. They work for a little while and it’s all very exciting – but they die quickly – and sometimes spectacularly. My daughter Jo started with a toy machine and it literally threw sparks right before it went up in smoke. Very exciting.

What you want is a good, basic machine. A used machine is a great way to save some money – just make sure to bring it into a shop for a thorough cleaning. They can also give you a threading lesson and show you the basic maintenance required for your machine.

Whether you buy a machine used or from a sewing machine store, here’s a list of things to look for. . .

  • Smooth sewing. Try it out. If it makes your teeth rattle and the table shake so hard that you can’t feed the fabric through smoothly – don’t buy it. If it makes a grinding sound or a ticking sound – don’t buy it.
  • Even sewing. Sew a row of regular stitching, then take it out of the machine and look at it. Are the stitches all the same length? That’s good. Does it skip stitches – some are twice as long as others? Don’t buy it.
  • Easy threading. (Relatively speaking. If you’ve never threaded a sewing machine before it will seem insanely complicated at first.) Some newer machines have numbers or a diagram right on the machine to help with threading – and that makes it especially easy for younger kids.
  • A manual. Especially important for used machines – though you can find PDFs of a lot of old manuals online now.
  • A drop-in bobbin – if you’re choosing a machine for a child. It’s easier for kids to load than a front-loading bobbin.
  • Straight stitch. Every machine has this.
  • Zigzag stitch – all but the oldest machines have this. Don’t be sucked in by hundreds of available stitches. It’s like cable – you’ll only use a couple of them.
  • Stretch stitch. It’s not really necessary – you can always use a zigzag stitch instead – but it’s really nice to have and I end up using it fairly often.
  • You do NOT need a buttonhole stitch. You can use a zigzag stitch to make any buttonhole – and I actually get better results with a zigzag stitch.
  • The ability to backstitch. This allows you to easily “knot” at the beginning and end of your stitching. Again – almost all machines have this feature.
  • A foot pedal – if you’re choosing a machine for a child. Some machines have a knee pedal instead. That’s fine for adults, but those are often difficult for kids to control. It’s also hard to get the height just right for them.

Here’s a video talking you through some of these features and showing you my machine.

Here are a few more handy links for you. . .

Here are handy links to all the posts about quilting tools and supplies.

Sewing Machine

Iron

Rotary Cutting Tools

Scissors

Other General Sewing Room Supplies

One More Hugely Popular Post that Seems to Fit Here Better than Anywhere Else

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the posts about choosing your quilt pattern.

That’s it! Happy hunting.